Need a quick lunch you can grab on the go but want something that will fuel your body the right way? Everything is better in a Mason jar! Our recent obsession is the Salad in a Jar. They’re easy to make, keep well, taste delicious, keep us on track and on budget. And what more could you ask for? We’ve scoured Pinterest to find all sorts of recipes, tips & tricks. And now that we’ve made these (more than) a few times, we’re excited to share our favorite recipes.
We use quart-sized wide mouth mason jars to make ‘entree-sized’ salads. You can order those on Amazon here. However, you can make smaller salads in the pint-sized mason jars if you are having the salad with some soup or a sandwich.
Our favorite way to make these salads is to invite over some friends and have them bring their favorite salad toppings. Line up all the ingredients and have a fun assembly line. It’s fun to see what everyone brings!
If you don’t have time for a party, snag your favorite ingredients, get choppin’ and assemble at home.
When you’re ready to enjoy, simply turn the jar upside down and use a fork to get all the ingredients out of the jar and into a bowl. Instagram it or it didn’t happen 😉
Here are the basic layering details on how to build a salad in a jar:
Layer 1: dressing
Layer 2: hard veggies/fruits (cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots, apples, etc)
Layer 3: soft veggies/fruits + grains (quinoa, farro, avocado, tomatoes, strawberries, etc)
Layer 4: protein (chicken, salmon, shrimp, etc) + cheese
Layer 5: leafy greens (kale, spinach, romaine, arugula–or mix it all up!)
Layer 6: nuts, croutons, seeds (dry items)
Below are our 5 go-to salad combinations that you can try and adapt to your taste. Each recipe is listed how the salad should be built- from the bottom up. Dressing first, proteins, veggies, fruits, greens and top with cheese or nuts.
1.Greek Salad with a light greek dressing, chicken, quinoa, hummus, cucumber, tomatoes, kalamata olives, spinach and feta cheese.
We love the Greek Style Feta dressing from Trader Joes! It’s very flavorful and doesn’t require you use a large amount to coat all your salad ingredients!
2. Strawberry Feta Salad with a strawberry-lime vinaigrette, quinoa, strawberries, green onions, spinach, feta and sunflower seeds.
We use the Strawberry-Lime Vinaigrette dressing from Backtoherroots.com!
Strawberry-Lime Vinaigrette Dressing:
- 2 tbls. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp. strawberry preserves
- 1 tbls. fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp. mustard
- 1 tbls. white wine vinegar
- Salt + Pepper to taste
3. Mexican Chickpea Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing, cooked brown rice, chickpeas, salsa, red onion, tomatoes, cilantro, chopped romaine.
We use the Chile-Lime Vinaigrette dressing from Backtoherroots.com!
Chile-Lime Dressing:
- 2 tbls. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbls. fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- Salt + Pepper to taste
4. Crunchy Cashew Chicken Salad with a light vinaigrette of choice (we used balsamic), roasted chicken, cucumber, carrots, green apple, shredded cabbage and toasted cashews.
We recommend baking your chicken a day ahead of time to allow enough time to cool before putting in the salad. Just grab a pound of chicken breast, marinate in balsamic vinegar for 30 minutes and then back for 30-35 minutes (or until cooked through. Cooking time may vary based on ovens.) Allow to cool and then cube. It will be a tasty addition to this salad!
5. Greek Zucchini Salad with creamy avocado dressing, red bell peppers, carrots, celery, tomatoes, red onion, kalmata olives, zucchini noodles, spinach and feta cheese.
We use the Creamy Avocado Dressing dressing from Beachbody.com!
Creamy Avocado Dressing:
- 1/2 a ripe avocado cut in cubes
- 1/4 c. plain greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbls. fresh lemon juice
- 1 finely chopped shallot
- 2 tbls. chopped parsley
-place all ingredients in blender and mix until smooth and creamy.