Do you hate light dressing as much as I do?

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2

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  • LizardIsANerd
    LizardIsANerd Posts: 113
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    I hate dressing.
    All of it.
    I prefer my salads to be dressing free, but I often add Cottage cheese or greek yogurt mixed with Salsa, depending on the type of salad
  • gmom81158
    gmom81158 Posts: 64 Member
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    I like the Kraft FF zesty Italian-but otherwise I agree with you. Have you tried thinning it and then putting it in a spray bottle?
  • jenbusick
    jenbusick Posts: 528 Member
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    Okay so just for fun.... Ok ok, I was bored at work.... Anyways I decided to run some numbers for you :tongue: I was pretty shocked in the difference.....

    So these are the numbers for making your OWN ranch dressing from the hidden valley original ranch packet, mixing it with 14oz of FAGE Total 0% plain greek yogurt. ****I know the packet says to mix with 16 oz, I figure because greek yogurt is so thick you can make up the other 2 oz with 4 tablespoons of water to thin it out (2TB=1oz).

    I am comparing the above "homemade" dressing to pre-bottled hidden valley original ranch dressing (Homemade #'s/bottled dressing #'s) This is per serving so 2 TB of dressing:

    Calories - 16.25/140
    Fat - 0g/14g
    Carbs - 1.9g/2g
    Sodium - 138mg/260mg
    Sugar - .9g/1g
    Protein - 1.9g/1g
    Cholesterol - 0mg/10mg

    How's that for a shocker? You can literally SLATHER your lettuce in ranch dressing if you make it yourself and not even come close to the amount of calories in the bottled stuff. :love:

    Ooh, this I might just try. It was a terrible day of mourning for me (um, yesterday, actually) when I discovered that Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Ranch Dressing is 140 cal/2 tbsp, and Lite Ranch dressing is so *vile* it is completely inedible (srsly, the stuff is GROSS), but regular Italian dressing is only 70 cal/2 tbsp. I don't mind Italian every once in a while but the thought of utterly giving up ranch and blue cheese was insanely depressing.
  • amandat_79
    amandat_79 Posts: 221 Member
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    Okay so just for fun.... Ok ok, I was bored at work.... Anyways I decided to run some numbers for you :tongue: I was pretty shocked in the difference.....

    So these are the numbers for making your OWN ranch dressing from the hidden valley original ranch packet, mixing it with 14oz of FAGE Total 0% plain greek yogurt. ****I know the packet says to mix with 16 oz, I figure because greek yogurt is so thick you can make up the other 2 oz with 4 tablespoons of water to thin it out (2TB=1oz).

    I am comparing the above "homemade" dressing to pre-bottled hidden valley original ranch dressing (Homemade #'s/bottled dressing #'s) This is per serving so 2 TB of dressing:

    Calories - 16.25/140
    Fat - 0g/14g
    Carbs - 1.9g/2g
    Sodium - 138mg/260mg
    Sugar - .9g/1g
    Protein - 1.9g/1g
    Cholesterol - 0mg/10mg

    How's that for a shocker? You can literally SLATHER your lettuce in ranch dressing if you make it yourself and not even come close to the amount of calories in the bottled stuff. :love:

    Oh wow... thanks for figuring that out, very good info to know!!! :D
  • crystal_sapphire
    crystal_sapphire Posts: 1,205 Member
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    i made a yummy vinaigrette dressing. Dijon mustard, white vinegar, and a few drops of sweetner. It was delicious

    So is olive oil and vinegar. so many great ideas listed here.
  • atomiclauren
    atomiclauren Posts: 689 Member
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    ^Simple is good! I gave up on dressings altogether and just use balsamic vinegar (doesn't take much)..
  • jw17695
    jw17695 Posts: 438 Member
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    This is a really interesting idea! Thanks!
  • jessmsu81
    jessmsu81 Posts: 23
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    If you can find Bolthouse yogurt dressing... it is AMAZING!!! Creamy Ranch as become a staple in my fridge. And I'm a true ranch girl. This stuff is great... and natually low cal, no preservatives or artifical sweetners... etc!

    Check it:
    http://bolthouse.com/our-products/dressings/yogurt-dressings
  • chickadee2010
    chickadee2010 Posts: 1,389 Member
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    That's a good idea.

    I like Ranch with veggies: broccoli, califlower, carrots....etc.
    Lately, with salad, I like Zesty Italian. It has kind of a sour flavor to it that it like.
  • EricInArlington
    EricInArlington Posts: 557 Member
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    I love all the Kraft light dressings, I haven't had one I didn't like.
  • dnsrmr
    dnsrmr Posts: 99 Member
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    Have you tried the Salad Sprays? You use much less, and can buy them in your favorite one.
    Also, the light dressings taste sweet because the makers substitute fat for sugar.
    If you look at the Carbohydrate content area on the label of a regular dressing vs light or low fat, you will see a difference in the sugar content.
    Stick with the regular dressing of your choice, and measure out 2-4 Tablespoons. It's plenty.
    People think they need to put alot of dressing on their salads, but not true. A little goes a long way.
    I'm a low carb eater, and low fat or low cal/lite dressings are a big NO NO.
    Low carb eating consists of regular dressings, not sugary ones like lite/lowfat or low cal.
    Good post!
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
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    LOL! This idea is what a doctor passed on to me. He told me that it is the thought of my salad being wet. And he was right. When I started to add the water ( I put 2 tbl spoons of dressing in a small container) and then add the water and shake it. This works great and you are so right, it does not change the taste at all!! As a matter of fact I love the Marie's bleu cheese and it has no preservatives in it and very low in salt. He also recommended that in choosing a salad dressing that the ingredient of sugar be at least 5th or more listed on the label.

