If you like ranch on your salads...

Hericksen

Do you still eat ranch now that you are dieting?
I just started this last week so I haven't decided what I'll do yet.
I don't like any other salad dressings besides ranch, and I can't eat a salad without dressing on it.
I actually did have a salad a few days ago with some wishbone salad spritzer ranch on it (15 calories for 10 sprays) and it was pretty good but not the same as regular ranch.
I'm thinking of making my own ranch out of plain yogurt and a ranch packet, I've done it before for dipping ranch but not salad ranch. Anyone used that? Is it good, or does it taste like "diet food"?
Any other low calorie ranch dressings you've been able to find?

SusanMcAvoy

Be careful of salad dressings. They are loaded with sodium. Just keep your eye on the calories and try to reduce sodium from other sources. Good luck!!!

redraidergirl2009

I use regular ranch or low calorie ranch. Meh, I don't put globs of dressing so it's not "bad".

bjfmade

I like Newman's Light Sesame ginger or Kens Steakhouse light Caesar

mrswiley07

I eat Fat Free Ranch from KRAFT...It is good.

mariapuhl

I still eat ranch, the light hidden valley ranch. The fat free kinds taste disgusting.

I also, don't like ANYTHING on my salad other than lettuce, and maybe a piece of bacon.... so the only real calories from my salad are the ranch. I also dip my fork in it, so I use less. I use maybe a tablespoon of the light ranch (40 calories) for 4 cups of lettuce that way.

auntied

I love ranch too. I make mine with non fat Mayo and skim milk it's ok better than nothing! Good luck...

ReinasWrath

I can only eat salads with ranch otherwise it's too dry for me. I try to use light ranch when I can but it is surprisingly rare for some reason As for any alternatives I have nothing so I'm quit interested what you might get from this post

denitraross

I am the same as you, love my dressing..I still use Ranch but switched to 3 cheese ranch from Kraft...key to salads is to add your dressing in a bowl with a lid, the shake the crap out of it too make your tbsp go far...i also like honey dijon from our compliments and it is lower calorie....the way I see it, if I am eating big ole plate of salad, I can keep my dressing

MrsRipdizzle

I love ranch dressing and I did not take it out of my regimen once I became more focused on getting healthy. After all, you want this to be a lifestyle change right? A diet that is sustainable over long-term, right? Well, a girl needs her ranch (like she needs her chocolate) so I make sure to fit it in there. I love Hidden Valley. Yumm. Unfortunately, I don't love MSG...and it's hard to escape in shelved dressings. So I usually only have a tbsp or two maybe once a week.

LorinaLynn

I Ranch!

I don't have salads often, but I use Ranch instead of bleu cheese for boneless wings, mixed with tuna instead of mayo for pasta salad, even on burgers instead of ketchup. I usually get store brand low fat (Wegman's Low Fat Peppercorn Ranch is soooo good!), but sometimes the full fat depending on whether or not there's that much of a difference. Sometimes the full fat version isn't much high in calories but is lower in sodium.

1myfit

I gave up on salads.....too high on cals. Rather have real food for the cals.

aolani

I loved ranch dressing, but rarely eat it anymore. The few times I have used it it was less than 1tsp.

CouleeRunner

Try this:

Thin out some plain greek yogurt with either squeezed lemon or orange and add just enough honey to sweeten a little.

This makes a wonderful dressing!

maidentl

I have found that two tablespoons really does go a long way. I can't stand the taste of fat free dressings so I use the real thing. In the grand scheme of things, 150 calories on a truckload of low-cal veggies isn't bad in my book.

melizerd

Walden Farms makes a zero calorie dressing (well a lot of them actually). I used it early on to wean myself off the Ranch on everything attitude. It tastes pretty good! I only use it occasionally now so I don't mind using regular or low fat Ranch for something.

Edit: I often use a half cup of cottage cheese instead of dressing now (about 90 calories in the one I use) and it gives some moisture to a salad and more protein!

shesblossoming

Hummus. Salad. Dressing.

