citrus vinaigrette

Ditch the bottled salad dressings. That’s my advice to you, if you want to enjoy better tasting salads for the rest of your life. Most everyone can benefit from eating more vegetables, and learning to make a spectacular salad dressing is life changing (ok, a little dramatic, but you get the point!).

This month’s recipe redux theme is DIY kitchen essentials. I have no better DIY staple then my made from scratch salad dressings. Classic dressings have a ratio of 3: 1, oil to vinegar. My homemade versions are not only tasty, they’re made with less oil (which also keeps the calories in check). Note: I don’t like to omit oil; some is good because it adds taste and can help you absorb valuable nutrients found in vegetables such as lycopene and beta-carotene, which have been shown to help prevent heart disease and cancer .

Below I have assembled a cheat sheet with my top 3 favorite salad dressings. Start your dressing with an acid (vinegar or citrus), add herbs and seasonings, and sweetener, (if desired). Then slowly whisk in oil (base). Voila! It takes just minutes to finish a salad that will win over some of the pickiest eaters. The portions listed below will make enough dressing for a large salad that feeds up to four. Get creative by changing the base, acids, sweeteners and herbs to find your new secret to loving salads.

Be sure to visit the links at the bottom of this post for more DIY kitchen essentials.

What’s your favorite salad dressing?

An InLinkz Link-up

I’m not the only one eating at my desk these days. According to a survey from the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and ConAgra Foods’ Home Safety program, eighty-three percent of Americans regularly are dining on their desk tops, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. I really DON’T recommend it…but I’ve got no song and dance. Just one word of advice, if you’re going to eat at your desk, make sure it’s healthy. Today’s post is a continuation on my theme of spreading protein throughout the day, important for maintaining and/or building muscle and also for keeping you from getting hungry an hour after you’ve already filled your belly.

This salad takes only 5 minutes to make with foods you purchase at the grocery store. I used prewashed spring mix, precooked chicken breasts, one half of a grapefruit and a homemade citrus vinaigrette (or you could substitue Culinary Treasures White Balsamic Citrus Basil Dressing). The entire salad is under 300 calories and provides 21 grams of of protein . It’s also a very good source of vitamin C, A and K.

Don’t cop out! If you tote your lunch to work, this salad is easy to make in a mason jar! Simply layer the ingredients in this order: dressing on the very bottom, chicken, grapefruit and fresh greens. So take care of yourself (including maintaining your muscles) with this nutritious salad. You going to love working lunch!

So tell me, are you a desk top diner? What are your favorite protein foods to eat at your desk?

Five minute Citrus Salad

Author: Diane Boyd
Yield: 1 serving 1x

Ingredients

Scale

3 ounces cooked chicken
1/2 grapefruit, sectioned
2 cups Spring mix

for the citrus vinaigrette

1 tablespoon orange juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Arrange salad greens on medium sized plate. Top with grapefruit sections and cooked chicken. Stir vinaigrette to combine and drizzle over salad. Toss. Enjoy.

DIY Kitchen Basics: 3 Easy Scratch Dressings

Five minute Citrus Salad

Five minute Citrus Salad

Ingredients

Instructions

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