SALAD JAR

MOVE OVER SALAD BAR THERE'S A NEW KID IN TOWN, THE SALAD JAR!

I have been quite obsessed with making salads in a jar lately.  I call them "Salad Jar" like salad bar... haha… get it?  Salad jar… right.  Well, these things are amazing!  I started making them about a month ago and I am hooked and now making them every week.  Since I am chopping and stuffing everything into the jars on one day and putting them into the fridge to use over the next 7 days, I am saving a ton of time!  HOLD UP!  Did you just say 7 days?  YEP! I did!  I have stretched these little gems out for 7 days of lunches or dinners!  If you follow the layering guide they are still UNBELIEVABLY fresh on day 7!  I am still so shocked about it and I have had several of these so far.

Before when I would buy lettuce for salads, I would buy my head of romaine and chop it, rinse it, spin it in the salad spinner to dry and place it in a large zip lock container with a paper towel to absorb moisture.  I would then grab from this container over the next week when I wanted to have a salad.  Truth is by day 4 the lettuce would already be starting to brown and wilt and it would never make it to day 7 and would ultimately end up in the trash!  With this jar method I can't even begin to rave about how fresh the lettuce is STILL on day 7!  It literally is like I just cut, washed and spun it.  I have read several blogs about this and the claim that these salads in a jar will stay fresh for up to 7 days and I have always been like yeah… right… until I finally decided to try it.  I am a believer and you can be a believer too, just follow the simple building directions outlined below!  ENJOY!

LAYERING GUIDE

I love big entrée salads so I use a 1 quart wide mouth mason jar to make these salads.  You can use any size and any ingredients as long as you follow this simple layering guide.

(FROM BOTTOM OF THE JAR TO TOP)

1.            DRESSING/SAUCE

2.            HEARTY VEGETABLES (i.e. tomatoes, onions, peppers, broccoli, carrots, celery)

3.            LESS HEARTY VEGETABLES AND BEANS (i.e. mushrooms, zucchini, corn)

4.            PASTA AND GRAIN (i.e. pasta, rice, couscous, quinoa)

5.            PROTEIN AND CHEESE (i.e. meat, eggs, cheese, shrimp, chicken)

6.            LETTUCE (and anything else that would get soft or soggy such as nuts or seeds, possibly croutons or chips but I always just add those when I am ready to eat it)

When you are ready to eat your salad jar just shake it up and dump it out into a bowel to enjoy.

SALAD JAR RECIPES THAT I HAVE CREATED AND TRIED (with Weight Watchers Points Plus values)

BUFFALO CHICKEN SALAD JAR

Ken's Lite Blue Cheese Dressing (2tbs) – 2pp

Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce (1tbs) – 0pp

Cherry Tomatoes – 0pp

Red Onions – 0pp

Bell Peppers – 0pp

Broccoli – 0pp

Grilled Chicken (3oz) – 3pp

Crumbled Blue Cheese (1/8c) – 1pp

Romaine Lettuce – 0pp

TOTAL POINTS PLUS – 6pp

GREEK CHICKEN SALAD JAR

Drew's Greek Salad Dressing (1tbs) – 2pp

Cherry Tomatoes – 0pp

Red Onions – 0pp

Bell Peppers – 0pp

Black Olives (5) – 1pp

Grilled Chicken (3oz) – 3pp

Crumbled Feta Cheese (1/4c) – 3pp

Romaine Lettuce – 0pp

TOTAL POINTS PLUS – 9pp

TACO SALAD JAR

Medium Salsa (2tbs) – 0pp

Ken's Lite Ranch (1tbs) – 1pp

Cherry Tomatoes – 0pp

Red Onions – 0pp

Bell Peppers – 0pp

Canned Corn, No Salt Added (2tbs) – 0pp

Canned Black Beans, Low Sodium (2tbs) – 1pp

Ground Turkey Taco Meat (3oz) – 3pp

Shredded Cheddar Cheese (1/2 oz) – 2pp

Romaine Lettuce – 0pp

TOTAL POINTS PLUS – 7pp

*Optional Topper:  Blue Corn Tortilla Chips (4) – 1pp

ITALIAN PASTA SALAD JAR

Ken's Lite Italian Dressing (2tbs) – 2pp

Cherry Tomatoes – 0pp

Red Onions – 0pp

Bell Peppers – 0pp

Garbanzo Beans (1/4c) – 1pp

Whole Grain Pasta (1/2c) – 3pp

Grilled Chicken (3oz) – 3pp

Cubed Cheddar Cheese (1oz) – 3pp

Romaine Lettuce – 0pp

TOTAL POINTS PLUS – 12pp

CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD JAR

Ken's Lite Caesar Dressing (2tbs) – 2pp

Cherry Tomatoes – 0pp

Red Onions – 0pp

Bell Peppers – 0pp

Grilled Chicken (3oz) – 3pp

Grated Parmesan Cheese (2tbs) – 1pp

Romaine Lettuce – 0pp

TOTAL POINTS PLUS – 6pp

*Optional Toppers:  Seasoned Croutons (4tbs) – 1pp