Salad in a Jar

[Sal]

I just got through cleaning two heads of lettuce and a pound of spinach, still working on lettuce number 3 (not big heads).

I have been taking my nutri-blast drinks to work for over three weeks now. I am happy with them but now it's the next step toward healthy choices. I noticed last week that when I come home late and am starving, the LAST thing I am going to do is to prepare a salad. Thus with no dinner salad comes no lunch salad either. Many times my lunch consists of a sandwich and some quickly washed veggies. Not a bad lunch but I am not getting enough salad of late.

I went internet cruising yesterday and found "salad in a jar". Anyone using this practice for lunches or dinners?

I bought mason jars yesterday and am ready to try salad in a jar for Monday and Tuesday. Have my spinach all washed and jarred up for my nutri-blasts throughout the week and hopefully if the lettuce is washed and jarred, I can at least throw a side salad together to go with dinner.

We shall see. If this lettuce goes slimely in the least, it won't get eaten by me.

My Thought on Mason Jar Salads or Salad in a Jar

 

[petros]

Go for it. The "salad in a jar" thing works and works well.

 

[Sal]

Go for it. The "salad in a jar" thing works and works well.

yeah???? rah, rah, thanks... *happy dance* do you use one of those suck the air out things...I don't have one, but could buy one if it extends jar life significantly?

 

[petros]

yeah???? rah, rah, thanks... *happy dance* do you use one of those suck the air out things...I don't have one, but could buy one if it extends jar life significantly?

It'll last for weeks. Yes removing the air is a huge benefit. If O2 were removed and nitrogen added it would last super long.

 

[karrie]

I never liked the idea.

For one thing, I'd have a horrible time mixing it all together in the jar, so, it would require a second dish to dump it into anyway.

For another, jars are breakable, they'd never make it into my lunch rotation on a regular basis.

For another, the most efficient way calorie wise AND taste wise I've found to use dressing, is to have a small container of it, dip your fork, stab some salad. I use 1/4 as much dressing that way.

So...add all that together... extra dishes, excess calories, the issue of breakage.... and I'd rather use a plastic bowl with a plastic dressing container on the side.

 

[gerryh]

I never liked the idea.

For one thing, I'd have a horrible time mixing it all together in the jar, so, it would require a second dish to dump it into anyway.

For another, jars are breakable, they'd never make it into my lunch rotation on a regular basis.

For another, the most efficient way calorie wise AND taste wise I've found to use dressing, is to have a small container of it, dip your fork, stab some salad. I use 1/4 as much dressing that way.

So...add all that together... extra dishes, excess calories, the issue of breakage.... and I'd rather use a plastic bowl with a plastic dressing container on the side.

yes....... but.......... we're not all klutzes that require us to be surrounded by everything unbreakable.

 

[Sal]

I never liked the idea.

For one thing, I'd have a horrible time mixing it all together in the jar, so, it would require a second dish to dump it into anyway.

For another, jars are breakable, they'd never make it into my lunch rotation on a regular basis.

For another, the most efficient way calorie wise AND taste wise I've found to use dressing, is to have a small container of it, dip your fork, stab some salad. I use 1/4 as much dressing that way.

So...add all that together... extra dishes, excess calories, the issue of breakage.... and I'd rather use a plastic bowl with a plastic dressing container on the side.

yeah I will have to take along a plate for tomorrow, I will shake and dump...don't know if it will be an issue or not. The breakable is no problem for me. I have a large lunch tote and it just get loaded into the car and then carried into work where is sits on my desk.

As for calories two tablespoons of dressing will only give me 40 calories so I am good with that because my egg, cheese and dressing will be no where near the bread count but I have heard others complain about that too.

 

[karrie]

yes....... but.......... we're not all klutzes that require us to be surrounded by everything unbreakable.

lol. I'm no clutz either. But, traveling with dishes, glass ain't a good idea. Any good camper knows that CLutz or not, things get broken.

 

[Sal]

also it took a while to wash everything, cut it and dry, dry, dry it because the lettuce must be dry before jarring, It had better be worth it and I had better get faster at washing and assembling

 

[karrie]

also it took a while to wash everything, cut it and dry, dry, dry it because the lettuce must be dry before jarring, It had better be worth it and I had better get faster at washing and assembling

This is another thing. Sites I saw recommended making a week's worth. Well, different things spoil at different rates (cut cukes go after a mere two to three days for example), and one ingredient going off can destroy all your ingredients. It's not like a salad takes long to assemble if you have prepped ingredients (separate from one another) in the fridge.

 

[Sal]

This is another thing. Sites I saw recommended making a week's worth. Well, different things spoil at different rates (cut cukes go after a mere two to three days for example), and one ingredient going off can destroy all your ingredients. It's not like a salad takes long to assemble if you have prepped ingredients (separate from one another) in the fridge.

yeah I'm doing two days worth of lunch and I found that a 1 quart mason jar is enough lettuce for two salads with all the other stuff.

so then I will still have lettuce for a couple of dinners too because I packed two other jars with lettuce and one with spinach for my nutri-blast drinks. I think this will be a work in progress while I figure out what works...no way I can eat salad for lunch everyday either... two to three days will make me happy with a side with dinner...good enough for now anyway.