Beef and Cheddar Salad

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be a hassle, especially when your fridge is packed with mason jar salads. One salad we can’t get enough of is this beef and cheddar salad. The beef is filling, and it pairs nicely with the cheddar cheese. Cherry tomatoes add a hint of sweetness, while diced onions give the salad a subtle kick. Baby cucumbers, arugula, and Thousand Island dressing complete this beef and cheddar mason jar salad. We recommend adding the salad dressing first so it doesn’t get the lettuce soggy until you’re ready to chow down.

Rainbow Salad

There are several different ways to create a rainbow salad. Try to incorporate as many colors of the rainbow as possible, and include a healthy blend of fruits, veggies, and proteins. Here are some colorful ideas for your rainbow salad:

• Spring blend of lettuce leaves
• Purple, yellow, and orange carrots
• Purple cabbage
• Blueberries
• Pineapple
• Spinach
• Kale
• Oranges
• Apple slices
• Almonds, cashews, peanuts, and walnuts
• Cherries
• Mozzarella, cheddar, or feta cheese
• Green or red onions
• Strawberries
• Pepperoni
• Tomatoes

Quinoa and Arugula Salad

This vegetarian mason jar salad gets plenty of protein from heart-healthy quinoa. Tangy goat cheese livens up the earthy arugula, and roasted pumpkin seeds lend a subtle crunch. Don’t forget to add diced red onion, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and Italian dressing to your quinoa and arugula salad. Store this salad for up to 5 days in your fridge as long as you keep it in an airtight container.

Taco Salad

This pic shows a vegetarian taco salad in a mason jar, but you can also make a burrito bowl or taco salad using chicken, pulled pork, or turkey. The dressing is a cilantro lime marinade.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• Juice from one lime
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Combine the ingredients above, mixing gently until blended fully, and pour the mixture on the bottom of 5 mason jars.
2. For the salad, we recommend using black beans, tomatoes, corn, red peppers, avocado, cheddar, cucumbers, and of course lettuce.

Chickpea Salad

Chickpea salad in a mason jar provides a simple way to get plenty of protein and fiber in your belly during your lunch break. We like to make ours with olive oil, chickpeas, red onions, lettuce, feta or goat cheese, tomatoes, and artichokes. Add a dash of sea salt to the olive oil, if desired.

Fruit Salad

Fruit salad mason jars are great for breakfast, lunch, or midday snacks. Fill your jars with whatever is in season, from tart raspberries to tangy oranges. If you decide to use a wet fruit like watermelon, place it on the bottom of the jar so it doesn’t drench the other fruit with its juices. Keep apples and pears from browning by drizzling them with fresh lemon or lime juice.

Pasta Salad

This mason jar pasta salad is one of the easiest mason jar salads we’ve seen so far. All you need are fresh spinach leaves, mozzarella cheese, balsamic dressing, cold pasta noodles, and tomatoes. We like spiral noodles, but you can also use spaghetti or quinoa.

Spinach and Bacon

We never get tired of eating bacon, so we’re super thankful for this spinach and bacon mason jar salad. The dressing is made from a mix of mayo, sugar, and vinegar. The rest of the salad is composed of fresh spinach leaves, cooked bacon strips, white mushrooms, hardboiled eggs, and red onions.

7-Layer Avocado Salad

We haven’t seen many mason jar recipes with edamame, but this 7-layer avocado salad is the only one we need. To make this mason jar salad, combine edamame, red cabbage, Persian cucumbers, orange bell peppers, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, spicy mustard, and basil.

Zucchini Salad

Low carb, no carb, vegetarian…either way, this zucchini mason jar salad fits perfectly into your dietary plans. Add zucchini noodles - zoodles, as some of you folks call them - peas, quinoa, shredded coconut, scallions, avocado, and feta to a mason jar. Top with olive oil or your dressing of choice.