"Omelet" > wrote in message
news
>I really do like salads and now that we _finally_ have a refrigerator in
> our break room at work, I've started keeping a weeks worth of salad
> makings at a time there. Takes me less than 10 minutes to build a fresh
> salad.

This might be one thing you can be sure nobody will mess with, as it takes
some effort! When I worked in an office, my stuff frequently disappeared.

>
> Part of my weight loss efforts is to get serious about eating more
> salads and to really watch the dressings. I think the dressings are
> often the biggest calorie contributor!
>
> A good low fat dressing can be made from fat free sour cream (Daisy
> brand etc.) and a package of Hidden Valley Ranch powdered Ranch dressing.

Hey, I want to try this. Ranch is my favorite dressing, and I already use
the light
kind of Hidden Valley with sour cream. (The kind that comes in the
upsidedown
bottle ....) Seems like your kind might be a buck cheaper or so, too. I hate
paying
$4 for that bottle of ranch. But there is nothing like Hidden Valley, to
me.)


>
> one thing that can really contribute to a salad is a tablespoon or so of
> real bacon bits. The fake ones are so-so but way too high in carbs.
>
> The real ones are expensive. About 50 cents per oz.
>
> What would be the best way to go about making my own? I've honestly
> never tried...
>
I have done this, it's easy! Ijust make the bacon a bit crisper than I
usually
would and smash the hell out of it between paper towels to get most of
the fat out and crumble it too. (I do bacon on foil on a baking sheet
in the oven because frying it is just too messy. Start it out in a block
and separate it as it cooks. Use a pancake turner or tongs to move
it around and flip it. Remove it just before it is perfect as it keeps
cooking a bunch, and drain on paper towels.)