Mom and I have been trying to encourage my aunt to go Gluten Free for a while now.  One of her biggest hang-ups is that she is a vegetarian …. the pickiest vegetarian on the face of the earth…. (luv u, Auntie).  She doesn’t like most vegetables…. or fruit…. Honestly, I think she is an Ice-cream-aterian, but she says vegetarian because it sounds healthier.

Auntie’s got some nasty joint issues and real trouble sleeping and I would just LOVE for her to try going gluten free and see how she feels in a month or so.

Well, nagging logical reasoning finally prevailed and Auntie agreed to give it a shot.  Woo Hoo!  Except that somewhere along the line I promised to find and make food that she would actually eat.  Yeah….. so…..

Thankfully, Auntie likes salads and Mom and I have a garden full of fresh tomatoes, zucchini and summer squash.  Since we’re trying to get her to up her fat intake too (that took some convincing!) I’ll throw in some feta cheese, hardboiled eggs (from Mom’s chickens!) and a little grapeseed oil for the dressing.

I’ve been eating these Salad’s in a Jar since I saw the idea on Pinterest a few years back and decided to give it a try.  It isn’t a complicated idea, but there is a trick to keeping the lettuce from turning black and slimy….. Layering.

I’ve used plastic containers if I know I’ll be eating them the same day, but I noticed that the glass mason jars kept the salad colder until lunch time.  Don’t let the size of the jar fool you either… once you start filling the jar you can really cram it full.  I am always suprised how huge the salad becomes when you un-pack it from the jar.

I read that they would hold up for over a week in the jar when stored in the fridge, but I’ve never had them last that long….. I always ate them!  I do know that when I’ve made them on Monday they were still crisp and yummy on Friday.

Salad in a Jar

Ingredients 

• Dressing or Oil
• Hardboiled Eggs
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Summer Squash
• Carrots
• Cheese
• Sunflower Seeds
• Dried Cranberries
• Pecans
• Spinach Leaves
• Romaine Lettuce

Directions

Layer your ingredients in the jar in this order.  Wet/squishy stuff first.  Next drier items like cheese and nuts.  This creates a dry barrier between the lettuce and the wet ingredients and keeps the lettuce from turning slimy.

Tighten the lid and store in the fridge until ready to eat.

Turn the jar upside down and shake into a bowl, toss.  Yum!