Converting your vices to cold, hard cash

Gorgonzola Potato Pizza & Nutty Curried Tuna Salad

A long, long time ago, when the earth was still cooling and I was a fledging ingénue, I went into a store to buy a pack of cigarettes. Yes, I did smoke then – because it was “way cool”.

I reached for a pack, and to my horror noticed that the price had gone up about 25%. That did it for me. I calculated in a nanosecond how much I could save by not smoking and when I realized how many pairs of shoes I could buy with the money I would save…I’ve never smoked since!

By no longer smoking I accumulated about 42 pairs of really adorable shoes and, of course, improved my health. That simple but effective way I stopped smoking could be applied to other things, like diet and nutrition.

If you want to cut back on fattening foods or limit your beer intake, total up the cost and figure out how much you can save by, if not giving them up entirely, cutting back a little. Then, determine out how much of your favorite stuff you can buy with the money you save – it may surprise you!

Let’s say you go out for a fast food lunch 3 times a week, and it costs $5 per visit. Limit the visit to once a week, eat some leftovers. You can exercise both your brain, and body by calculating what to eat instead; and then making it with food in the fridge. Now you’ve saved $10 per week. That’s over $500 a year – that buys a lot of shoes!

Or, let’s say you like to sit down at night after work and consume a couple of brewskies while you watch TV. Open just one can and, instead of gulping, savor each sip. This will save you at least $1.25 per can. That’s $456 a year – think how many tools that would buy!

Here are two easy recipes for really, really cheap, but healthy and good tasting lunches. Now, get out there and go shopping!

Gorgonzola Potato Pizza
Serving Size: 8 Preparation Time: 40 minutes
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1    Pound Frozen Bread Dough, thawed
1    Cup     Red Onion, chopped
2    tsp      Olive Oil
1/2 tsp      Dried Basil, divided
2               Garlic Cloves (or 1/4 teaspoon powdered garlic)
8    oz       Hash Brown Potatoes, , Frozen — thawed
1/3 Cup    Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled (or substitute shredded cheddar or provolone)
2/3 Cup    Shredded Low fat Mozzarella Cheese
Olive Oil Spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 2 shallow pie tins with pan spray. Cut thawed dough in half and roll into 10" rounds and place in pans. You should have 1" crust edge up the side of the pan. Spray lightly with olive oil spray and sprinkle each with 1/8 teaspoon of the basil. Bake crusts for 10-12 minutes until beginning to brown. Sauté the onion in olive oil until transparent. Add the garlic, cook for about a minute more, stirring several times. Add potatoes and remaining basil; stir to blend evenly. Place 1/2 of the potato/onion mixture on top of each crust. Sprinkle with 1/2 the gorgonzola and top with half the mozzarella. Return to oven and bake for about 7-8 minutes until cheese has melted and pizza is lightly brown. Cut each pizza into 4 slices, and serve.
Freezes well. Reheat in microwave on 70% power.

Per Serving 263 Calories; 8g Fat 35g Carbohydrate; 512mg Sodium.

Nutty Curried Tuna Salad
Serving Size: 2 Preparation Time: 10 minutes
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1/4    Cup   Fat Free Sour Cream
1/4    Cup   Fat-free Mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp    Lemon Juice
1       tblsp Curry Powder
1       Can    Tuna in Water (7oz)
1/2    Cup    Granny Smith Apple, peeled and diced (about 1/2 apple)
1/4    Cup    Dried Cranberries (or Raisins)
1       tblsp   Minced Green Onion
2       tblsp   Chopped Peanuts
2       tblsp   Chopped Sweet Pickle (or pickle relish) – optional

Mix together the sour cream, mayo, lemon juice and set aside. Drain tuna well and flake it. Add to the dressing with the remaining ingredients. Serve on a bed of lettuce or make a sandwich with your favorite bread or roll.

Per Serving 276 Calories; 6g Fat 34g Carbohydrate; 776mg Sodium.