Home Made Ranch Dressing, Low Cal / Full Flavor

When I first started my "live-it" I ate a salad every day for lunch.  I always had Ken's Lite Creamy Caesar, and I thought it was really great at 45 calories per tablespoon.  But, you need way more than 1 tablespoon for a big salad.  So I had 3 tablespoons, and then the calories really started adding up.  I got away from eating salads because of it.  Now salads can come back into my days because I discovered and modified a recipe for ranch dressing with JUST 8 CALORIES per tablespoon!!!  Yes, that is correct.  8 Calories.

I originally saw a recipe on Pinterest, and I decided to try it.  The main ingredient for the base is Dannon 0% fat Oikos plain Greek yogurt.  I don't really know what caught my eye about this, because I really do not like the taste of Greek yogurt at all.  Made it anyways.  The end result was what I should have expected to begin with.  It had a VERY sharp, almost sour taste to it from the yogurt.  It was not very good.

So in my refrigerator was sitting a big jar of ranch dressing that I just knew was going to go to waste, and I thought what a waste of money.  That's one of the pitfalls of trying so many new things.  Sometimes you invest a lot of time and money into these recipes and they turn out to be kind of horrible.  It was really bothering me all night long, even as I tried to go to sleep.  Then it dawned on me.  In order to counter-act the flavor of the Greek yogurt, I needed to just find something to balance it out.  Finally, at about 1:30 this morning I couldn't stand it any longer, and I just had to get up and tweak that jar of ranch.  I added Lite Sour Cream to the mix, and guess what!  It worked!  Now I have a jar of ranch dressing that is just the right balance with a hint of tanginess, a lot of creaminess, full of flavor, and only 8 calories per tablespoon.  It's a cinch to whip up a batch, so you really should try it.  All you need is:

1 single serving size container of Dannon Oikos no fat Plain Greek Yogurt
3/4 C Lite Sour Cream
3/4 C 1% Milk
1 Packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (NOT the buttermilk kind...the original kind)

Whisk everything together in a bowl, poor into a mason jar or other container with a lid and refrigerate.  You should let it chill for at least an hour to let the flavors really blend together.

It does need to stay refrigerated, too.  I got my Kerr self-sealing mason jar at the dollar store.  I don't know how much they are at the grocery store or Wal-Mart.  I'll have to check it out. 

It makes 2 1/2 Cups of dressing and the nutritional information for 1 tablespoon is:  8 calories, .6g fat, .4g saturated fat, 2.7mg cholesterol, 63.5mg sodium, 11.5mg potassium, 3.8g carbs and .75g protein.

Sara was still awake this morning when I changed the recipe (it's fall break and she thinks she needs to stay up all night).  She tasted it and immediately got some in a bowl, sliced up some cucumber and had a late night snack.  I've been looking forward to having my salad all night long.  Is 7:30 a.m. too early for some leafy greens with creamy ranch? lol

Enjoy your rabbit food!
Lisa
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happyfairylove@live.com

Spinach Dip With All the Taste and None of the Fat (recipe, pics)

One of the things that is always requested of me when we go to get-togethers is my delicious spinach dip.  It's like it's some gourmet thing that is too difficult for other people to make and they have to wait for me to come over to give it to them.  lol.  It's really so easy.  You know me...it has to be easy!

My kids really love it, and lately they have been asking me to make it again.  I decided to "healthify" this recipe, and I was a little concerned that taking out the fat would compromise the taste.  But it didn't.  It tastes just as good as the full fat version.

I considered trying it with plain yogurt, as I've heard some people use that in place of sour cream.  However, I used plain yogurt in a similar dip the other day and I truly hated it.  It looked gorgeous in presentation, but the taste was "ick"!  Plain yogurt, in my opinion, is no substitute at all for sour cream.  I decided to try fat free sour cream instead.  And you know what?  It works!  I mixed up a batch, and the kids didn't even know that I made a switch on them.

Here's what you need:  Very basic!

16 oz fat free sour cream
1 packet powdered ranch dip mix
10 oz package spinach, thawed with all the water squeezed out and torn apart
5 green onions, finely chopped (I only had 4, but more would have been better)

Put everything into a bowl and mix together.  Simple!!!  It is best to let it chill in refrigerator for a while before serving so that the flavors have time to meld.  Serve with vegetables, crackers, pita chips, crusty bread, etc.

The nutritional information for  1/4 C is 58.6 calories, .7g fat, .13g saturated fat, .2g polyunsaturated fat, .3g monounsaturated fat, 560mg sodium, 175mg potassium, 8.8g carb, 1g fiber, 2.8g protein.  (1 Points Plus) There are about 9 servings for this recipe.  Just remember to add in the calories and carbs for the foods you dip into it.

This is such a great recipe for game days and buffets for the many get-togethers that are bound to happen coming soon with the holidays quickly coming up.  It'll be a favorite, I'm sure of it.  It definitely is in my circle!

Enjoy!
Lisa
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happyfairylove@live.com

Avocado "Hummus" (Recipe, Pics)

I am very well known the world over, ok, well maybe just in my family, but still...for my totally delicious guacamole.  I love avocados.  Tasty AND nutritious, chock full of good fats.  At the same time, I've tried several kinds of hummus and have never been able to find one that I like.  I take one taste and, like a kid, quickly take a drink to wash the taste out of my mouth.  Strange, too, because I like chickpeas.  Weird.  So when I saw a post for Avocado Hummus, I thought I'd give it a try since I like avocados so much.  I found it on Pinterest.  If you hover over the black bar on the right you can find my Pinterest link.  You can find the original Pin for this on my board called "Recipes That Look Really Good".  Although I did change the recipe just a tad from the original that's posted there.  I think technically it's not really a hummus because it's not made with chickpeas, nor does it have tahini. 

It must be really good because I told my daughter, Sami, to try it.  She sat down, and the next time I looked over she was gone and the bowl was nearly empty!  The kids think it tastes like my "famous" guacamole, with a little more kick.  I think it tastes similar, but different at the same time.  So much more economical, too, because the beans really stretch out one avocado.  So instead of spending $5 or $6 on avocados for our next Mexican dinner, I can buy 1 avocado and make mock hummus instead.  Yea!  Budget Saver that tastes good!  Score!

Here's how to make it:

1 can of white or Navy beans, drained and rinsed.
1 medium sized avocado, nice a ripe...not hard.
2 tsp lime juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Put everything in a blender and chop it all up.  Stop the blender and mix it up a few times.  You might leave in a few whole beans for good texture.

This will surely be a crowd pleaser!  I have it pictured here with Pretzel Crisps, but it would be so delectable with any chopped or sliced vegetable.  Great for a party, to top Mexican foods, pita chips, or if you just feel like snacking instead of making dinner, have this and still get the nutrition of a small meal with those fresh, crisp veggies.  My avocado was 4.8 oz.  With that size plus the can of beans, I was able to get about 5 servings of about 1/4C each.  The stats for that are:  144.3 calories, 6.7g fat, 1g saturated fat, .8g polyunsaturated fat, 4.6g monounsaturated fat, 74.5mg sodium, 110mg potassium, 16.3g carb, 6g fiber, 5.4g protein. (4 Points Plus) Just make sure to add the calories and stuff for whatever you dip it with. 

I really hope you try this, either as a dip or as a topping.  I bet you get rave reviews for it.  Leave a comment here, and you can also drop me a line at happyfairylove@live.com.

Party It Up!
Lisa
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