helppp! Need Dressing ideas....

Marisela233
Marisela233 Posts: 48 Member
edited September 26 in Food and Nutrition
hi MFP pals i am looking for a healthier approach to dressings for salads i must admit i really like ranch on my salads but i know its no good so i need help i would really like to make a dressing at home instead of buying it at the store. ive heard that zesty italian is better than ranch but dont know if this is true.... hope you guys can help me out!

my fav quick salad consists of: romaine lettuce, cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and carrots sometimes i add feta cheese but not always and i use bits of whole wheat toast pieces to replace the croutons :)

(p.s) also do you guys think its a bad idea if i eat this salad before every meal (breakfast,lunch, and dinner?)

Replies

  • Andra01
    Andra01 Posts: 90 Member
    hey
    i was tired of all the dressings but found some Kraft (no fat) dressings which are good but even better now i put some olive oil (yes it's fat but it's good fat!) and i cut a lemon in two and poor the juice of one half on my salad with pepper, its really good!
    hope it helps!
  • SlimmingSarah
    SlimmingSarah Posts: 74
    I LOOOOOOVVEEEEE Balsamic Vinegar dressing... And if you read the right packaging you can find really low cal ones. Its amazing! I adore it. Its light and fresh and delicious.
  • mrphil86
    mrphil86 Posts: 2,382 Member
    Cottage Cheese... awesome stuff.
  • RobertaG
    RobertaG Posts: 205 Member
    If you really like ranch, go for the fat free kind. I don't really make homemade ones because I don't know how long they can last in the fridge, but Kozlowski Farms sells oil free dressings that aren't creamy, but super delicious . I also love Annie's Natural Raspberry Vinaigrette. I like zesty italian dressing from Kraft too but not with croutons.

    Oh, and I thinks its great that you eat a salad before meals, studies show that eating salads/soups before a meal can make you fuller and therefor you eat less during the actual meal.
  • Marisela233
    Marisela233 Posts: 48 Member
    Cottage Cheese... awesome stuff.
    Really? on salads? im going to have to try it!
  • Marisela233
    Marisela233 Posts: 48 Member
    If you really like ranch, go for the fat free kind. I don't really make homemade ones because I don't know how long they can last in the fridge, but Kozlowski Farms sells oil free dressings that aren't creamy, but super delicious . I also love Annie's Natural Raspberry Vinaigrette. I like zesty italian dressing from Kraft too but not with croutons.

    Oh, and I thinks its great that you eat a salad before meals, studies show that eating salads/soups before a meal can make you fuller and therefor you eat less during the actual meal.

    I tried the fat free kind and it just doesnt taste the same i guess i miss the rich and creamy taste LOL but thanks ill look in it!
  • red01angel
    red01angel Posts: 806 Member
    Salsa.
  • Marisela233
    Marisela233 Posts: 48 Member
    hey
    i was tired of all the dressings but found some Kraft (no fat) dressings which are good but even better now i put some olive oil (yes it's fat but it's good fat!) and i cut a lemon in two and poor the juice of one half on my salad with pepper, its really good!
    hope it helps!

    yea i read that somewhere that its better to use olive oil but i didnt understand how lol ok so you put olive oil on the salad....? then the lemon juice with pepper. Black pepper? LOL sorry i like to use exact recipes so it ca taste really good LOL
  • Marisela233
    Marisela233 Posts: 48 Member
    Salsa.


    I LOOOOOVE salsa!!! i am mexican so i try to put salsa (very spicy) on all my meals LOL and theres many kinds of salsas that we use, can u tell me which kind you mean please? :)
  • believetoachieve
    believetoachieve Posts: 675 Member
    Your salads sound great. I don't think it's a bad thing to eat one before every meal - you're getting veggies in, and you'll eat less! :flowerforyou:
  • Brihammond
    Brihammond Posts: 29
    I have started making my own dressings and I haven't looked back. It takes me hardly anytime, they taste SO much better and you know exactly what's in them (no additives). I just hated buying expensive bottles, then not using them because they were gross or too big to fit in my lunchbox.
  • maria1993
    maria1993 Posts: 112
    Mix some cottage cheese with dried basil and fresh black pepper.. Use that to top your salad and you'll be pleasantly surprised at how good it is.

    Also, I've found that if I put my salad in a Tupperware or other lidded bowl and shake it up after dressing it everything gets coated really well, and you can get away with using less that way
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
    1 cup Fage yogurt (I use full fat, but if you must I guess the 0% would work too)
    1/2 cup sour cream, again for me full fat
    chives
    garlic
    pinch of salt
    Pepper
    and mix in enoug butter milk to get as thin as you like it.

    Wala ranch dressing, without the processed crap.
  • katt742
    katt742 Posts: 196 Member
    :glasses: I usually eat regular olive oil and vinager with my salads but sometimes i NEED ranch....I have a little trick. Ill use regular ranch dressing. ONE TABLESPOON only...cut it with a dash of vinager. Put your salad in a tupperware container but leave about an inch or two from the top. Put on the lid and shake it like crazy!!! You'll be surprised how far one tablespoon of ranch dressing goes with a little help from the vinager and the shaking
  • Debbiecastor
    Debbiecastor Posts: 29
    I've tried the fat free versions, but I just don't care for them....but that's just me! I ask for my dressing (ranch is my favorite) on the side, and I dip my fork into it, then stab my salad greens!! Works pretty good, and I find I don't put on nearly as much as I used to, when I used to pour it on! But I like the idea of cottage cheese, basil and pepper too!! I am going to try that, for a change! Good luck!!:smile:
  • Zeromilediet
    Zeromilediet Posts: 787 Member
    I think if you're going to have fat in your diet a salad is a great meal opportunity to choose a healthy fat like olive oil. With that in mind I love a homemade balsamic vinaigrette:

    2 oz good EVOO
    1 oz balsamic vinegar
    1/2 tsp dijon mustard (this emulsifies the dressing so it stays blended)
    1/2 - 1 tsp honey
    grating black pepper
    pinch oregano (optional)
    crushed garlic clove
    Shake in a bottle and serve--lasts several salads and keeps in the fridge a week; more if you don't add the garlic.

    One nice way to jazz up a salad is toss a couple cut up strawberries in the dressing and add to salad. Makes for a nice sweetness to the greens.
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
    I hate low-cal ranch...I'd rather eat nothing than eat low-cal ranch. Just saying! But I always use Italian, Balsamic or olive oil and vinegar. And like the other person, I mix a little bit of dressing with the leaves instead of pouring it over my salad - makes it go way longer.
  • Seajolly
    Seajolly Posts: 1,435 Member
    If you like Ranch dressing but don't like the taste of the low cal Ranch dressing, give Marie's Ranch yogurt dressing a try. 70 cals for 2 tablespoons, 180 mg of sodium, and only 2g carbs. I really like it.
  • LilLolo22
    LilLolo22 Posts: 229 Member
    Marie's Raspberry Vinaigrette is pretty harmless and tastes great!
    For makeshift ranch, I'll use 0% greek yogurt and mix it with some ranch mix (the dry mix)
    Or you can make your own. Most all of them use Extra Virgin Olive Oil as a base. Then you can add what you want: dijon mustard, dill, honey, lemon or lime, etc. The combinations are endless really.
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