Lunch and Snacks??

[minirunner]

Okay, I am really struggling with lunch and snacks.
I have always loved salads and have eaten salads for lunch for years but I just can't seem to get a good dressing. I've now made 5 or 6 dressings even one with illegal low fat tofu trying to find something I could eat. YUCK!! I threw the salad down the sink.

I've tried the lemon juice, soy sauce, red peper etc... gross, I can't find a good dressing recipe and I'm going nuts eating plain greens and vegetables. Does anyone have a GOOD dressing recipe for salads?

I'm not exactly sure what to snack on, when I've eaten my two fruits for the day I'm a little lost on what to snack on. What does everyone snack on? Are carrots okay? I made oatmeal yesterday for a snack for lack of anything better to eat. I just need some suggestions of snacks and dressings so I can get through this.

I'm used to raw food dressings which usually include olive oil or cashews, they are delicious but definately not low fat. The non fat dressings I have tried have been really gross.

Wild Oats did not carry a single dressing that was even low fat let alone fat free. I was a little frustrated about that. I would appreciate any suggestions/recipes anyone can give me.

Thanks

[KareninTN]

This thread came up recently on the recipes forum. Some suggestions were: chunky salsa; cocktail sauce; grapefruit sections and their juice; and I said my current favorite is Mary's grainy mustard dressing from the August 2006 newsletter (a honey-mustard dressing).

karenturtle

[minirunner]

I read the thread on the recipes section but I am new and have not recieved the newsletter so I don't have that recipe. I saw the thread and tried salsa today, I didn't really like the flavor that much. I was looking for something a little more 'traditional' in flavor than just grapefruit juice or cocktail sauce. Honey mustard dressing sounds great if someone could post that recipe.

I would really appreciate it if someone would post some of their favorite lunch foods, dressings and snack foods for the MWL program. I just started the McDougall program a few days ago and so this is all really new to me. I've made many mistakes but haven't had any success with salad dressings and snacks. Any help would be much appreciated.

[victw]

Minirunner - you can access the newsletter archives from Dr. McDougalls home page.
They are great to browse through - read the articles not just the recipes if you have some extra time.

Carrots make good snacks - along with any veggies. Since all the root vegetables are in season right now you should be able to find lots of fresh ones at the grocer or farmers market. My favorites include the usual carrots and celery - but also beets, turnips and kohlrabi. If I liked radishes I'd snack on them - but they aren't a favorite.
I also make bean dips to go with my veggies.

Vic

[Malva]

raw veggies
air-popped popcorn
rice cakes

Have your read the book?

Re: dressings
When I ate dressings, I enjoyed the Trader Joe's non-fat dressings.
I never found a salad dressing that tasted like the "traditional" high-fat ones. So, I had to learn to enjoy the new flavor of "fresh", "clean", and "untraditional."
I now prefer chopped herbs (like dill) or shredded carrots to flavor my salads.

[VeganMan]

I use store bought dressings:

Paula's No-Oil Dressings (they are fat free too)

From: www.sweetadelaide.com

[PamM]

You could try an oil substitute -- cornstarch and water is often recommended. I've never liked that; it was always a little gummy for me, and reminded me of thick, gloppy "diet" dressings, but I've recently discovered kudzu, which I think makes a really good "oil" -- silky and not too thick. From there you just make the dressing as you would have before . . .

HTH.
Pam

[stephanie]

Here are some good fat-free salad dressing brands I've found, if you want to buy instead of make it yourself. I don't know how available they are in your area--I can find them at Whole Foods and even Vons here in Southern California. Some of them could be purchased online as well, if you're interested in trying them but can't find them in stores.

*Consorzio (they make a strawberry balsamic viniagrette, raspberry balsamic viniagrette, and mango dressing--all good, especially the raspberry)
*Whole Foods (their balsamic viniagrette is fat-free)
*A Perfect Pear (this is a Northern California company, and their pear-ginger dressing is great and has all-natural ingredients with no added sugar, preservatives, etc.--I know for sure they have a website)
*Kozlowski Farms (they make several fat-free varieties, but I've only tried their zesty herb flavor so far--it was good)
*Spectrum Naturals (I know they used to make a sweet-onion garlic dressing that was excellent and an Asian sesame dressing, but I haven't been able to find them lately--maybe they've changed their product line?)

Anyways, these are the ones I can think of that I've tried and liked. Best wishes on your new McDougalling experience!

