ubergirl: I don't eat a lot of salads either, and when I do it's only a small side salad. I find if I eat a larger salad I just put too much dressing that overpowers any benefit of having the salad, and like you I am not huge on the lo-cal dressings. I did kinda like the wishbone dressing sprays, I should probably get those again. My favorite dressing is french... I ate some italian/vinaigrette dressings for awhile but got burnt out on them. French is always my standby! I don't like salads as a meal, because I tend to get hungry later, and I actually prefer to not put meat on a salad - a hard boiled egg yes, chicken, eh, not so much. I do like some ham on it though when I have it.
I really enjoy fresh veggies steamed, or even sauteed in olive oil, and sprinkled with fresh garlic & herbs. Mmmm.
Oh, and for the topic of this thread: I do incorporate potatoes of all kinds in my diet. I think it's fine... a fresh potato you prepare in your home is a lot better then any of the processed carbs you could be having, and they are quite filling. I have to say though, I really do enjoy my sour cream on it. I generally get light sour cream, mostly because fat free is kinda gross. I might have to try that greek yogurt though. I do like doing a stuffed baked potato as a meal, though. Some chicken or steak, sauteed peppers, onions & mushrooms, sour cream, salt and pepper!
You can also cook them in the microwave, small to med tater 5 minutes or so depending on your microwave. If you want to do more, the lazy way, scrub them and put them in your crock pot in the morning, set on low, do NOT add any water, and when you get home they are done! Totally changes the flavor. Gives them a kind of nutty, rich flavor.
And, if you need a whole lot for a special occasion, like a rehearsal supper or something, don't scrub them by hand, toss them in the dishwasher, NO SOAP, and run on heated wash and dry, they will be clean as a whistle and almost totally cooked!
I've only recently added the occasional baked potato back into my diet. Potatoes can be a terrible trigger food for me, so I took a long break from them. So far, so good. I made one for dinner the other night, because I had just about half a cup of a vegan chili I'd made a few nights before left, and I had the potato with that poured over the top, and about a tablespoon of low-fat sour cream. It was incredibly satisfying and amazingly filling, and didn't make me feel all binge-y, so I think my cautious reintroduction to potatoes may be successful.
I LOVE potatoes too - baked fried roasted mashed lol I usually avoid them now though. THe carbs just don't do well for me. I have too many carbs in other things -- I avoid most breads too though but I do have a light bread and a potato on occassion.
It's all about balance. Of course you can eat potatoes, just not every day, every meal - but then that is true of most foods.
Those of you who aren't eating salad because of the calories in the dressing and not liking the low cal dressings - I use fat free, plain yogurt and add herbs. This makes an awesome creamy salad dressing. It also goes well on the potatoes, pasta, sandwiches, cooked veggies. I use plain yogurt in place of lots of sauces, mayo, sour cream, salad dressing.
Those of you who aren't eating salad because of the calories in the dressing and not liking the low cal dressings - I use fat free, plain yogurt and add herbs. This makes an awesome creamy salad dressing. It also goes well on the potatoes, pasta, sandwiches, cooked veggies. I use plain yogurt in place of lots of sauces, mayo, sour cream, salad dressing.
Once again, I love forums. I will have to try this!
It's all about balance. Of course you can eat potatoes, just not every day, every meal - but then that is true of most foods.
Those of you who aren't eating salad because of the calories in the dressing and not liking the low cal dressings - I use fat free, plain yogurt and add herbs. This makes an awesome creamy salad dressing. It also goes well on the potatoes, pasta, sandwiches, cooked veggies. I use plain yogurt in place of lots of sauces, mayo, sour cream, salad dressing.
Hmm. Might be worth a try. I do like plain yogurt. But the only kind of salad dressing I actually like is homemade olive oil vinaigrette. It's healthy, but I'm not happy with one TBS and if I put more than a TBS then I feel like it's too many calories out of my day.
But I might like plain yogurt as dressing if I put the right herbs in it. Thanks for the suggestion.
My go-to salad dressing is actually kind of like tzatziki. I finely chop up a cucumber, and loads of fresh herbs (mint and dill, usually, but I'm flexible) and mix it into low-fat plain or Greek yogurt. Sometimes, I add in some finely minced white or green onion. Depending on how thick it is, it also makes a pretty snazzy dip for crudites.
It's all about balance. Of course you can eat potatoes, just not every day, every meal - but then that is true of most foods.
Those of you who aren't eating salad because of the calories in the dressing and not liking the low cal dressings - I use fat free, plain yogurt and add herbs. This makes an awesome creamy salad dressing. It also goes well on the potatoes, pasta, sandwiches, cooked veggies. I use plain yogurt in place of lots of sauces, mayo, sour cream, salad dressing.
That is such a wonderful idea! I never thought about yogurt based dressings.
Unfortunately, I'm such a novice in the kitchen and the only yogurt-based dressing/dips I know how to make are those sauces you get in the Indian restaurants... yogurt with salt, pepper, crushed cumin and green chili+mint paste. It's nice but does anyone have more suggestions on how to make more dressings that are yogurt-based?
I love baked potatoes. Salsa is a great topping. I also often whip nonfat cottage cheese to the consistency of sour cream and add chives to have a protein packed healthy topping.
My go-to salad dressing is actually kind of like tzatziki. I finely chop up a cucumber, and loads of fresh herbs (mint and dill, usually, but I'm flexible) and mix it into low-fat plain or Greek yogurt. Sometimes, I add in some finely minced white or green onion. Depending on how thick it is, it also makes a pretty snazzy dip for crudites.
Mmm. That sounds right up my alley. I'm going to try that.
I love baked potatoes. Salsa is a gave topping. I also often whip nonfat cottage cheese to the consistency of sour cream and add chives to have a protein packed healthy topping.
Another great salad dressing secret is rice wine vinegar (or sometimes called rice vinegar).
Don't bother with the seasoned, and if you can buy it from an asian grocery store, all the better (the quality is better, the bottles are bigger, and the prices are better).
Most rice wine vinegars are much milder and less sharp than most other vinegars, so you can use a lot more. With regular vinegars I really only like the classic ratio (2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar), but with rice wine vinegar I can use a lot less oil (at worst, 2 parts vinegar to 1 part oil). I do like a little oil on iceberg lettuce dressings, but on leaf lettuce and cabbage I don't mind no oil at all (as long as the vinegar is a good rice wine vinegar).
The rice wine vinegar can also be used to dilute your favorite salad dressing recipe or favorite bottled dressing.
I go through about a quart a month, though I also use it for quick, refrigerator pickles (rice wine vinegars are rarely acidic enough to use in canned pickles).
