{all images shot in film by jessica burke}

I’d seen this idea swirling around pinterest for a while and Jessica and I decided to give it a go a few weeks ago when we were in mason jar craft mania land. the result? super cute, super easy, and super green. saving $ is key these days, and every time we buy lunch out it adds up - these mason jar “to-go” salads are a convenient way to bring your lunch to work, and you can just bring the jar home at the end of the day to use again. and by layering the dressing on the bottom in between the cheese/nuts and lettuce, you eliminate the “soggy lettuce” that can typically happen otherwise. here’s how you can do it:

ingredients:

• 1/2 qt. mason jar (or any size to your liking)
• all the items you’d typically put in a salad - in this case, I used strawberry vinaigrette dressing, goat cheese crumbles, candied walnuts & dried cranberries, and mixed greens
• optional: baker’s twine
• optional: plastic fork

directions:

1. pour your dressing in to the bottom of a clean, dry mason jar
2. add the nuts & cranberries, followed by the cheese crumbles. make sure to make an even layer as this will prevent the dressing from getting to the leaves and making things soggy.

 3. add the mixed greens and secure the jar with the lid and seal.

4. optional: tie a plastic fork to the jar with bakers twine or ribbon to make it pretty and convenient.
5. when ready, shake the jar to mix all ingredients, open and enjoy!