The Mason Jar Movement: 3 Foolproof Meals Anyone Can Assemble

I’m on a Mason jar meal kick. Have you seen the beautiful, Instagram worthy meals in a glass jar? What you might think is a tactic used by fancy food bloggers to gain traction, is actually a nutrition trend worth following.

Not only do mason jars help create meals that look aesthetically appealing, but they provide a practical and portable solution for anyone who wants to eat more nutritious meals. From overnight oats, fiesta salads, and noodle bowls, using mason jars in your meal planning is not only easy and convenient but also good for the environment.

Here are my favorite twists on what you can make in the mason jar.

The Mason Salad

The secret to building the perfect salad in a mason jar is all in the layering. By following this order (along with proper storage and refrigeration), your salad can last 3 – 5 days:

• Start with the dressing on the bottom. Putting the dressing at the bottom prevents the salad from getting soggy and when it’s time to eat, it’s easy to mix.
• Add protein such as chicken, fish, beans, or edamame, and whole grains like quinoa or brown rice. This adds a layer between dressing and veggies, helping to keep things fresh.
• Pack in the veggies. Here is your chance to get creative with diced tomatoes, chopped bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, and more.
• Top with leafy greens. To preserve the freshness of your meal, add the leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, or kale to the top of the jar.
• When ready to eat, shake it up and enjoy it!

Recipe Inspiration: Make an Italian Salad with Italian dressing, pepperoncini’s, chickpeas, olives, carrots, red onion, tomato, and romaine lettuce.

Sippin Soup from the Jar

Creating a soup in a mason jar is as easy as it is versatile in offering a nutritious and delicious meal in about 20 minutes or less! Here are a few tips to ensure your mason jar soup is a success:

• The key to creating a soup you will savor is to make sure your veggies are sliced, diced, shredded, spiralized or chopped into small pieces.
• If including animal protein, cook in advance.
• Add fresh herbs and spices.
• Enhance the flavor with tomato sauce, red curry paste, coconut milk, and miso.
• Add 1 – 1 ½ cup very hot water (almost boiling), let steep with lid on for about 5 minutes before serving

Recipe Inspiration: Combine rice noodles, sliced carrots, sliced zucchini, bok choy, shredded chicken, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp sriracha, cilantro, and hot water to create a Thai Noodle Salad.

Overnight Oats

Whether you’re working, going to school, or trying to keep your kids busy it can be challenging to eat a good breakfast. The concept of creating oatmeal in a jar that you can grab on the way out the door is a genius solution.

• Start with adding old fashioned rolled oats to a glass jar (usually about ¼ – ½ cup dry oats is a good start)
• Mix in 1 tbsp of chia seeds for a boost in nutrition
• Add liquid such as milk, soy milk, coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk, or hemp milk to glass jar. Add enough liquid to cover the dry ingredients.
• Accent with sweet and salty toppings such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashew nuts, raisins, berries, bananas, cherries, apples, pears, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, nut butter, or coconut flakes.
• If you prefer your toppings to have more of a crunch or to maintain their freshness, add them in the morning instead of overnight.
• Spice it up with flavor by adding cinnamon, vanilla, cocoa powder, pumpkin spice, or gingerbread spice, the list can go on!
• Put the lid on the jar and let soak overnight.
• Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite recipe you make in a mason jar? Share it below, or on my facebook page – I’d love to share!