The food purchase I'm most excited about this week...

I really do get excited by the little things in life. We finally got Trader Joe's here week before last. Hurrah! I have always visited TJ's in St. Louis whenever we go home so I could grab pantry staples we use and some of the snacks the boys like. I was always so sad to pass by all of the wonderful frozen food items, though. So exciting to be able to finally stock up on those! The first thing I bought when they opened was a few bags of the frozen artichoke hearts. Those just rock. I find their organic frozen veggies to be cheaper than at other stores in the area. In fact, many of the pantry items I like to stock up on are cheaper. And they have a GF French Vanilla creamer. Like I said. The little things that bring me the most joy. :)

I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw this. I love citrus based vinaigrettes, but don't often keep orange juice in the house. Having a fresh orange can also be sporadic, depending on what was on sale that week.

I am now dreaming of a romaine salad with avocado slices, mandarin oranges and red onion slices, tossed in a dressing made with this. Maybe a few sliced almonds if I'm feeling wacky? :)

Greek vinaigrette using fresh herbs

We eat a lot of salads here. Not just because they're good for you, but because we actually enjoy them! Especially in summer when so much of the salad comes from right in the back yard. Greek salad is one of those salads that features so much of what I grow.

I make our salad dressings from scratch, and usually for a vinaigrette I would use dry herbs. I decided this time, however, to take a stab at a vinaigrette with fresh herbs, and I was very pleased. The key, I think, is to chop them very, very finely. When you think you've chopped them enough, chop them some more. It helps spread the flavor throughout the vinaigrette so nicely.

2T fresh oregano (I used half oregano, half marjoram)

1t lemon rind

1/4t salt

1/4t pepper

3T red wine vinegar

1T water

1/4 cup olive oil

whisk ingredients together. Pour over salad and toss to coat.

I was naughty tonight (yay me)

I am beginning to surprise myself about just how disciplined I've become with our diets here at home. I usually make all of our salad dressings from scratch. I love homemade vinaigrette, no sugar, and less oil. Plus it's cheap to make. Win win, right? I do, however, keep a few bottles of dressing in the pantry for quick marinating or quick dip options (hubby is a dipper). Using bottled is a rarity for me though, particularly in a salad.

Tonight, though, as I looked at my options for a salad and thought about the perfect dressing for said contemplated salad, this bottle called to me from downstairs on the shelf. Number 1 ingredient? High Fructose Corn Syrup. (shudder). I decided to pretend that I didn't read that and threw all discipline to the winds (sorta). I used about 4T over the family salad, and then added about 2T of balsamic vinegar before I tossed the salad. I must say, not using the bottled dressing very often is a good thing, but this stuff rocks!

Here was the ingredient list that made this a perfect match:

romaine lettuce
1 hard boiled egg, peeled and chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 roma tomato, diced
1/4 cup 2% milk cheddar cheese, grated

I logged all of this into Calorie Count tonight and got a decent grade, and my total fat grams for the day was actually surpisingly low- 36. So I guess in the end, not super naughty, just naughty enough :)

***By the way...this is why I surprise myself....bottled salad dressing for me is now a "naughty splurge" LOLOL. Too funny.

Oh, and...I was going to take a picture of that salad, but I scarfed it so fast I totally forgot. My bad.

Blue Cheese Dressing

We love buffalo hot wings. That means we love blue cheese dressing. It's so easy to make it at home and I think it tastes so much better than store bought.

4oz. blue cheese, crumbled
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup light mayonnaise
1 cup milk
1T worcestershire
2t lemon juice
1/2t garlic powder
1/2t sea salt
1t fresh ground pepper
couple dashes of hot sauce

Combine all ingredients. Chill for at least one hour.

Homemade French Dressing

We don't buy bottled French. It's not something I use all the time, but I love this recipe on spinach salad and on mixed greens. It's the perfect mix of sweet and tangy.

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup catsup
3T White Vinegar
2T sugar
1T worcestershire sauce
1/2t salt
1/2t black pepper
1/2t garlic powder
1/4t onion powder

Place all ingredients in a jar with a lid. Shake well. Serve.

Strawberry Vinaigrette

It's berry city here at our house right now. I've chopped and frozen the strawberries. Great for smoothies, and for this vinaigrette, which I like to use on spinach salad with red onions, water chestnuts and blue cheese.

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
3T white wine vinegar
1/2t sugar
1/4t salt
1/4t pepper
1/4t dried tarragon

Place all ingredients in blender pitcher and blend until smooth. Keeps in fridge for about a week, although I wouldn't really know-- it gets used up pretty fast.