Day #100: Mason Jar Salads

Wow it has taken me longer then expected to share a few of my clean eating camping recipes. I am sure you have seen mason jar salads popping up all over Pinterest, that’s where I first heard about them. I decided that a camping trip would be the perfect opportunity to test this popular salad method and guess what, it worked! I made two different kinds of mason jar salads to have for our lunch’s while camping.

So the first step for any mason jar salad is to get all of your toppings ready to go. Start with your veggies (fresh or canned) and wash, rinse, and chop. Prep your meat as well, you can do this however you want. I bought a rotisserie chicken because it is quick and easy. Once all of your favorite toppings are prepped and laid out your salad building will go quick and the combinations are endless.

This first one I made was a Fiesta Mango Salad. It combined hearty vegetables with a delicious mango and cilantro dressing.

 

Mango Fiesta Mason Jar Salad:

• Red Bell Pepper Diced
• Green Bell Pepper Diced
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Organic Unsalted Corn
• Organic Black Beans
• Avocado (coat in lime or lemon juice to keep from going brown)
• Mixed Baby Greens
• Shredded Chicken or Strips of Chicken

Dressing

• 1 Fresh Mango (cubed)
• 1/4 Cup Lime Juice
• 1 Tbs. Olive Oil
• 2 Tbs. Honey
• 1Tbs. Cilantro
• Salt & Pepper

Directions:

For your dressing puree fresh mango, lime juice, olive oil, honey, cilantro, salt and pepper. Prepare all of your veggies by washing and chopping them. Next layer your salad. Start with about 2 Tbs. dressing in the bottom of your mason jar. Then add your hearty veggies, these are veggies that can hold up in a marinade like tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, etc. Next add your not so hearty veggies like beans, corns, avocado, etc. Next add your chicken. At this point you will think you aren’t going to have any room for lettuce. This is what I thought so I crammed a ton of lettuce in the top of the mason jar. Let me just tell you it goes a long way, I ended up with a ton of lettuce my first go around. Then place your lid on tight and store in the fridge. These should last for up to 7 days (I haven’t had them this long but articles I have read swear they last this long without vacuum sealing).  That’s it, and this salad is soooo good!

The second one I made was a balsamic and veggie salad. Super simple and delicious.

Balsamic + Veggies Mason Jar Salad:

• Cherry Tomatoes
• Green Bell Peppers Diced
• Broccoli
• Chickpeas
• Mixed Baby Greens
• Shredded Chicken or Strips of Chicken
• Feta Cheese

Dressing

• 1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Tbs. Olive Oil
• 1 to 2 Cloves of Minced Garlic

Directions:

Start with your dressing and get it all mixed together then place 2 Tbs. in the bottom of your mason jar. Next start layering your veggies, chicken, feta, and lettuce. I made a handy little guide below to help you remember what layer goes where.

I was hesitant to make these at first but they really are so easy! Once you get all of your ingredients ready it is quick. These turned out so great for camping. They stayed fresh in the cooler and were huge portions packed full of protein and vegetables. We were biking constantly in Moab so ending our long rides with this fulfilling lunch was awesome and refreshing.

Enjoy these bad boys. They are my new go to meals.

Clean Eating Tip: I used a rotisserie chicken for these and I learned a huge lesson. Some rotisserie chickens are chuck full of sugar and added preservatives. Read the label of your rotisserie chicken and shop local. I found the best option at a local grocery store that sources its meat from local farms. Even for something you think is healthy always read those labels!