Hello again to Monday… how do you always sneak up on me?! We had a fun weekend of just me and the kiddos while my husband was away. M and I did a Facebook Live with some of our favorite cookout sides. We took those to our neighbors house that night for a little get together. (They knew I was flying solo for a few days so they threw me a party Sure sign of some good friends!) We also did a lot of building blocks and artwork and bike riding and puzzles… and I may have slipped them their iPads to get a few moments of peace. #survival A new week is here though and I’m gonna try to get after it! Starting with having some yumminess on hand! I have been ALL about the mason jar salads recently. Have you tried them?
They are so easy to throw together when I’m just home from the store, or I’m cutting up veggies for dinner, or otherwise just playing and wasting time in the kitchen. I pull out some ingredients, layer them up and I’ve got some gorgeousness sitting in my fridge, just waiting to be devoured for lunch that week. It’s especially good for me because my lunch break is spent picking up the kids from school or camp and then catching up on my deadlines for my job as a health/nutrition editor so sometimes it’s creeping on 2:30 and I want lunch ASAP! (Other on-hand lunches we love are this tuna spinach salad, basil chicken salad with walnuts and quinoa spinach salad with pesto. )
And this here is one of my favorites:
Asian chicken mason jar salad
Let’s break this baby down… We’ve got rotisserie chicken (hello easy! - or use any leftover grilled or roasted chicken you have on hand), steamed tender edamame, matchstick carrots, pretty, sweet bell peppers strips and crunchy romaine lettuce, all with an easy and super addictive soy ginger dressing. You could totally add some chopped peanuts here too. I’m doing that next time for sure. Looking for some more info on mason jar salads? I got ya covered!
How to layer mason jar salads:
- The dressing goes in the bottom.
- The protein (chicken/meat/beans) goes next - these won’t get soggy or break down from sitting up against the liquid for a few days.
- Layer up your veggies - add the most hearty ones to the bottom and the most delicate ones closer to the top.
- Finish with your lettuce at the top of the jar - and cram in as much as you can!
Mason jar salad tips:
- It may be difficult to get enough lettuce in your jar. I like mine with plenty of lettuce so I’ll pack up a baggie or container of extra lettuce to go with my jar.
- What do you do when you’re ready to eat it? You turn the jar upside down and dump it out onto your plate or in a bowl. All the ingredients fall together and the dressing, from the bottom of the jar, ends up on the top of the salad. Brilliant!
- My husband loves these jars but needs a bit more of a substantial lunch to fill him up. So we pack him some pita chips, or tortilla chips, or crackers or some fresh bread to go with it - or maybe some nuts or cheese. Just use whatever works with your salad. My husband also says he gets TONS of comments on his lunch in the break room at work when he takes one of these mason jar salads. Total work envy. Cause I mean, how good does this look?!
If you haven’t yet, I hope you give mason jar salads a try – especially this Asian chicken mason jar salad. (And stay tuned because I’ve got another of our favorites coming your way soon!) And if you’re totally on board like me, tell me your favorite combos! I’m always up for trying new ones! Wishing you a happy, healthy week! XO, Kathryn P.S. I love these wide mouth 16 oz. mason jars for this recipe.
Here’s the link for my 5-minutes super easy homemade soy ginger dressing. I love these wide mouth 16 oz. mason jars for mason jar salads. These will keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. I like a lot of lettuce for my salads so I pack some extra chopped romaine lettuce in a plastic bag or container to dump my mason jar salad on top of when I’m ready to eat it. You could also add some chopped peanuts on top of this salad. Just pack a small bag or container separately so they don’t get soggy from the veggies in the salad.
