Salads-in-a-jar are so much fun to make and so easy to grab for a quick easy meal on the run! The sky is the limit with what you can do with them, once you master the basic principles. The measurements I'm sharing here are approximate for pint jars. If you're a big eater and would rather have a quart jar, just double them. I'm posting several different salad-in-a-jar recipes, so feel free to try them all!
Rules for making your Salad-in-a-Jar:
1. Salad dressing and liquids always go on the bottom.
2. Choose your next item as something that won't spoil if it gets wet. You can buy bags of shredded carrots that are nicely dried and they work great if you need a layer to go in between.
3. Do NOT use diced tomatoes—only cherry tomatoes.
4. Make sure your lettuce is thoroughly dried, or it will spoil, and always make it your last ingredient in the jar. Make sure that whatever layer that the lettuce is touching is also dry. (Hint: If you don't have time to wash and dry lettuce, simply buy the pre-washed spinach or spring lettuce mixes in the plastic containers. Those are usually dry enough to put straight into your jars and saves time!)
5. Don't try to make 5 kinds of salads-in-a-jar in the same day. You will burn out. Choose one or two flavors and choose different ones the next week. You'll still get variety without lots of hard work!
6. If you are careful, Salads in a Jar should keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Make them on Sunday night and you'll have sack lunches all made through Friday!