We know. You’re intentions are good: This week you’re going to get on track and make healthy food choices. Then Monday comes and you’re busy and hungry and need to grab something and you don’t care anymore what your intentions were from the weekend. Been there. So while you’re still motivated on Sunday, prep some nutrient-packed lunches or dinners for the week. This video shows four different salads you can make in jars on the weekend and then you just grab and go for the next five days. Mason jars keep your salads tasting fresh because they keep your ingredients separate until you open the jar and dump them all into a bowl. They also have a better seal than plastic containers. Look for jars with wide mouths so that it’s easy to put in ingredients and dump them out.
There’s a science behind the mason jar salad so make sure you keep your ingredients in order:
- Dressing on bottom
- Hearty vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peppers, etc., an added perk is that these vegetables get pickled by the dressing so end up tasting even better)
- Less hearty vegetables (beans, mushrooms, zucchini, corn, avocado)
- Pasta or grain
- Protein and cheese
- Lettuce, nuts, and seeds on top
Following this order keeps your lettuce from getting soggy. I’m telling you, a mason jar salad will taste fresh as much as seven days after preparing and you’ll be so thankful that your weekend-self had so much foresight.
