I talk about my co-workers a lot. Believe it or not, I really like these folks even though they do a lot of things differently (more expensive) than I do. For instance, we are all trying to stay (or get) in shape and lose a few (or 50) pounds.

Our successes (and dismal failures) in this area are similar, but as you may have figured out by now, my methods are different.

They pay for gym memberships; purchase frozen dinners or get some grilled-chicken take-out or subs; buy diet sodas; buy expensive supplements and protein shakes; fill their desks with 100-calorie snack cakes and have joined an on-line group with another monthly fee.

I prefer to run daily; make healthy meals and divide them for lunches/snacks; drink water or unsweetened iced tea; or light lemonade mixes from the dollar store and weigh-in weekly at my house. I don’t buy the expensive thermogenic supplements, but I do take a multi-vitamin and extra calcium/potassium when I am running. (I also take one tablespoon of Bragg’s apple cider vinegar daily, which is probably an old wives’ tale or a placebo, but hey – it is cheap and I haven’t had so much as a cold for years.)

In both cases, both of our methods are successful only IF they are done consistently so it is hard to say which is better – but my way does not cost the $200 - $300 a month that it does for one of my co-workers who does all of the pricier versions. I never understood the concept of “If I invest a lot of money into it, then I will definitely follow the program”. I tend to do better by making an investment in something I am already doing (a new song on my mp3 or better running shoes), but that is just me. Currently, she and I have lost the same amount so take everything I am saying with a grain of salt.

Anyway …

That is not where I was actually going with this, I was going to write about the deals I have been finding at the dollar store with light wheat bread and 2% box milk that can be saved for recipes … or the deals on turkey products (ground, sausage, pepperoni) and how they cost more than regular versions but I make up the difference by cooking from scratch and avoiding anything in processed ….

However, my lunch break is over and I have to get back to work!

Instead, here is one of my family’s favorite low-cost, delicious pizza recipes (cost and calories is at the bottom.)

Yummy (Healthy) Pepperoni/Sausage Pizza
Ingredients:
Boboli Whole Wheat Crust (this can cost less if you make your own)
2 T Pizza Sauce (pizza, not marinara sauce or spaghetti sauce)
1 patty Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage
8-10 slices of Hormel Turkey Pepperoni
Veggies – we like chopped onions and red/green peppers – but olives, spinach, etc would work.
1 cup shredded REAL mozzarella (no low-fat – it doesn’t melt right or make that much difference in calories).
Extra: parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning (My husband likes to add pepper flakes to his portion).

 Set oven to 455 degrees
 Toast the crust for 5 minutes (no toppings yet)
 Remove from oven
 Spread pizza sauce over crust and sprinkle lightly with parmesan cheese
 Add pepperoni slices and tear the sausage patty into small chunks and sprinkle around.
 Add Veggies
 Add cheese on top and sprinkle with Italian seasoning
 Put back in oven for 8-10 minutes depending on how crispy you like it.

Cost: $4.50 for the whole thing – of course, I am calculating that by the fact I am dividing the cost of the sausage, pepperoni, sauce and cheeses – the rest will be used later. This could cost less if you make your own crust and sauce … or use just cheese or something like that.

Calories: Cut pizza into 8 slices – and it is 180 calories a slice; Cut the pizza into 4 slices and it is 360 calories a slice … half the pizza is 720 calories … you get the idea.

We enjoy one of these every weekend. It is faster and cheaper than ordering a pizza and much lower in calories than a frozen one.

My dad likes it with sliced deli (light) ham and pineapple or barbecue chicken …