For the past few weeks I've been making mason jar salads for Clint's lunch after seeing the idea on Pinterest. I was intrigued by the idea since it said you could make up an entire week's worth of salads without them getting soggy. Clint said he liked the idea too so I got a few salad ideas from some friends. This lettuce-hating girl doesn't know know much about making a good salad. He's happy because I fill them with lots of veggies and such so he doesn't feel like he's just eating lettuce and dressing. He also gets a nice variety since they are individually packaged.
I use wide mouthed, pint sized mason jars. You can find them at any grocery store, superstore, or kitchen supply store. I paid around $10 for 12 at Meijer.
First, add your dressing to the bottom of the jar. I've been using store bought dressings because I'm lazy. Maybe I'll try making my own as these run out.
Next, add your veggies. I add the "sturdiest" veggie to the bottom (usually carrots or red onion) since they'll be sitting in dressing for a few days. I top the veggies off with the most delicate veggies. Basically, you don't want anything that might get soggy touching the dressing. Could you imagine mushrooms after sitting in dressing for five days? Talk about mush!
Next comes your protein. I've included chicken, hard boiled eggs, turkey pepperoni, and black beans as protein so far.
Finally, you add the lettuce. I'm using iceberg this week at Clint's request.
If you like, you can sprinkle a bit of cheese on top at this point. I also put individual servings of toppings in small containers for him. These babies will get soggy if you add them in advance.
I need to get some reusable labels for the jars, but for now I've been putting a small Post-it on each labeling the salad and telling him which topping to add.
He's happy because I load them up with lots of veggies and I've really enjoyed making them on Sunday evenings. I plan on planting some salad fixings in the garden this year, so we'll save some money by using fresh, homegrown veggies and lettuce. Win!
Below I've listed the ingredients (in order) for each of the five salads I made this week.
Garden Salad
-Light French dressing
-julienne carrots
-red onion
-red bell pepper
-broccoli florets
-baby bella mushrooms
-hard boiled egg
-iceberg lettuce
+croutons
Buffalo Chicken Salad
(This one looks weak, ha!)
-Light Buffalo dressing
-red onion
-red bell pepper
-grilled chicken strips
-iceberg lettuce
-blue cheese crumbles
Asian Sesame Chicken Salad
-Light Asian sesame dressing
-julienne carrots
-red onion
-broccoli florets
-grilled chicken strips
-iceberg lettuce
+chow mein noodles
Pizza Salad
-Light sun dried tomato vinaigrette
-red onion
-red pepper
-baby bella mushrooms
-sliced black olives
-diced turkey pepperoni
-iceberg lettuce
-shredded Italain cheese blend
+croutons
Southwest Salad
-Semi-homemade dressing (salsa + sour cream)
-red onion
-red pepper
-corn
-black beans
-iceberg lettuce
+crispy tortilla strips
Here's the blog I used for inspiration.
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