Pizza Margherita

So, my husband and I have been trying to cut back on eating out...and I think we have been pretty successful so far. And by so far, I mean the last 2 weeks or so! 

Being in a new town (actually, new state!), we got carried away with trying all the things! It's not like we didn't eat out before we moved...I think we actually ate out a lot more before, being that we had my family there to eat out with! Our "home town" didn't have much to offer other than your usual chain restaurants...it gets pretty boring. But as soon as we got here, we really got carried away trying all the new restaurants in the area. We are only 45 mins South East from DC, so there are many restaurants to choose from. We've gone to many here, some in Alexandria, and plenty in DC!

But it gets to be a bit expensive, and makes your clothes shrink! So we decided that we would try to keep from eating out as often. And like I said, we've been pretty successful! We didn't completely stop going out all together, we just cut back. (Tuan's friend was in town, so we HAD to go out for drinks...and you can't drink on an empty stomach! Lol! And we also have to find the right Chinese restaurant in the area!) From what I can remember, we only ate out 3 times the last 2 weeks. So that's pretty good for us. 

But even when we don't eat out, we'd get a little carried away when we cook at home. We'd eat like there's no tomorrow! There would hardly be any leftovers. But that has completely changed....our freezer is stocked with plenty of meals! There's plenty of leftovers for Tuan to take to work, and plenty to freeze for later.                                                             

We are prepared for the apocalypse!

Anyway...this week I was tired of meat. And that's hard to say because I used to not be able to get full without having meat. I HAD to have meat in every meal! It's a Mexican thing! So I wanted something easy to make, very light, and very tasty. We've been making this pizza often since we found this recipe! I used to not be a fan of tomatoes...not raw, not in chunks in my pasta sauce, not even ketchup! But lately I have been enjoying it, except for raw...I don't think I'll ever eat it raw (unless it's in a fresh salsa!). I absolutely love this pizza, it is very filling. And what I really love is that it doesn't leave me feeling stuffed, bloated, or even give me acid reflux or heart burn! 

Foil lined baking sheet! Call me lazy,
but it makes it easier to clean up!

Pizza Margherita Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Grilling 2

4 servings

1 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 can (13.8-ounces) refrigerated pizza crust dough

¼ cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

8 ounces fresh mozzarella packed in water

3 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

salt

ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together oil and garlic; set aside. Lightly spray baking sheet with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Unroll dough and place on baking sheet. Press out dough to 13x9-inch rectangle. Bake in oven about 7 minutes or until crust begins to brown. Brush with garlic oil over crust, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with 2 tablespoons of the chopped basil, the mozzarella, and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Return to oven; bake for 8-10 minutes more. Top with remaining 2 tablespoons basil and serve hot.