I know it's not the same thing as ranch, but I love hummus... I like it with vegetables as a replacement for mayo... and on my salads. Mixed with spinach, tomatoes, an avocado, and a poached egg... divine. Try it!

tcooper81

I eat 1 TBSP on my dinner salad and 1 TBSP to dip my veggies into at lunch. I do not like and refuse to eat the fat free or 1/3 fat kind. Give me my real ranch dressing please.

shovav91

Sometimes if I'm craving ranch I use some cottage cheese with a very small amount of fat free ranch and a little salt and pepper. It sounds odd, but is surprisingly delicious!

melissabee31

Do you still eat ranch now that you are dieting?
I just started this last week so I haven't decided what I'll do yet.
I don't like any other salad dressings besides ranch, and I can't eat a salad without dressing on it.
I actually did have a salad a few days ago with some wishbone salad spritzer ranch on it (15 calories for 10 sprays) and it was pretty good but not the same as regular ranch.
I'm thinking of making my own ranch out of plain yogurt and a ranch packet, I've done it before for dipping ranch but not salad ranch. Anyone used that? Is it good, or does it taste like "diet food"?
Any other low calorie ranch dressings you've been able to find?

I used to be so addicted to ranch dressing. My particular favorite was dipping my pizza in it. HORRIBLE.

Anyway, I love salad and now I swear by this one dressing. It's called Maple Grove Farms of Vermont Strawberry Balsamic. It's only 30 calories for 2 tbsp versus the 200 calories for 2 tbsp for ranch. Huge difference. It's very zesty and flavorful. However, it's nothing like ranch and does not substitute ranch at all. But it's a good low cal option.

ShannonMpls

I make my own, which is far better tasting than bottled anyway. I loosely follow this recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ranch-dressing-ii/detail.aspx

We often don't add the salt - and we use equal parts sour cream, mayo, and buttermilk (or else it's too thick).

Delicious!

poustotah

I make my own ranch.

1/2 c greek yogurt
1/2 c olive oil mayo
2 tbsp fresh chives
1/4 c of chopped fresh parsley
salt, pepper and garlic to taste

Chop the parsley real fine and mix everything together. This is a very thick dressing but very good.

LizC26

I make my own low-cal ranch with 1 ranch packet, 1 cup of Greek yogurt, and a splash of 2% milk....It's really tasty---better than any low-fat ranch you can buy in a store.

mizjohnston

I haven't tried making my own. I just mix half a tbsp with fat free and half a tbsp with regular. I just dip my salad or whatever else it is I am using it with.

cassondraragan

I personally don't like ranch on salads (but I do on baked potatoes) but here is a homemade recipe from skinnytaste.com. All of her stuff I have ever made has been amazing. This is 52 calories for a 1/4 cup! That's 4 tablespoons...and most are about that much for 2 tablespoons. I'd try it if I were you

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/09/low-fat-buttermilk-ranch-dressing.html

lindalou0703

Walden Farms makes a zero calorie dressing (well a lot of them actually). I used it early on to wean myself off the Ranch on everything attitude. It tastes pretty good! I only use it occasionally now so I don't mind using regular or low fat Ranch for something.

Edit: I often use a half cup of cottage cheese instead of dressing now (about 90 calories in the one I use) and it gives some moisture to a salad and more protein!

I use cottage cheese as well

mill1295

I lost my taste for ranch after making it in the dining hall in college. 5 gallons of mayo, 5 gallons of buttermilk and 2.5 cups of ranch seasoning.. seeing 5 gallons of mayo in a giant bowl at the same time almost made me vomit.. I don't think I ate it for a good solid 5 years after that.. I prefer Italian if I use any..

Dipping the tip of your fork into the dressing instead of dumping it on is a really good tip though..

andreabball

I'm not a ranch person anymore, but I just can't do low-cal dressings. I use olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I'd rather use a little less of the real stuff and have it taste good. Good luck finding something that works for you!

cassondraragan

I make my own, which is far better tasting than bottled anyway. I loosely follow this recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ranch-dressing-ii/detail.aspx

We often don't add the salt - and we use equal parts sour cream, mayo, and buttermilk (or else it's too thick).

Delicious!

and I have made this before and it was really good, and milk is def. needed because it is really thick and dip like without it.

KatiD83

Ranch is the one item I will not give up. I hate the taste of fat free or low fat dressings. I add a little skim milk to my ranch to thin it down and make it go further. I also just started using the hidden valley packets of ranch dip mix. I made it with 3/4 cup of light mayo and 1 1/2 cup of skim milk. It's not bad and it's not nearly as salty as the bottled stuff.

josaleigh

Do you like the ginger dressing you get on a salad at a Japanese restaurants? As a former Ranch-o-holic, I thought I would never like another dressing...

Until I met Litehouse: Sesame Ginger Toasted Dressing. I love it! Its like a ginger dressing you get before hibachi style meal, but thinner. The toasted sesame just adds a nice kick. Love love love love love...