3 Reasons to Make Quick and Healthy Salad in a Jar
Do you want to save time and money and still enjoy a healthy lunch? Quick and healthy salads in a jar are the perfect solution whether you’re working at home, in the office or on-the-go.
As summer starts, I think more about eating more vegetables, especially when I can get them right from the garden. Pick them, wash them, eat them! It’s that simple. But let’s be realistic. I don’t have time to do that for every meal, especially in the middle of the day when I’m trying to juggle posting on social media, keeps kids from spending the whole day in front of a screen and keeping up with laundry. Salads in a jar are a great way to save time and money on a quick and healthy meal.
Save Time
Preparing quick and healthy salads in a jar is a great way to save time. I can prepare a week’s worth of lunches in just 30 minutes. By planning ahead, I can pick fresh vegetables, chop them and make my salads in a jar. At lunchtime, I just need to choose my salad, pour it in a bowl, get a glass of water and lunch is ready. This means I can get back to work quickly, or go outside for a walk, or spend some time with my kids instead of spending all that time in the kitchen. Instead of taking time every day to make lunch, setting aside half an hour once a week is quick and healthy ways to prepare your salad in a jar lunches.
Tip: When you are cooking chicken, beans, grains or roasted vegetables make extra to add to your salads. Click here for my Quick and Healthy Salad in a Jar Recipe Book with more helpful tips.
Save Money
Making your own salads in a jar is a great way to save money. By using vegetables from the garden or our CSA share, I’m keeping the grocery budget down. The cost of making lunch at home is practically nothing with vegetables from the garden, leftovers and a few staples from the cupboard I have food waiting to be eaten. I can make this Greek-Style Salad for less than $2.15 a serving or this Kale and Lentil Salad for less than $1.73 a serving. Compare this to the cost of a meal-sized salad from a fast-food chain where you’ll spend at least $10 for something similar (but not as fresh or healthy).
Whether I’m working at home having quick and healthy salads in a jar waiting in the fridge means I’m not spending extra money on groceries. It also makes sure I don’t waste any of the food we’ve worked hard to grow. When I’m away from home at lunch because I’m working, out for a bike ride or at the beach, packing a quick and healthy lunch with salad in a jar means there’s less chance I’ll stop to buy lunch or a snack.
Tip: Keep a few frozen ice packs in your freezer, so you are ready if you have to take your salad on the go. Pop the ice pack, salad and a fork in your insulated lunch bag and you’re ready to go. You can eat your salad right from the jar if you’re away from home. Click here for my Quick and Healthy Salad in a Jar Recipe Book with more helpful tips.
Healthy Lunches
Salads in a jar make a great quick and healthy lunch. As a busy mom and entrepreneur, I’m always looking for quick ways to eat more vegetables to my diet. When I’m in the middle of a project or between client calls, I need a quick and healthy lunch that will give me energy without leaving me feeling tired. A one-pint canning jar (about 2 cups) can hold between 2 and 4 servings of vegetables, plus a serving of protein, some complex carbs and some healthy fat in the dressing. By choosing a couple of different dressings, changing the protein or choosing different vegetables, I can make the meals different so I don’t get bored. Looking in the fridge and seeing fresh, colourful salads makes it easy to choose a healthy lunch instead of choosing whatever’s quickest (and maybe not so healthy).
Tip: Include some mood-boosting ingredients like salmon, pumpkin seeds, spinach and yogourt (in the dressing) to make sure you’re getting enough of the nutrients that support brain health. Click here for my Quick and Healthy Salad in a Jar Recipe Book with more helpful tips.
Quick and Healthy Salad in a Jar Recipes
I’ve put together some of my favourite salad in a jar recipes, along with some tips to help you make quick and healthy salads in a jar for your lunch. Get your copy here.
Of course, you can also eat salads in a jar as part of a quick and healthy dinner or a snack. If you want to add some veggies to dinner rather than having salad as the main course, take a couple of the jars of salad and serve them alongside your main meal.