Canned Salad, 3 Ways

Amaya said to me, “I think you should stop your Paleo diet.”

“Why?”

“Because I feel bad eating food in front of you.”

I wish everyone in my family felt bad about the seemingly more than ever amounts of carbs and sweets that are in our cupboards lately. Most of these extreme eating plans require you to purge your cupboards but most of these people are not married to a Jake. But we can’t all look like Greek gods and eat Pop Tarts for breakfast, granola bars for snacks, and cookies for dessert now can we.

It’s when I start looking through our carb-laden cupboards that I start feeling weak in the knees. I can’t say enough about having something planned when you’re on a diet.

Tip #2: Take Away Choice and Plan Your Meals (especially when you’re feeling strong)

I’m strongest in the morning. I don’t have much temptation to eat crap before 11 am. It’s easiest for me to follow my diet when I’m at school. That’s because any meals or snacks I have are already packed. I don’t get a choice. I’m a person who hates planning dinners for the week. I want to look in my fridge and make something. I want to go shopping for whatever whim I have that day. I really dislike having no choices, but this does make it way easier.

I still end up having a choice for dinner, but one choice is easier than many choices.

The “Salad in a Jar” has been making the Pinterest crowd rounds, and I decided to try them out for my lunches.

I can’t really stand to eat only a salad for dinner, but salad for lunch is fine. It was a lot of work to make 5 salads, but I appreciated not having to prepare anything for the rest of the week. If I wanted it to be easier, I would make the same 5 salads and change it up every week. Now that I’m eating Paleo, I would need to change these recipes a bit, but there are a million variations on this theme.

The basic principle is, wet and heavy on the bottom, dry on the top. That didn’t quite sound right, but it is. The pieces at the bottom soak into the dressing and make it extra good. The lettuce should not be touching anything wet. This one was the last salad I had that week and it was still perfectly fresh. I used old peach jars, and some large canning jars.

Canned Cobb Salad

Dressing:

• 1 T greek yogurt
• 1/2 t mayo
• 1 t mustard
• 1/8 t honey

1. Whisk the ingredients together and put in the bottom of a large, tall jar.

• 1/4 C shredded carrot
• 1/4 C peas (cooked)
• 2 T minced onion
• 3 T broccoli, chopped, florets only
• 2 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 boiled egg, chopped
• 1 T sunflower seeds
• 1 1/2 C romaine lettuce, chopped

1. Layer the salad in the order as shown, into the jar. When ready to eat, empty it out into a large bowl.

Tex-Mex Canned Salad

• 2 t balsamic
• 1 T salsa
• 1/4 C bell pepper, diced
• 1/3 C shredded chicken
• 1/4 C cooked corn
• 1/4 C black beans
• 2 T cheese
• 1 T olives, sliced
• 2 1/2 C romaine lettuce, chopped

1. Mix the balsamic and salsa together and spoon into the bottom of a large jar. Layer the other ingredients in the order as shown with the lettuce on top.

Canned Japanese Salad

Dressing

• 1 T white miso paste
• 1 T water
• 1 t rice vinegar
• 1 t sugar
• 1/2 t peanut butter
• 1/8 t sesame oil

1. Whisk the ingredients together until well blended. Put the dressing as the bottom layer of the jar.

• 1/2 C chicken
• 1/4 C thinly sliced bell pepper
• 2 T pickled daikon and carrot (prepared or homemade)
• 3 T edamame beans, cooked
• 1/4 C sliced cucumber
• 2 T green onion (white and light green parts only)
• 1/2 C thinly sliced cabbage
• 1 1/2 C romaine lettuce

1. Layer the ingredients in the order shown in the jar. Eat within 2 days.

Other posts in this series:

Tip #1 and a Mango and White Chocolate Tart