Mason Jar Salads

After baby showed up, we decided to (a) live cheaper, and (b) attempt to lose baby weight that both of us gained (oops!!), and I came across some yummy looking ideas for Mason Jar Salads on Pinterest, of course!! The point of them really is so your lettuce doesn't get all soggy with the dressing since the wet and heavy ingredients are at the bottom! I've tried a lot of these, but figured I'll go ahead and share this week's since it turned out so great! It was pretty easy to make, and the jars are super cute and you'll get a lot of compliments around the water cooler since you'll look so crafty ;)  Plus, they average about 6 Weight Watchers points, if you're counting!

 

*HINT* Go to JoAnn Fabrics for jars, they come in a 6-pack and you can use their coupons or even a competitor's coupon for a good discount! And they come in clear, green, or blue. Fun!!

 

Roasted Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad

Click the picture below for details. I roasted the sweet potatoes and made the quinoa while making dinner with the baby playing on the floor, and then after she went to bed and the cooked ingredients had cooled, I layered my 6 jars, stuck them in the fridge, and enjoyed a leisurely dinner with Ted on the couch! And then we're each set for 3 days at work - easy peasy!!

 

A couple of edits we made (just happened to have different ingredients!) - raisins instead of cranberries, pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower, and quite possibly less salad dressing than I should've used. Also we added green onions and carrots. Note to self for future versions - add a little more salt, because sweet potato + mango + dried fruit + carrots + red bell pepper = a little on the sweet side!

 

 

Here are 25 salads total, including the one pictured!  Search Pinterest for even more yummy concoctions!