Mason jars rule and I use them for everything.  I don’t remember when I saw something on the internet about salad in a jar, but was crazy about the idea.

Here is how I make them, and they are perfect for school lunches or real food on the go.

Usually I have some sort of aoli… in the refrigerator which I then add kefir and make a ranch type dressing.  Today I did not have any to make her lunch with so I just made the dressing quickly in the bottom of a quart jar.

Add in some good olive oil, some herbal apple cider vinegar and a sprig of the herb, some garlic, salt, pepper and a bit of cream or kefir to keep things emulsified.  Put your stick blender in the jar with the blender attachment on and blend away.

At the bottom of the jar, on top of the dressing, add your thicker vegetables, such as shredded carrots, cucumber, radishes, onions, broccoli, squash… then some sort of protein such as tuna, cold meatballs, diced steak, hard boiled eggs, cheese, beans…

Then add your softer greens like sprouts, lettuce… so they will be at the top of the jar and not get soggy with the dressing.

You can make several of these up ahead of time to always have a great salad ready whenever you get hungry, for a picnic or  to go somewhere and bring your own real food.  Just shake the jar and stir up well to incorporate the dressing when you are ready.

Thanks so much to the genius, wherever you are, who thought this idea up. We love it!