Easy to Make Plant-based Salad Jars

Going plant-based was one of the easiest decisions I have ever made for myself and my family. 

Earlier this year my husband’s doctor suggested that he go plant-based to help him with his newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes diagnosis. 

What we didn’t know then was how much those words would mean to me and my family.  Even though we had been a clean eating family for the last few years, I knew whatever lifestyle one of us took on to better our health, it always becomes a family affair. 

Clean Eating was a great gateway into a Plant-based lifestyle.

We already had been focusing on limiting the amount of processed foods we ate, our meals included lots of whole foods, so the only major things we changed was omitting meats, seafood, dairy, and eggs, oh and a big one, oil. 

I actually think that this lifestyle suits us better. For years my kids and husband at times would battle that eating clean was getting old, for some reason there has not really been any battles now that we are plant-based.

I kind of like to think that its because our bodies are being fueled with even better foods and the non-plant-based foods were actually causing the cravings of foods that were not good for us.

Not only has going plant-based in the last 4 months contributed to my weight loss, but we received the wonderful news this past week that it has also helped reverse my husband’s Type 2 diabetes, and has been instrumental in helping us create some nutritious and delicious recipes in the kitchen like these salad jars.

If I had to pick a favorite dish, I would have to say salad.  I mean it is one of the most versatile dishes I can think of and is one of my favorite things to meal prep.  They are so versatile that they make for some great salad jar combos. 

Enjoy a plant-based salad jar for lunch or dinner, either way, they can be created to please everyone in the house, even the kids. 

Making salad jars is probably one of the simplest recipes and can be made from foods such as:

The list is endless.

Whether you are preparing them for the week or using your leftover salad from dinner for lunch the next day, plant-based salad jars make for a great meal anytime of the week.

All you will need is a 32-ounce wide mouth glass jar with a lid, and your ingredients. I prefer to put any salad dressing I might use in a separate container until I am ready to eat the salad. 

The salad jars in these photos were eaten the same day as they were made, so I mixed all the ingredients together. And I prefer to store my oil-free dressing in a separate container.

If you are going to store them in the refrigerator, you will want to make sure that you layer your salad jars with heavier ingredients on the bottom, and to make sure that you keep any liquids including cucumbers, tomatoes, and any dressings you are going to use away from your chosen greens.

Store the air-tight sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Once you are ready to eat it, just take the container and dump the all the ingredients to bowl, mix together, add your favorite non-oil dressing and enjoy.

I also love making plant-based salad jars because they make the perfect meal for my boys when I am busy. All they have to do is go in the refrigerator and grab a salad jar and 5 minutes later, they have a nutritious meal.

While you can use a variety of foods like the ones listed above, I have included some recipes that I have personally created and tried.

Next week, I will make some salad jar recipes using dressing and post them on the blog as well.

What are some of your favorite salad jar combos?