Ugh.
You know what drives me nut-so?
When girls point their long acrylic fingernail at the waiter & say “I’ll have the Caesar salad, no croutons & dressing…on the side.”
Like she’s so avant-garde ( insert gagging noise here ), right?!
Um…no.
Like, sorry that I’m not sorry but that’s not working for me.
Here’s why: typically restaurants over-dress a salad.
BUT.
Bringing a half of cup of dressing on the side sets me up for failure.
I’m set up to pour too much. I’m set up to dip my lettuce in the side of dressing. I’m set up to over-dress the salad x 10 without even realizing it.
Fail.
Keep it simple, stupid.
Order a salad with light dressing. Or take it step further: order a salad with no dressing and ask for olive oil, balsamic, & lemon and make your own damn dressing ( << this is fun + easy + quick ).
This sounds stupid…to talk about salad dressing…but apparently it’s a real epidemic: over-dressing salads.
& don’t even get me started on tossing an at-home salad.
I mean, really. Check yourself before you wreck yourself.
This online source says to “always check the nutrition label on the bottle, and as a rule of thumb, avoid any dressing that exceeds a hundred calories per serving ( figure that one serving equals two tablespoons ). If you see the words “partially hydrogenated” anywhere on the ingredients list, it means the product contains trans fat, which is a definite no-no.”
And there ya have it- don’t be a victim of over-dressing!
#theskinnyconfidentialproblems
X.Lauryn
I love salsa as a dressing for basic side salads. Most restaurants have it.
Love this tip!! : ) xx.
SO TRUE, I always see this girls ordering the high calorie dressing on the side like it makes a difference. You really are best sticking to salt, pepper, lemon and olive oil. Thanks for making us all aware <3 C
“Check yourself before you wreck yourself” — haaaa! Seriously!!! Love this post
I have been guilty of ordering dressing on the side – BUT the reason is that after working in the resto industry for many years through college, I think it’s gross that they toss my salad with dressing in the same big stainless steel bowl that they tossed a salad in 30 minutes ago, which means those old wilty lettuce leaves that stuck to the side of the bowl may now end up in my salad. Okay, I may have some food ocd issues here – but I can’t ever stop thinking about it! That said, I generally go for a lemon wedge and enjoy my salad without the guilt 🙂
OMG yes! I work at a steak restaurant in the South (shoot me please!) our salads have more bacon, cheese & croutons than they do lettuce! People constantly order the chipotle bacon ranch dressing with extra dressing and a diet coke along with their 14 oz sirloin and think they’re “eating healthy” because they got a salad. It drives me NUTS!
Love the tip of “making” your own salad dressing while your out. Otherwise it’s like a side of salad with a bowel of dressing. Gross!
I make all my own salad dressings at home. They’re so easy, cheap, healthy and everyone loves them, it’d be a sin to start buying them!
Great post!
Hilary x thehealthycollective.com
I must be a fat kid cause I’ve never even thought about asking for dressing on the side lol
HAPPY FRIDAY!
I actually really like ordering salad dressing on the side. I dip my fork into the dressing occasionally before stabbing the lettuce so I can get a hint of the dressing without going overboard. Not that I’m opposed to the balsamic/olive oil combo, but sometimes a girl just wants Caesar!
Hmmm… a good rule of thumb for sure, but I can’t say that I think this always applies. I’m recently found out that I’m pregnant, so I’m balancing extra hunger and cravings with getting the right nutrients that my body and baby need. Just last night actually (and maybe this is why I’m feeling sensitive to this post), my in-laws wanted to go to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Not the type of restaurant I would typically go to. I don’t know if you’ve ever been there, but there are basically NO heathly options. The restaurant doesn’t even publish their nutritional info. Long story short, the fried chicken fingers where calling my pregnancy induced name, but that was the last thing I wanted to feed myself or my baby. After mentally arguing with myself for a while, I finally realized that I was really craving the honey mustard to dip them in. So, I got the grilled chicken salad (gasp – no croutons – LOL), with honey mustard dressing on the side. I was able to satisfy my craving by dipping my fork tongs in the dressing and then forking up my salad. By the time I was done my side of dressing didn’t even look like I had used any, but my craving was satisfied and I ended up with a much better food choice. Sometimes, one evil is lesser than another and it can work out in the end!
Love these tips! I am not a salad lover because of the dressing factor. I just can’t find a dressing that I really like, and all those creamy ones totally defeat the purpose of healthy
xo Mel
I am that person that orders vinegar, o.o, and lemon with my salad. The weighters always look annoyed! If I know I am going out to lunch or something ahead of time I usually just pack my own dressing! Like you if I get it on the side I’m just going to put it all on there anyway.
haha, this post made me giggle. I hear you on this one. It is a little obnoxious to see someone do this. Plus restaurant caesar dressing is always the creamy/fatty nonsense that probably has partially hydrogenated everything. The cheapest the restaurant can get their hands on is whats going in your mouth.
I really love your fitness tips and miss seeing more diet and fitness items on le blog!
Better yet: skip the creamy partially hydrogenated salad dressing nonsense and use hummus or a mashed up avocado to dress your salad…a little goes a long way, not to mention it tastes amazing and gives you that creamy texture. It’s by far my favorite salad “dressing” 🙂
Love it!!!
No dressing on my salad! I think that all the toppings like grilled veggies (with are grilled with olive oil – I request it), protein like chicken or fish, olives, tomatoes, etc make the salad so very flavorful by itself, there is no need for extra! 🙂 But if I do need something, i do what you said, get some olive oil on the side, or I use the olive oil that’s on the table (that people use for their bread)! Hey, whatever works 🙂 I just will NEVER EVER eat any creamy dressings – Because they’re unhealthy and.. I HAVE FOOD ALLERGIES!
I love these rambling type posts. I usually just stick to making my own salad with tons of herbs. No dressing needed!
I usually like to order dressing on the side, and dip a small portion of my salad fork into the dressing…and then pick up the salad with the dressed fork. There is less surface space on the fork and much less dressing than if you had dipped a piece of lettuce into it.