[tiranda]

I don't know how you've been doing with dressings lately. The texture may be what you miss as much as the rich flavor.

It can be hard, as someone said you do have to adjust your tastes a little and if you only just started you still may be in the famous "period of adjustment" we all go through. After a while, though, you may taste some dressing you used to love and just notice how oily and greasy it seems, and how that overwhelms the flavor.

Now, someone mentioned the Grainy Mustard Dressing from Aug 2006 newsletter, so I copied it along with another dressing from that source and pasted them here. (The mustard one is second). See what you think, give one of them a try.

Citrus Chili Dressing
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Servings: makes about 1 ½ cups

1 cup orange juice
¼ cup Dijon mustard
½ cup rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce

Place all ingredients in blender jar and process until smooth.

Grainy Mustard Dressing

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Servings: makes about 2 cups

½ cup rice vinegar
½ cup whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup honey

Place everything but the honey in a blender jar and process briefly. Slowly add the honey while processing.

[tiranda]

SALAD DRESSINGS

Many of you have been unhappy with the “fat-free” salad dressings that you purchased in the supermarket or natural food store, either because of the flavor or the sodium content. During the 10-day McDougall Program in Santa Rosa, California our chefs make many delicious salad dressings – loved by everyone. Any of these may be prepared ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for about a week.

CREAMY GARLIC DRESSING

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Servings: makes 2 cups

1 box (12.3 ounces) firm lite silken tofu
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
3 teaspoons honey
freshly ground pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth and creamy.

Hints: The garlic and dill do not have to be finely chopped. They will be processed along with the other ingredients. The amount of garlic may be increased or decreased according to your tastes. Add a bit more soy sauce to taste, if necessary. Flavors will intensify during refrigeration.

BERRY VINAIGRETTE

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Servings: makes 1½ cups

2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries or raspberries
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
freshly ground pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth.

HONEY MUSTARD DRESSING

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Servings: makes 1¼ cups

½ cup rice vinegar
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
freshly ground pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. (at first glance I thought it was just the same as grainy mustard dressing but there's less mustard and this one has soy sauce and balsamic vinegar).

If the problem is texture, you might need to try one of the creamier ones, knowing as you try it that it won't be exactly like what you are used to eating. But--what you are used to eating was not good for you. Always a trade-off, seems like...

[zeuxia]

Kozlowski Farms makes a good honey mustard dressing, if you're not in the mood to make it yourself!

[tiranda]

I didn't think using fruit juices was MWL legal? Is it okay on the MWL plan to use juices in salad dressings? (also I thought tahini wasn't allowed?)

I usually make honey mustard, similar to what was posted here only I blend up about a quarter of an onion or so in with the other ingredients. . . . if fruit juices are legal in salad dressings then I'm definitely going to be making a homemade version of that, yum!

My snacks are just the allowed two fruit servings a day. My husband snacks on tamari seaweed rice cakes, carrots., and air popped popcorn.

Fruit juices are not allowed as your fruit servings, (not enough fiber and nutrition, mostly sugar) but you can use them in salad dressings because you won't be eating a whole lot. You probably would not use more than 2 tablespoons of dressing if that much.

It's true: tahini as a high-fat food is not allowed on MWL; but since you don't use a whole lot in dressing I occasionally use it.

BUT if you are concerned, try dressings that don't have it. Some people, though, just have trouble getting used to the "nontexture" of dressings with NO fat. I know there are a couple of people who have posted about this. And then there are people who, if they let a tiny bit of tahini in, are in the soup and see all kinds of non-McD food turning up on their plates. So it's really what you think is best for YOU.

What I do in cases like this is watch my weight and if I get on a plateau, leave out fruit juice or tahini dressings altogether (I would try the trick of cutting up the fruit in the salad and letting any juice drip out, or use vinegar dressings, or fix the salad up as part of a sandwich with whole grain bread and use a nonfat flavored mustard--my preferred attack. You might disagree with the whole grain bread, though.

HTH

PS you can check what's allowed on drmcdougall.com, surf down to the lower part of the page and the Free Program has a link on the left.

[CassieGirl]

comes in a packet from our grocery store. The brand name is Good Seasons and it is their Fat Free Italian salad dressing mix. We use Japanese vineger for a more mellow vinegar taste and mix with water. It reminds us of the Italian dressing at Olive Garden restaurants.