salad in a jar

I had so many questions and comments from this photo I posted on Facebook & Instagram recently... so I decided I should post about it.

For a few months, Ben has been asking me to make him a "salad in a jar" to take to work. Something about a lady he works with makes them for lunch everyday & he'd love to eat out less so could I make some?

I toooootally didn't get the concept of it. Until I finally made it.

ok...now I get it. And it's my new favorite thing.

quick tip:

if you don't already have mason jars, purchase them at your local grocery store in the Canning section. You can get a dozen for just a couple dollars.

So here's the concept...

Put the dressing on the bottom, then chicken, nuts, etc and not only will it marinade but it'll also keep the lettuce {your next layer} from touching the dressing and getting soggy {so brilliant}.

You can make them days ahead & they remain fresh.

These are my favorite dressings of the moment {especially mixed together}.

In this jar {for the bottom layer}, I used my dressing combo above, rotisserie chicken, crumbled bacon, hard boiled eggs, & walnuts.

Then came the lettuce & fresh pear on top since that'd get mushy if left in the dressing.

{strawberries are a definite top of the jar item, too}

This was Ben's lunch yesterday.

{think I may have gone a little overboard with the dressing. oops, sorry love}

I'm a huge berry fan so mine was filled with blackberries, rasberries, strawberries, as well as nuts, chicken, hardboiled eggs, and a few other items.