On-the-Go Mason Jar Salad

Need lunch prepped a day ahead? I hear ya! There are some good reasons for the jarred salad craze: 

– First, we are learning that storing food in glass is a whole lot healthier than storing in traditional plastic. Glass will keep these veggies fresher, too. 

– Second, when you build a salad jar, you always want to put the protein items on the bottom. This lets the protein soak up the delicious and healthy homemade dressing. 

– Third, the salad is kept fresh because of how you layer it: heartier vegetables (like root veggies), on top of the protein, and then the more tender veggies on top, where they won’t be exposed to moisture. After that, crisp nuts or seeds on top. This way you can make it the night before, and grab the jar right out of the refrigerator as you’re heading to work (or, in my case right now, a busy day with wonderful kids). 

My version has an Asian spin – and the dressing is made of fresh juice of an orange to cut the oil. You also get healthy fats from the sesame seeds, so I wanted to keep that olive oil to a minimum! Don’t forget – healthy fats help you absorb nutrients. You need them! And I hope you’ll be surprised at how good a dressing can be that’s based on fresh citrus. The quinoa (or any protein you choose to use), will soak up the flavors of the dressing as if it’s being marinated in it. Yum.