Picture it.

It’s 6:30pm on a Wednesday. Kid is running around naked from her bath as you trail after her with a diaper, dog is chewing a leggo, there’s a pile of laundry glaring at you from the couch and your husband looks in the fridge and, in his best Les Miserables impersonation he says, “So are we eating dinner tonight?”

Actually, I was thinking we’d stare at each other and starve.

(sorry, that was supposed to be my “inside voice”) If like me, you have experienced this or some form of similar insanity-inducing early evening chaos, I have a solution for you:

Pizza. I know this doesn’t seem like a revolutionary statement but this go-to meal might just be saving our lives, and maybe our marriage, once a week.

Every time I go to the store, I add some pizza fixings in as a safeguard meal. I prefer to make my own because frozen pizza is so salty and full of preservatives and honestly, making your own isn’t hard and it can be pretty healthy. Especially if you throw a bunch of salad on top of it — see, a whole other food group and I just casually thew it in there!

~

Here’s the deal: pick up a couple crusts– Trader Joe’s makes some pretty go par-baked ones in the frozen section (gluten free too!) *I also like fresh dough which keeps for several days (or you can freeze it)- just oil a pan, four your counter and roll out the dough. Then spread it out on the pan! Or throw your toppings inside and fold it over, pinch the edges and brush olive oil over the top for an awesome calzone.

1. Pizza sauce (or if you’re in a pinch use any kind of marinara- I always have a few jars on hand in the pantry for this very reason)
2. Mozzarella cheese– definitely. Or try vegan cheese if you’re not into dairy.
3. Finally– toppings. This is where it gets interesting. I literally throw whatever is leftover in the fridge on this bad boy. Extra grilled chicken from last night? Chop that up and drizzle some BBQ sauce and chopped pickles (yes pickles- my husband’s idea- you’ll thank me)

Or half a sad and lonely pepper? Great! Those turkey meatballs Georgia refused to eat at lunch? Done. For this particular pizza I used some leftover breakfast Canadian bacon, canned pineapple and a mix of whatever cheese I had left.

*I find brushing the crust with oil, then adding your sauce, a little cheese, toppings and more cheese.

Sorry not sorry, this looks delicious. And it was.