Y'all won't believe this.

[Aubrey]

I threw out a frozen pizza tonight. And (dh) made one from scratch instead. Why? The stats on the rat parts in the pizza did wig me out, but I can't see them & there's so much urban legend, etc....

 

It was the sodium.

 

After reading about sodium levels the other day (I posted about that at the time), I've been reading the labels on everything (& getting more out of that habit than I did before).

 

Y'all won't be surprised, but I was floored. There's about a day's worth of sodium in a slice or two of frozen pizza. I wasn't going to buy any more, anyway, but...then...I couldn't do it. Couldn't put it in the oven.

 

Finally, I decided that I wasn't throwing away "food." I was just realizing that something wasn't actually food after all.

 

Y'all are killing me. I mean, technically, saving my life and the lives of my children, but...

 

ok, so it didn't actually cost me any time, either, since dh piped up & said he actually likes making crust. And, technically, since ds asked if he could help & got to knead the dough w/ dad, it was a bonding experience, which kind-of makes it time *gained* instead of lost anyway. (Did that sentence come out complete? I've reread it 3x now, lol.)

 

I can't remember what I was saying. We ate green smoothies & threw out frozen pizza today. If you need a hero in this amazing, unbelievable tale of conversion-beyond-all-hope, go look for Audrey. With a D. She's the one who cooks.

[Jean in Newcastle]

:svengo:

[Peela]

 

Finally, I decided that I wasn't throwing away "food." I was just realizing that something wasn't actually food after all.

 

 

:hurray::hurray::hurray: Thats what I reckon when I go through my pantries and clean out old food- if it has too many ingredients that are respresented by numbers, I figure its not food at all and so its not wasteful to bin it!

 

Good on you.

[happi duck]

Oh yikes! I always forget to check the sodium...thanks for the reminder!

[Tap]

Good for you! It is hard when you really start thinking about what you are eating. You truly start to appreciate what constitutes 'food' and what is 'faux food'.

 

 

You comment about throwing it out reminds me of when smokers say they are going to quit after they finish their last pack of cigs. It always made me laugh because it never made since to me to keep smoking once someone is ready to quit. It wasn't like they were saving money, they were going to smoke it away anyways. lol

[Rosie_0801]

Kisses to Audrey and pats on the back to Aubrey!

 

:hurray:

Rosie

[cillakat]

:iagree::party:

[Chris in VA]

We can get Food Inc on the Wii-based, streaming Instant Netflix.

I know our lives are about to change! Who knew!

 

Proud of you!

[Tracy in Ky]

Yay for you!!!

 

I dump a lot of stuff too. Often when other people (visitors) bring chips, soda, etc. to our house, I dump bunches in the garbage and down the drain when they leave.

 

I don't feel like I am being wasteful, because in a very real sense it isn't food. It is poison. That is my reasoning. It will make my children feel bad, lower their immune system, contribute to insulin resistance, make them grouchy, throw their blood sugar off, contribute to heart disease, obesity, etc. No thank you. It's okay to dump poison. :D If there are no chips to eat, my kids will eat fruit, (natural) peanut butter, home made whole wheat bread, etc. They can only eat what they find in the kitchen :)

 

Here is the recipe I use for pizza crust--just substitute whole wheat flour and add some salt. I also like to add italian seasoning and parmesean (sp?) cheese to the crust after I get it on the pan.

 

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1941,148167-250202,00.html

Edited April 18, 2010 by Tracy in Ky

[Sasharowan]

We've been making our own pizza crust for the last 3 weeks. Now my 14 yo is starting to search the cabinets and recipes for ways to jazz it up. Now we need to work on a sauce.

[Gratia271]

Point well taken.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Hooray for nutritious, home made pizza!

[The Girls' Mom]

Woo hoo! Maybe you'll inspire me to throw out the cans of Chef Boyardee in my cabinet! We've been eating SO much better...but those cans are lurking in there.....

[mom4him]

Yay for you!!!

 

I dump a lot of stuff too. Often when other people (visitors) bring chips, soda, etc. to our house, I dump bunches in the garbage and down the drain when they leave.l

I don't let other people bring junk to our home. We follow a very strict diet mainly for our son and I tell them that our home is a 'safe haven' where they shouldn't be inundated with garbage. They have to put up with that everywhere they go. I doesn't have to be in our home. :001_smile:

[Heather in AL]

Finally, I decided that I wasn't throwing away "food." I was just realizing that something wasn't actually food after all.

