Monday, March 2, 2009

Cheap, Low Calorie Salad Dressing

Salad dressing is very expensive, especially if you are eating a salad everyday (which I totally recommend as it is a healthy thing to do when cutting back on costs and it is very filling, which makes eating a less expensive meal more fulfilling).

Again, I recommend a visit to the past: When I was a child and growing up, no one used salad dressing that was purchased at the store in a bottle. It was always a combination of some kind of oil and another kind of vinegar - - just enough mixed up for that meal or enough mixed up for the entire week. Keep it in the fridge, of course, if you have mixed up more than you need for just one meal.

I couldn't remember for the life of me what my aunt combined for salad dressing (hers was my favorite), but I had no trouble remembering what it tasted and looked like. I knew it must be oil and vinegar. What oil? No idea. What vinegar? Haven't a clue. So, I went to the store and purchased a bottle of canola oil and a bottle of apple cider vinegar - - for the price of what ONE BOTTLE of generic ranch dressing would cost me. Not to mention that when eating a prepared bottle of salad dressing every single day, it lasts maybe one week. Maybe.

Well, after just one mixing of these two ingredients, I see that these two ingredients will last me several weeks. Maybe months. All for the cost of ONE BOTTLE of generic salad dressing that only lasted one week in my house.

For the recipe, I played it by ear - 3 ounces of apple cider vinegar to 1 ounce of canola oil. It just so happened that I had one of those pretty glass bottles with the white plastic lid that is specifically made for just this purpose. So, I combined my vinegar and oil and shook it really hard. Tasted it - - hmmm. Too bitter for my taste so I added some sugar, maybe 1 tsp (because I remember seeing my aunt sprinkle some sugar in the mystery salad dressing), and lo and behold - - I had it!

There are many vinegar and oil recipes out there on the web. Look for some and make them a part of your daily menu. I used that 4 ounces of salad dressing (kept it in the fridge) for five salads. Not small bowls, either.

By the way, there has been some controversy surrounding canola oil; however, I chose it over vegetable oil for obvious reasons and chose it over olive oil (because olive oil can become rancid over time, and I didn't want that worry). I also chose apple cider vinegar for health reasons. I have read many positive things concerning apple cider vinegar, one of which is that it regulates blood sugar (a good thing when we are all adding more carbs to our diets because they are cheaper than meat), AND lower blood sugar means weight loss. Some health nuts swear by a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar before each meal because they are losing weight this way.

So, experiment with homemade salad dresings that contain vinegar and oil. It is cheaper, better for you, and longer-lasting.
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An up and coming business with very little overhead

Have you considered grass painting?

As seen in Fortune and Inc. Magazines

Anyone here been out of work for quite some time and trying to find a way to start your own business so that you can get back to work and getting some income? I have been thinking that maybe it is the best and quickest way to earning money once more. Not to mention that perhaps in this day and age, it is best to be dependent on no employer. After some extensive research, I have learned that grass painting is an up and coming business and very cheap to get started. You just need to know the "ins and outs" of the business. I did an online search to see what is available to those wanting to start their own lawn painting business, and frankly, I was disappointed at the lack of resources. To be even more frank, I was surprised by advertisers who seem to be offering a lawn painting business in a box, for lack of a better term, and at a huge upfront investment to the entrepreneur. It is not wise to put so much money out up front at the beginning of any business.

There is an ebook available that can get you started for much less than anyone else is offering to get a lawn painting business started, and there is already a 2nd edition available. In the 2nd edition of "How to Start a Lawn Painting Business" ebook, the following topics are covered:

  • How to formulate a business plan and how to reach your personal/professional goals;
  • What equipment you need, where to get the equipment, and how to use the equipment;
  • How to market your business, to include building a website, online marketing, search engine optimization, "on foot" marketing, how / where to purchase marketing materials, sample marketing flyers, and who your likely customers are;
  • How to prepare estimates, a sample price sheet, where to get your information from, and how to deal with your customers (recommendations for payments, billing, etc.);
  • Common pitfalls and mistakes to avoid;
  • List of best resources (many of which are free) with hyperlinks included so that you can click on the resource and be immediately directed to the recommended vendor, website building company, etc.
  • How to set up your home office with specific administrative instructions, and much, much more!

Learn how to get your copy here.