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Salad in a Jar

June 25, 2012 by Lindsay 29 Comments

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Looking for a quick lunch option? Spend 20 minutes prepping and you can have lunches ready and waiting in the fridge all week long. Try these 3 flavor combos or create your own!

Hi Friends!

It’s Monday and even though I’m still on vacation, I know most of you are kicking off another work week. Sorry about that 🙂 To try to ease your pain, I have my friend Lauren here today to share a fun lunch idea with you guys!

A few things about Lauren:

  • She’s now a super busy lawyer. Despite being intimidated by the gym and workout classes, she started to really make an effort to make time in her schedule to work out while she was a law student. I’m SO proud of her and love reading about her workouts on her blog.
  • I’m not sure when she finds the time, but she also whips up delicious eats in the kitchen. I want her to cook me dinner.
  • Her photography skills are amazing!
  • She’s excellent at remaining positive, even in stressful and difficult situations.
  • She has a beautiful smile 🙂
Looking for a quick lunch option? Spend 20 minutes prepping and you can have lunches ready and waiting in the fridge all week long. Try these 3 flavor combos or create your own!

Hey there green beans! I’m so happy to have the privilege of writing a post on Lindsay’s wonderful blog! Hers is one of my favorites and so I was thrilled that she asked me to guest post. My name is Lauren and I blog over at A Dash of Soul.

I’m a lawyer who loves my family and loves my food. My husband Jason was in law school with me, and he’s my permanent life partner, study buddy, and taste tester.

Between his already high cholesterol and some health problems I’ve been having, it’s become increasingly important to me that we both eat the foods to nourish our bodies the right way so that we can spend many more silly, happy years together.

A Dash of Soul guest post: Salad in a Jar!

Today I want to share with you my latest healthy food obsession!

Prep once and have lunches waiting in the fridge all week. Try these Salad in a Jar options or create one of your own!

Salad. In a jar! It’s super convenient, especially if you’re packing a lunch to take with you to work or school. With this method, you get your greens, your delicious toppings, and your dressing all in ONE easy container. I recently put my three favorite salads into jar form and couldn’t be more thrilled with how they came out. First up (and my very favorite) is Cobb salad.

Prep once and have lunches waiting in the fridge all week. Try these Salad in a Jar options or create one of your own!

The layers in this one are (from bottom to top): blue cheese dressing, carrots, hard-boiled egg, tomato, corn, ham, bacon, and a romaine lettuce blend. A bit indulgent for a salad but SO delicious! I made the blue cheese dressing myself by combining 2 T. greek yogurt, 2 T. olive oil mayo, 2 t. apple cider vinegar, 1 1/2 T. crumbled blue cheese, a splash of olive oil, and a little garlic salt and pepper. So tasty and way better for you than the stuff in the bottle. Remember to load those veggies in!

Cobb salad in a jar

Next up is an Asian chicken salad!

Prep once and have lunches waiting in the fridge all week. Try these Salad in a Jar options or create one of your own!

The layers in this one are sesame vinaigrette, red bell pepper, snow peas, carrots, green onions, shredded Napa cabbage, roasted chicken, and shredded green cabbage. I made this dressing by combining about 2 t. sesame oil, T t. olive oil, 1 T. rice wine vinegar, 2 t. soy sauce, and a nice big squirt of honey. Again, squeeze as many veggies in as you can!

20120613 DSC02462

And last but not least… chicken Caesar salad. This one has a Caesar vinaigrette, tomatoes (I know that’s not traditional in Caesar but I love them), parmesan cheese, hearts of romaine, whole wheat croutons, and roasted chicken.

Prep once and have lunches waiting in the fridge all week. Try these Salad in a Jar options or create one of your own!

I didn’t make this dressing myself but I did make the croutons! Just cut a piece of whole wheat bread into chunks, tossed it in olive oil, sprinkled with garlic salt…

20120613 DSC02452

…and then put them right into a 375 degree oven for a few minutes (they burn easily so you have to watch them closely!). It’s a quick and easy way to up the nutrition by using these instead of white croutons. And they’re just as tasty.