    Sugar @ least 5th on the ingredient list is a good rule of thumb for any food! And it's actually kind of hard to find any processed food that doesn't have some sort of sugar listed as one of the first few ingredients. It may be "hidden" under a different name, but it's all sugar just the same.
  • umduh1
    umduh1 Posts: 11
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    Another great idea! THANKS...I'm definitely trying this!
    I HATE fat free dressings...they all taste horrible to me!

    =)
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
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    I don't use regular salad dressing or light, I'm not a fan of the added, but I know for the miracle whip that I do use maybe once a month for a sandwich I'm going full-bore on the full flavoured regular version. I can't stand the taste of the light, and I can achieve the same reduction in amount of fat by using a teaspoon worth instead of a tablespoon, and get all my taste.
  • atomiclauren
    atomiclauren Posts: 689 Member
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    I make it a point to stay away from Kraft - the fat free and light Ranch are loaded with sugar to overcome the science experiment flavor :wink:
    The ingredient lists are always an exercise to read too (favorites HFCS and modified food starches always show up).

    The only good thing about the fat free vs. the light and regular? It's the only one *without* MSG!

    Regular - http://www.kraftrecipes.com/Products/ProductInfoDisplay.aspx?SiteId=1&Product=2100064361
    Light - http://www.kraftrecipes.com/Products/ProductInfoDisplay.aspx?SiteId=1&Product=2100064353
    Fat free - http://www.kraftrecipes.com/Products/ProductInfoDisplay.aspx?SiteId=1&Product=2100064274
  • Tinabeena73
    Tinabeena73 Posts: 8
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    Go to Galeos website. Bob on biggest loser got me started on there dressings they are awesome. Try the miso dijonaise and the sunflower ranch they are awesome and about 19 cals a tbsp

    FYI if u want to make sure your dressing coats your whole salad make sure to put salad and the dressing in a tupperware container and shake it real good and then dump it on the plate.

    Just wanted to let you know this was on the Hungry girl website recently:


    LYING Labels?! The SHOCKING Lab Results Are In...
    HOLY DECEPTIVE STATS, Batman! What skeptical salad chewers have suspected for years has basically been confirmed. Consumer Ally took Galeos World's Best Miso Caesar dressing -- the super-popular, allegedly low-calorie/low-fat dressing touted by NBC's The Biggest Loser -- to the lab for nutritional analysis, and the results are shocking: 120 calories and 11g fat per tablespoon, nearly TEN TIMES as many calories as the label claims! Those stats are comparable to those of standard full-fat dressings. YIKES!!! This is a perfect example of why you should always trust your instincts; if something seems too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true


    Not sure if it's totally accurate, but thought I would put it out there!
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,734 Member
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    If you can find Bolthouse yogurt dressing... it is AMAZING!!! Creamy Ranch as become a staple in my fridge. And I'm a true ranch girl. This stuff is great... and natually low cal, no preservatives or artifical sweetners... etc!

    Check it:
    http://bolthouse.com/our-products/dressings/yogurt-dressings
    I agree. I like the Classic Ranch, the Caesar Parmigiano, and the Chunky Blue Cheese. I haven't seen the Creamy Italian in any of my stores, but that sounds like one I'd love to try. I don't like a lot of dressing. I measure half a tablespoon for my salad, so it's no more than 20 calories per serving for me. They're a tasty 20 calories, though. :)
  • pwiggy
    pwiggy Posts: 17
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    I hate the light dressings as well. I have tried the Bolthouse Ranch and Bluecheese. They are both really good, no sweetness and non of the fake gross light taste. The Ranch has 70 cals in 2 Tbs and the Blue Cheese has 50 in the 2Tbs.

    Good luck
  • jesseBYAH
    jesseBYAH Posts: 446 Member
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    Okay so just for fun.... Ok ok, I was bored at work.... Anyways I decided to run some numbers for you :tongue: I was pretty shocked in the difference.....

    So these are the numbers for making your OWN ranch dressing from the hidden valley original ranch packet, mixing it with 14oz of FAGE Total 0% plain greek yogurt. ****I know the packet says to mix with 16 oz, I figure because greek yogurt is so thick you can make up the other 2 oz with 4 tablespoons of water to thin it out (2TB=1oz).

    I am comparing the above "homemade" dressing to pre-bottled hidden valley original ranch dressing (Homemade #'s/bottled dressing #'s) This is per serving so 2 TB of dressing:

    Calories - 16.25/140
    Fat - 0g/14g
    Carbs - 1.9g/2g
    Sodium - 138mg/260mg
    Sugar - .9g/1g
    Protein - 1.9g/1g
    Cholesterol - 0mg/10mg

    How's that for a shocker? You can literally SLATHER your lettuce in ranch dressing if you make it yourself and not even come close to the amount of calories in the bottled stuff. :love:

    WOW thank you so much for that! I still haven't tried greek yogurt but I plan on picking some up very soon! Thank you again!
  • ElohMaps
    ElohMaps Posts: 12 Member
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    I use the fat free italian dressing you get at Walmart (Great Value). It's good enough for me to diet with and is very low in calories. When I want something extra, I use the Buttermilk ranch lite (Great Value). I kinda do like the suggestion, dilute it... I just rinse my lettuce and do not put it in the slinger...

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