homemade pizza dough🍕{ready in 1 hour}

this BBQ Pineapple Chicken pizza is what made you click on this post! if you came here to make some homemade pizza dough, i’ll discuss that first. keep reading; i'll list the toppings for this yumminess below 😊.

first things first- let’s get this dough going!

*breathe*

it’s totally not as intimidating as it seems. i don’t have a stand mixer (yet!) so you don’t need one to make amazing, homemade pizza, fit friends.

add the yeast, sugar, and warm water to a bowl. the water should not be boiling as it may kill the yeast. but it does need to be really warm to activate the yeast. let this mixture sit for 10 minutes. if the yeast is fresh and active, the result will be the pic on the right. nice and foamy!

now, sift in all other ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, oregano, remaining water, olive oil) and with a mixing spoon, mix dough until it just comes together. the dough should be sticky, but sprinkle plenty of extra flour on your counter top and the top of the ball of dough.

knead the dough by hand for just a few minutes by pressing your palms into it and folding it over on itself over and over again. don’t overmix; i usually knead the dough for about 45 - 60 seconds straight or so. add more flour if needed!

add the now smoother ball of dough back into that same mixing bowl. drizzle the dough ball with some olive oil.

drape a dishtowel over the bowl and place the bowl in a quiet, dark corner of your kitchen. let the dough rest for at least 1 whole hour minimum. if we’re having pizza for lunch that day, i’ll start on the dough immediately after breakfast so it’s ready to go when i need it later.

see that difference?

the combination of the yeast and the baking powder really makes this dough expand quickly. if you don’t have baking powder, the dough will still rise significantly from the yeast, so don’t worry. at this point, you can split the dough into sections and store them in the fridge until you’re ready for them (up to 4-5 days).

if you’re ready now, plop the dough onto a floured, stable surface (i always use my cleaned countertop) and sprinkle more flour on top.

you can make a gigantic pizza, or again, you can chop the dough into 4 mini doughs. this is what i do for the kiddos so they can each create their own customized masterpiece (see them below!).

using your fingers or a rolling pin, stretch out the dough as thin or as thick as you’d like. take a baking pan and sprinkle about 1 tbsp of coarse ground cornmeal onto it. transfer your stretched dough to the baking pan. now it’s time to add those toppings!

remember, less is more! i have to tell my kids this because they will add a billion toppings to their pizzas and make them as heavy as bricks, ha.

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here are the toppings for my lactose-free BBQ Pineapple Chicken Pizza:

• Cracker Barrel Vermont White Cheddar (all Cracker Barrel cheese are lactose-free; did you know that!?)

• 50% fire roasted organic pizza sauce / 50% sweet bbq sauce of your choice

• fresh sliced red onion

• chicken tenderloin chunks marinated in coconut aminos, low sodium garlic salt, & pepper (see photo below)

• minced cilantro

• diced red bell pepper

• pineapple tidbits (fresh or canned)

i marinate the chicken tenderloin chunks in coconut aminos for about 10 minutes before cooking them up in my favorite wok. add some garlic salt and black pepper and stir them around on high heat for about 7-8 minutes. assemble, bake, and feast your eyes on the delicious end result😍

here’s that recipe! my kids LOVE making homemade pizza and i encourage you to do a fun DIY pizza night with your family too!

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Homemade Pizza Dough

Yield: 4 mini pizza doughs

Author: Leah K. Egwuatu

Prep time: 1 H & 10 MCook time: 12 MTotal time: 1 H & 22 M

simple and delicious! this dough is ready to go in just 1 hour.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3 1/4 - 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour + extra for kneading
• 2 tsp organic cane sugar
• 1 packet instant yeast
• 1 tbsp olive oil + more for drizzling
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning or oregano(optional)

Instructions:

1. add yeast packet, 1/2 cup WARM water, and sugar to a bowl.
2. let sit 10 minutes to activate yeast.
3. once yeast mixture is foamy, add remaining ingredients (1 cup warm water, salt, olive oil, flour, baking powder, and optional dried Italian seasoning or oregano).
4. if using a stand mixer, mix dough until it is just combined; be careful not to over mix. if mixing by hand, combine all ingredients until dough just comes together and releases from the sides of the bowl and form  a big sticky clump. 
5. flour a large, flat, working surface (i use my cleaned countertop) and place the dough ball in the center.  sprinkle about 2 tbsp of flour onto the top of the dough ball.
6. roll up your sleeves! knead the dough by using your palms. press them both into the dough and fold the dough over onto itself several times until it becomes noticeably smoother.  
7. add the ball of dough back into the mixing bowl and drizzle it with olive oil (about 1 tbsp). cover the dough with a dish cloth and place it into a quiet, dark corner of your kitchen.  let the dough rise for at least 1 hour.
8. -------
9. READY? PREHEAT OVEN TO 475 DEGREES.
10. prepare a dry baking pan sprinkled with about 2 tbsp of coarse cornmeal crumbs. this will keep the dough from sticking to the pan as it bakes. 
11. cut dough into 4 mini doughs and refrigerate until ready to use, or  continue with the recipe.
12. flour your work surface and drop the dough ball into the flour; sprinkle about a tbsp of flour on top. 
13. using your fingers (or a rolling pin) spread/roll the dough as thin or thick as you'd like.
14. transfer stretched dough as quickly as you can to your baking sheet.
15. add desired toppings (pizza sauce, cheese, meat of choice etc.) but remember that less is more! be careful not to weight the pizza down.
16. brush the rim of your dough with olive oil and bake your pizza pies for 11-12 minutes each.

Notes:

the dough will last in the fridge for 4-5 days; be sure to let the dough return to room temperature first.

Calories

410

Fat (grams)

5

Carbs (grams)

77

Fiber (grams)

4

Sugar (grams)

2

Protein (grams)

10

Created using The Recipes Generator

TAG me on Insta if you make this- i would LOVE to see what toppings you added to your pizzas😍!

Spaghetti Squash Chaos

my big bro met me at the gym for a workout yesterday! i missed my early gym date (again) and definitely needed to go get it in. i did one of my 6 Pack USA leg day routines and ended it with a burnout lunge-a-thon via the smith machine.

 [wpvideo XHzNWJQ9]

25 lb plates on each side + 100 reps on each leg = #DONE

afterwards, i went to pick up my kiddos and this little guy was super soaked!  this was the perfect #MomIsHere moment cause i was right on time for diaper duty! have you heard about this contest going on RIGHT NOW via @Sproutchannel!?   moms, go check it out and snap some pics of you and your little one(s) for the chance to win free stuff!  it's that simple.

for the next 30 days, tag your Instagram usies #MomIsHere and #NoFilter30 to be eligible! so much LOVE flowing through those hashtags <3

on to our dinna later that evening! it's funny how when we get home everybody starts lookin' at me like, 'sooooo.... food?'

watch dis:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-DlTPUEFb8&w=560&h=315]

how i seasoned my lean ground meat:

• 1 lb lean ground chicken or turkey 
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1/2 chopped yellow onion
• 2 tbsp liquid aminos
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning  
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil 

Spaghetti Squash Chaos

the stuff:

• 1 large roasted/baked spaghetti squash (30-45 min on 400 deg)
• 1 lb lean ground chicken or turkey breast, cooked & seasoned (see above)
• 2 cups packed, fresh spinach
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup shredded cheese of choice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1-2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• hand full of turkey pepperoni slices (approx. 12)

do this:

1. preheat oven to 350 deg, baking pan with foil and coat it with no stick cooking spray
2. split spaghetti squash in half, remove seeds/guts
3. scoop out the flesh of the squash (be gentle!) and add it to your skillet along with your ground meat, tomatoes, spinach, pepper, & olive oil
4. mix all together until combined
5. place empty shells on baking sheet and distribute mixture evenly back into shells
6. top spaghetti half #1 with 1/2 cup shredded cheese; do the same for #2 with the remaining cheese
7. distribute the pepperoni slices evenly on top of the cheese
8. bake for approx 10-15 min or just until the cheese melts and/or browns
9. take out of the oven and sprinkle with the fresh, chopped basil (didn't have any so i used parsley)

will you make this and tag me on Insta? it would make my LIFE!!!! it always does. i'd love to start doing features again as i appreciate when you guys make my recipes so, so much. 

