Salad Dressing

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pinktoenels
pinktoenels Posts: 23
in Food and Nutrition
Question guys... I like bacon ranch salad dressing a lot-- but hate the calories, I get two tablespoons of dressing per day. I decided to try Fat free Ranch. I hate it, I hate it because it tastes like someone covered my salad in splenda. Does anyone know how I can have Ranch without 150 calories or without 4g of sugar and which do you think is worse? Or if anyone has any dressing suggestions. I am a very basic chick, I like ranch or Italian.

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  • brittanybotsford
    brittanybotsford Posts: 20 Member
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    Have you tried the salad spritzers at all? I use the Italian spritzer and I love it.
  • mericksmom
    mericksmom Posts: 222 Member
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    dip fork into dressing then into salad, you will eat less dressing but still get massive amount of dressing flavor
  • Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet
    Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet Posts: 486
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    Ranch is ranch is ranch is fatty. Turns out that it's whole deal. There's a lot of high flavor dressings out there that won't rob the calorie bank, but they will require a slight change. Maybe try tossing instead of pouring it on - it spreads it better and you end up using less, but you still get the flavor. Or maybe try a low-fat italian.

    Eventually I got to a point I just use balsamic vinegar (no oil), salt, and pepper. You get used to not needing a high-fat dressing to 'make' a salad good.
  • SlowlyLosingLolita
    SlowlyLosingLolita Posts: 93 Member
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    At Fred Meyer's they have a zero-calorie brand with all kinds of dressings and their ranch is amazing.
  • kittyloo123
    kittyloo123 Posts: 300 Member
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    one trick i use, is i measure out the serving size, 2 tbs.into a small covered container. then add another couple of tbs. of milk, and shake it up. It coats all the lettece, and has the "ranchy" flavor. That , or try the salad spritzers. They are pretty good.
  • slbedgood
    slbedgood Posts: 2 Member
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    How making a dressing out of real food instead of frankenfood chemicals...combine balsamic vinegar, olive oil, a bit of honey, a bit of dijon mustard and salt/pepper to taste. My hubby's favorite.

    Also, I go along with the suggestion of dipping your fork in the dressing and then spearing the lettuce instead of pouring it on.
  • dr4m4qu33n
    dr4m4qu33n Posts: 19
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    Google "low calorie ranch recipe" A lot of stuff comes up. Try a few until u find one you like. You could probably even finely mince a piece of bacon, or turkey bacon.
  • delilah514
    delilah514 Posts: 126 Member
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    Actually it is good to use a salad dressing with a bit of fat in it as it helps you absorb the nutrients from the veggies. Maybe try just 1 tbsp of the salad dressing instead of your usual 2. I started doing that as I would rather have a little less of a tasty salad dressing then more of a disgusting one. Also I would check all the different brands of Ranch at your local grocery stores and experiment to find one that you really love, but is not to bad for you.
  • aanddplusoanda
    aanddplusoanda Posts: 189 Member
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    I have my things that I refuse to skimp on...one of them being ranch dressing. Low fat, fat free ranch tastes horrible and I refuse to eat it. If I am concerned about calories I will go with italian but if I save up for them then I will have ranch. I'm the same way with mayo and milk. I'd rather go without than eat/drink something I hate. You could keep trying different brands...some taste a little better than others.
  • sarahlyzzibeth
    sarahlyzzibeth Posts: 108
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    I love the ranch flavor, but you're right, I hate all the calories and fat! So, I love the powdered ranch seasoning...the stuff that you're supposed to used to make dip, but it makes a great topping for lots of meals! It works on pretty much everything... I sprinkle it on my pizza, sandwiches, rice dishes, chicken, even salads! Although it's extremely high in sodium, so I watch out for that.... but I find that it helps me get my ranch 'fix' without adding all that fat. The only drawback is that it's not creamy... but I've gotten used to it!
  • mamato3inca
    mamato3inca Posts: 168 Member
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    I was addicted to ranch! I finally found one at Trader Joe's that I LOVE! It's low fat Parmesan ranch...so so so good. I usually add a bit of fat free feta and sometimes Hormel bacon bits, they are surprisingly low in fat and calories as well. You can find the dressing in the produce section. I don't live near a trader joe's so, I buy like 4 bottles at a time. I actually like the generic safeway brand ranch, but not the name brand stuff!
  • corsayre8
    corsayre8 Posts: 551 Member
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    I use a tablespoon of ranch, and then pour balsamic vinegar over. The flavors actually component each other well.
  • lisa35120
    lisa35120 Posts: 230 Member
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    Bump!! I love ranch too.. these are some great ideas!
  • coolkat17
    coolkat17 Posts: 23 Member
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    Ranch is ranch is ranch is fatty. Turns out that it's whole deal. There's a lot of high flavor dressings out there that won't rob the calorie bank, but they will require a slight change. Maybe try tossing instead of pouring it on - it spreads it better and you end up using less, but you still get the flavor. Or maybe try a low-fat italian.

    Eventually I got to a point I just use balsamic vinegar (no oil), salt, and pepper. You get used to not needing a high-fat dressing to 'make' a salad good.

    i am the same - i now sprinkle with italian herbs and lightly douse with malt vinegar... a lot of people turn their noses up but i find this delicious and my family like it too - its not too heavy esp on hot days. :tongue:
  • JustBreathe418
    JustBreathe418 Posts: 355 Member
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    You can check these out, they are Bolthouse creamy dressings made from yogurt and are a bit lower in calories

    http://bolthouse.com/our-products/dressings/yogurt-dressings

    Make sure to look at the labels because the calorie count and nutrition info is different for all of the dressings. I have the honey mustard one and love it! You can find them at your regular grocery store (I found them at safeway) in the fridge section where the packaged salads are. They have a ranch one!

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