Welcome summer with this stone fruit pizza that is quick to make with a shortcut pizza crust! This recipe is low in carbs and gluten free. This pizza is a healthy and light update perfect for those long summer nights. It only takes a matter of minutes to prepare and everyone can have a whole pizza! It’s also quick enough to make on a weeknight! We’re also going to talk a bit about the basics of Lyme Disease which is important for everyone one to know about.

I was fortunate enough to go home recently for a break (and my sister’s high school graduation! Congrats girl!). While there, I spent a lot of time in the woods (which is something I have done often and for many years) and for the first time IN MY LIFE, I somehow ended up with 4 ticks in 2 days. These guys were small too. They looked like little freckles, but thankfully I knew my body and knew that I didn’t have freckles in those places and took a closer look.

Lyme disease is huge, especially in the Northeast, but the incidence seems be to be getting worse. Lyme disease is very preventable, and treatable if you catch it early. If you don’t, it can be devastating.

Therefore, I wanted to devote a post to the prevention, detection and treatment of Lyme disease so that you can better prepare yourself when you go out on your hikes and venture into the woods.

First and foremost, a little background on Lyme Disease. It is not the ticks themselves that cause the disease, but they are a vector for bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. Not all ticks can carry this bacteria. Specifically, it is the Ixodes genus, commonly the Deer tick is one such tick, that can transmit this disease. (This is why it is so prevalent in the Northeast as opposed to other areas of the country).

Prevention Examples

• Do not rely on insect repellents that claim to repel ticks
• Wear long, light colored clothing (helps to see if ticks get on your clothes)
• Stay on the path (This just helps, not foolproof. Ticks like dark, shady areas)

Tick Bites

• THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO AFTER A HIKE IS TO CHECK YOUR CLOTHING AND SKIN COMPLETELY AND REMOVE TICKS IMMEDIATELY IF FOUND
  • Have someone inspect areas that you cannot see
  • Ticks attach themselves by burrowing in head first
  • When removing, grab down to the head, as close to the skin as possible and pull straight back
    • Make sure you have pulled out the entire tick
    • If the tick has been attached for less than 24 hours it is very, very unlikely for you to get Lyme disease. (Hence why it is so important to do immediate checks)

Lyme Disease

There are 3 different stages of Lyme disease

STAGE 1

• Classically: A bull’s eye red rash that expands and flu-like symptoms. [Medically, this is called erythema migrans (EM) ]
  • This rash should not hurt, nor be itchy

STAGE 2

• Neurologic (classically a facial nerve palsy) and cardiac (heart blocks)

STAGE 3

• This later, more disseminated stage includes arthritis, different neurological symptoms (such as encephalopathy- brain symptoms and neuropathies-other nerve issues) and skin findings (multiple EM rashes)

Treatment

• If you notice any of the signs above go to your doctor right away
• There is blood work that can be done to prove Lyme disease, especially if there are other things going on (Lyme can be on the differential for many symptoms/ some of the above symptoms can be associated with other diseases)
• Early treatment, especially in the first stage usually is very easily treated with a course of oral antibiotics (generally doxycycline is the first choice. Of note, this drug makes you light sensitive so be sure to where plenty of sunscreen while taking it.)

This is just some brief information about Lyme disease to give you a bit of information. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! As a recap, it is really important to always check yourself for ticks after any of your outdoor adventures.

True, summer means an uptick (…pun may or may not be intended lol) in Lyme Disease, but also of long summer nights and stone fruits! Why not enjoy this pizza tonight! Where else can you eat a whole pizza?

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Ham Nectarine & Spring Mix Pizza [Low Carb, GF]

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 11 minutes

Total Time 16 minutes

Author AZ@...And A Dash of Cinnamon

Ingredients

• 1 flatout wrap
• ~1/4 cup cooked ham
• 1/2 diced nectarine
• 1-2 handful spring mix/spinach
• 2 T mozzarella cheese shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Slice and dice your nectarine and ham if not already done

3. Have however many flatout wraps as you desire and then build your pizza with the above ingredients however you would like!

4. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for ~11 minutes or until crispy and the cheese is melted

5. Eat and enjoy!

I link up with Deborah and Sarah’s, and  the fit foodie mama’s Meatless Monday, #recipeoftheweek,Homestead Blog Hop, glutenfreefridays,  #healthyveganfridays,  What’s for Dinner, Sunday Fitness and Food, GraciousPantry, Kriska Marie