With warmer weather, come thoughts of summer time. It also bring thoughts about a garden. My kids LOVE to go to the local hardware/home improvement store and look at EVERY single packet of seeds that they have to offer. They always want to plant something crazy too! Our typical garden includes lettuce, spinach, green peppers, banana peppers (I'm not sure why, because I have NO IDEA what to do with raw banana peppers, and I haven't ever had enough harvest to can. Maybe 2013 will be THE YEAR I actually do something with our banana peppers), cucumbers, yellow squash, and a little bit of corn. My parents always have a garden...sometimes two gardens. I usually count on their garden for silverqueen corn, tomatoes, and anything else that just doesn't seem to grow well in our garden. We are also lucky because we have friends in the community who always have a bigger harvest than they need, so usually someone will drop off a cantaloupe or some other fruit/veggie over the summer. Excuse me for salivating while I dream about sweet summertime and those treasures straight from the garden. I.Can't.Wait!
In the mean time, I have to settle on veggies and fruits from the grocery store. If you like year-round produce, I HIGHLY suggest checking out your local Aldi's grocery store. If you've never been to Aldi's before, give it a try! I'll talk about Aldi's in another post later.
Once you grow your own or buy your veggies, give these salads in a jar a try. My Mom told me about this - and I am pretty sure a friend of hers read about it on Pinterest and passed it along to her. I just LOVE this idea! I make a bunch all in one day and they stay fresh all week long. The jars are perfect for storage in my lunch tote as I take my lunch each day to work. I just shake it up or dump it all out on a large plate - viola! Very easy, and incredibly yum-o-licious! If you like salad, but hate making salads daily, I suggest you try this method.
Dressing goes on the bottom, followed by any veggies you like. I put carrots, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and celery in my jar on top of my favorite ranch dressing. (Don't judge - I am eating a salad and I am fully aware that ranch dressing almost negates the healthiness of the salad, but I LOVEEEE ranch!)
Add protein of your choice. I have leftover grilled chicken (thank you, hubby!), hardboiled egg, and a sprinkle of sharp cheddar cheese. You could also add in canned beans - I would just rinse/drain them before adding them to the jar.
Finally add your greens. I have spinach topped with an iceberg lettuce mixture that I had left in the fridge. Fill it up to the top of the jar. Then screw on the lid and store them in the fridge. I have made up to 4 salads in a jar at one time and then eaten on them all week. They will last at least 4 days. The trick is to not let the dressing come in contact with the greens. There are all kinds of other ideas for salad in a jar on the internet. This may be the site where my Mom's friend got her idea from - Salad. It has lots of other good ideas too. This is just a convenient way for me to pack my lunch and ensure that I am eating some vegetables during the day. Plus, I can do all of the prep at once and have a few lunches ready for the week. Enjoy!
Salad in a Jar
1. Put dressing in bottom of jar.
2. Add hard veggies.
3. Add meats, cheeses, proteins, plus any other veggies.
4. Fill with lettuce or other greens to the top of the jar.
5. Cover tightly with a lid and store in the refrigerator.
6. To eat, dump contents out into large bowl or eat straight from the jar.
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