Welcome to Day 1 of the Mason Jar Salad Challenge! My beloved Protein Power Mason Jar Salad.
This challenge differs from the smoothie challenge because we are not all eating the same daily salad. Instead, I provided ten favorite mason jar salads, and then you pick which ones you would like to make. Remember, the goal is to eat a salad for ten days.
Anyway, you'll still get a daily email from me to keep you focused and motivated on the challenge. I'll talk a little more about the recipe and share some other tips.
Okay, let's get to it. This first mason jar salad recipe is my absolute favorite and the one I make most often. I call it the Protein Power Mason Jar Salad.
The protein in the salad comes from quinoa, chickpeas, and eggs; it's a great vegetarian lunch. If you don't eat eggs or cheese, then leave both out.
I'm pretty sure I've been eating this one for two years straight! And ironically, it was created with leftovers. Anyway, it's delicious, filling, and always in my meal prep rotation.
I love Italian dressing, but balsamic vinaigrette or lemon dressing is equally good in this salad.
Cooking tips
The quinoa and eggs are the two ingredients that you'll need to cook. Often, I'll make both on Saturday, so they're ready to go into the salads on Sunday. The recipe I gave you provide the perfect amount of quinoa to cook. However, you can make a larger amount and then save some to make these stuffed peppers or this broccoli and cheddar quinoa casserole.
Also, quinoa has a bitter coating, so rinse it before cooking. You can see more tips on how to cook quinoa in this tutorial I put together.
Shopping Tips
Quinoa is easy to find in most grocery stores next to rice. If you live near a wholesale store like BJ's Wholesale, Costco, or Sam's club, check for great prices on large bags of organic quinoa. I use white quinoa, but you can also use red or black quinoa.
If you struggle to find quinoa where you live, check out Thrive Market, an online grocery store that sells many natural and organic brands at affordable prices. There is a yearly membership fee of $59.95, but I think it's worth it, especially if you purchase many natural, organic, or gluten-free items.
Mason Jar Salad Q & A
How do you eat the mason jar salads? Do you eat them straight from the jar?
I get this question all of the time. When I'm ready to eat the salad, I shake the ingredients in the jar and then dump it into a bowl. Some people think it's too much work or too many bowls, but it doesn't bother me at all. The convenience of having lunch ready to eat outweighs the annoyances of using a second bowl.
When I worked in an office I would keep a bowl at work to use. Then I'd quickly wash it after lunch and stick it back in my desk. Easy!
Sharing is caring!
The best part about this mason jar salad challenge is the supportive community, so don't forget to share a picture in the OYS Facebook group!
Rate this recipe
I'd love for you to leave a comment and rating on this Protein Power Mason Jar Salad recipe on the Organize Yourself Skinny blog. This challenge only gets better with your feedback.
See you tomorrow!
Tammy Overhoff
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