 

 

Thanks for this. I never thought of it this way before, but it's absolutely true.

 

And, way to go on the homemade pizza!! Woohoo!

 

(off to check my freezer for frozen store-bought pizza....) :leaving:

[mcconnellboys]

Awwww, how sweet! Yes, nearly every pre-packaged food we eat is so full of sodium it's a wonder we don't all explode, LOL!

[Alicia64]

My parents visited this week and continually gave the boys french fries.

 

One of my kids is a picky eater so they couldn't give him a bunch of junk. He won't eat it.

 

But my mom actually bought a large from Trader Joe's of cheesecake and put it in our fridge. She took 2 slices and left 8 -- and they're large.

 

Like I'm going to let my chunky boy -- he's not fat, just huge -- eat a slice of cheesecake every other night even.

 

That's a once a year kind of treat in my mind.

 

At McD's she asked him, "what would you order if you could?" So he asked for fries.

 

Why do grandparents do this??

 

Would you talk to the grand about it or just let it go? They're 3,000 miles away now so we'll only see them about twice a year. :hurray:

 

I'm not an awful person -- my parents are just very difficult. Even my sons seemed slightly relieved when they head home.

 

Alley

[Cathy in IL]

I love homemade pizza and the kids enjoy kneading the dough and choosing from healthy toppings. Glad you enjoyed your bonding time with dh as you made the pizza!

 

I think I have a somewhat different viewpoint towards food than many on the boards. While nearly everything I prepare for the family is cooked from scratch and almost none of it is pre-packaged, I let them have snacks and treats now and then. We even keep some in the house almost all the time. They don't ask for it often. Candy from the parade last July 4th is still in the cupboard. I don't want them to see any foods and villianous, but want them to enjoy food and make healthy choices. I'm super strict about what I eat, and I worry about making them afraid of foods. My parents were super strict about foods for periods in my childhood, and I wonder if it contributed to me developing anorexia as an adult. I'd rather my kids be relaxed about food, even if they eat some that isn't the best, instead of battling with it like I do.

 

Just to share a somewhat different way to look at things.

[elise1mds]

YAY for homemade pizza! I use my bread machine to make the dough because I'm lazy like that, but it's SO nice to know that there's not HFCS and preservatives and heaven knows what else in my dough. Sometimes my friends wonder why my kids are sick maybe twice a year (once with allergies/sinus infections and maybe once with some random virus), and all I want to do is point out that I am a foodie and it *can* make a difference! I realized the other day that I haven't bought corn - other than cornmeal - in months. We used to eat it all the time, but then someone somewhere around here pointed out that it was a grain (which made me think, duh!) and the light bulb went on.

 

This board is great for food guilt... It's a good thing :D

[SquirrellyMama]

Would you talk to the grand about it or just let it go? They're 3,000 miles away now so we'll only see them about twice a year. :hurray:

 

I'm not an awful person -- my parents are just very difficult. Even my sons seemed slightly relieved when they head home.

 

Alley

 

I'd let it go. My parents live in FL and only get to visit once or twice a year. At first I was very strict about what they could feed my kids. Finally, I decided to let it go. It was too stressful and really cut down on the enjoyment for everyone. If it were every weekend or even every month then it would be different. Why cause grief for a twice a year visit?

 

Kelly

[Teachin'Mine]

Thank you so much for that recipe link Tracy!

 

I've always assumed that the dough needs to be made well ahead of time to give it two risings, but obviously that's not the case. Can't wait to try out this quick recipe! :001_smile:

[Garga]

Why do grandparents do this??

 

Would you talk to the grand about it or just let it go? They're 3,000 miles away now so we'll only see them about twice a year. :hurray:

 

I'm not an awful person -- my parents are just very difficult. Even my sons seemed slightly relieved when they head home.

 

Alley

 

They do this because they're grandparents and junk food is fun. (Yes, it's bad for you, but it's also fun.)

 

I'd let it go.

 

Maybe they think you're being difficult when you won't let them order the kid some fries. It's just fries twice a year. Even if it's for a whole week twice a year. French fries twice a year is ok.

