by: Kelly Roberts
I love hearing people tell me they’re trying to eat better, exercise more, take care of themselves, lose weight, or take time for themselves. I really get excited for them! The best is what I hear the most…”You’d be so proud of me! I’ve been eating huge salads for lunch!” I’m always like that’s great!! What did you put in it?? They go on telling me about all their fresh veggies, new lettuces or greens they’ve tried, most times they’ve thrown in some seeds or nuts to make it a little more filling. And then comes the big question…”What kind of salad dressing did you make?” And I always get back “Make? No I put ranch on it!” I have to chuckle to myself because they did start eating salad and that’s awesome and an incredible way to start changing their diet. I hate telling them that the ranch has actually cancelled out all the good they’ve done.
And then I get the question back, “well what do you put on yours?” I always tell them I make my own! You won’t even find a bottle of salad dressing in my refrigerator. I know everyone thinks that’s crazy and making your own dressings is to time consuming but actually its super easy, a lot cheaper, you can mix it up, and they’re a lot healthier when they’re homemade! I use mason jars or old baby food jars, put all the ingredients in it. Shake it up and pour it on whenever I’m ready!! So easy, cuts out the expensive dressings loaded with fats, cholesterol, chemicals, and ingredients you can’t pronounce. Use heart healthy and good for you oils, like olive oil which has no cholesterol, almond, grape seed, or avocado oils. Use fresh ingredients and spices and they’re guaranteed to taste better and keep the weight off too! Switch it up to make your own or use the ones below. But most of all enjoy and live a little better!!
Dijon Vinaigrette:
1 Tbsp of Dijon mustard (fast way or you can make your own Dijon mustard)
2 Tbsp of Organic cold-pressed olive oil
1/2 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar
Himalayan pink salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Grapeseed Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp of grape seed oil
1 Tbsp red-wine vinegar
Himalayan pink salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper (if you like a little zing!)
Prosecco-Lemon Dressing:
2 Tbsp of Cold-pressed olive oil
2 Tbsp of Italian Prosecco- (Champagne can be used as a sub)
1 Tbsp of lemon juice
1 tsp of minced garlic
1/2 Shallot- chopped finely
Fresh ground black pepper
Fleur De Sel salt
Fresh Herb Dressing:
2 Tbsp of Avocado Oil
1/4 Jalapeno (seeds removed and chopped finely)
1/2 Shallot
1 sprig of rosemary (or dried- remove leaves and chop finely)
1 sprig of oregano (or dried also-remove leaves from stems and chop finely)
1 sprig of thyme-(or dried-remove leaves from stems- discard stem and chop finely)
Fleur De Sel
4-5 whole peppercorns crushed