Salad and salad dressings

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SamiMarianna
SamiMarianna Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I love salad, and it's also very low in calories. For example, I have some lettuce, red pepper, and a spring onion. That comes to about 13 calories.

However, I like salad dressing but a lot of dressing from shops contain quite a lot of calories. Are there any homemade recipes you would like to share that are low calories? And any particular combinations of salad and dressing that would make both great snacks and meals?

Thanks :)

Replies

  • treenuh_x
    treenuh_x Posts: 94 Member
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    It's not too low-calorie because of the oil, but it's awfully healthy. I sometimes mix balsamic vinegar with a bit of olive oil and herbs, and put that on my salads. It's yummy and the olive oil is a very healthy fat!
  • 19toots66
    19toots66 Posts: 26 Member
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    I do eat any salad dressing I want. However, I do not pour on my salad I put it on the side and just dip my fork in it before the salad. You will save a lot of calories that way. Or, I love just a good vinegar and olive oil. there are a lot of dressing out there that are made with greek yogurt too
  • da1128
    da1128 Posts: 212 Member
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    I do eat any salad dressing I want. However, I do not pour on my salad I put it on the side and just dip my fork in it before the salad. You will save a lot of calories that way. Or, I love just a good vinegar and olive oil. there are a lot of dressing out there that are made with greek yogurt too

    This.
  • Mexicanbigfoot
    Mexicanbigfoot Posts: 520 Member
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    I don't know where you live, but Bolthouse Farms makes yogurt salad dressings; they are 45 calories/serving and they are really delicious!! I love the ranch and caesar best and a little goes a long way. Good luck!
  • baileysmom4
    baileysmom4 Posts: 242 Member
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    I make oil and vinegar but make one serving at a time so I don't use too much:

    1 teaspoon olive oil
    3 teaspoon vinegar - flavor is your choice
    2 teaspoons water to make it go farther
    herbs and seasonings of your choice
    1 splenda packet if you like it sweet

    I put in a small container to take for lunch and by then the herbs are mixed in good with the liquids. 1 teaspoon of oil is only 40 calories!
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
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    Lemon juice and olive oil.
  • rosemaryhon
    rosemaryhon Posts: 507 Member
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    Yea, I second the Bolthouse Farms brands ~ they are delicious and low cal. So far I've only tried the blue cheese, gonna get the ranch this week.
  • beattie1
    beattie1 Posts: 1,012 Member
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    I use modest amounts of Kraft honey & mustard dressing or Hellman's lighter than light mayo. I use that mayo instead of butter or other spread in sandwiches to stick the filling to the bread. Works for me.
  • SarahRruns
    SarahRruns Posts: 15 Member
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    Yoghurt dressings made with low/non fat yoghurt have very few calories. Just mix yoghurt, salt, pepper, herbs you like... Done.

    Also low fat mayonnaise can be used in dressings.

    When I use a lot of (ripe!) tomatoes, I just cut them into small pieces and use their juice and some balsamic vinegar or lemon juice together with salt, pepper and herbs as dressing. Just put the tomatoes into the bowl first and add vinegar/lemon juice and stir well.

    If I have avocado in the salad, I don't use dressing at all. In general, I kinda like when I can taste the vegetables, and their taste is not masked by the dressing.

    Hope that helps :)
  • paulahutton1
    paulahutton1 Posts: 4
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    I use Maple Grove Farms of Vermont Sugar Free Raspberry Vinaigrette.
    Serving size: 2 Tbsp.
    Fat: 0
    Calories: 5
    Carbs: 1
    Sodium: 160 mg

    I get it at Walmart
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
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    I make my own....Little olice oil, balsamic vinegar, a crapload of spices..............then toss into the salad. Becuase i don;t measure it tastes different every time. lol
  • barbaratrollman
    barbaratrollman Posts: 317 Member
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    I like the "Simply Organic" brand packets of salad dressing mixes. The serving size, before preparation, is 5 cal. for the Italian, 10 cal. for the Ranch or the Garlic Vinaigrette. You can get these at Whole Foods Market and probably a lot of other stores.

    Then, you can make it using your own modifications, instead of their instructions.
    I like to use things like raw vinegar or fresh squeezed lemon juice for the acidic part of the dressing. Avocado oil or extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil for your oil, and anything else that turns it into a healthy addition to your salad.
    Having some sort of healthy fat in your salad is a good thing.

    I try to stay away from soy, corn, and canola oils, which are in almost every prepared, store-bought dressing. If you know of a brand that doesn't include those, please let me know.

    Anyway, when I make a batch of dressing, I measure each ingredient out for the entire calorie content, then divide the entire batch by how many portions I get from it and divide the batch calorie total by the number of portions total.
    I don't worry about calories as much as I try to ensure that each calorie I get is from foods that actually benefit my health and fitness goals.
  • lisabadham72
    lisabadham72 Posts: 2
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    use low fat yogurt as a base. add any herbs or spices, mint sauce is good with homemade chicken tikka. lemon is very refreshing. be adventurous!!
  • munanabanana
    munanabanana Posts: 36 Member
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    I have't tried bolthouse dressing, but i've had their juices! They're pretty good =)

    I like fat free italian and sweet onion, but they're not especially healthy =P
    But I don't put much! 1 tbls, maybeeee 2.

    Oh and I love salsa! I love love love salsa.

    My mom makes a dressing from lemon and vinegar or something. Its completely natural, and its AMAZING. I should get her recipe. I'm pretty sure its like 100% fat free too
  • Sunnyjb
    Sunnyjb Posts: 220
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    I'm a fan of Bolthouse too.

    Also, you won't absorb your salad nutrients if you don't have some fat in it so don't get fat free dressings.
  • SamiMarianna
    SamiMarianna Posts: 2
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    Wow, thanks so much for all the suggestions guys :) I'll definitely try all of these at some point.

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