Discussion Board

When you say you tote your own dressing to restaurants do you bring store bought or homemade? Individual packets or lug a bottle in your purse? I checked amazon and there are some you can get in individual packets which wouldn't be something I would want to eat everyday but would be a big help when eating out.

I just don't know if I can eat a dry salad.

I have to say, thanks for asking this! I've always wondered, too, how folks carried their own dressing (I live an hour from town, so my dressing would be sitting in my purse for minimum an hour and a half before I used it--sometimes 8 hours!).

What I do, at restaurants, is ask for their balsamic vinegar cruet, or wedges of lemon, or a bowl of salsa (whatever seems most likely for them to have) to top my salad.

[Off topic, but while I'm at it] Of course, my main objection to eating salad at a restaurant is that it's COLD! Brrr! At my favorite restaurants/bars, they bring me a glass of hot water as soon as I get there, and they keep it comin'! I tip big for my glasses of hot water, too! I really wish that there were some soup or something (most places here look at me crazy when I ask for a plain baked potato--they don't HAVE pain potatoes, they all come in already cut and oiled for prep) that I could get the minute I walk in the door...

We bring our dressing with us to restaurants in the small rubbermaid containers with the red lid. They fit well into my purse but my husband takes them to lunch meetings and it's more awkward. It's too big to put in a pocket so he just carries it in. The first few times he said it was weird but now he doesn't even think about it.
As frozenveg already said, salsa is a great dressing. If we are at a salad bar, using things like mandarin oranges or beets keep me from having to use any dressing at all. Just make sure whatever "wet" ingredient you use, doesn't have oil added to make it look pretty. ; )

You know those small jars baby food comes in? I keep my homemade dressing in one of those.

We buy small bottles of balsamic vinegar then refill them from larger ones. We cary them everywhere we think we might need them.
f1jim

I carry a small bottle of balsamic vinegar with me almost all the time in case of emergencies. If I'm going specifically out to eat and I know it won't be out of the fridge long I take a small bottle of my favorite home made or bottle dressing. I have even taken other things to add to my salads. If I know that where I'm going has just basic lettuce and tomato salads, I'll bring a small container of garbanzo beans, maybe some Greek peppers, radishes, whatever I have at home that I can add.

I carry a small container of Stevia - I can always get either lemon wedges or vinegar - sprinkle a small amount of stevia and you've got a tasty salad dressing. Salsa is also great - but I watch my sodium intake so I have to take that into account.

I've also carried my own dressing in little plastic containers but you can't do then when traveling which is why DH and I developed the "stevia" method.

I have plastic containers with screw top lids that hold about half a cup. I put my homemade dressing in that and put the entire thing in a ziploc bag just in case it leaks and throw it in my pocket book.