Okay, so there is an Extreme Pizza in my neighborhood within walking distance and I tried it for the first time yesterday.  I am so regretful that I’ve turned my nose up every time I walked by (didn’t know what I was missing).  To be fair, there is this new hot spot 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria that’s all the craze, plus for convenience, I can order a Papa Johns large pizza with 7 toppings (no cheese and the original crust is vegan) for only $11+ delivery (plus, there are 30 other pizzerias in the vicinity).

Let me start off by saying, I’m allergic to dairy, I have digestive issues when I eat wheat and my 5 year old is a vegetarian (I am very close to a vegan diet, just having a hard time eating my rare-occasional seafood).  So when we do order pizza, it’s usually a pie without the cheese and topped with every veggie the store has to offer.  My daughter and I both combined, have lots of restrictions (my youngest and hubby eat everything and anything), but we still ask for quality in what we eat.

If you or your child is a Celiac, has wheat sensitivities, allergic to dairy or a vegan, Extreme Pizza is a match made for you.  They offer a gluten-free crust (comes only in the 12 inch, which serves 2) and vegan cheese (soy based, so make sure you don’t have soy sensitivities).

We ordered a gluten-free pizza with soy cheese, olives, mushroom, basil and garlic.  The cost of the pizza is higher because of the products being used, but it came in at $20.96 before tax/delivery/tip (the total including everything was $30).  The size was decent for my girls and I (we actually had 2 slices left over) and the “cheese” was melted to perfection.  The gluten-free crust had a slight crunch which I am a fan of and not too thin as well.

Paying $30 for a pizza does sound a little “extreme”, but when you have all sorts of restrictions, intolerances, allergies and what not, you know that things are going to cost more.  Plus, when you do have that craving or a birthday party with a child that has allergies, you know that there is a chain out there that caters to everybody and that’s important to know.

If you just want a good ole pizza, they have that too.  Plus, they offer salads, calzones and many other items on their menu.   This is definitely a chain that created their menu to welcome the ENTIRE family!

Do you want to try a refreshing appetizer?  You don’t have to vegan to indulge in this beautiful starter.    Ingredients include red beet carpaccio, butternut squash hummus and mango jicama relish.  My 5 year old daughter is a vegetarian, so this is the perfect dish for her.  Made with local ingredients, it’s as fresh as you can get it and it looks beautiful too.

Do you ever get stumped when you are thinking of what to cook for your kids?  Recently, my daughter has been avoiding anything green at all cost.  She will eat a spinach salad because I told her that she will have flawless skin forever, however, forget about trying to get her to eat broccoli, kale, and peas (these are all vegetables she use to love eating “raw”<–her choice, not my doing).  So it’s been quite the challenge to keep her nutritionally balanced, in these recent months.

My daughters both love avocado and I saw a recipe on Chef Chloe’s blog that I thought both my kids would enjoy.  I didn’t have everything on hand that her recipe requires and I love to cook on the fly, so I substituted some of the ingredients.  Instead of using linguine, I used bowtie pasta and substituted pine nuts for walnuts.  The kids and I were eating the pesto straight from the food processor (yes, it was that good).  Both my children cleaned their plates and in the evening, we baked some fries and used the pesto as our dipping sauce. Yummy!

Cravings: Cupcakes, cakes, brownies, cookies from C’est la V Bakeshop. French/Italian bread dipped in Mia Francesca’s oil. Vegan pizza from Cruzer’s Pizza. “Save the chicken” wings from Native Foods.

Things to prepare for my baby: A new car seat, and start gradually packing my hospital bag.

Physical State: Oh my back hurts! The baby is also kicking me, high up in the ribcage.

Mental State: Sanity sounds nice.

Emotional State: Up and down. One minute, I am super-excited and high on life. The next minute, I am a wreck that is standing at the end of the world.

Reality: Sweep the floors, wash the dishes, make lunch, drive my daughter to and from school, laundry, and go shopping for tonight’s dinner (Did I say that my back hurts?!).

Okay, time for me to get off the tushie and start taking care of business! We are definitely in the business of being mommies.