Salad in a Jar

I wish I could say this was an original idea, but I must admit, I would have never thought of this one! This is not a freezer meal but is genius and totally works. Who would have guessed that you can vacuum seal washed, cut lettuce in a mason jar to keep it fresh longer? I came across it on Pinterest and actually asked for a FoodSaver Vacuum Seal System* for my birthday to try it out. Ryan and I love to eat salads, but I hate buying bagged lettuce because it's expensive and I think it smells funny, and when I want to eat a salad as a quick lunch or snack I don't want to deal with tearing up lettuce from a head, washing it, drying it... This allows me to buy in bulk (I buy romaine heads), do all the prep at once, and then actually vacuum seal it in a jar, which will last in the fridge for at least 10 days (or more, depending how fresh your lettuce was when you started).


Paula over at Salad in a Jar gives all the details, so I'll let you head over there and check it out. It does require some sort of vacuum seal machine, but it doesn't have to be a FoodSaver (although I don't know if another company offers an attachment to seal mason jars). Also, here are a few of my favorite easy to make salads! It's not like these are terribly original, but they're good! And you could easy add some grilled chicken to any of them to beef them up a little.

Asian Mandarin Orange Salad

• Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame dressing
• Mandarin oranges (I always end up using the whole can)
• Toasted, sliced almonds
• Chow Mein Noodles

Greek Salad

• Greek salad dressing
• Kalamata olives
• Feta cheese
• Cucumber

Poppyseed Peach Salad

• Brianna's Poppyseed dressing
  
• 1 sliced peach (this is best to do when peaches are in season)
• Toasted sliced almonds

Zupa's Fruit Lover's Salad

• Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing
  
• Diced green apple
• Grapes, halved
• Blueberries
• Mandarin oranges
  
• Cinnamon sugar almonds
• Gorgonzola cheese

* If you're wondering about FoodSavers, I have this one. I bought it new on eBay for about half the retail price, and I would recommend doing that or looking for one on Craigslist. This is the type of thing someone would buy and then never use, so you can probably find a good deal! As for the jar sealer attachment, I turned to my favorite website, Amazon.