Kids Love Making Pita Pizza with Wholesome Pizzazz!

Kids are all about fun, and mealtime should be no exception. At preschool this week, "p"  was the featured letter. Rhyming words, tongue twisters like Peter Piper, songs and activities all focused on the letter p.

To go along with the theme, our cooking activity in Miss Barb's kitchen this week was Pita Pizzas. We even tried to make up our own tongue twisters by saying, "Pita Pizza, Pita Pizza Please" and "Pizza, Please!" five times fast. We also had our own version of Peter Piper: Paula Piper Picked a Pan of Pita Pizzas. 

Pizza is a favorite kids food. It's right up there with Mac and Cheese, Chicken Nuggets and French Fries. There is only one thing kids love more than eating pizza...and that's making it themselves.

3 - Pepper Pita Pizza

Obviously making dough is no easy feat even for some adults so for our pizza we used whole wheat pita bread since it's low fat, delicious and nutritious. The kids especially enjoyed putting on their own sauce, cheese and toppings. For parents and guardians, this represents a great opportunity to encourage kids to experiment with new foods. New colors and shapes on pizza are exciting to them. It's worth trying to throw in some broccoli and cauliflower. Before you know it your young chef proteges will be creating pizzas with green, yellow and red peppers, broccoli, chopped tomato, cucumber, olives, pineapple tidbits and good protein sources like chicken, lean ground beef or turkey, low fat pepperoni or turkey bacon. They'll be proudly feeding the whole family their healthy pizza creations, and gobbling up those tasty nutrients instead of spitting it out or feeding it to the dog and cat.

If you're short on time and don't want to chop up toppings, just visit a fresh salad bar at your local Whole Foods Market or supermarket to assemble toppings. 

The keys ingredients to success here are fast, easy and (most importantly) fun. Have a weekly Family Pizza Party and or use this recipe idea for your kids next Birthday Party or Sleepover.

And for more fun watch Doggity's on PBS Sprout.  This recipe and others have Doggity's Dog Gone Good seal of approval.

Broccoli "Trees" & Cheese

Pita Pizza 

Ingredients: 

1 package (8 ounces) small round pita bread, preferably whole wheat

1/2 cup pizza, marinara or tomato sauce

Sliced or chopped vegetables or your choice (I recommend red/green/yellow

peppers, onions, mushrooms zucchini, broccoli – fresh or frozen defrosted,

drained and patted dry)

Pepperoni pieces or other favorite meat topping

1-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, preferably part skim

Garlic powder or pizza seasoning (optional)

Non Stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Directions:

Lightly spray cookie sheet with non stick cooking spray.

Spread 1 tablespoon of sauce on each of 8 pita rounds.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese on each of 8 pita rounds.

Top with vegetables or meat , if desired.

Sprinkle additional 1 tablespoon of cheese on each pita pizza.

Season as desired with garlic powder or pizzaseasoning.

Place on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 7 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and melted.

Cut in wedges to serve.

Makes 8 Pita Pizzas

Cheese Pizza