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Hi everyone, and HAPPY Friday!!!! So my hubby and I are literally just starting the PALEO diet, and have a question.

Friday nights are ALWAYS pizza nights...and not sure we can suddenly just quit it. Any words of advise/any alternatives??

Many thanks everyone---hope you all enjoy the weekend !!! Tricia

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Just want to extend a very BIG THANK YOU to each of you. This is so new, and it seems there are SO many rules--but I've actually already been eating GRASS-FED meats ! I'm going to go out & purchase more grass-fed now. HAVE A FABULOUS WEEKEND ALL !!! TRICIA – Tricia May 6 2011 at 17:50
I posted further down but here's the ingredients. If they sound good, enjoy, if not then good luck. 4 eggs 1/2 cup of coconut milk (or full fat milk) 1/3 cup coconut flour 1/3 cup flax meal Add any spices or flavors you'd like to get a tasty crust. You can also cut the crust in strips and use as breadsticks. I personally add: 1 tbsp oregano 1 tbsp basil garlic powder (i don't measure, i just add til i think its awesome) Its also at www.benkreps.com. Although I tend to curse like a sailor so be careful when you look around. – Ben Kreps May 6 2011 at 18:11

20 Answers

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Try making a meatza! It's an awesome way to get a ton of protein in and also have a pizza-ish meal.

  1. pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F

  2. mix ingredients in ratio of: 1lb ground meat 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 1 egg italian spices to taste (I eyeball this. Use Italian Spices or Oregano, Parsley, Basil and others) Salt and pepper to taste.

  3. Flatten out on a baking sheet and place in oven for 10 minutes.

  4. Drain the excess fat, or store if grass fed beef (as tallow)

  5. Put on toppings

  6. Broil until toppings are good to go.

  7. Om nom nom...

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Plus that would be 100% grain free – JakeA May 6 2011 at 17:05
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Wait...is calling that a meatza supposed to give Tricia the satisfaction of a pizza? As if, she could play a linguistic leger-de-main on her tastebuds. – Thomas Seay May 6 2011 at 17:09
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You can pick a new food that becomes your Friday tradition. Pizza is one of my #1 missed food. I thought of getting one and scraping the toppings off the ditching the crust, but I decided it's better to just avoid it.

Tradition is never a valid reason to continue a bad habit.

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You're right-I'm being silly & should start a new tradition. THANKS A MILLION ! – Tricia May 6 2011 at 17:25
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our pizza night was monday- you pay the time you call and we called it "recession pizza night" and got together with some neighborhood people with kids the same age every week. after paleo, i called monday a cheat day and would eat the pizza, then i would have just one slice on mondays, then i just started to order a big salad with steak tips on it and got pizza for the kids. now we dont do it at all, but get together with those same people and just cook dinner.

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These sort of questions are understandable but they remind me of vegetarians who spend their lives looking for meat-a-like dishes. My advice is get tough and make a new paleo friendly dish your Friday night special.

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I was going to say the same thing. Pick a meal that is fun, slightly indulgent, and easy for everyone to eat, but is still paleo, such as kebabs, Outback, or the mixed grill from the local italian place. Just skip the pasta and instead have salad and maybe a little rice as a once-in-a-week indulgence. – UncleLongHair May 6 2011 at 17:18
Awesome suggestion; I appreciate your time in responding. – Tricia May 6 2011 at 17:30
i like to make tortilla-less fajitas as a quick, very savory, indulgent-feeling weekend meal. the sizzle gets me every time! – paleonyc May 6 2011 at 18:32
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Meatza! You can experiment with recipes and what you like, but here's a good place to start: http://www.justinowings.com/b/index.php/me/meatza-meatza

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yum we just had this the other night... first time I've had 'pizza' since I've gone paleo. It satisfied my pizza craving! – Kim The Nourishing Cook May 6 2011 at 17:24
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My advice would be to skip Pizza Night for about a month to six weeks, just so you can get in the Paleo groove and break your addiction to wheat (which I assume you have). After that, I would re-introduce Pizza night. There is no need to become a fanatic, and it's good to deviate from Paleo now and then.

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And when I say "Pizza" I mean real pizza, not some pathetic imitation. "Meatza" makes me think of vegan crap like "Tofurkey". – Thomas Seay May 6 2011 at 17:11
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I like how you think, and many thanks for your time in answering ! – Tricia May 6 2011 at 17:29
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Would it be better if I called it flattened meatloaf with side toppings? – JakeA May 6 2011 at 17:50
Yes, it would. At least then it would not be false advertising :) – Thomas Seay May 6 2011 at 17:59
+1 to a "flattened meatloaf with side toppings." Nice. – Tom R. May 6 2011 at 18:40
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One of our local pizza places has a gluten free pizza crust. You would be surprised how many do now. I would call around and see what you can find.

