Salad in a Jar


I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!  My husband and I took today off from work and truly enjoyed having that extra time to spend with each other.  We started our day with some  protein pumpkin pancakes (recipe here) then headed to the theater to watch Iron Man 3 (loved it!).  After that we went to our local bookstore where we spent a couple hours browsing through some of our favorite magazines, and then concluded our date with some delicious sandwiches from a local shop.  What a blessing it was to take time off to recharge and relax. 


We were blessed with absolutely wonderful weather.  It was perfect!  I so wish it was like this every single day, but so much for wishful thinking.   According to the Weather Channel, we will be enduring 100 degree weather sometime next week, yikes!  Oh, and speaking of hot summer days, I tried an idea I found on Pinterest a few weeks back.  Salad in a jar.  If you are a salad enthusiast like me, then you will understand my excitement.  Besides, anything in a mason jar is way cuter. :)


I was intrigued by the concept, yet it took me a while to actually try it because I was a bit very skeptical on whether the ingredients (especially the lettuce) would stay fresh for a whole week.  One day while trying to find new lunch recipes for work that would help keep our grocery budget under control, we decided to give this a go.  By the way, if any of you have any tips on how to save money on groceries, please feel free to leave your tips in the comment section below.  We can't seem to find the magic formula. 


I even tried planning my meals - here is my proof.  Okay, back to the subject at hand, the salads were not only easy to assemble but they lasted all week.  The best part about the salads is how versatile they are.  I made mine with quinoa, egg whites, garbanzo beans, cherry tomatoes, black beans, romaine lettuce and spinach, and my dressing consisted on lemon mixed in with balsamic vinegar.  They were so good!   I added grilled chicken to my husband's salads and he loved them as well.  I have tons of different ingredients I want to add to mine next, such as grilled veggies with some nuts for a little crunch. 

Please keep in mind that how you layer your salad is key for this to work.  The last thing you want is to open your jar and realize that your leafy greens went from fresh and crispy the night before to soggy and not so appetizing the next day.  If you follow this guide, you will have fresh and ready to eat salads all week long.
  • Salad dressing
  • Grains 
  • Hard veggies
  • Protein
  • Leafy greens
When ready to eat, simply shake the jar to incorporate the dressing well into the other ingredients and pour into a bowl.  Voila! 

Let me know if you have tried or plan to try this salad in a jar concept.  As always, I would love to hear all about what combinations worked best for you!

Until next time,
Karina