Simple Salads packed in Mason Jars

Mr. Juggling Act loves salad. It doesn’t matter what kind. His favorite are the hearty ones which he far prefers of the fussy ones. He loves taking salads to work with him, too, and these simple salads packed in mason jars are a super simple lunch.

Our mornings are so hectic – it’s a rush of herding two kids around and a lot of repeating ourselves. Ethan please put on your shoes. Olivia, you can’t wear your Elsa costume to school. Shoes please, Ethan. Liv, we need to brush your hair. Ethan! Shoes!

So there isn’t time for creative lunches unless we plan ahead. That’s what’s so great about these salads, you can make them ahead, then just grab a jar from the fridge and go! Plus there’s no need to find a tiny container (and lid!) for the dressing, since it goes right into the bottom of the jar.

Ingredient List:

1quart size Mason Jar

2-4 tablespoons Creamy Italian Dressing

¼ cup each chopped carrots, cucumbers, and yellow pepper.

2 cups mixed greens with baby spinach

6 grape tomatoes

How to Pack a Salad in a Jar

Wide mouthed pint and quart sized canning jars work best.

Here’s how to layer your salad:

Step 1:

Add 1-4 tablespoons of dressing to the bottom of your jar (depending on jar size and personal preference). Creamy dressings work best and for this we used Creamy Italian dressing.

Step 2:

Add your hard vegetables such as cucumbers, peppers, onions, carrots, cooked beets, etc. In this salad, we used carrots, yellow peppers, and cucumbers.

Step 3:

Add any pastas, beans or grains such as chickpeas.

Step 4:

Cheese and proteins come next, but this is best only if you plan to consume the salad within 24 hours. Chicken, hardboiled eggs, tunafish, and tofu all work well.

Step 5:

Softer fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes or strawberries come next, though you’ll want to skip these if you’re packing ahead of a whole week, and just add them the day you plan to eat.

Step 6:

Add any nuts or seeds next. Pecans, almonds, walnuts and sunflower seeds all work great. In this salad, we used a handful of pine nuts.

Step 7:

Finally, fill the rest of the jar with chopped greens and screw the lid on.

If you follow these steps, your salads will stay fresh and crisp for 5 days! To eat, just shake the salad into a bowl and toss with a fork if needed to dress the rest of the greens.

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