The past few weeks, I have put my extra energy to good use in the kitchen.  My baby boy is getting older, and I have noticed that his tastes has changed a lot too!

I have mentioned before that he was a picky eater, so I wanted to know more about why toddlers are picky, and what can I do that will maximize the food that he eats without all the pickiness.  Well I did manage to find the information that I was looking for, and I will give you a full post on that in the upcoming weeks.

Now that I have officially diverted myself *ahem,* I have had some extra free time that I have put to use in the kitchen.  Mostly to challenge myself, but also to find a way to have fun night with the family without paying takeout prices.  

[Tweet “Challenge yourself to make your favorite dishes without paying the takeout prices.”]

Pizza in my home is a huge treat.  We buy it now and then and it’s gobbled up quickly.  But that’s expected because it’s pizza!  The only thing that I didn’t like about pizza was that there is hardly any fiber in it, and you have to be creative to keep it healthy.  

So, with my trusty bread maker, I managed to make a robust (with herbs) pizza!

This is not a recipe, since I seriously forgot how to make dough by hand (I don’t like my hands getting sticky O.o) but if you are interested in the recipe for this I will be more than glad to share!

What we have learned about challenging ourselves is the following:

• When children see you try something new they will be more willing to try something new themselves.
• Even though this is food that they love to eat, they enjoyed the process of making it (my 5 year old helped with the ingredients in the dough–can we say measurements anyone 🙂 )
• We are able to enjoy the fruits of our labor and think of new ways to create different tastes.

Mr. C, and my children have said this was the best pizza that they had, and I love that it’s healthy and it didn’t cost us anything extra (okay the baby didn’t say it, but he ate my pizza and got mad when I was going too slow, so I’m going to count that as he likes it).  Actually, this is the only type of tomato sauce thing my son likes–he is not a pasta baby.

Pizza night can now be added in our b-weekly (or tri-weekly) schedule since its good for our budget.

Have you made homemade pizza?  What are some takeout treats that you make at home to save money on your budget?