2014-03-21

One-Two Dressing

I don't know why, but this work week seemed to drag on for me.  I had a really bad nights sleep Monday evening and it has seemed to throw off my whole week.  I had one of those nights that I kept throwing off the blanket being hot and sweaty, only to be freezing and grabbing for it again 10 minutes later.  The reason my mother would give me (the reasons she gives me for most things) is: hormones.  Growing up and even now, she would always tell me to "Blame it on hormones."  If I had a day where I just felt like crying - hormones.  If I felt forgetful or unfocused - hormones.  Even if I was clumsy and spilled food on my favorite shirt - hormones.

I don't think I want to blame my bad nights sleep fully on hormones this time.  Spring weather in the inland northwest is my least favorite of all.  It is nice that the weather gets warmer and sunnier, but it still seems to hang on hard to that winter chill.  Probably the reason for my hot sweat-then cold night of sleep was just Spring being Spring..... and hormones ;).

In an effort to catch up on my sleep, I've been going to bed decently early and sleeping in a bit more than usual, leaving little to no time to make or pack much of a lunch.  So, one morning this week I threw together in a large tupperware container some fresh spinach, a whole cucumber, and a whole avocado to be chopped and prepped at work.  For the dressing, I grabbed my jar of almond butter, scooped a bit into my to-go dressing container, topped off with balsamic vinegar, and ran out of the door.

To my surprise, it ended up being a dang good salad!  The best part was the dressing, so I thought I would share with you guys how simple and easy it is to make it.

One-Two Dressing
Time: 1 minute (Ha! Not even!)
Servings: 1
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Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp almond butter
  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1+ Tbsp water to thin
This was a salad that I made for a good friend and I before we went on an outing together today.  In the salad was mixed greens, shredded carrots, thinly sliced red onions, and french lentils with my one-two dressing.  Yum!
Instructions:
  1. Put the almond butter and balsamic vinegar into a small, airtight tupperware container with about 1 Tbsp of water.
  2. Secure the lid and shake the tupperware.  Open, and assess if you want to add more water.  Continue to add water if needed and shake until your dressing is smooth and the consistency that you like.
  3. Serve on top of a green salad.
Amy's Notes:
I couldn't believe how simple, easy, and delicious this dressing was.  It was easy as one, two... yep, that is it.  These two ingredients go so well together to give a nice balance of savory and tangy.  For those of you who don't have a high powered blender, or don't want to make a big batch of dressing that goes bad before you can use it, give this dressing a try!  The fact that this dressing takes just seconds to prepare (and gives your arm a little work out (haha!) makes it that much better!

Here was the salad that I had earlier this week with this great dressing.  Spinach, avocado, cucumbers and one-two dressing.

How much time do you spend prepping your lunch each day?

14 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Lunch takes longer than I'd like, but still only 10-15 minutes. I usually make some combo of brown rice, veggies, and beans with seasonings or sauce. It's chopping the mushrooms and onions and then heating everything in a pot that takes the time. This dressing looks great, and easy as could be. Can't wait to try it. Thanks!

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    1. Hi Gwen,

      10-15 minutes for making lunch isn't bad at all! I pretty much survive on making big batches and having leftovers all week, and I bet the brown rice, veggies, and beans would work well for that. Thanks for reading!

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  3. OH I do so love quick salad dressings! When they are too involved my salad doesn't end up dressed!!!! lol. I usually just pour the juice of one orange over but I could totally do this one! :-)

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    1. Thanks Sandy! This dressing is as quick as it gets! Sometimes I enjoy an un-dressed salad, but when I'm short on time, flavored vinegars, fruit juices, and this one are my go-to.

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  4. This looks great! I'm trying it with what I have on hand: cashew butter. Thanks for the idea!

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  5. I cannot wait to try this simple recipe. Thanks so much.

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    1. No problem at all Julia, thanks for stopping in :)

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    2. Hi Amy,
      Glad you are back! Just tried the 1-2 dressing and it is great!

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  6. I'm so glad I found your blog! I have been on and off one of those high-protein, low-carb diets for the last couple of years - you know, shakes, protein packets, and salad. That's about it! I wasn't allowed to eat beans, potatoes, fruit, tomatoes, carrots, etc, etc. It just seemed wrong! So I found the Eat to Live book (which I haven't actually read yet), and I'm excited to eat healthier now! My question is, how much of the nut butters are you allowed to eat while trying to lose weight? I'm assuming that counts towards your daily portion of nuts, but what is the exchange for nuts vs. butters?

    Thanks!!!

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    1. High-protein, low-carb diets sound awful! Even if they do result in short-term weight loss, they inevitably won't result in long-term lifelong health. For more information, Dr. Fuhrman has a great article about the dangers of these types of diets: http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/article2.aspx
      Beans, potatoes, and fruit are some of my favorites, so I couldn't imagine going without and sustaining energy throughout the day!

      Eat to Live will answer a lot of questions you may have, but as for the nut butters, I generally like to keep it under 1 Tbsp per day. You could also measure it out by weight and only use 1 oz, which is how many oz of nuts you should limit yourself to while on the 6-week rapid weight loss plan.

      Good luck, and please feel free to write me anytime if you have any more questions I can help with! :)
      amysnutritariankitchenATgmailDOTcom

      Health and Happiness,

      Amy

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  7. Wow, tried the simple three step dressing.....raw almond butter, balsamic vinegar, and water...and I was in heaven. I've been trying Dr. Fuhrmans dressings and not finding anything I liked. This was yummy!!! I think I can eat more salads now....and maybe even add it to some stir frys. I seem to find that when I make dressings they come out really spicy....any idea what is causing that?

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  8. Nutritarian is the way to go 😉 I've been feeding my family like this for years now! Health problems are all gone! Thank you for this blog! New recipes are always nice! Great way to help keep things attractive when battling the food addictions out there.

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