Win at dinner with zucchini fritter mini pizzas

Plus, introducing Back-to-school Bites!

Hello,

This week has been a blur! Teary-eyed cousin goodbyes, not-so-teary-eyed first day of school (my kids didn’t even need/want me to walk them in!), and back to a “normal” working routine for me… it’s definitely bittersweet.

But pizza can make things better and this week I don’t just have pizza, I have mini pizzas for you. Zucchini fritter pizza bites, topped with melty mozzarella and the cutest salami squares.

Regardless of your feelings (or your kids’ feelings) about zucchini, I promise there is so. much. pizza. FLAVOR. in each bite.

Zucchini fritters are the sturdy base for the pizzas. They’re packed with Italian seasonings and create a crispy-yet-tender, “crust” for a bit of marinara, mozzarella, and salami piled on top.

A couple of other highlights worth mentioning:

• Each pizza is only 2 grams of net carbs and 9 grams of protein. That means three mini pizzas would give you nearly 30 grams of protein and only 6 grams of carbs!

• You can customize these with your own favorite pizza toppings so have fun creating!

The recipe is available below for paid subscribers, and is the first of my Back-to-school Bites series, a whole month of easy, healthy meals that just so happen to be low-carb, gluten-free, and kid-friendly (perhaps kid-forward is a better description?).

These are meals that little eaters— and yes, even us big kids— will equally enjoy.

In honor of back-to-school month, I’m also offering a 20% discount for annual subscriptions. Between adjusting to new routines like early mornings and after-school activities, I often find that this time of year is when I really need dinners to be easy and effortless (and most always, kid-friendly).

Did you know you can also gift a subscription? If there’s someone you know who might benefit from a quick and healthy, low-carb/low-glycemic dinner recipe every week, feel free to forward this email to a friend or consider gifting them a full year of dinner recipes!

How to gift: Simply tap on the “Subscribe” button above, then click on the gray “Gift” bubble on the right (pictured in the screenshot below) and follow the steps.

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What I’ve been loving

It has been a while since I’ve done one of these! Here are a few things — recipes, books, fun finds— that I’ve loved this week.

• The Anxious Generation — Have you read this book? I’m currently listening to the audio version and there’s a good chance I’ve mentioned it to anyone I’ve encountered over the last couple of weeks!

  I’ve heard so many people recommend it and I echo that- the book deep-dives into the drastic and alarming increase in anxiety and depression for Gen Z and its link to smartphones, social media (specifically for pre-teen girls), and video games (specifically for boys). It’s sooo fascinating and incredibly eye-opening.

  Our family did a video game “detox” a few weeks before the older kids started school, and moods changed, there was less “conflict” around screen use, and I am certainly leaning toward less and less screen time altogether. Even if you don’t have kids, this book is a must-read.

• Coconut panna cotta— The newest recipe on the site and this one is so dreamy. If you’re not familiar with panna cotta, it’s an Italian cream set with a bit of gelatin. Its melt-in-your-mouth texture is creamy and soft, not rubbery, and this delightful dessert is surprisingly easy to make.

Coconut panna cotta topped with macerated strawberries and flaked coconut.

• Spicy shrimp in harissa butter. I saw this recipe shared by Alison Roman and I can’t stop thinking about it. Big, skillet shrimp. HARISSA BUTTER?! I will certainly be making it soon.

• This cute book light. Ian ordered this for me after my fourth book light died, only after about a month of using it. I love the easy clip, bendy neck, and the fact that it’s rechargeable. It also has three different light color temperatures which is a really nice feature.

• Blog comments and reviews! A big thank you if you’ve ever left a recipe review, both here and on Stem and Spoon. Below are a couple of recent reviews on some favorite recipes that you might enjoy too!

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Best mug cake. Amazing! This is by far my favorite mug cake recipe.

-Michelle, about Peach Mug Cake

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Best keto muffin I tried so far! All my family and friends love this. My friend who has celiac disease even asks me to make this every week while he buys the ingredients… Will make this every time I have blueberries!!

-Shania, about Almond Flour Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

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Zucchini Fritter Pizza Bites

Now, the recipe. I’ve taken steps to ensure it comes together as quickly as possible, and still within the 30-minute dinner prep timeframe I aim for.

This includes time for salting the zucchini and letting it stand, which is absolutely necessary. Zucchini is mostly water. Salting shredded zucchini (and then letting it sit for a few minutes) helps draw out excess water, which you’ll then squeeze out. I don’t recommend skipping this step unless you’re going for mushy, water-y zucchini fritters instead of the golden, crisp exterior they should get from a quick pan-fry.

After the zucchini fritters are formed, you’ll pizza-fy them! You can use your own favorite toppings but I kept it simple with shredded mozzarella and salami.

A quick tip: the recipe makes about 8-10 mini pizzas and they go quickly, so if you’re serving them on their own, I recommend a double batch. :)

The recipe and printable PDF are below— ENJOY!

Abby