I am about to embark on a journey to lose some weight before my birthday next month. I already pretty much adopt the Mediterranean Diet lifestyle as I am a vegetarian who eats fish occasionally. I will severely limit the carbs and will rely heavily on eating salads. It can get boring relying on salads for lunch and dinner to get through the day but I think variety will help me keep it interesting and not get too bored.
Naturally, I gravitated to Pinterest and found tons of great boards with salad recipes and that is when I also discovered this wonderful Salads in a mason jar trend like here and here and here and here.
It’s great for busy moms on the go! You pick up some large mason jars with lids, about 5 to 7, enough to last the work week. Then you pre-load and make your salads the night before so in the morning, you just grab your jar and head out to work. Store them in the office fridge or an insulated lunch kit.
For stay-at-home and work-at-home moms like myself, we can just whip them out during the day and don’t have to worry about the stress of deciding what to eat.
I also found a wonderful blog, Everyday Eyecandy that has a marvelous post with everything you need to know about salads in a jar!
Here are the initial tips:
TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL SALAD IN A JAR
- THE most important thing to remember about a salad in a jar: DRESSING ON THE BOTTOM. You want to make sure that your greens are as far away from your dressing as you can get them. It keeps your greens fresh and crisp.
- Jam pack your jars. Not only does it make a good salad, but it keeps everything from moving around. The less air between your layers, the longer your salad will last.
- If you are making a side salad( like you are taking a soup and salad or a salad and a sandwich), use the pint-sized mason jars. If you are going to make your salad a full meal, use the quart sized jars.
- The longest I’ve ever saved a salad in the jar in the fridge was 8 days. The veggies on the bottom were marinated in the dressing, but they were delicious.
- Be sure to add a protein. You want it to last.
There is plenty more recipes and advice! Check out the entire post here! There are also great recipes at the Back to Her Roots blog! Enjoy!
photo: courtesy Brit&Co