When you’re ready to enjoy your salad, just give the jar a good shake and dump it out into a bowl. You could eat it straight out of the jar, but I am not coordinated enough for that. Into the bowl it goes.

20120613 DSC02490 2

The possibilities with jarred salads are endless. Use whatever greens, toppings, and dressing you like. As long as the dressing is at the bottom and not touching your greens, the jar will stay fresh in the fridge for several days. For a nice, big serving I recommend these quart jars, which can fit enough salad for a whole meal.

Prep once and have lunches waiting in the fridge all week. Try these Salad in a Jar options or create one of your own!

Some of you have probably already been using this idea in your own kitchens, but for those of you who don’t already, I hope you give it a try!

Thanks so much for reading and thank you Lindsay for having such an awesome blog and for letting me chat with your readers!

-Lauren, from A Dash of Soul


[clickToTweet tweet=”Need a quick lunch option? Try these salads in a jar from @leangrnbeanblog & @adashofsoul!” quote=”Need a quick lunch option? Try these salads in a jar from @leangrnbeanblog & @adashofsoul!”]

I’ve been reading about salads in a jar forever but have never actually made one myself. This was just the motivation I needed to try it out when I get home! Plus, who doesn’t love mason jars?!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay

These salads would make a great addition to your food prep session. Great to have on hand for quick lunches! If you liked this post, you’ll love my ebook – The Ultimate Guide To Food Prep. It dives into even more detail about how to food prep, troubleshoots common problems and provides tons of tips to make it easier! Click the image below for more details!

The Ultimate Guide To Food Prep Ebook

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Filed Under: Lunch, Soup & Salad

About Lindsay

Lindsay Livingston is a Registered Dietitian and new mom from Columbus, Ohio. On her blog, she shares simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, workouts and snapshots of her life. Follow her on Twitter @LeanGrnBeanBlog and Instagram @TheLeanGreenBean and be sure to subscribe via RSS or email so you never miss a post!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. @pluvk says

    June 25, 2012 at 1:21 AM

    I LOVE salads in a jar! I sometimes bring them to work because they’re so easy to assemble and so pretty when you put them on a plate. Thanks for the recipes! I can’t wait to try the Asian Chicken Salad!

    Reply
  2. Miz says

    June 25, 2012 at 6:02 AM

    ok I could play it off and pretend 🙂 but I wont.
    IVE NEVER TRIED THIS!!!
    Im in.

    Reply
  3. Kristen @ notsodomesticated says

    June 25, 2012 at 6:38 AM

    Very cool idea! Thanks for sharing!! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Gina (The Candid RD) says

    June 25, 2012 at 7:04 AM

    I love this idea! We have about 4 mason jars in our house, which we typically fill with ice and drink from at night. However, the salad idea is brilliant and if I can find the lids…I’ll have to try this!

    Reply
  5. Linz @ Itz Linz says

    June 25, 2012 at 7:34 AM

    I love everything in a jar, so this idea is definitely a winner! (and tasty!)

    Reply
  6. Linz @ Itz Linz says

    June 25, 2012 at 7:41 AM

    And salsa is always a summer hit!

    Reply
  7. Lindsay @ In Sweetness and In Health says

    June 25, 2012 at 7:59 AM

    Awesome idea! This would be great for when I am going to have to make lunches for my internship!

    Reply
  8. Kanoe says

    June 25, 2012 at 8:08 AM

    Ooh salad in a jar… Mason jars are so cute! Never tired this but I do love salad so I’m gonna give this a go sometime. Thanks Lauren & thanks & thank you Lindsay for having her guest post 🙂

    Reply
  9. Lindsay @ Lindsay's List says

    June 25, 2012 at 8:10 AM

    love this idea – i’m always on the go – this would be great to take in the car!

    Reply
  10. Jessica, the_toned_teach says

    June 25, 2012 at 9:51 AM

    What a great idea! I am a teacher, and packing my lunch every day is a doozie. This would be an awesome way to spice things up!

