Fresh Summer Salads with Simply Dressed Dressing

As I’ve gotten older, my love of salads has a grown to astronomical proportions. They are one of my favorite things to have and I have found myself even making them for breakfast on those days when I wake up with a salad craving. When I crave something healthy like a salad, I feel like that is my body telling me it needs it, so I try to oblige!

When it comes to salad dressings, though, the bottled ones never taste that good to me. I prefer the taste of homemade but really like it when I don’t have to make them myself. Also, store bought dressings can have a lot of carbs in them which cancels out a lot of the benefits for a person eating low carb, which I am right now.

So I am SUPER EXCITED To share a dressing I’ve discovered with you today because it:

1. Tastes like it was homemade – the ingredients are simple and all natural and there are no preservatives. Seriously, you purchase it in the refrigerated case of the produce section because that is how fresh it is.
2. Has fewer carbs per serving than any other dressing I, personally, have in my house right now. This one only has two carbs but I have seen them with as many as 8! I am eating less than 20 carbs a day so that makes a big difference.
3. THIS IS DELICOUS! This is the creamiest, most flavorful Caesar dressing I’ve ever had.

 

This Marzetti® Simply Dressed® Caesar Salad Dressing is the best thing I have found on grocery store shelves in a long time. It’s thick, creamy, and delicious. Perfect for dressing a salad or your favorite veggies. They have 25 three other flavors in this line, the ones I have found so far are: Balsamic, Blue Cheese, and Ranch, and I am sure they are equally wonderful but I’m afraid this Caesar has won my heart and I won’t be straying during summer garden season.

For the salad pictured, I used a combination of dark leafy greens and crunchy iceberg pieces. Added in some diced red bell pepper, fresh cucumber (so good with the Caesar), grilled chicken (I bought this already prepared and refrigerated), and shredded parmesan. Creamy and flavorful Caesar dressing topped it all perfectly.

I like to keep the fixings for salads in my fridge for quick lunches and suppers and have some tips that might be helpful to you so I thought I’d share them today.

Tips For WONDERFUL Salads:

• Purchase a variety of salad greens to mix them and make your own special blend. I love dark greens but often get a small bag of mixed iceberg to add extra crunch.
• To store your greens for twice as long pour them into a large zipper seal bag and add a paper towel before sealing it and storing in your fridge. You’ll be amazed at how much longer they stay fresh and crunchy just by storing this way! This is the single biggest thing you can do to save money for better salads.
• Chop up your favorite fixings ahead of time and store them in individual containers in the fridge. I love being able to go to my fridge and have my own salad bar waiting on me.
• Forget traditional, go with what you like! Cucumbers and red bell peppers aren’t traditional for a Caesar salad but I love them in mine! Things I commonly keep on hand for my salads are: shredded sharp cheddar, boiled eggs, smoked ham, sunflower kernels, bacon bits, grilled chicken, etc. Sit down and think of what your dream salad would contain and then make a list.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

To help inspire you to try the Marzetti® Simply Dressed® Salad Dressings, Marzetti is offering a giveaway! One reader will win a $50 Visa Gift Card!

 

To enter, just comment below and tell me what your favorite salad ingredient or dressing is.

Winner will be chosen using random.org. Giveaway closes at midnight Sunday, June 19th.

For more Marzetti inspiration, visit the following pages:

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Disclaimer and important notes about giveaway: 

Winner will be chosen at random using random.org, and notified by email as well as posted on this post. Winner has three days to respond to email or alternate winner will be chosen. This post has been graciously sponsored by The Marzetti® Brand, all opinions contained herein are my own. #ForTheLoveOfProduce #Marzetti #ad

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Marzetti. The opinions and text are all mine.