Food Revolution Friday

A number of weeks ago, an email titled "Food Revolution Friday" was sent out to Jamie Oliver fans.

From Meatless Monday to Food Revolution Friday -- it's catchy, it's fun!

And these campaigns are great educational vehicles for anyone who is interested in learning how to feed themselves, and their family, a healthier diet.

Given that it's Friday, I thought it fitting to introduce readers to, if you don't already know about it, Jamie's Food Revolution Community Page on Facebook.

There you can get the latest news from Jamie, participate in a community of like-minded people, and share your thoughts on the "revolution."

Today, my contribution to the revolution is several quick-to-prepare, healthy, family-and budget-friendly meal ideas.

Friday evenings are the one night of the week when it's very tempting to heat up a frozen pizza or some other pre-packaged meal high in sodium, sugar and saturated fat.

Yet, if you have any corn or wheat tortillas on hand, either large or small, it's just as easy to put together your own yummy pizza.

And what's more, this is the kind of meal that kids love to help prepare because the steps are simple, they get to use their fingers, and they can pick the toppings they want, and then taste-test as they put the pizzas altogether!

The pic at the very top is a fish tostado and just above, shrimp tostado.

My recipe can be altered to suit the ingredients you have on hand. Follow the link and see for yourself how easy it is to put these together with minimal ingredients and minimal energy.

To the left, is my version of a mini corn tortilla pizza. The recipe is here.

Remember, you can make the mini corn tortilla variety, or you can use large wheat or rice-flour tortillas.

I've included anchovies, but leave these off if you don't have them or if, in your household, they're not a kid-friendly food.

Experiment with the recipes, improvise, and you'll be delighted with how easy and fun it is to make your own healthy pizzas over heating up the frozen, supermarket variety.

Mini Tortilla Pizza

When feeding a family on a budget it's tempting to buy cheap filler-foods, like frozen pizza.

I know ready-made meals are convenient; I posted a blog titled More Meal from Your Frozen Favorites.

Yet I also have concerns about the impact on a family's health and happiness if mealtimes are reduced to consuming food that is made in a factory, frozen, and then sold cheaply.

It's actually very easy to fill up on cheap calories, if that's what eating is all about -- filling up.

But to me, nourishing oneself and a growing family is a holy and sensual act that can't be bought in the frozen-food section of your grocer.

If at the end of the day, time is the reason you seek the convenience of ready-made meals, consider involving your children in the preparation of dinner. Enlist their help and make cooking the family meal a fun and engaging way to be together.

As a kid, I followed my mother around the kitchen as she cooked, I'd tell her about my day at school and she'd give me things to do to help, like shelling peas or peeling potatoes, and this is how I began to appreciate the joys of cooking.

Then as a tween, one of my favorite meals to make was pizza, because like most kids of that age, I loved pizza! I made it on the weekends because I used yeast to create a traditional pizza crust, and as you probably know, when you use yeast, you need plenty of time.

With time in mind, the pizza I'm proposing here is simple, quick and easy. And it's definitely a meal kids will enjoy helping you make, and then enjoy eating even more.

Mini Tortilla Pizza
(using ingredients from my friend's shopping list)
1) Lay tortillas out on a baking tray. As you can see in the pic above, I used the mini corn tortillas so I allocated two per person.
2) Cut up several tomatoes and place slices around the tortilla.
3) Wash and chop leafy greens and or broccoli, then toss into a pan with some garlic, chopped onion and olive oil. Saute gently till greens are tender.
4) Dot the tortilla with sauteed greens.
5) Grate cheddar and mozzarella and spread cheeses over tortillas.
6) Drizzle olive oil over pizza. Pop in oven.
7) Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 mins or so.

Olives, of course, are great flavor pals to mild cheese and sweet tomatoes, but sometimes the salty, brine-like flavor of olives is a bit strong for kids.

It's easy to make family-style pizza without olives, instead, use whatever cheeses you have in the fridge and whatever veggies you have in the crisper. And if you want to add a little protein, dot pizza with ground beef.