Mason Jar Meals

[Andriel_Isilien]

A lunch to keep chilled in a quart sized jar. Of course, a regular plastic container works fine if you are clumsy like me who tends to drop things. 😅 (I have shattered plenty of mason jars before) But I do like how glass is safer to store food/drinks in and microwave than plastics.

To start, here are some salad recipes to make in a Mason Jar. The dressing is always at the bottom with the heavier ingredients and then the greens at the top. To serve you give it a shake and dump out into a bowl 🥗 These are some ideas to get you thinking on variety. Just about any salad combo should work with this method.

Edited April 14, 2023 by Andriel_Isilien

[Andriel_Isilien]

I forgot that I had an e-book on my kindle about how to make up your own salads in a jar to go.

The basic structure is to have 3 layers.

💚 The bottom layer is your salad dressing.  You can use your favorite that you got from the store or a homemade version that you have.

💚 The middle layer will be your harder, dense ingredients to separate your top and bottom ingredients. These include carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, peas, oranges, beans, grains, and bell peppers. Do you want to add protein? Then add in cooked ham, steak, bacon, or chicken in this layer. Hint: keep the harder ingredients at the bottom or this layer (i.e. carrots) since they don't absorb as much liquid.

💚 The top layer will be your leafy vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale and/or mixed greens. Keeping the liquid (salad dressing) separate from your leafy vegetables in the jar will allow you to preserve your healthy salad for 3-4 days and up to 7 days if it is vacuum sealed. Hint: before you close the jar with the lid, place a folded paper towel on top of the salad. Make sure to leave enough room in the jar. The paper towel will help absorb excess moisture to keep the leafy vegetables from wilting. Screw on both parts of lid tightly and store in your refrigerator.

All the jar needs is a quick shake and fork. 🥗 Then you are ready to enjoy your healthy and tasty salad! 🥗

 

[Andriel_Isilien]

🍲 Miso/Ramen in a Jar 🍲

Quarter cube (1/4 tsp) bouillon of your choice

1 TB Miso Paste

1 tsp Soy Sauce

1 tsp Sesame Oil

1 TB Ginger (more or less to your taste)

1 Bundle Rice Noodles

1/2 - 1 c Vegetable Mix (garlic, peas, carrot, snow peas, mushrooms, bok choy, corn, spinach, bean sprouts, etc)

Palm size worth of Rotisserie Chicken Pieces (I imagine you can swap for cubes of tofu, bite-sized chunks of pork, a hard-boiled egg, or whatever choice of protein you prefer)

 

- Store in the fridge as is with lid. Once you are ready to eat it, fill with water, give it a good shake, remove the metal lid, and then microwave for 2 1/2 minutes. If you are feeling fancy go sprinkle on some green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, chili flakes, or roasted nori pieces.

Edited April 14, 2023 by Andriel_Isilien

[Andriel_Isilien]

Another version of the soup in a jar using instant ramen noodles. The ingredients are basically the same, splitting the dry noodles amongst two jars. Instead of microwaving the glass jar you can use an electric kettle to boil water. Then you fill the jar almost to the top and let sit for 5 minutes.

The Best DIY Instant Noodles - The Girl on Bloor