Try A Mason Jar Salad!

My sister Kristine is an amazing cook and she introduced me to a trick for storing an on-the-go salad in a Mason Jar and now I'm hooked! I'm always looking for new ideas to make healthy choices easier and this one is so simple and offers up so many options for making healthy salads to go!

Mason jars are not just for canning or making jam, but for mixing juices to the right measurements, for simple and sweet flower arrangements....even for a glass of wine! I love to drink my water out of a mason jar each day. The measurements on the side mean I know how much I'm drinking, I will add fresh fruit and herbs for flavor and it looks so pretty, too.

When it comes to Mason Jar Salad, the trick here is in proper layering. By keeping the more solid fruits and veggies on the bottom and the more delicate items on top, you're guaranteeing that your salad stays fresh and crisp and doesn't get soggy until you're ready to eat it!

Steps To Make Mason Jar Salad

Here's how to do it:

1. Start with your dressing on the bottom. I love a good homemade dressing. They are so easy to do, so much better for you because you know exactly what's going in to them and you can mix it right there in the mason jar. (Try my salad dressing favorite recipe at the bottom of this page).

2. Next step is to layer in your thicker, heartier veggies - carrots, chopped peppers, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, snap peas, or celery.

3. Then you'll move on to your proteins. You can do chicken or salmon, hard boiled egg, beans or chickpeas, or tofu, whatever you want.

4. Next you're going to grab a couple of handfuls of greens - arugula, spinach, finely chopped kale, romaine. The greener the better to get all the important vitamins and nutrients that the more colorful veggies have to offer.

5. Top it all off with the more delicate items such as some crumbled cheese or croutons, some nuts or granola, berries, sprouts, seeds, and then some cracked pepper. These will stay fresh on top, protected by the greens from the other items in the salad.

That's it, All the steps to make mason jar salad are easy to follow. So now pop on the lid and off you go! You can keep this in the fridge for up to two days before the veggies in the bottom start to get a little soggy.

When you're ready to eat it, give it a good shake and there you have a delicious mixed green salad that is easy to store and can be eaten right out of the jar. All you need is a fork!

Here's my regular go-to salad dressing recipe:

Denise's Everyday Dressing

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

1. Combine all of the ingredients in an air-tight container with a secure lid. Shake the dressing before each use, and store leftover dressing in the refrigerator.

Makes 5 servings (serving size = 2 Tbsp.)

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Denise