I like pizza with chicken for the crust.

Hear me out. I’m serious. I know this is a weird one, but have some faith for a second.

I’m a born and raised southern girl. I’ve always prioritized flavor over anything else, including the fat content of a dish. And I don’t believe in sacrificing food that tastes good for low-quality substitutes.

But I also have family members who struggle with weight gain, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. And last year, I saw that I was on a similar path. It wasn’t because I looked in the mirror or a doctor chided me, and suddenly, I knew I wanted to do something different. It was because I spontaneously climbed a small mountain in Maine around this time last year.

I know what you may be thinking. “That’s awesome! That’s such great physical activity! If you can do all that, why would you even be worried?”

Well, I spent the entire time I was on that mountain scared. I was scared of falling, because we ended up getting pretty high by the time all was said and done. But more than that, I was scared of failing.

I KNEW that at some point we would hit a spot where I wasn’t strong enough to lift my own body weight to the next spot. And I was terrified that I would be stuck, unable to go up or down, because I couldn’t lift myself. I spent the entire time we were going up worried about it and looking back over my shoulder to see if I should just go back the way we came.

Thankfully, with a lot of encouragement from my husband, we made it to the peak. But while he was looking out at the view, enjoying the breeze, and chatting with other hikers who had made it to the top, all I could do was huff and puff and desperately try to catch my breath. When I say I was deeply unprepared for the challenge, I mean it.

My initial reaction was to lock down and to just believe that mountain climbing wasn’t for me. But I love traveling. I love trying new things. It’s a huge part of who I am. And I know whatever my future looks like, I don’t want it to be limited by my body. I don’t want to limit my husband or my future family, either.

So, I’ve spent the past three months working on taking better care of myself. But I refuse to go hungry, either. If a diet makes me hungry, I will stop. Period.

Instead, I’ve spent the past few months prioritizing protein, fresh fruits and vegetables in my meal planning. I have bought snacks I can enjoy that are lower in calories, and I’ve chosen low or zero sugar options for sweet treats. I’ve also cut out high calorie sodas and beverages, and I’ve started incrementally working on moving just a little more each week than the one before.

It’s been a big learning process for me. It’s changed a lot of my approach to life and food. And I’m still working on it, because I’m nowhere close to done. But the progress I’ve made so far also means I can walk four miles before I get exhausted, when I could only walk about one when I started.

Those are the numbers that really matter for me. Pounds and calories are helpful to track my progress, but what I hope I’m progressing toward is a fuller, richer life. Once again, without being hungry or sacrificing flavor.

That brings me to this pizza crust made out of chicken. I saw it for the first time on TikTok, and I immediately distrusted it since it’s a replacement recipe. But my dad, who is on a keto diet, made this for me, my mom and Hunter about a month ago. He also heated up a pizza from the freezer aisle, for us non-keto folk.

None of us wanted to eat the freezer pizza. We all wanted the pizza with chicken as a crust over real, bona fide bread. It was delicious. And so, this recipe has entered my food rotation.

I made it this week, topped with marinara sauce, pesto, Italian style shredded cheese and some pepperoni. Word to the wise, this is not a recipe where it “tastes just like the real thing!” It tastes like chicken. But I hope you enjoy it, and let me know if you want more recipes like this in the future. I can try to mix some in, while also sharing the other full-fat recipes I love.

CHICKEN CRUST PIZZA

(Adapted from Food.com)

Ingredients
To make crust:
10 ounces canned cubed chicken
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg

To dress pizza:
Marinara sauce or other sauce of your choice (I added pesto)
Shredded Italian cheese
Sausage, pepperoni, or other meat of your choice (optional)

Directions
■ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Open and drain canned chicken.
■ Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread chicken out in thin layer on prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until chicken dries. Remove from oven.
■ Turn oven up to 500 degrees. Place dried chicken into a bowl. Add Parmesan cheese and egg. Stir to combine.
■ Spread chicken mixture into pizza shape on pan lined with parchment. The thinner, the crispier the crust.
■ Bake for 5-8 minutes, depending on thickness. Then remove from oven again.
■ Top crust with sauce, cheese and other toppings. Bake for 8 more minutes or until cheese and toppings have cooked.

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