Mason Jar Salads!

Mason Jar Salad:  Taco Salad

One of the easiest ways to stay on track during the week is being prepared with lunches.  I will be honest, there is nothing I despise more than making lunches... especially the night before! So in the spirit of meal prep, this is one of my absolute favourite things to make!

Many people ask, "but do they stay fresh all week?"  They sure do!  The trick is in layering your salads the proper way.  I will show you step by step how I do it.  This is my third week making these salads and this week I chose to do a "Taco Salad."  The great thing about this recipe is that you can add as many ingredients or as little ingredients as you like. Have fun & make it your own!

Recipe (This is for 8 salads) - I made dinner plans for one day this week so made 4 salads for me and 4 for my hubby.

• 8 wide mouth quart size mason jars
• 1-2 lbs ground turkey cooked 
• 1 can black olives, drained (*optional - my hubby likes these...I do not!)
• 1/2 can corn niblets (*optional - this was for my salads! Hubby wasn't a fan of corn)
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (*also optional.  I didn't use any in my salads)
• 1 packet taco seasoning (low sodium or make your own!)
• 1 jar of salsa
• plain Greek yogurt
• 1 quart cherry tomatoes, whole
• 1 english cucumber, sliced
• 1 medium chopped red onion
• 2 chopped avocados
• Jar of pickled jalapeños, drained (I put 5-6 in each jar)
• 1 head of chopped romaine lettuce
• Crushed tortilla chips (on the side!!)

Ok! Follow the steps below to make the perfect mason jar salad!  

Step One:

Put salsa in your jar first, then and add jalapeños. It is really up to you how much salsa and  

jalapeños you want to use.  Depends on your eating plan and how much you enjoy!

Step Two: 

This is where you would add your corn, black olives and black beans.  (You want to add vegetables here that would marinade well in the salsa.)

Step Three:
Add some greek yogurt! (Ideally, I should have probably added the yogurt with the salsa then the veggies on top.) I am sure it will still be fine.

Step Four:
Here I added cherry tomatoes, cucumber and red onion.

Step Five:

How about some advacado!

Step Six:

Add your COOKED ground turkey!  Make sure to make this ahead of time and let it cool before adding it to your jar.

Step Seven:

Add some cheese then lastly, add the romaine lettuce loosely to the jar.  I do not cram it in.

ENJOY!!!!  When you go to eat the salad, I like to pour it in a big bowl and add crushed up tortilla chips. If you are on the go, you could try to shake it up and just eat it with a fork.  Good luck!:) 

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