If you make the pizza, Bob's Red Mill also sells a gluten free pizza crust mix.

The "gluten free" options still have some stuff that is not exactly Paleo, but it's still better than eating gluten. I think you will find that as you transition you'll want the fake stuff less.

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THANK YOU FOR RESPONDING--I'll see what I can find ! – Tricia May 6 2011 at 17:29
"The "gluten free" options still have some stuff that is not exactly Paleo, but it's still better than eating gluten." Check the label carefully. Some of the worst stuff I've seen was gluten free. – mth May 6 2011 at 17:59
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There's some cheese in these but if you're doing dairy either one of these would be great options.

Cauliflower crust pizza

I also highly recommend this recipe which is just cheese and egg. I actually prefer this to the cauliflower but both are good.

NancyEll's cheese crust pizza

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I never heard of ricing cauliflower, that sounds like a great idea - thanks! – Cindy M. May 6 2011 at 17:56
I eat it every week as rice. I used to shred it in the food processor but I actually prefer it just mincing it up with the regular blade. It's just a very fine cut. I then either steam it or saute it or roast it and use it as my rice for the week. Or make delicious pizza! – Shari Bambino May 6 2011 at 19:29
Sounds good! Can you use either fresh or frozen? – Cindy M. May 7 2011 at 0:31
You sure can. They seem to work equally well. – Shari Bambino May 7 2011 at 3:09
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Use portobello mushroom caps as your base, load them with your sauces, meat, veggies, and cheese, then bake. Serve with a salad.

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I miss pizza too, but never had a paleo crust turn out good. Anyway there it is very annoying when you are a real good pizza or any food "fan" and that mock flavor pi***es you off.

My solution......fast and easy:

I pour a tomato puree over a plate, sprinkle basil and oregano on it. Add mozzarella and place it under the broiler.

Turns out just like perfect pizza less the crust. The tastiest part anyway with no hassle, no guilt.

No need for a pizza cutter or knife, just dig in with a fork.

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NICE-I like that idea. This may work out pretty well, and thank you chatting too! – Tricia May 6 2011 at 17:35
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Friday night was pizza night here too!! I'd say that is the thing I miss most since starting the Paleo diet two months ago... So, now I order sausage and peppers (just in a bowl without the bread or pasta) while everyone else eats pizza! I know it's not lean meant, but eh, you can't be 100% good all the time!

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meat, not meant! – Cindy M. May 6 2011 at 17:51
Oh no, are you still stuck in the fat is bad mindset? – mari May 7 2011 at 0:05
Well, I'm trying to only eat lean meat (per the Cordain book which is my only real reference since I'm new to this), but I'm seriously getting bored of chicken and turkey! I've been attacking bacon, so I assume I need more fat. I've had decent weight loss in the past two months, so I'm afraid to add things... – Cindy M. May 7 2011 at 0:13
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Hi Tricia,

I actually toyed around with a few different recipes for pizza when i went primal. Cauliflower was horrible and the meatza didn't quite satisfy that pizza craving I had so I made my own. I did a video for the primal blueprint challenge so you can watch or just look at the info and the recipe is listed in there. Hope it helps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrVXDgxM3t4

If that link doesn't work just seach: perfect primal gluten free pizza crust

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There's nothing wrong with the 'get tough and give it up' but my goal has been to find alternatives that taste good. I will say be careful with bod's red mill and some of the other gluten free flours packs that are sold as they tend to be high on the carb side. The recipe above uses coconut flour and flax meal as the primary ingredients. Forgot to mention that. – Ben Kreps May 6 2011 at 18:03
yikes to the flax meal. Oxididzed pufas :( – mari May 7 2011 at 0:06
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I haven't tried it yet but it's on my to-do list. I want to try to use the spinach "bread" recipe from Mark's Daily Apple http://www.marksdailyapple.com/spinach-bread/ as a pizza crust. The spinach "bread" is just eggs, spinach, butter, pine nuts, garlic and basil. All things that I think could pair well with pizza flavors.

I also fully agree with the Meatza. Love it! I mix part ground beef part hot Italian sausage for the "crust" and then top with whatever we would normally order on a pizza.

