Salad in a Jar

Packing a salad in a jar is an easy way to transport a healthy and satisfying lunch, while also managing to eat the rainbow. You can customize your salad with any of your favorite vegetables and toppings, but the order that you place your ingredients into the jar is important to prevent your salad from becoming soggy.

The order of ingredients is as follows:

1. Put 1-4 T of your favorite salad dressing into the bottom of the jar.

2. Place hard vegetables, such as carrots or cucumbers, into the jar. These vegetables will not deteriorate when submerged in the dressing.

3. Put any beans, grains, nuts or seeds into your jar on top of the hard vegetables. This could include things such as black beans, chickpeas, quinoa, brown rice, walnuts, or sunflower seeds.

4. This step is optional, but you can place any proteins or cheeses into your jar in bite-sized pieces. This could include hard-boiled eggs, cubed tofu, diced chicken, or feta cheese.

5. The last step before adding the salad greens is to add any fruits or soft vegetables. These foods are more delicate, and should not come into contact with the dressing until it is time to eat your salad. These ingredients could include avocado, tomatoes, diced apples, or dried cranberries.

6. Finally, add your salad greens to fill your jar. Try to choose darker leafy greens, such as spinach, kale or romaine, rather than iceberg lettuce, as they contain more nutrients. When you are ready to eat your salad, simply dump out the contents of the jar onto a plate or in a large bowl. Toss with a fork if needed and enjoy!