[runamuk]

We love homemade pizza in our house. It tastes so much better and we can put whatever we want on it (roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions, and goat cheese is our favorite). I usually make the dough that needs to rise for an hour or so, but I can't wait to try out the dough in the link. Thanks, Tracy.

 

I've finally gotten the kids on board with our new healthy eating plan - I just wish I could get my husband to follow along. The other night, our son (6 yo) asked my husband why he was eating margarine on his bread. He then said, "That's fake food, you know." :)

[Mejane]

We stopped eating frozen pizza when I realized that two slices is 900 calories. I don't even want to think about the sodium level...

[Allearia]

I used to make homemade pizza, and for a while they liked it, then ds8 decided he doesn't like it any more. I think the crust recipe posted is the one I used. I can never find a good sauce, any tips for that? If I could just make a good cheese pizza I would be thrilled.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I use a similar recipe. 6 months ago, I accidentally left out the oil and it was still great, so I don't put oil in it anymore. I do knead it a little before letting it rest.

[OrganicAnn]

The sodium is probably in the cheese. Your homemade pizza might have almost as much sodium depending on how much cheese you put on it and what brand/type you use.

 

Of course I would still encourage homemade vs frozen.

[Colleen in NS]

Now we need to work on a sauce.

 

I can never find a good sauce, any tips for that?

 

I just use plain crushed tomatoes from a can. I know this has salt in it, but I don't use much - a cup for a big cookie sheet spread with dough. If I was going to go fresher, I'd probably take a bunch of ripe tomatoes, put them in the food processor, and add them to some sauteed onions and garlic. I'd even make a big batch of this and freeze it in one-cup portions for each pizza. To me, the sauce is basic - the toppings and flavourings (garlic, oregano, etc.) are what make the pizza taste good. My family loves homemade pizza and it's so easy to make nutritious.

[Guest Katia]

Congrats, Aubrey!! It is so hard to throw away something you think is 'food'. I know what you mean. Figuring out that it isn't really food is such a break-through, isn't it?

 

For years now, Saturday night has been our frozen pizza night. It was so nice to have a night when I didn't have to cook or prepare food; just pop it from the freezer onto the pan and into the oven.

 

But, I always ended up with heartburn, and every one of us would spend the entire night drinking and drinking and drinking......and you can eat so much of the frozen stuff and still not feel full, or you feel full but you still want to keep eating. What's up with that? The HFCS?

 

Starting in January of this year, I have been making our Saturday night pizzas from scratch. We don't care for using all ww flour in the crust as it's flat and tastes like cardboard. I've perfected a recipe (to our tastes) that uses 1 1/2 cups of white flour and 1 3/4 cups of ww flour. I figure that since I know all the ingredients going into the crust dough are real food, that it's ok to have some white flour in there. My plan is to keep cutting the white flour back until I find a good mix where we are using mostly whole wheat.

 

Other crust ingredients are water, light olive oil, honey, salt and yeast.

 

I know the cheese adds a lot of sodium, but a lot of cheese is what makes the pizza good, and we use real cheese (mozzerella and parmeasan) so it's real food.

 

My sauce is something I'm still working on, but I have one we all like using Hunt's tomato sauce (no HFCS or sugar or salt), a bit of red wine, Italian seasonings, minced garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, a dash of salt, and a bit of honey. I just simmer this while the dough is rising. It's excellent!

 

I LOVE to read these homemade pizza threads!!! They always help me to try something new or different with our Saturday night pizza.

 

Oh, and btw, when I make homemade pizza, there is always enough left-overs for Sunday night supper!!! Yea!!! It is so filling that we don't eat as much, but we feel full and satisfied. And NOT thirsty. And NO heartburn!

[Audrey]

:blush: Geez. I don't know what to say. The kudos are to you, though. I know how hard it is to throw away food.

 

No hero here. Just sharing. I had to learn all this on my own, too, Aubrey. I grew up in a real 70's housewife home. Canned cream of crap soup in everything. Always canned veggies. Potatoes came in a box or a can. Rice was Minute Rice. I didn't know pot roast was beef because it was always slathered in cream of mushroom soup.

 

When I moved out on my own I had very little money, so bought simple things I had to cook from scratch. I ended up working in a hippie bakery/restaurant for a while during university and discovered actual food there. Then I married a farmer and the rest is history.

 

I'm so glad you're making these changes, Aubrey. Think of all the good habits you are setting in your children. :001_smile: