Salad Jars For On the Run, No Chopping Required!

I met my friend, Liv, at my new office (which, I have to tell you all about!). She’s created an awesome website called Stretch City sharing what yogis love – so I thought I’d share my recipe for a no-fuss Salad Jar.

This is for all of us who want to eat well, but need real solutions to help us make those healthy choices, especially when we’re so busy. We come home tired, we leave the house early – it’s a constant battle for all of us. So the trick is to set yourself up for success. That’s where this jar shines! It takes just minutes to prepare and you’ve got your own stash of grab-and-go health food to take out with you!

The key (with all things) is simplicity – so, to build your salad jars what you do, is stock your pantry with ingredient that are ready to eat. Things you could imagine choosing at a salad bar. Keep it low fuss – no chopping required, that way you can just toss everything together. Here are some ideas:

• canned chickpeas. It’s going to fill you up, give you tons of protein to keep you going throughout the day. Choose a better brand, low-sodium organic if you can.
• canned tuna can also be a great option, choose sustainably sourced tuna.
• at the deli counter: marinated olives, sun dried tomatoes, marinated feta cheese
• packet of ready-to-eat salad greens
• cherry tomatoes
• nuts. I love the crunch factor! Plus, all the healthy oils will help to feed your brain and keep you on point! Try sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts…
• dried fruit: raisons, cranberries…

TIP: for the dressing, I’m simply using the oil from my marinated feta (yum) and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Salad Jar – No Chopping Required!

ingredients:

• 1 can of chickpeas
• marinated feta cheese in olive oil
• cherry tomatoes
• ready-to-eat spinach
• California Mix nuts + dried fruit
• lemon
• salt & pepper
• mason jar

directions:

1. Open and rinse the chickpeas under water to remove the excess sodium
2. start off with a layer of chickpeas. Always your heaviest ingredients first.
3. add in the marinated feta cheese with the oil
4. squeeze in the lemon juice over the oil to form the dressing
5. add a layer of whole cherry tomatoes (go for the smaller bite size ones)
6. pack in your greens. Keep packing them in!
7. sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over the greens
8. add in the nuts and dried fruit

With all these ingredients, I can make 3 jars of salads. I priced it out to be $4 per jar.  If you eat at salad bars, you’re already excited about the money you’ll save! Make them quickly in the morning or the night before, either way – because the wet and dry ingredients stayed separated, your salad won’t go soggy. Just make sure you always keep the jar standing upright!

You can eat from the jar, but it’s awkward and hard to mix. Try to keep a bowl at work that you can use, or buy a collapsable bowl to carry in your bag. The ingredients are just suggestions – it’s your world, it’s your jar – do your thing!

Thanks to Abi for the beautiful pictures! He’s available in Singapore for freelance photography, drop him an email.

ps – life’s not all stress. Take this jar out for picnics and fun afternoons at the park too! And if you’re in Singapore or Hong Kong – make sure to check out Stretch City to keep feeling your best!