Mason Jar Layered Salads

Finding the time to sit down and enjoy a healthy lunch just became an easier feat. Learning these simple tools to layer your salads makes your weekly lunch planning a simpler task. Using Mason Jars enables a tighter seal allowing salads to be prepared several days ahead of time for a quick grab and go lunch. Leave room in a larger jar to toss the ingredients together or just empty the ingredients into a separate bowl and grab your fork.

• Use wide-mouth quart-size mason jars, as they are easier to toss or empty into a bowl.
• Base layer: Dressings are first in and last out. I use homemade dressings for the base.
• Barricade layer: Hearty vegetables are perfect in between the dressing and any lettuce. These may include tomatoes, olives, cruciferous, celery, carrots, bok choy stems, asparagus, artichokes, leeks, cabbage, cucumbers, peppers, and onions.
• Secondary vegetable layer: Beans, sprouts, mushrooms, zucchini, string beans, corn, squash, edamame, potato, and avocado
• Carb/grain layer: Pasta, brown rice, couscous, quinoa, barley. and orzo
• Power layer: Meat, shellfish, canned salmon, tuna steak, eggs, and cheese
• Green layer: Kale, leaf, arugula, romaine, spinach/baby spinach, field greens, and buttercrunch
• Nutty layer : Any nut, seed or crunch

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  Created and tested by John R. Fairchild, Adult Weight Management Counselor - ADA Smoking Cessation Facilitator - ALA Certified Fitness Trainer - NASM Corporate Health and Wellness Speaker, Creative Cooking Concepts President, http://www.weightlosscoaching.org