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Things always get so hectic around the holidays, and for me this year is no exception. In fact, that is even more so the case. Chaos is my life right now. I got one of the best presents ever a little early. It was a complete surprise and delight that came out of no where, quick, fast, and in a hurry. It's left my mind in another place, and rightfully so.

A 'long lost' family member just came into my life; one that I wasn't sure would ever be a part of my world outside of merely knowing of their existence. It's been an amazing experience, although I have been entirely distracted between that and the holidays. I can't seem to focus on anything. I've left groceries in the car, misplaced numerous things, and at points can barely remember what it is I was talking about five seconds ago.

On top of that my little one managed to, at very least, sprain her ankle this past weekend. She's been kept home from school for two days now, which always puts me behind with tending to her. Here's to hoping we don't need to go get x-rays!

With all of that craziness I wanted to whip up something easy today that could be made in the midst of the holiday madness as it continues to ensue. So, I created this lighter take on one of my favorite salad dressings; an Italian one that is similar to one served at a popular chain Italian restaurant.

This salad dressing is packed with flavor and goes perfectly over a simple mixed Italian salad. I had to sneak some chia seeds in there for some bonus health points and because they go entirely unnoticed here in case there's any picky eaters around.

Of course, with my world entirely upside down right now, I naturally needed a night off from cooking up a whole meal. So, I decided to serve my Italian style salad with an easy meal time solution; STOUFFER’S® Family Size Entreés, Lasagna with Meat Sauce!

Skinny Italian Salad Dressing
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 16 • Size: About 2 Tbsp. • Calories: 95.8 • Fat: 10.9 g • Carb: 0.3 g • Fiber: 0.1 g • Protein: 0 g • Sugar: 0.1 g • Sodium: 95.5 mg

Ingredients:
0.7 Oz. Dry Italian Dressing Mix
3/4 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3/4 C. Water
1/4 C. White Vinegar
1/2 Tbsp. Light Mayo
1/2 Tsp. Chia Seeds
1/2 Tsp. Natural Sweetener
1/2 Tsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Pepper
1/4 Tsp. Garlic Powder

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients together into a blender or use and emersion blender to whip everything up together real well.

Yep, it's that easy!

Bottle the dressing up or place the dressing into an airtight container in the fridge to chill until ready to use.

I've shared my quick-fix meal for the busy holidays, I'd love to hear about your favorite easy recipe!