Coconut Milk Ranch Dressing

ingredients

1 can full fat coconut milk (or coconut cream, refrigerated overnight, do not use light coconut milk)

2 tablespoons shallots (minced)

1 garlic cloves (minced)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh basil (chopped)

1 tablespoon fresh dill (chopped)

1 teaspoon sea salt

black pepper (to taste)

Another Quick & Easy Salad Dressing

I keep this salad dressing in a small container and make it as needed...

Only three ingredients:

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

EVOO

A GOOD BALSAMIC VINEGAR

HONEY

Here's how to do it....

I use leftover salad dressing cups from restaurants, I keep them and wash them.

1 teaspoon of honey

1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

2 Tablespoons of EVOO

Then shake it!!  Shake it up!


This is for two servings.  You can double and triple all in the same cup and then simply store the rest. 

Favorite salad...
Arugula and peach with the above honey balsamic!!!  whoa so good, enjoy!!

Lemon Thyme Dressing and Spinach Salmon Salad!

So YUM, I've been working on my homemade salad dressings this week and I really like the LEMON THYME DRESSING I've come up with.  It is so good, but simple.  This recipe makes about 4-6 servings.  I use around 1 Tablespoon per salad.  But you could use this for VEGE DIP or just layer over baked fish of any kind!

Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup low fat sour cream

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp fresh thyme

1/4 to 1/3 lemon, juiced 

Pinch of salt and pinch of fresh ground pepper

Whisk with a fork or small whisk until well blended

Store in the fridge for up to a week

For the Salad, 2 cups spinach, 2 - 3 ounces baked salmon.  1 Tablespoon crumbled feta cheese.

Enjoy!!

Avacado Garlic Lime Dressing/Sauce

Hello all, this recipe has revolutionized the diet transformation I recently experienced and shared in a recent post.  I love all of the elements of this dressing and it is AMAZINGLY versatile.  I can use it in tuna salad, instead of mayonnaise... as sauce on my morning eggs... and dinner's fish, as a salad dressing...on burgers...instead of mayo on sandwiches (I am gluten free, so just on my burger "salad" that I make for me.)...on top of mexican ANYyything...phew, I just love it.  period.

To adjust the thickness if you prefer a more fluid dressing, add 1 teaspoon of water or olive oil.  Adding olive oil will add fat and calories, but not a tremendous amount.

To adjust for adding to tuna or chicken salad, add 1 Tbsp of Mayonnaise, this improves the texture for me, you can certainly try it without the mayo, but I prefer the tuna salad version with mayo added, it's a texture thing!

What you'll need:
1 Avacado
1.5 cups of cilantro or spinach  *I used spinach one time when I was out of cilantro... it was good!
1 Cup Daisy Light Sour Cream
3 whole cloves of garlic
Juice of 1/2 lime or 1 lime depending on your taste preference
salt and pepper to taste

**A note on a kitchen toy that I use a good bit! my Cuisinart Mini Prep, I have had this little baby for, gosh, 20 years or so, seriously, same machine, all these years!!  That's a good little kitchen tool.

Put all ingredients into either a blender, silver bullet, or as I do, a mini prep processor.  I blend until smooth.  Storing in small two ounce, (jello shot cups with lids).  They have 3 ounce sizes of these babies, I save them when I go to a restaurant and get dressing on the side.  Never can finish my whole salad and have to take it home, which includes my dressing on the side AND, booonusss, the little cup with the lid.  Save 'em, use 'em.

This makes it easy to grab and take one with my protein at lunch.

Here is the dressing used with my hamburger salad...

DIVERTITI!!

I'm back!!

I MISSED YOU, my blog and friends!!  After a short absence I'm back and writing again on my blog!  I've missed sharing recipes, thoughts and all the juicy tid bits of information I like post.  Sometimes you have to take a break, settle back and be on the intake instead of output!  In truth, I have been on a journey, a journey back to myself and BACK to my STRENGTH.  I had lost it for a while.  It happens at times in our lives, no motivation, low sense of self, just got a little lost.  I've found it again, through a great hot yoga practice and support from those around me who have been willing to let me go away for a while and find my own way back.  Wow, it's been since August and boy have I done a lot of self exporation since then.

I took some time to take care of myself, (not something I do often and should do more often!!) do some research, and begin working on diet/weight issues/hormonal issues.   There has been a lot of research and reading, something I'm not so good at as I fall asleep while reading, snort, wake myself up  lol!!  I did a lot of experimentation with recipes with a focus on eliminating processed foods, sugar, and gluten and lactose from my diet.  Including making my own homemade salad dressings and sauces, I'm a sauce nut and love eating anything if it's smothered in sauce or gravy.  In this case avocado dressing, lemon caper dressing.  I went crazy using these two in recipes!!  Can't wait to share.

The first thing I started doing is keeping a food diary.  This has been amazing and I can actually see what I'm taking in, a little scary at first, but once you brave it out for week or so, it works!  Snacks... snacks... snacks it seems!!  lol  Turns out I'm a grazer.  I just have to be prepared because I was reaching for the wrong foods for the snacks, I wasn't prepared! It has helped that my other half, Mike, works at Ft Bragg all week and I pre-make his meals for his week on Sunday.  I do not want him eating out or catching fast food and he will if I don't prepare him!  So while I'm preparing for him, I prepare for me!!  It is easy once you get in the habit and I've grown to LOVE the habit!

The diary has also shown me how many vegetables I am, or more importantly am not, eating per day!!  And, when I do splurge I can see exactly how many calories and how much fat and sugar are involved.  These are the two ingredients I watch most, with Fiber being the third.

My Fitness Pal is the site I'm using it's free and you can customize your exercise and calories burned along with a very wide range of - already there - foods with calories/fat etc etc already plugged in for you.  I was surprised at how many foods were already there.  You can even log and track your weight loss and connect with other people.  Have you guys used any other diary sites??

I have also begun doing quite a bit of hot yoga over these last months and have worked out my schedule with the dogs so I can go in the evening and not feel guilty about not being there for my two babies!!  I give them a long leisurely walk on days between yoga and/or do a yoga tape between workouts.  My babies...

Aren't they beautiful!!  Leah, my whippet, is on your left and Bella, my greyhound, is on your right!  ... babies!  

So for the yoga, Ashley Turner http://ashleyturner.org/ has some great stuff on her site.  Her style is relaxed, yet challenging.  I particularly like her Yoga for Strength and Flexibility cd it has two 30 minute segments and a short meditation practice.  If you can find a great gym to join that offers yoga, do.  Our Y has one hour, 75 minute and 90 minute hot yoga classes.  I love the variety of length of classes. 

Looking forward to sharing!  Thanks for visiting and reading!!  xoxoxo