Paleo Jar Salads are grain-free, corn-free, gluten-free and nutritious! One of the best features; you can customize your own salad.
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When you travel or eat a meal on the go, you might also like The 8 Best Grain Free Healthy Snack Review.
It’s a wonderful time of year for road trips and picnics! Paleo Jar Salads make an excellent meal option. These salads are easy to prepare and take with you on your next trip.
- Taco Salad
- Egg (and bacon) Salad
- BLT (Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato) Salad
- Classic Chicken Salad
- Quinoa & Kale Salad
- BBQ Chicken Salad
- Meatballs & Spiralized Zucchini Salad
- Tuna Melt Salad (dairy-free)
The options are endless! Chose a protein & then begin adding vegetables.
Buy Your Jars here: Ball Wide Mouth Pint 16-Ounce Glass Mason Jar with Lids and Bands, 12-Count
Why Jar Salads?
Three simple reasons: Convenience, Customize, and Healthy!
My family loves these salads! They taste great and are convenient for when life gets real busy. It’s a wonderful feeling to plan ahead and have meals prepared and ready in the refrigerator.
Another plus is Jar Salads can be completely customized for each individuals taste. Not everyone likes every flavor or every vegetable. I have encouraged my kids to be involved and preparing the salads. On my end, I prepare the meat, select and wash the vegetables. Each person can learn to pack their own jar!
Food Preparations
- Begin with clean pint size jars.
- Wash and pat dry lettuce and kale.
- Cook and cool meat.
- Boil and peel eggs, if needed.
- Wash and slice all vegetables.
The individual instructions for each style of Salad is given below. The individual salad recipes are for 4 pint-size jars. If you made one batch of each kind, you would have 16 meals! The salads stay fresh for 3-4 days.
FREE PRINTABLE RECIPES!
Taco Jar Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground venison, ground beef, or ground turkey Organic
- 2-3 T. Primal Palate Taco Seasoning
- 1 tsp. Coconut oil
- Lettuce, kale, Mixed baby greens
- Cucumber slices
- 1 green, red or. yellow pepper, sliced organic
- Radish slices
- Small tomatoes
- garden mix sprouts or micro greens
- 1-2 T. Raw cheddar cheese or Non-dairy cheese Grated
Instructions
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On the stove top, melt 1 tsp. of coconut oil in a large cast iron skillet.
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Add 1 pound of ground meat. Cook meat, using a large metal spatula to flip and move around meat. Once the meat is thoroughly cooked, add the taco seasoning. (You can add individual ingredients to make a spiced taco seasoning if Bearitos brand is not available in your area.)
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Slowly add 1/4c of water to the seasoned meat. Let it simmer until all the moisture is gone. Remove from the heat.
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Remove the meat from the skillet and place in the refrigerator to cool. I like to place the meat on a plate to cool.
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In a clean pint sized jar, add 1/4 pound of cooked, seasoned taco meat. Add grated raw cheese. Next place the desired vegetables in the jar. Lastly add your lettuce. The jar should be full, with no air at the top. Top with an airtight lid.
Dressing Options: Organicville French Dressing, Daiya Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing, Bragg’s Organic Vinegrette Dressing.
Printable Recipes – Paleo Jar Salads
Bacon Lettuce Tomato (BLT)
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Uncured bacon Organic
- Lettuce & kale washed & dried
- Small tomatoes
- Cucumber slices
- microgreens
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the strips of bacon on the parchment paper. Bake for 18-20 minutes. The baking time will need to be adjusted depending on the thickness of the bacon. Remove from the oven, once it reaches the desired crispness.
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Cool the bacon on a separate plate, and pat off the extra oil.
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Once the bacon is cooled, crumble several slices. Add the bacon crumbles to the bottom of a clean pint jar.
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Add sliced cucumbers, onions, and other desired veggies to the jar.
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Fill jar with lettuce. Allow a little room at the top for tomatoes. (Option: Slice small tomatoes in half and place on top of lettuce.). Make sure the jar is full and place an airtight cap on top.
Glass canning jars are the perfect size for making a salad! For your convenience, you can order them through amazon at the link below:
Ball Wide Mouth Pint Glass Mason Jar with Lids and Bands, 12-Count
Egg Salad
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs, boiled organic
- 4 slices Uncured bacon cooked
- Sliced cucumber, carrots, radish
- Baby romaine lettuce
Instructions
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In a large pot, add 8 eggs. Fill with cool water until the eggs are covered. Place the lid on.
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Bring the eggs to a boil on medium heat. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Leave the eggs in the hot water, with the lid on for 18 minutes.
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Farm Fresh Egg Peeling instructions; use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the pot. Place them in a bowl. Add cold water and several ice cubes. Set the hot water aside.
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Once the eggs are cooled, you may begin peeling them. Again, for fresh eggs you’ll need to follow these instructions. Place a cooled egg on the slotted spoon, dip the egg back in the pot of hot water. Leave in the pot for 20-30 seconds. Remove and peel immediately. Peeling is easier if you begin where the air sac is, usually near the bottom of the egg. Continue dipping each individual cooled egg into the warm water before peeling.
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In a large bowl, use a fork to chop your eggs into desired pieces. Optional: add Bragg’s vinegrette and homemade pickle slices.
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Divide the egg salad mixture between 4 jars. Next add one slice of cooked bacon. Add any desired vegetables and lastly fill the jar with baby romaine lettuce.
The chicken salad pictured here is for my husband. He likes the small tender pieces of romaine lettuce, and lots of cheddar cheese with his chicken salad. Again, these salads can be made to each family members preference. We mark the top of our jar lids so each person can easily find their salad. When my daughters were younger, they would get their favorite sticker for the top of their jar. It’s the little things that make these Paleo Jar Salads fun.
Chicken and Vegetable Salad
Ingredients
- 2 c. Cooked chicken organic
- 1/2 c. Raw cheddar cheese grated
- Sliced mushrooms, broccoli, onions, & tomatoes
Instructions
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Plan to cook the chicken the night before preparing these salads. NOTE: I usually have a roasted chicken in the crock pot or chicken on the grill the night before making these chicken salads. Set aside 1/2 c. of cooked chicken per jar.
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Assemble your salad to your preferences. We enjoy all kinds of vegetables, including mushrooms, green onions, English cucumber slices, sprouts, and small cherry tomatoes.
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Fill the remainder of the jar with the lettuce or kale of your choice. Remember to fill to the top and place an airtight lid on the salad.
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Refrigerate!
Every salad assembled here will need to stay cool. We have used hard sided coolers with ice packs to keep the jars cool when we go on day trips. Individual soft sided coolers with a small ice pack also work great!
I have found it’s always handy to have an ice pack when you travel. Most hotels or cabins have small freezers to re-freeze your ice pack. We frequently travel with our RV and the Paleo Jar Salads fit nicely in the small refrigerator and they are ready when we stop for a break.
What about salad dressing? It is our preference to pack a small bottle of dressing with our salads. (Our favorite is Bragg’s Organic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing!!!) If space is limited we might just bring along a small bottle of olive oil to put on top of our salads. Please do what works for you! We also pack a sea salt shaker.
Enjoy Your “Healthy Salad To-Go”
Paleo Jar Salads are wonderful for so many reasons! It involves family members with food preparations, the salads can be customized for individual tastes and your body feels good from eating food that doesn’t make you sick later!
It’s fun to tweak the salads each time you make them as well. Have fun while preparing your meal on the go.
I would enjoy hearing from you! Please share which salad you have enjoyed the most. What vegetables do you like to include in your jar. Enjoy your journey or picnic wherever life takes you that day!
Pursing Better Health Together,