MSG Free Low Cal Ranch Dressing | 1 WW Points+ (For the whole thing!)

The verdict on this: You absolutely have to try it -- but don't expect it to taste exactly like ranch dressing or ranch dip, aside from the seasonings. Greek yogurt is still yogurt. Yogurt tastes like yogurt.

However, I will say that I still thought it was really good! I took a taste and thought, "Wow, this really tastes like a ranch dip! I mean, okay, it tastes like ranch yogurt, but it's still good!" At any rate, it gave me the flavor experience I was craving. I've used this as a dip, and now I plan to use the rest of it tonight either on a salad or in a wrap.

Some pointers: pour the milk in slowly. You may not need the whole amount. 

If you're using a recipe that calls for a packet of ranch seasoning, use 3-4 tablespoons of this mix. If it were me, I'd start with two, two and a half, give it a taste, and then slowly keep adding it in. 

If you don't want to use Greek yogurt, 1/3 to 2/3 cup of mayo and about a 1/4 cup of milk will get you a pretty legit ranch dressing going on, totally MSG free.

I liked that I was able to keep the sodium low too by just adding salt to taste - and since Greek yogurt on its own already has quite a presence, I didn't feel the need to add much salt.

MSG FREE LOW-CAL RANCH DRESSING
MIX DRY INGREDIENTS FIRST! You won't use all of it right now. ;)
2 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper
Source: 5dollardinners.com

Add 1 T of the mix to:
~6 to 7oz Greek yogurt (just under a full cup)
~1/4 cup fat free/skim milk (add slowly, and add more if you want more of a "dressing" texture)
salt to taste

Serving size: who cares! Because...
Points+/serving: 1 for the whole cup!

What I love about this is that you're left with about three tablespoons of your mix. I saved mine in an old spice jar and plan to use it again with the other cup of Greek yogurt I bought.

Admittedly, I'm totally a lazy housewife. I would much prefer to play with my kid, watch movies and write over all the other housewife stuff. But there are a ton of food additives that give me the heebies, and being that my husband gets migraines from another world, MSG is one of those that I'm looking to eliminate as soon as possible.

The problem is that I just don't have the time or money to spend making ranch-frigging-dressing every day.

This is awesome because the seasoning gets made ahead of time. Then, I just buy the Greek yogurt in the individual cups, and theoretically I can just mix it up right there in the cup! It lasts 3-4 days, easily.

For my husband's sake, I'll probably try doing it with mayo next time, probably fat-free. I think the yogurt flavor gets to him. I like that I can pour it all over my salad, though, and not have to worry about points.

This is the Greek yogurt I used in this recipe. As you can tell, my little child is attentive to her nutrition and ingredient labels as well.

Easy Vegetarian Chili | 8 WW Points+

Even though I consider myself a Midwesterner, growing up in Texas, my mom used to make this awesome chili that supposedly was as simple as a pound of ground beef and a-packet-of-something-or-another. I loved it. And I miss it. (I miss Texas food in general, really.)

I don't, however, miss biting into something weird and hard (cartilage) or feeling heavy and yucky or the MSG from said "packet" or anything like that.

Not that this is necessarily MSG free (I have a couple of questions about the tomato sauce) - however, it was awesome and super, super easy - which is a must for me. If it simply involves cracking a few cans open and dumping them into a pot, I'm game. I nabbed this recipe off the Weight Watcher's website and I'm genuinely impressed!

I modified it slightly by omitting the minced garlic. I also used the crock pot! I didn't mean to, but we were in a hurry, so I just combined all in the ingredients in my crock pot along with about a teaspoon or so of garlic powder and set it on low for two hours. In that time, all the flavors meshed up and it got really good. I'm pretty critical of my chili, but this was so perfect and had the ideal amount of spice for me. I like spicy food though, so I'd skimp on the red pepper flakes and chili powder if spice isn't something you're a fan of!

I only put 2% cheddar cheese on mine for the picture. It's still great without it! I think a spoonful of non-fat plain greek yogurt would make it kind of creamy and awesome.

EASY VEGETARIAN CHILI
1 tsp oil  
1 medium garlic clove, minced  
14 1/2 oz stewed tomato(es)  
15 oz canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained  
15 1/4 oz canned yellow corn, drained  
15 oz canned tomato sauce  
1 Tbsp chili powder  
1/2 tsp dried oregano  
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes  
1/4 cup(s) dehydrated onion flakes  
1/4 tsp black pepper

From there, it's simple: use a large pot on about medium heat. Get the oil and garlic in there and kick it around until the garlic seems soft or translucent, and then pour everything else in!

Servings: 4
Points+/serving: 8 (I think that's with cheese, so knock off a point or two if you don't use the cheese.)

When I did this in the crock pot, I didn't use the oil or garlic, but - as I mentioned earlier - I just used about teaspoon and a half of garlic powder.

My critiques are really just in the tomato sauce I used. I think I should have read the nutrition label a little better because the chili was excellent but had a bit of a sweet taste to it, and I'm funny about consuming too much sugar. I also thought the sauce was fairly salty, so my suggestion would be to check that label and look out for excess sugar and sodium.

Obviously, vegans should opt out of the cheese.

Unless you're my husband, in which case, just drop a dollop of the chili on your bowl of cheese.

Picky husband verdict: he thought it was a little sweet and gave the bigger chunks of tomato to the dog. Next time - diced tomatoes and a different, hopefully sugar-free tomato sauce (not Hunt's)! Otherwise: he really liked it! Or maybe he just really likes me...