    Reply
  11. Jaren @ Kiwi Fit Blog says

    June 25, 2012 at 10:02 AM

    What a great idea!

    Reply
  12. Kelly @ No Sugar Sweet Life says

    June 25, 2012 at 11:03 AM

    What a great post! That asian salad looks really yummy. This would be a great meal to bring on a picnic at the park 🙂

    Reply
  13. Andrea @ Vegvacious says

    June 25, 2012 at 12:16 PM

    This is so perfect for pre-planning meals! I’ve pinned tons of salad in jar combos, but never actually made them before — these look fabulous!

    Reply
  14. Laura says

    June 25, 2012 at 2:17 PM

    I love this idea! I don’t have to pack as much now that I’m at home with my daughter, but I am a huge fan of using mason jars for food storage over plastic containers. And these are so pretty, too!

    Reply
  15. Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic says

    June 25, 2012 at 3:46 PM

    Hi Lauren & Lindsey, I’ve seen this in the blogosphere and I love Lauren’s salad creations. Awesome guest post!

    Reply
  16. Meghan @ After the Ivy League says

    June 25, 2012 at 4:36 PM

    Awesome idea! I need to save some jars so I can do this!

    Reply
  17. Talia @ Bite Size Wellness says

    June 25, 2012 at 4:54 PM

    I love salads! I have seen this idea floating around Pinterest, but have yet to make it happen. Thanks for the 3 recipes…now I just need to get some jars!

    Reply
  18. Jheri says

    June 25, 2012 at 6:43 PM

    Do you use a vacuum sealer? And have you found that certain lettuce stays better. I never buy lettuce because it goes bad so fast. But the other post I read about salad in a jar required a vacuum sealer to maintain the freshness. Thanks for your input!

    Reply
  19. Elle @ nutritionella says

    June 25, 2012 at 8:31 PM

    Love this idea! I bring milk in a jar to work and leave it in the fridge there in case I’m running late and need to eat a quick bowl of cereal at my desk! Salads are a great lunch idea!

    Reply
  20. Brittany @ Delights and Delectables says

    June 25, 2012 at 8:59 PM

    What a great idea!! Love it!

    Reply
  21. Leonor @FoodFaithFitness says

    June 26, 2012 at 7:33 AM

    Great idea and timesaver too.

    Reply
  22. Julie (@ROJRunning) says

    June 30, 2012 at 1:15 PM

    I’ve heard of this many many times, but something about seeing it here has made it click for me! I am totally going to start doing this. I could have a salad every day without much effort at all other than shake and dump.

    Reply
  23. Nicole says

    January 7, 2014 at 5:37 PM

    Do you have any issues with the croutons getting soggy in the Caesar salad version?

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      January 8, 2014 at 8:27 AM

      I haven’t tried that version myself so I couldn’t say. Sorry!

      Reply
    • Michelle says

      February 21, 2015 at 5:19 PM

      Put the croutons on top of the leaves near the lid. That way they don’t go soggy.

      Reply
  24. Michelle says

    February 21, 2015 at 5:17 PM

    Love salad in a Jar. Been making these for three weeks now and in total I make 15 jars each sunday night. I take them to work and my two kids take them to school and Uni. Favourites are greek salad with BBQ Chicken, Ceasar Salad (I don’t chop up the egg leave it whole) and chicken Waldorf salad.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 22, 2015 at 4:21 PM

      those all sound delish!

      Reply
  25. Staci Pope says

    January 21, 2016 at 4:06 PM

    I’m definitely giving these recipes & directions to my husband (who does the cooking) and he can send me off to work with a nutritious and delicious lunch!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      January 25, 2016 at 9:59 AM

      awesome! hope you enjoy them!

      Reply

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Lindsay Livingston The Lean Green Bean Healthy Living Tips and Tricks

I'm a Registered Dietitian and mom of three from Columbus, Ohio. I use this blog to share simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and an honest glimpse of motherhood!

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