Mason Jar Salads

I know these have become very popular on Pinterest and I have to admit I was a little skeptical on how well they would stand up after a few days. There's nothing more I hate than wilted lettuce! Much like the Mason Jar Fruit Salad I make these every Sunday after the grocery store trip and before I get distracted by something else! I make 10 at a time (5 for me and 5 for my husband) this way I am much more likely to actually BRING my lumch with me to work, instead of just thinking about it.

They are super easy to assemble first start off with your dressing of choice at the bottom, and then start stacking your salad. You want to choose something that doesn't wilt easily, I usually start with celery, carrot chips, or broccoli. After all the toppings are layered on, you want to press down and make sure everything is packed well inside the jar. Lastly put your lettuce in the jar and press firmly to get as much air out in fit as much lettuce in the jar as possible.

FYI make sure that your produce is washed but DRY! Any extra moisture in the jar will cause everything to get wilted and slimy and you definitely do not want that!

I also like to throw some chicken in the CrockPot and shred it to throw on top of the salads, for some added protein. Just for the record I don't put the chicken in the jar but in a baggie on the side!
 Here's my stack of salad jars!

Mason Jar Fruit Salads

I know how busy we all are and trying to eat healthy sometimes falls down the list after everything else we have going on. I've been working on being proactive and preparing as much healthy food as I can and making it easy and portable! I also now have a love of mason jars, they're smaller and cuter than all those isn't mismatched Tupperware containers!!

Every Sunday after my grocery store trip I take all of my fruit out and do a vinegar soak (that post is coming!) I chop everything up and layer into mason jars, I try to get 7 made for the week. The great thing about these is the you can customize with any kind of fruit you want or whatever is in season. The vinegar wash helps preserve the fruit and the air tight container helps everything stay fresh until you eat a chance to eat it!

I do try to put whatever is squishier at the bottom so that you can pack as much fruit in there as possible, it helps to shake the jar and press lightly to get everything to lay flat. This one is relatively boring but it was all they had on sale this week!