I screwed up! UGH!

Mia_RagazzaTosta

plain greek yogurt and a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dry. There are recipes for this online and it's good

hauntao

I usually add vinegar to my dressings.

jonnythan

Use the real stuff that you actually like. "Low calorie" substitutes will never be the real thing.

kdiamond

I really like Bolthouse Ranch Yogurt dressing. You buy it in the refrigerated section of the produce. It's 45 cals for 2 TBS and yummy!

Agreed. One of the best lower calorie ranch dressings I've tried.

My thoughts are always, if it seems too good to be true (i.e. Walden Farms) it usually is!!

jonnythan

What's the problem with the Walden Farms stuff, anyway?

MinnieInMaine

I'm not a fan of sacrificing taste for calories either but I have tried some light dressings to see if I can at least save on fat content. Ken's light creamy ceasar is pretty delicious! And a friend of mine really likes the Bolthouse dressings.

LuckyLeprechaun

Walden Farms stuff tastes awful.

Plus, they're using the loophole in the law to pretend like their "foods" are calorie free, when in fact, they aren't.

My fave salad dressing is Newman's Own Sesame Ginger. It's really good on salads, and it's also excellent as a marinade.

baileysmom4

If you want really good ranch dressing, get the mix of hidden valley ranch buttermilk. I use it and low fat buttermilk and light mayo. You could probably use yogurt but I didn't like the taste of that.

strongmindstrongbody

I get Hidden Valley's light buttermilk ranch dressing. It's 10 calories less per serving than the ranch dressing. Not a groundbreaking difference, but every bit helps, right? And you still get the good flavor. Just see if you can use less on your food and still be satisfied.

ashleyShades

I either use small amounts of Hidden Valley Light or Bolthouse.

Bolthouse has a ranch that's made with yogurt I believe? I like their vinegarettes! LOVE the mango one with chicken

Jul158

My roommate loves to make dressing by taking the Hidden Valley Ranch spice mix (just the powder) and mixing it with plain 0% Greek yogurt. Protein, and also makes a great dip for veggies.

Saucy_lil_Minx

Olde Cape Cod makes good ones, and Annie's Naturals are delicious. Most of the time I make my own. Take Ranch Powder mix it with plain Greek Yogurt makes a yummy dip! I guess you could cut it with a little almond milk or water to thin it, and it would be an awesome ranch dressing.

Saucy_lil_Minx

Another option that I do is use avocados instead of oil for a creamy texture to my dressing.

jacque930

I use salad dressing regular or reduced fat.. not fat free.

OR

Make your Own. Penzey Spice company has a few great salad dressing bases that are easy to make. Instructions are right on the jar. I lover their ranch.

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyssaladdressingbase.html

skinnydreams19

Yeah, Walden Farms is definitely not clean .It's sad, because the no calorie thing would be awesome if they weren't packed full of unhealthy chemicals. They could be worse than McDonald's? Who knows, but certainly no good

AngieM76

I use the full fat full flavor dressings and just watch how much I use. I have tried making ranch with greek yogurt, ranch seasoning pack, and milk and while it tasted good it has a bad after taste in my opinion.

megankpy

Little Creek miso vinaigrette is where it's at.
It's creamy, zesty, and has no sugar.
75 calories per tbsp.

Most Whole Foods stores carry it.
http://littlecreekdressing.com/little-creek-dressings/

namluv

try salsa instead - I especially love mango or black bean and corn on a salad

crystalflame

I make my own:

4 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp dijon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
sprinkling of chives

All of that is 205 calories and makes 4-6 servings, so 35-50 calories per serving depending on how much you use. Toss the salad a LOT more than you usually do and you don't need as much.

The_Enginerd

I use full fat dressings because fats are important to the absorption of vitamins.

http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2012/120619FerruzziSalad.html
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/dress-up-your-salad/

Yes, the no-fat dressing are are lower in calories, but fats are important to your diet.

rlmiller73190

You can just make your own salad shakers by using an empty mason jar or sauce container. That's what I do.



I support the Bolthouse Farms suggestions. They are amazing and have no freaky ingredients!! I am addicted to their honey mustard. It's almost like a Dijon mustard dressing!

fourfiftythree

So we were shopping the other day. I bought a bottle of French & Ranch Walden Farms dressings. THEN I came here to check it out. I'm so upset right now...for wasting my money LOL I tried it. It wasn't HORRIBLE but it was weird tasting. Now, I know why. It will be thrown out. I'm not obsessed about clean eating, but I can say I'm more aware and adamant about it than I used to be. Is there ANY other lower cal dressings that can compare anywhere close to Hidden Valley Ranch and Western French? I know nothing will taste exactly like it, but if I can get close, that would be great. Kraft is out of the question, as neither of us like it.

That's so funny, because I just bought their chipotle mayo last Sunday to see what it was like. I am not easily put off by food and will try anything, but after just smelling it I had a hard time actually having a taste. Once I finally got it down I was regretful lol. Weird is a good way to describe it. Kind of acidic tasting. Just weird. And it left an aftertaste. Ugh.

Edit: I forgot to mention that when I pulled it off the shelf at the store it had a quarter inch layer of dust on it. That should have been the sign not buy it!

Heather1231974_wechange

Im not sure if someone else posted this because I didn't read all the post BUT you can make your own Ranch. I do and I use lite mayo and skim milk. It's way less than the bottled stuff and still tastes good. I'm not a big fan of Walden Farms salad dressings. lol but their BBQ sauce isn't bad

snowfallgently

Trader Joe has some great salad dressings.

lilbearzmom

I don't know if this was mentioned, but buy what you like and put a little bit of dressing in a bowl on the side and dip your fork in, then stab the veggies before you take a bite. Literally, you won't even use 1/2 a tablespoon and it will taste good!

-Kendra

terlyn20

i have two favorite. one is ranch made with Penzey ranch dressing mix. and the second
is
Dr. Ben Kim's. i've been using this one for years.

18 to 20 oz clean jar
Start with 1/3 extra virgin olive oil
¼ freshly squeezed lemon juice
( just a little less than the amount of oil )
¼ of the best honey you can buy
2 T of your favorite mustard ( I use Dijon with wine )
A good pinch of sea salt and teaspoon of minced garlic
Whisk with fork till blended. ( sometimes use blender )
Taste test and adjust as desired.
Please note that "one-third" doesn't necessarily mean a third of the jar, but just a third of the total amount of dressing you'd like to make, and this will hold true with all amounts cited.

hopefloatsup

I don't know if this was mentioned, but buy what you like and put a little bit of dressing in a bowl on the side and dip your fork in, then stab the veggies before you take a bite. Literally, you won't even use 1/2 a tablespoon and it will taste good!

-Kendra

THAT is a great idea! I never thought of that

ednaemerson

Could someone tell me where in Canada you can buy Bolthouse dressings. Many thanks.

HannahJDiaz25

I really like Bolthouse Ranch Yogurt dressing. You buy it in the refrigerated section of the produce. It's 45 cals for 2 TBS and yummy!

I love this stuff too!

jlapey

We always make our own dressing. Perhaps look up some recipes on the internet.