Healthy Cooking Columns

The Salad in a Jar Construction Kit

A great way to take your lunch to work with you is to make a salad in a jar. They’re a snap to make, but they do require a 16 ounce mason jar or a similarly-sized container with a tightly-sealed lid. You can sometimes find them in your local grocery store, frequently at your local hardware store, and of course via mail order.

The best way to make your salad is to put some lettuce in first, then layer with veggies, some grains or legumes, nuts or seeds, maybe a bit of cheese, and your dressing. Here is a guide:

Greens (about 3/4 cup)

Lettuce (romaine, butter lettuce, or leaf lettuce)
Spinach
Kale
Arugula

Proteins

Egg (1 hard boiled)
Tuna (1/2 of a 5 ounce can)
Cubed or crumbled cheese (about an ounce)

Nuts or seeds (2 tablespoons)

Pumpkin seeds
Slivered almonds
Pine nuts
Sunflower seeds
Peanuts (actually a legume but that’s OK)
Chopped walnuts

Grains, Legumes, or Potatoes (about a cup)

Cooked brown rice
Cooked quinoa
Diced boiled potatoes
Diced boiled sweet potatoes
Pinto beans (all canned beans should be no salt added, drained, and rinsed)
Black beans
White beans
Garbanzo beans

Veggies (about a half cup)

Pick your veggie but dice them into 1/4 or 1/2 inch cubes)

Dressing of your choice

About 2 tablespoons

For example, you could make a salad with romaine, quinoa, an egg, some pine nuts, red peppers, yellow squash, and Caesar Dressing.

These are perfect for lunch at work and you can make enough for the week in about 35 minutes on a Sunday afternoon. Saves money, delicious, and a great way to improve your Mediterranean diet score!

Salad Dressing Recipe Ideas

Blue Cheese Dressing
Cilantro Lime Dressing
Creamy Lemon Dill Dressing
Ginger Garlic Salad Dressing
Green Goddess Dressing
Honey Mustard Dressing
Ranch Dressing
Thousand Island Dressing
Tomato Chive Dressing
All Salad Dressing Recipes