Lighten up with Homemade Pizza

Athletes love food too!

Everyone has their vice. One thing that I’ve noticed though is that most endurance runners tend to share a vice; it’s junk food! Typically the logic goes that you can eat whatever you want as long as you exercise like a madman. Although there is a bit of truth in that logic (maybe to the extent that you won’t put on heaps of weight), there is also quite a bit of truth in the logic that eating whatever you want won’t help you perform as good as you want. Simply put, food for the average Joe is not the same as food for athletes. That’s not to say though that endurance athletes can’t still eat the foods they love, such as pizza. But it may require that you prepare those foods a bit differently and with some minor adjustments to the ingredients, such as with the recipe below.

It’s the middle of winter, the peak of comfort food season.  What better way to take comfort than knowing you can actually eat pizza that is good for you by simply making it yourself?  Usually food advertisements on TV will at the very least elicit a good chuckle, but the recent ad campaign by some chain pizza restaurant (Honestly, I am not intentionally omitting their name.  I do not know which one it is as I can’t bring myself to pay that close of attention to their commercials) that offer “all natural” pizza as if they are doing me a huge favor is really quite disturbing.  In my mind this begs the question “What exactly is in the other ‘not natural’ pizzas?”  Making pizza dough is generally the only hurdle for most people when it comes to homemade pizza, and tricky as it may sound, is actually quite simple.  Once you see how easy it is, the possibilities are truly limitless.

Homemade pizza allows you to choose the toppings you want, and apply the amount of cheese you want, which is nice for anyone who has consideration for their health and fitness.  You do not have to worry about processed, fatty meats and excessive amounts of grease-exuding cheese.  You can even customize the types and proportions of flour you use, from hearty whole-wheat to plain old flour.  Here is a very basic recipe that makes two large doughs, more than enough to feed a hungry bunch of athletes:

1 ½ cups warm water
3 t (or two packets) active dry yeast
3 T olive oil, plus more
2 T honey
1 ½ t salt
1 T sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups whole-wheat flour

Combine the sugar and water in a large bowl, stirring to dissolve.  Add the yeast and let sit until it activates (it will become foamy), about five minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix well with your hands until a dough forms.

I usually knead the dough in the bowl I used to mix it.  There is no need to make more of a mess than necessary.  Knead by pressing the dough, then folding it over onto itself, for about five minutes; add more flour or water as necessary (you do not want your dough to be too wet or too dry, though I would try to error on the side of wet.  Use your judgment.)  Brush a clean bowl with olive oil and transfer the dough.  Cover with a clean dishtowel and let dough rise for at least one half hour.  Separate the dough in two (or more) pieces, roll flat and top with whatever you please.

As far as toppings go, the sky is the limit.  Be as creative or mundane as you like.  A great place to start is with a basic red sauce.  Heat one 28 oz can of whole tomatoes in a medium saucepan over low heat.  Add a tablespoon of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.  Crush the tomatoes with a wooden spoon and you are all set.

Here are a couple fun topping ideas:

BBQ chicken and Pineapple
Portobello, Caramelized Onion, and Gorgozola
Artichoke heart, Bell Pepper, and Goat Cheese

Just top your pizza, crank your oven up to about 450 degrees, and slide in the pizza.

Despite its reputation as the quintessential junk food, homemade pizza can be a stand-alone, balanced and healthy meal, especially when made with a healthy crust and topped with lots of fresh, seasonal produce.  It just takes a bit of planning and a few minutes to make the dough.  Trust me, the favor you are doing yourself nutritionally, and the tasty satisfaction of your finished product is well worth it.  Or, you can always buy a pre-made dough and go from there.

Check back in for more nutritional foods for athletes compliments of our friends at CulinaryCompetitor