Fathead dough makes a healthier pizza

Pizza, an American staple. Birthday parties, sporting events, Friday nights...there's always an occasion for pizza.

My husband used to say he could eat pizza every day forever; if I hadn't planned dinner, pizza was always our go to. Since we started this diet, our freezer is no longer filled with Tombstones that we stocked up on whenever there was a sale. I have found a few delicious alternatives.

My favorite recipe is with "Fathead dough." Not the lowest carb option, but it is the most similar to a regular pizza that I have tried.

You will need:

2 cups mozzarella

4 ounces cream cheese

2 eggs, slightly beaten

2 tsp baking powder

(optional)

2+ cups of almond flour

Garlic powder or Italian

seasoning to taste

Directions: Melt mozzarella and cream cheese in the microwave (one minute at a time, stirring in between). Work remaining ingredients into your melted cheese (don't be afraid to get your hands dirty). I usually end up adding another ½ cup or so of flour to get the right consistency, just keep adding a little at a time until it looks and feels like a bread dough. Roll your dough out onto parchment paper* or a silicone mat, to desired thickness (I prefer crust about a 1/4 inch thick). Poke holes all over your dough and bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Add your choice of sauce and toppings and bake until cheese melts. Enjoy!

Another alternative we've enjoyed is a ground chicken crust (we use turkey because I've yet to find ground chicken at the grocer and I'm not about to grind my own). The recipe is very simple, 1 pound of ground poultry, 1.5 cups mozzarella, 1 tsp. garlic powder. Mix all ingredients, roll out into crust on parchment paper and bake at 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes, add desired toppings and put it back in the oven until cheese is melted. For this recipe I recommend BBQ sauce, gouda and mozzarella cheese and red onions for a California Pizza Kitchen BBQ chicken pizza copycat.

I've also made a very simple breadstick recipe that could make an excellent pizza crust as well. You'll need one cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, 1 egg and garlic powder to taste. Mix it all up and press into a crust, bake at 350 degreees for about 15 minutes. Enjoy as breadsticks or add some toppings and make a pizza.

We love pizza at our house and have enjoyed all of these recipes. Hopefully one or all of these will be a suitable substitute for your family too, because a life without pizza is no life at all (unless you ask Sherry Hagerman-Benton).

*Please note, wax paper IS NOT parchment paper, DO NOT bake on it unless you want to start a fire!