Add Some Excitement to Your Lunchtime with Mason Jar Salads

Admit it, salads are kind of boring. Ordering a salad at a restaurant can be likened to renting a documentary: you know you should because you’ll probably get something really hearty and enriching from it, but only if you don’t fall asleep. And homemade salads are even worse. Creamy Cucumber Dressing again? But your salads don’t have to be so boring anymore … when they’re packed in Mason jars! For some strange reason, Mason jars make everything more fun, including cake (Yes, you can make cake in a Mason jar!). Even drinking water from a Mason jar can make you feel like a new-age relic. Mason jar salads are genius. First of all, you can pretty much empty your vegetable crisper into them to rid your fridge of any future food waste. Secondly, you can make them in advance, and they’ll keep in the fridge for up to four days, as long as the dressing and the greens don’t touch (which would cause the greens to wilt). The key to successful, delicious Mason jar salads is in the layering. First, you put your dressing in. Then you layer each ingredient in order from least to most wilty. Make sure your greens are packed on the top! When you’re ready to eat your salad, just dump it into a bowl and toss, or shake it up and eat it right out of the jar for on-the-go convenience! Try our Layered Indian Summer Salad, or deconstruct one of the following salad recipes to make a fun, portable salad in a jar!

• Chicken Pecan Salad (Layer the dressing, then the mango, then the red pepper and scallions, then the chicken, then the pecans, and finally the organic greens.)
• Mandarin Orange and Gorgonzola Salad (Begin with the dressing, then the oranges, then the onion, followed by the cheese, then the almonds, and lastly the spinach)
• Barley, Vegetables, and Candied Nuts Salad (First add the dressing, then follow with the beets, zucchini, onion, barley, goat cheese, candied nuts, and finally the mesclun greens.)
• For more great layerable salads, check out alive’s collection of recipes.