It’s no secret that Mason jars are a growing trend, and lately, we’ve seen them used everywhere! However, our favorite new and trendy way to use Mason jars is as a lunch box! Not only do they make your food look amazing, but they also keep it fresh and are a perfect way to store your meals in the fridge or heat them up as needed. They are also ideal for those busy mornings when you don’t have time to make your lunch.
We’ve rounded up five of our favorite Mason jar lunches that can be prepared the night before, making your mornings that much easier. But, before we get to the lunches here are three tips we've found on how to make your Mason jar lunch looks and taste as great as possible!
Tip #1
If your meal has a sauce or dressing that goes with it, always make sure to add the dressing to the Mason jar first. This will keep the rest of the ingredients in the jar from getting soggy throughout the day!
Tip #2
After you’ve added your dressing, be sure to add proteins (meats, tofu, fish, etc.) next. Adding proteins after dressing will protect the softer ingredients, like veggies, from coming in contact with the dressing and getting wet.
Tip #3
The last thing you always want to add to your Mason jar lunches is your greens! Putting your greens on top of all the other ingredients will make sure to keep them crisp and fresh.
Now that we’ve got the basics covered, let’s check out these amazing lunch recipes!
Mason Jar Egg Salad
Eggs, in general, are bursting with nutrients, and hard boiling them makes them easy to pack as a snack or eat them with just about anything! Eggs are often deemed as a breakfast food and can be overlooked when it comes to other meals throughout the day. Egg salad, however, is the perfect mid-day meal and the ingredients in this salad work flawlessly when combined in a Mason jar, making it an incredibly easy lunch to whip up at any time of the day!
To make your Mason jar egg salad start by adding these five ingredients to your jar and any extras you might like!
Ingredients:
- Mayonnaise
- 3-4 hard boiled Eggs, chopped
- 1 cup chopped Lettuce
- 1 Avocado, sliced
- A dash of Salt and Pepper
Mason Jar Fruit Parfait
During the summer we’re constantly trying to beat the heat, and a homemade Mason jar parfait is a perfect way to cool down and refresh our taste buds. Yogurt also works hard to keep our muscles energized and our bodies hydrated, making it great to eat after that lunchtime walk! By adding granola to your parfait, you’ll create a balanced meal that will kick your metabolism into overdrive and have you burning calories all day long! Bob’s Red Mill Honey Oat Granola tastes great with just about any fruit and is an excellent way to sweeten up plain yogurt if you’re trying to avoid a lot of sugar!
Here're the ingredients for one of our favorite parfaits!
Ingredients:
Mason Jar Zucchini Pasta
Swapping spiralized zucchini for pasta is always a good idea, especially when you’re craving something refreshing! Zucchini noodles taste great with all kinds of veggies and dressings and create a low calorie, vitamin-rich lunch you’ll crave daily. Try out this simple combo when making your next Mason jar zucchini pasta!
Ingredients:
- Champagne Vinaigrette
- 2 oz Gorgonzola
- ⅓ cup Pomegranate Seeds
- A handful of Pistachios
- 1 ½ cups Spiralized Zucchini
Mason Jar Burrito Bowl
There is never a bad time for Mexican food, and lately, our burrito cravings have been out of control. While Mexican dishes aren’t always seen as healthy, it doesn’t mean that they can’t be! By choosing your favorite natural ingredients, you can ensure that your burrito bowl stays healthy and nutritious. We like to swap the rice in ours for quinoa, to add even more protein and vitamins to the dish.
Try out our favorite Mason jar burrito bowl with Bob’s Red Mill Organic Quinoa for a tasty lunch!
Ingredients:
- Dollop Light Sour Cream or Greek yogurt
- Splash Lime Juice
- 4-6 oz Salsa
- ¼ can (15 oz) Black Beans
- ½ cup cooked Bob’s Red Mill Organic Quinoa
- ½ cup Lettuce
- ½ Tomato, diced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Mason Jar Upside Down California Roll
There’s nothing like grabbing some sushi on your lunch break. It’s refreshing; it’s fast and, most importantly, it’s delicious. This upside down California roll is one of our absolute favorites! You can save money and time by creating your version of a California roll, plus it allows you to add as much of each ingredient as you want, designed with your taste buds in mind!
Feel free to spice things up and add whatever ingredients you like to this Mason Jar California Roll, however here’s our favorite ingredients to start with!
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup whole grain Brown Rice
- ¼ Cucumber, chopped
- ¼-½ cup Crab (or Imitation Crab)
- ½ sliced Avocado
- A handful of nori
Share you favorite on the go lunches in the comments below!
Eggs, in general, are bursting with nutrients, and hard boiling them makes them easy to pack as a snack or eat them with just about anything! Eggs are often deemed as a breakfast food and can be overlooked when it comes to other meals throughout the day. Egg salad, however, is the perfect mid-day meal and the ingredients in this salad work flawlessly when combined in a Mason jar, making it an incredibly easy lunch to whip up at any time of the day!
To make your Mason jar egg salad start by adding these five ingredients to your jar and any extras you might like!
Ingredients:
I'm also assuming you'd cook the spiralized zucchini, and the quinoa would be prepped and cooked, as well. Your directions mention nothing. That aside, I LOVE these ideas! We're a busy family who are going all different directions, and this might be the answer to a lot of my situations!
mash avocado, add chopped hardboiled eggs, onion and green olives n s&p. serve on salad or stuffed in celery.
1/2 cup rice
1/2 chopped cucumber
½ cup crab (or canned salmon)
½ sliced avocado
1/4 cup pickled ginger
A handful of nori, toasted with wasabi powder even better!
sprinkle sesame seeds
take tamari, to top when eating
Thank you,
Jane