FIESTA SALAD IN A JAR

I shared last month that I’ve been prepping Mason Jar Salads to eat while I’m waiting in car line to pick Jack up in the afternoons. I’m calling this one Fiesta Salad in a Jar. It’s not necessarily a taco salad because I haven’t used any taco seasoning, but I feel like the black beans and corn give it a taco feel.

I’ve started grabbing a Costco Rotisserie Chicken at the beginning of the week and shredding it up. It’s really helped me to not just think, “ugh there’s nothing in the fridge to eat,” and I can use the meat for multiple meals, including my salad! I topped my salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing, but you could also use salsa or a Cilantro-Lime dressing.

If you are new to the whole mason jar salad thing, the basic premise is that you layer according to bulk. I know someone is going to say, wait, where is the dressing? Well, I’m self admittedly a dressing snob. I don’t love my dressing mixed all over my salad. Instead I typically like to dip it on the side. BUT if you are a major dressing lover, add your dressing to the bottom of the jar first.

This is the order of operations that I follow for a Mason Jar Salad:

• BOTTOM LAYER - Dressings, Bulky Vegetables (carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, firm tomatoes), Beans

• BOTTOM MIDDLE LAYER - Eggs, Soft Vegetables (mushrooms, diced tomatoes, olives, corn), Soft and/or Dried Fruits (mandarins, berries, etc.)

• TOP MIDDLE LAYER - Cheese, Protein (Chicken, Bacon, Ground Meat), Nuts, Seeds

• TOP LAYER - Salad of Choice (Spinach, Arugula, Mixed Greens, Romaine, Coleslaw, etc.), Croutons

I usually decide on 1 type of salad to make for the week, eat the same one every day, then switch it up for the next week. This way I’m only buying the ingredients for 1 salad recipe each week and utilizing produce and resources well.

I pack them all in these 22 ounce mason jars and use these airtight lids to seal them. Everything goes in the dishwasher and will be ready to pack a new salad in on Sunday night!