this was Sonny's (Hubs) serving; he likes it HOT and eats Sriracha on everythang of course,

and here's my brother's plate. chipped plates make the world go round.  man i could eat avocado on top of just about anything!!!

if you haven't subscribed to my YouTube channel yet, do so and show me some #vlogger love then!  i really hope you all enjoy this healthy, wholesome meal as much as we did. mmmk, bye.

Q: spaghetti squash is pretty bland by itself...how do you spice yours up normally? #punintended 

le

no beastmode + avocado crema dip

concerning the game....

WHAT?!

i'll just keep it classy and congratulate the Pats.  moving on......

being at home to raise my boys has been one of the biggest blessings in my entire life. i am so thankful.  the only time i really hear crying from Dego is when he's uncomfortable (needs to be changed, hungry, the usual). other than that, he's showing that gummy smile off and cackling at Chiso! i thought Chiso smiled a lot but Dego takes the cake in that department.  Chiso is now a threenager. even on our most difficult, trying, exhausting days, the Lord reminds me how hard i prayed and cried for these boys.  that thought alone makes whatever i'm upset or irritated about (toddler temper tantrum, spilled food, disobedience, etc.) just not that big a deal anymore.  i actually dropped a big bowl of pancake batter and it splattered EVERYWHERE recently. everywhere. the ceiling, walls waaaaay across the room, under tables... just a gigantic mess. albeit my fault, instead of getting angry i stared at the chaos on my floor and laughed (not a crazed, hysterical, witch-like laugh or anything lol) then Chiso chimed right in with me.  i cleaned it all up with a smile.

these guys constantly remind me to stop sweating and stressing the small stuff. we just don't have time. or the energy, most days.

 so before the big game started i went outside to get a 1 hour walk/jog/run thing on!  that's all i had planned to do, but i saw new fit mom Ashley Horner on IG outside doing 300 walking lunges with her 12 day old new-born strapped to her chest and that motivated THE heck outta me.  so i did 300 walking lunges too before heading back home to...

mr. P.J.!

i'm finding it harder and harder to post these kinds of pics to IG because i don't want to discourage our 6 Pack USA clients as they work towards their own fitness goals.  i do maintain my current body fat % using my own personalized plan, but i also indulge in moderation as i am able to easily compensate via my diet and/or exercise for those indulgences to keep me where i want to be. so there! yes, i had a few slices of pizza on game day and i was back on track with no guilt or worries the next day.

my brother and sister-in-law came over to watch the game with us so i made a few snacks including this one i'd love to share with ya:

Avocado Crema Dip 

the stuff: (source)

• 3 ripe avocados
• 1 - 6 oz container 0% greek yogurt
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper
• juice of 1 lemon or lime
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• cracked black pepper & sea salt to taste

do this:

1. add all ingredients to your blender or food processor
2. blend until super-duper creamy (keep scraping down the sides if using a blender)
3. get scoop happy! you can dip anything you want, but i chose plantain chips and the bell peppers.

switching to the 8oz baby bottles for parties / get-togethers was a great move.  one of my pet peeves is walking around picking up half-finished water bottles at the end of a party!!!! never again. that dip in the center of the veggie plate is just Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix + 0% greek yogurt. my mom gave me that idea but used to use sour cream. so yummy!!! it really brings veggies to life.

love this stuff!! my Sprouts Farmers Market usually has a great variety of flavors too; there are so many to choose from.  we recently tried the Cheddar Caramel Mix and gave it two thumbs way up.  if you're gonna sneak snacks into the movie theater, bring this stuff!

did you watch the big game? where?

le