I have homemade salad dressing recipes for you!
Let’s just say you are hitting the restart button this fall in an effort be healthier. If I could give you just one piece of advice for making one simple change, it would have to be this: Eat more salads.
And also drink more water and cut back on sugar. And eat real butter instead of margarine.
Apparently I feel strongly about more than one aspect of making healthy changes and I just can’t not mention butter in a post about making changes in your diet. But today, I really do want to focus on eating salads. With a big glass of water on the side. Plus you should never, ever eat margarine.
Soooo, salads. We all know they are good for us. The reason I bring them up today is because I think they are a fantastic way for all of us to hit the restart button and fill up on nourishing foods. The possibilities are endless when it comes to building a salad. This means that none of us have excuses as to “not liking” what’s in front of us. You can pick what you put in it, for goodness sake. Green leaf, red leaf, romaine, spinach, cucumbers, peas, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, sweet peppers, onions, and on it goes. Then you can put dressing all over it – the kind you like best. You can even put bacon and cheese in your salad. If that’s not a reason to eat a bowl full of green leafy vegetables, I don’t know what is.
It is now easier than ever to make super healthy salads. Do you have these little gems at your grocery store?
They are pre-washed, so all you have to do is throw the greens in a bowl or on your plate. No excuses!
I highly encourage you to make a variety of tossed salads a bigger part of your life. I highly encourage you to make your own salad dressings with pure ingredients to keep your salads healthy. And I encourage you to eat butter.
Need some easy salad dressing recipe ideas? Hit the restart button by making a new salad dressing or two. You’ll find that it’s so nice to have Ranch Salad Dressing Mix and Italian Salad Dressing Mix made up in bulk so that you can quickly mix in liquid ingredients for fresh, healthy dressings.
You’ll find all of our homemade salad dressing recipes on this page (along with many other fun condiment recipes you’ll love). Here are our favorites at a quick glance…
The bacon, egg, and avocado salad looks amazing! I try to eat salads 3-5 times a week, either for lunch and/or as a side with dinner. I love to make a homemade italian-style dressing too!
We eat salads everyday. Not eating margarine ever is not really true anymore since there are many natural non-hydrogenated products on the market now.
I guess I never even looked at those to see if they are a healthy product since I’m such a butter lover. :)
I love me some butter, too! Margarine makers know they had better change or no one will buy their product anymore. If I am having a crowd I don’t mind using a healthy brand bought on sale for garlic bread or something similar but hate it on toast or where I can really taste it.
Anyone have tips on getting kids to eat salad or just greens in general? I can get my youngest to eat lettuce with tacos, spinach in eggs, etc., but not so much just salad. My oldest isn’t so easily deceived and can pick out green stuff from a mile away. Both eat all other veggies and fruits, just not leafy things. I’ve heard suggestions to just drown it salad dressing, but mama is a naked salad eater and my girls don’t like condiments either. Should I just count my blessings that they love other veggies and hope that a “liking” of greens comes with time.
My children were more open to salad if they had a small cup of dressing on the side to use as a dip. Also, I would put out salads and raw veggies and ignore them if they were eating from the serving dish before dinner. They thought they were getting away with something but I did it on purpose. :)
Love it, Lana! Offering salads when they are hungriest is a good idea.
Yes! They’ll get there eventually. If they are eating lots of other veggies, I wouldn’t worry about them not eating many raw greens yet. :)
I have one kid who loves salad, and one who likes other veggies, but nothing with leaves on it. So, if I have time, I will make the salad-hater a small bowl of the same veggies we are having in salad – carrots, peppers, tomatoes, etc. He may or may not eat them all, but if they were mixed in with lettuce/spinach/etc. he wouldn’t eat any.
Ha! When I moved in with my husband, the ONLY food rule he had was “real butter”. No margarine, no fake spread, just real butter. I said ok.
For our house, I like spring mix, and hubby likes spinach. I think that’s ok. :-)
Laura, do you use a jar for your salad dressing, or a bottle? I’ve tried using a jar, and we just end up spilling every time we try to pour dressing out of it.
We use a jar…and it is MESSY! You bottle idea is a great one. I’ll have to keep my eye out!
I use pint jars for my salad dressings and use a spoon. Pouring from such a big opening would be wasteful and messy!
We eat salads several times a week, either for lunch or as a side dish with dinner. I used to buy bottled dressing as I thought it was more convenient. As you have proven, it only takes a minute to make homemade dressing. Not only is it the more frugal option, but the taste is far superior to what one finds in a bottle. Thanks for all of the great links. Our favorite is Ranch.
I also try to eat salads 3-5 days a week. If I’m being really good, I have one every day for lunch. Right now my favorite dressing is Annie’s Organic Lite Raspberry Vinagrette. I’m not sure how to attempt it at home! My current salad favorites are baby spinach or a spring greens spinach mix and romaine. I love field greens too!
Laura, I’ve tried your homemade Italian salad dressing and it is the bomb! I use it on a pasta salad and it’s the perfect amount of zip. I need to try your homemade French and see if Hubby can tell – shhhhhh!
We buy the clamshells of organic salad, like you have pictured. Once we make a big salad or two, I divide the remaining salad into single-serving sized Pyrex bowls with lids. I am much more apt to eat a salad if I just have to add dressing. The lettuce stays fresh longer too.
I eat a “salad” every morning in the form of spinach smoothies. My favorite is banana, strawberry, blueberry, spinach and almond milk. Then I have a HUGE salad for lunch. The base is spinach and romaine then I throw in anything that is around! Nuts, dried fruit, veggies, fresh fruit, a little protein, and my FAVORITE ranch dressing in the world! Heavenly Homemakers! :) Yesterday I threw on some BBQ chicken from the night before, diced avocado, a sprinkle of cheese, and ranch. It was so yummy!!
I haven’t bought margarine in nearly 13 years. We avoid anything with hydrogenated oils, HFCS and refined sugar in general. I have lost several pounds (my husband has lost 25!) and can now tell when I eat something that inflames my gut. I get bloated and feel yucky. I didn’t recognize the symptoms and had no idea it was directly related to food. It’s nice when you can clear your body of all the garbage so it can tell you what is wrong. Thanks for your inspiration and knowledge Laura!