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http://www.amazon.com/Chebe-Bread-Pizza-Crust-7-5-Ounce/dp/B001ACMCNA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304706098&sr=8-1

Ingredients Manioc (Tapioca) Flour, Modified Manioc Starch (100% Manioc), Iodine-free Sea Salt, Basil, Garlic, Onion, Oregano. Manufactured In A Gluten-free Environment. Allergen Information: Contains No Wheat, No Soy, No Corn, No Rice, No Potato, No Yeast, No Nuts, No Peanuts, No Lactose, No Casein.

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Hello. That is very close to my recipe's dry ingredients. But my ingredients would only cost around 1-2$ for that packet. Manioc is what Cassava is made out of...it is the entire root. You can buy Tapioca flour as well, which is just the starch. I posted the link above. – Forrest May 6 2011 at 21:06
+1 on chebe. so amazing. yeah, carb heavy, but if you're going to do pizza, this is an AMAZING substitute. just promise yourself to only do it once in a while, though.. the stuff is addictive, honestly. – cookie Aug 4 at 13:41
its a once a month treat - I order the case of 8 and then write the Month on the front of each box - so we dont "accidentally" forget ;-) – OSUfanz Aug 6 at 18:34
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You could try making a nice kebab. Paleo, quick to make, tasty too. Some ground turkey or lamb wil do nicely. Add in some cumin, garamasala, crushed dried chilis, garlic salt. Griddle, or BBQ, till nicely seared. I top mine with variations on guacamolenand serve with oven roasted tomatoes and garlic and a fresh salad. Yum.

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I make little pizza puffs/dumplings by stuffing Brazillian cheese breads like a little grain-free Hotpocket. You can also just flatten a Brazillian cheese bread and it makes a fun pizza crust.

Google "pao de queijo" for recipes.

I try not to eat too many primal "processed" foods like cheese and nut/coconut/tapioca flours, but once in awhile I'll do it for a treat. Brazillian cheese bread is my new favorite treat. Sooo good and so easy. But if you aren't used to eating starches, it might be intense, haha.

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I just noticed someone posted about Chebe mix. Yeah, it's pretty much the same thing as pao de queijo, so that would be good too. – Leo May 7 2011 at 11:49
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Kabobs...the new Friday night tradition!!

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I make a paleo crust from cassava flour, eggs, coconut oil, grassfed bacon grease, and spices. You can have your pizza and be paleo too.

Here is my recipe: http://paleohacks.com/questions/37487/whats-your-favorite-debatebly-paleo-pizza-crust-recipe

I get my cassava flour, other root flours, and dextrose here:

http://www.barryfarm.com

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WOW--that really sounds fabulous. Hope I can find cassava flour. :D – Tricia May 6 2011 at 17:27
Isn't cassava flour very starchy? I bought some along with some fermented cassava flour and haven't used it yet. Not sure it is really Paleo. Anyway I found mine in a Latin american food store. – Kathi May 6 2011 at 18:00
It's Paleo, but use discretion in the amount you consume, like all starches. It has a GI similar to sweet potato. – Forrest May 6 2011 at 19:43
would you mind sharing the recipe? – mari May 6 2011 at 23:58
paleohacks.com/questions/37487/… please let me know if you try it! – Forrest May 9 2011 at 2:13
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Try using a whole-wheat tortilla for the crust. Pile on the meat and veggies. Be a little judicious with the cheese. Eat slowly and savor as a once-a-week treat.

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Why? What so magical about a whole wheat tortilla crust? If you're going to eat pizza, eat pizza. Don't screw around with poor imitations. – Thomas Seay May 6 2011 at 17:07
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A whole wheat crust is just as bad for you from a Paleo perspective as a regular crust. Blowing out your diet once a week is a sure way to make sure you never get anywhere with it. – UncleLongHair May 6 2011 at 17:19
For someone just starting a Paleo-type diet, it is very difficult to be 100% and taking some half measures can be useful. If someone is going to eat pizza, I maintain that it is far better to include a super-thin tortilla instead of regular pizza dough. When she's ready, she can get rid of the crust entirely. – AlanBeall May 7 2011 at 12:57
Alan, there's nothing "half-paleo" about making a pizza with any type of whole grain crust. – Forrest May 7 2011 at 16:34
i think that any person going paleo should drop wheat for good, 100%, the very first day and not look back. ever. any grain or starch is better than wheat. – cookie Aug 4 at 13:39

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