#simple lunch

This was lunch.

Two types of sweet peppers.

Malabar spinach.

Oregano!

If you follow my Instagram I mentioned how I want to start mixing in some lifestyle posts in between my photo posts. I did a poll and more than 80% of you were interested in other content, so here we go!

Easy Work Lunch

I definitely got on the mason salad jar train. When I first started doing them I would make for the whole week on a Sunday. I would usually do it with one friend so that we could buy lots of ingredients to make different salads for each day and keep the costs down. We would also do some other meal prep together for meals for the rest of the week, and it was super fun and relaxing on a Sunday!

It is hard to keep up meal planning on Sundays though. I have weekend raves, brunches that leave my Sunday in a drunk haze, and plain old laziness. I’ve started to figure out ways I can make lunches before work that don’t take up too much time, and a good mason jar salad is one of them! This is a receipt for one of the easiest!

Step One: Prep

I always wash my lettuce then cut the whole head up. I have a salad spinner from Ikea (it’s only $4.99) and it quickly dries my lettuce and stores the rest of it perfectly. It locks in the moisture and truly keeps the lettuce for longer than if I had it in the drawer, which is great because often times I forget about it. Cutting all the lettuce at once also saves me time later when I need a quick salad!

This salad uses a lemon dressing that I find in the refrigerated section of Ralph’s. It’s super yummy and pairs really well with tuna.

Step 2: Start Packing

The rest of the prep is super easy, and honestly I find it kind of fun. It’s like making a lunch sand art! You always start with the items in your salad that won't get soggy during the day. Everyone thinks mason jar salads are just a trendy joke, but really they’re super functional! 

Add enough salad dressing, it took me a while to figure out exactly how much to include, so be patient with yourself if you don’t have enough the first time!

Next add tomatoes. I used heirloom tomatoes for this one and cut them up before adding them to the jar.

Next I added red onions. I LOVE red onions in my salad. They add that extra taste where sometimes I feel like veggies begin tasting all the same in a salad... I always include red tomatoes in my salad, sliced super thinly so they’re not over powering though!

Next cucumbers! They add a good texture to the salad. If you don’t use all your cucumber be sure to wrap the top so it keeps in the fridge!

Finally fill it up with lettuce! I squish everything down and really pack the lettuce in. If I keep it super loose I don’t end up with enough lettuce, especially since I really like to add a lot of the toppings I don’t leave much room in my jar so I squish it all down!

Step 3: Extras!

These tuna packs are my favorite to keep in my pantry. There’s a bunch of flavor options but this one is a good one for the lemon dressing. They usually cost between $1-$2, but I wait for them to go on sale for $1 and buy a bunch to hold onto. 

I also precut my avocado. If you’re only using half save the half with the seed in it in the fridge (that half will last longer) wrapped up. The half I take to work I sprinkle with lemon juice then put in the same container as the lemon. This keeps it from browning too much and then I use the lemon to squeeze on my salad too if I want it!

There you have it! A simple and super cheap lunch! If it’s not filling, pack a sandwich as well, I’ve done that some days when I needed more to eat, but usually that was when I didn’t have the tuna.