RESPONSE: Welcome, Orracle.
I feel like I need to join FSA….Fruity Salads Anonymous…..or is that sal-anon? I know that The Rube may have a heyday with the 'Fruity Salad Guy' title. I had no choice but to go with it!
I have always liked salads. I like them with lots of toppings but those toppings were always manly toppings like onions, peppers and most importantly, blue cheese dressing. We’re not talking low fat blue cheese. We’re talking home-made or really bad for you dressing like Maries. My first changes after Hilton Head Health were to move to the Dip and Spear methodology. That has allowed me to maintain the heavier dressings but just use very little of it. Two containers at a restaurant was barely enough before where now I can get by with ¼ of a single container/cup.
One day, I did not have any ‘good’ dressing. Ashlie had some raspberry vinaigrette. I decided to try it and why not throw some strawberries on it. I was instantly hooked. Then we found a better raspberry dressing from Panera that Target carries. It looks like raspberry jam it is so red! This dressing is 20 calories per 2 TBSP. Pouring this one on is safer and easier since it is a little bit thin to dip and spear. There is a Kraft version of this dressing that is an OK runner-up if you cannot find the Panera version.
The salad pictured below is the current favorite recipe.
• Salad greens of your choice
• Cut up strawberries
• Fresh blueberries
• Fresh blackberries
• Grape tomatoes
• Crushed, unsalted pecans (approx 10 pecans)
• Small amount of reduced fat crumbled feta cheese
• Panera Bread Raspberry Vinaigrette
I still love blue cheese but this is right up there and in this concoction, very healthy and as low in fat and calories as you can get!
