Do you ever go through food phases?
One week nothing but green smoothies sound amazing, the next allllll the spicy foods and sometime after that nothing but sandwiches. Lately I’ve been on the Mexican kick and the best thing about it for me is it lends itself to power bowl meals and TONS of sneaky veggies!!!
As you know around here Friday tends to be pizza night…that did not dissuade me from more Mexican.
Usually David has a frozen pizza of some variety and seems to delight in popping it in the toaster oven and then settling in to relax as it bakes. It’s impossible to smell pizza and not have some, so I long ago gave up my protests that I wouldn’t eat any.
I decided a dairy free dinner was optimal before my long run, so I pulled a few things out of the freezer for a super fast meal!! Luckily the Udi’s Pizza crust comes with 2 personal size crusts, allowing me to quickly make a Mexican Pizza that would satisfy both David’s cheesy needs and my veggie needs!
Note: Not all enchilada sauce is gluten free!! I chose Old El Paso specifically because it was gluten free!
They also make for a great option to do a create your own pizza party. This way there’s no time spent kneading dough, you know all the ingredients are fresh whole foods and you get to avoid all the greasy toppings.
Healthy Mexican Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
- Udi's Gluten Free Pizza Crust
- Refried black beans
- Enchilada Sauce
- 1 cup per pizza diced veggies
- 1/2 cup diced avocado per pizza
- Optional: grilled chicken or ground turkey, diced tomatoes and shredded Mexican cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Spread 1/2 cup black beans on each crust (I went heavy as a good protein source for the veggie option)
- Spread chopped veggies evenly over pizza
- Spoon enchilada sauce over top of veggies
- If using meat or cheese, add that now
- Bake in oven 7-9 minutes (I put it right on the rack to get the crispiest crust)
- Remove, photograph (maybe that's just a blogger step)
- EAT!
Veggie notes: I used bell peppers and chopped spinach this time, but I’ve also done it with roasted broccoli, cabbage, green peppers and onions. On days when I have more time for pizza making I love adding even more toppings…the bigger the better in my book!
SPORTS NUTRITION
Have you ever noticed that a lot of runners mention pizza as the meal they have the night before a long run?
It doesn’t work for everyone and we’re talking about making HEALTHY choices with homemade pizza, let’s note that up front!!
A slice or two of thin crust offers up some quick carbs that can top off your muscles prior to a long run. You don’t need TONS of carbs so yes thin crust and just a slice or two.
Tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant compound that helps ward off heart disease and other ailments. If you eat lycopene-rich foods together with a small amount of oil or fat (like, say, the avocado above), your intestines absorb more of it!
Veggies/Protein toppings help stabilize blood sugar from the crust so you are getting a well rounded meal to satisfy your nutritional needs and keep you feeling full.
Gluten and dairy free options can be very helpful in eliminating runner’s trots. Those are two of the top intolerances which cause many runners to experience digestive issues.
More Gluten Free Ideas:
Vegan Portobello Pizza
Gluten Free Meal Plan for Athletes
19 RD approved gluten free desserts
Do you go through food phases?
Do you ever make pizza at home?
Other ways to connect with Amanda
Instagram: RunToTheFinish
Facebook: RunToTheFinish
Get new posts via BlogLovin
Learn more about living gluten free! Visit http://udisglutenfree.com/community
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. The opinions and text are all mine.
A Runner Goes Snowboarding and Lives to Tell About It
Liz
Oooh we're coming over for dinner!! These look so delicious :)
uptowncookie
Making this for my son, maybe tonight! Our pizza night is on Tuesdays :) He loves Mexican and it will be a nice change. I don't know why I never crave Mexican flavors (I know, I am weird) but once I do eat it, I am like, why don't I eat this more often?
My recent post 5 Benefits of Treadmill Running For Outdoor Runners
RunToTheFinish
Yeahh!! Let me know if he likes it, I know David was skeptical at first but loved it
My recent post 20 Minute Healthy Mexican Pizza {Gluten Free}
fitfoodiemama
LOVE Udi's pizza crust! Pinned for later :)
My recent post Healthy Chocolate Strawberry Granola {Oil Free, Low Sugar}
vitatrain4life
I definitely go through food phases but I think I'm always in a "pizza" phase! My SIL makes the most incredible homemade pizzas and mine never seem to come out as well. I still eat them but usually I will pop in a Kashi pizza and sit and relax while my dinner is made :-)
Now I'm hungry…
My recent post The Rundown – Hiberation
GiGiEatsCelebrities
Man, the last time I had REAL pizza…. Oh man, 15 years ago!? SO CRAZY!! That being said, I do really like gluten-free pizzas that I make! :)
My recent post A Not So Ribbiting Taste Test
alisamarie
This is such a fun idea! I would definitely add olives, too! I would say our food phases turn into food ruts … the same meals over and over – we still like them, but it just seems like variety would be better. I'm working on that though.
My recent post Comforting Slow Cooker Ragu