Secrets of Success

Instead Of Salad Dressing/Oil...

I saw a friend's mom dip her fingers in a bowl of water and sprinkle it over her salad, then she would season her salad. I now do the same, and I use a mixture of different spices to add flavor. The water gives the spices and seasonings something to stick to, without turning the salad soggy!

Weaning Yourself from Salad Dressing

Regular salad dressing is full of fat and the healthier ones don't taste too good. Using plain yogurt or Greek yogurt is great, but sometimes you just want a familiar taste. I sometimes use 1Tbsp of my favorite regular salad dressing along with some citrus juice and dried herbs and seasonings. It's the salad dressing I love, but not so much of it! It helps me to "wean" myself from the unhealthier dressing as I go through my journey.

mmmm Dressing

I started mixing in a few drops of water to my salad dressing. My 2 tablespoons suddenly covers more salad

Salsa on Your Salad

I just read in a magazine to order salsa on the side in a restaurant as your salad dressing. It has lots of flavor and has very few calories. No guess work in what kind of "lite" dressing they gave you.

Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

Balsamic vinegar (especially aged vinegar) has a great flavor that intesifies and sweetens when you reduce it. Bring a small pan of balsamic vinegar to a boil and then simmer until it thickens. When it coats the back of a spoon, it's done. It makes a great salad dressing or veggie dip and is extremely low calorie!

Zesty dressing ideas

I have found 2 healthy dressings to use on salad, veggies, and even fruit.

#1 - Flaxseed oil + Apple Cider Vinegar+ your favourite spices (I tend to use garlic, ginger, chilli flakes, and lime)

#2 - Greek Yoghurt can be used as sour cream or
mix some with lime juice and garlic...just a tablespoon is plenty! Really YUM! OR
Blend some Greek Yoghurt with strawberries or raspberries with Stevia and cinnamon and use for fruit...
POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS! Enjoy Freestyle Cooking!

Cutting Salad Dressing Calories

Cut the calories in your "creamy" salad dressings by mixing half and half with either fat free sour cream or plain fat free yogurt. You still get plenty of flavor - but a LOT less calories!

Alternative Salad Dressing

Instead of the old crusted ones in the fridge at the office, buy a small bottle of olive oil and lemon/lime juice and keep it at work! 1 TBSP Olive Oil, 1 TBSP Lemon, Sea Salt and Coarse Ground Pepper = Delicious, healthy dressing that you can make at your desk :)

Easy Salad Dressing

I save glass jars to make my own dressing. A little oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper to taste - shake it in the jar and pour away! I control how much oil goes in it, so it can be very low-cal.

low fat salad dressing

make salad dressing with mortar and pestle. pound one half clove garlic with course salt. add one tablespoon olive oil. Then mix well with pestle. Add a pinch of sugar and a tiny bit of mustard. Then add 3 large tablespoons of plain yogurt, and two tablesp. vinegar. adjust seasoning

Dip only your fork in your dressing

Instead of pouring salad dressing on your food, just dip the tips of the tines of your fork in the dressing before you stick the fork in the salad. This way, you'll have the flavor of the dressing in each bite while saving a lot of calories that your salad would normally be swimming in.

Decrease use of salad dressing

My thin friend does this:
She gets dressing on the side at a restaurant, dips her fork in it and then she takes a bite of her salad. She does NOT pour the whole thing on her salad like I used to do!

Ranch Dressing

I LOVE ranch dressing, but its one of the worst calorie & fat offenders. Many years ago I discovered the perfect alternative. Its from Trader Joe's & its called Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, you can find it in their refrigerated section next to the salads. I believe 2tbsp is 30 cals!