Mirabella - Mason jar salads and more : 50 layered lunches to grab & go

Discover the coolest way to pack a tasty, healthy lunch! Mason Jar Salads and More shows how to prepare on-the-go meals filled with fresh produce and whole foods.

The tasty recipes and gorgeous full-color photos in this book will show you how to create amazing dishes, including:

pomegranateandpear salad

pesto tortelliniwithcherry tomatoes

crunchy asian salad

spinach, blueberryandblue cheese salad

curried chicken salad

kaleandavocado

salad

porcini mushroom risotto

overnight oatmeal

withfruit

green beanandfeta salad

Made by creatively layering ingredients in a jar, these recipes are as beautiful to look at as they are delicious to eat. The tight seal of the jars lid can keep the refrigerated, pre-made salads fresh for up to five days, helping you eat healthy throughout the week.

about the author

Julia Mirabella is an attorney and Mason jar enthusiast. Check out her blog at www.myfoodandotherstuff.com. She lives in Washington, D.C.

Text and photographs copyright 2014 Julia Mirabella. Design and concept copyright 2014 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the Internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Published by

Ulysses Press

P.O. Box 3440

Berkeley, CA 94703

www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61243-337-0

Library of Congress Catalog Number 2013957328

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Acquisitions editor: Kelly Reed

Managing editor: Claire Chun

Editor: Phyllis Elving

Proofreader: Elyce Berrigan-Dunlop

Front cover design: DiAnna VanEycke

Interior layout and design: what!design @ whatweb.com

Cover photographs: Julia Mirabella

Index: Sayre Van Young

Distributed by Publishers Group West

IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands or other products mentioned or pictured within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The author and publisher encourage readers to patronize the quality brands and products mentioned in this book.

To my parents, my favorite sous chefs.

Table of Contents

When I started my first job after Id finished school, I suddenly found that I had a lot less time. I was busy at work, working late hours, and eating out every day for lunch. A few months into the job, I realized that something had to change. There was nowhere to get a salad or anything healthy near my office, and every day I found myself eating unhealthy lunches. Meanwhile, the produce I was buying each weekend at the farmers market was slowly rotting in my fridge. I needed a way to eat healthier and to make sure I actually ate the healthy foods I was buying.

Eating healthy means eating more fresh produce and home-cooked meals but making a healthy lunch every day takes time I just dont have. Plus, salads can be tricky to bring to work: you need the right container, and your salad can end up soggy if you add the dressing in the morning, or the night before.

My solution has been to make my salads in Mason jars. By spending a little time on the weekend making Mason jar salads for the coming week, Ive solved many of the difficulties of bringing my lunch to work and fresh produce no longer languishes in my refrigerator. Most salads will stay fresh for 4 or 5 days in the fridge in their Mason jars, and I can just grab a jar as I head out for work each morning.

Of course, I couldnt stop with salads! Ive expanded my Mason jar menus to include everything from pastas to soups, smoothies, and salsas. Youll find all sorts of lunchtime options in these pages, plus breakfasts and snacks. Theres no magic formula for making Mason jar meals the recipes in this book are here to give you a few ideas and get you started. Mason jar meals are about finding ways to save time and eat healthy. Dont stress about following the recipes perfectly. Experiment with your own favorite ingredients and have fun!

How Do Mason Jar Salads Work?

A Mason jar salad works by using the jars verticality to your advantage. The trick is to layer your salads instead of mixing all of their ingredients together.

You start by layering the salad dressing on the bottom of the jar. Next come your salads firmer vegetables bell peppers or carrots, for instance. When you add salad greens on top, this layer of firm vegetables keeps the moisture of the dressing away from the greens, so they wont wilt.

Mason jars also let you pack your salads tightly. That means there isnt much air left in the jars, so salad ingredients stay fresh longer.

Mason Jar Benefits

portion control: Mason jars make it easy to control the size of your lunches. Portion control helps stop you from overeating and lets you stay true to a program of healthy eating.

saving time: You can make several Mason jar salads all at once on a Sunday an hours effort that will see you through the coming work week.

saving money: Mason jars arent expensive. A set of 12 costs about $15, and the jars can be used over and over again. Furthermore, being able to make the salads ahead of time means that youre more likely to eat the produce you buy. This saves you money, because you wont be letting food go bad.

easy cleanup: Mason jars are a snap to wash. At the end of the day, just deposit the jars and lids in the dishwasher and theyll emerge squeaky clean.

glass is best! Glass jars dont absorb germs from food, since their surface isnt porous. This means that glass containers can be fully sterilized in a dishwasher. And with glass, you avoid the concerns over toxins being transferred to food from plastic containers.

airtight seal: Once the top is screwed onto a Mason jar, you have an airtight seal. You dont need to worry about food spilling into your bag on the way to work.

What Do You Need?

You dont need much in the way of equipment to start making these salads. A few tools go a long way.

mason jar: A jar, of course, is the only real requirement for a Mason jar salad. I use pint- or quart-size jars, and I highly recommend the wide-mouth type. They make it easy to get your ingredients into the jars without making a mess.