Most people tend to enjoy pizza. But, if you are trying to eat healthy or lose weight, pizza is usually not the best choice. Most commercial brand pizzas are loaded with fat and sodium. Toppings, such as ground beef, ham, pepperoni, sausage, or extra cheese just add to the calorie overload. With a little homemade effort, pizza can still be part of a healthy diet. Start with a handmade crust that incorporates whole wheat flour for additional fiber content. Make your own sauce to reduce added sugars. Then top it with fat free cheese and an assortment of sauteed veggies. This pizza tastes very similar to the veggie pizza at California Pizza Kitchen and is quite filling due to the fact that each serving contains 8g of fiber. Although goat cheese is not low fat, you don't need much at all because of its strong flavor and it is the perfect complement to the other ingredients. Of course this homemade pizza takes more time than calling for a delivery, but you can make the dough and sauce ahead of time. I have even cooked the vegetables the day before and refrigerated them so that I can throw the pizza together in no time at all. Even if you think veggie pizza is just not for you, I think you will be amazed at how delicious it can be. Feel free to change up the vegetables to suit your own preferences. Also, let kids help with the preparation for a great way to teach them about veggies they may have never seen.

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup warm water and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. In a food processor, process the flour, sugar, and salt for 6 seconds. Add the yeast and process for 10 seconds longer. Combine the oil and water and drizzle through the feed tube while the machine is running (Once the dough clumps around the blade, process for 30-40 more seconds. Dough should be a little sticky).
3. Divide dough in half and store one ball of dough in the refrigerator or freezer for later use.
4. Spray a 16" pizza pan with cooking spray. Press dough from center out until it reaches the edges. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. For sauce, combine all sauce ingredients and mix well. Spread over baked pizza crust. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
6. For vegetables, spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Add garlic, spinach, onion, and eggplant and cook over medium-high heat until spinach is wilted. Add broccolini, mushrooms, and black olives and cook for 10 minutes until all vegetables are softened. 
7. Top crust (and sauce and cheese) with cooked vegetables. Sprinkle with goat cheese. Return pizza to oven for 8-10 minutes.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2-quart casserole dish.
2. Boil squash and onions until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.
3. In a large bowl combine squash and onions, Parmesan, Cheddar, and yogurt. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Transfer mixture to prepared casserole dish. Top with corn flakes. Bake for 20 minutes.

Eggplant is one of my absolute favorite vegetables (not to mention my favorite fall color). It is so versatile in cooking as it tends to absorb the flavor of its surrounding ingredients. The absorbency of eggplant can also be a negative aspect if it is fried, as it often is in restaurants. It acts as a sponge, drawing in large amounts of the oil and leading to high amounts of hidden calories. Eggplant parmesan dishes in restaurants typically contain close to 1,000 calories. While I would never order it out, I love to make my eggplant parmesan recipe at home. The recipe is baked in the oven without any oil, yet still full of the wonderful flavor combination of marinara and cheese. You can also prepare chicken parmesan by following the eggplant recipe. It turns out fabulous as well. I like to serve the Italian dish over couscous tossed with marinara sauce, alongside a large tossed salad or fresh broccoli.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cut ends off of eggplant and discard. Slice eggplant into six sections (about 1" thick).
3. Brush both sides of each slice of eggplant with eggbeater.
4. Pour Shake N' Bake into the shaking bag (included in box). Drop each slice in the bag, one piece at a time and shake until coated.
5. Place slices in baking dish and bake for 20 minutes (do not flip).
6. Top each cooked eggplant slice with spaghetti sauce, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1 tbsp of parmesan cheese.
7. Return to oven and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Kale chips have been popular for a while in the world of food blogs. Twice, I have bought kale with the intention of making these. Both times I completely forgot about it until I opened the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator to find a bag full of green mush. Well the third time was the charm because I used my fresh bunch of kale to create a tasty, crispy, healthy snack. While kale chips in no way imitate potato chips, they will satisfy a salty junk food craving. Besides the flavor and texture appeal, kale is a nutrition powerhouse. Kale is packed with beta-carotene, a key nutrient in healthy vision. The leafy green vegetable is also an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin C. In addition, kale is a good source of iron, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. The best thing about this recipe is its flexibility; choose how to season the chips based on your own preferences. I made one batch with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. The second batch was sprinkled with ranch flavored popcorn seasoning. Both absolutely delicious. Make sure that the raw kale is completely dry or the leaves will not reach the crisp texture. This is such a great way to introduce a new, unique vegetable to children. You can even let let them help choose the flavor of the seasoning.

1. Preheat oven or toaster oven (I chose the toaster oven method) to 225 degrees.
2. Dry kale completely and tear into pieces. Make sure the pieces are uniform in size and not too small because they will shrink quite a bit.
3. Place kale on non-stick baking sheet or baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Sprinkle generously with seasonings of choice (see ideas below)
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes until crispy.