Thomas Hengge As runners, we want to fuel our bodies with healthy foods for optimal performance. However, that isn’t always easy when we’re on the go or pressed for time. But with the ever popular mason jar, your make-ahead, portable lunch options can get a lot more exciting, flavorful, […]
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Thomas Hengge
As runners, we want to fuel our bodies with healthy foods for optimal performance. However, that isn’t always easy when we’re on the go or pressed for time. But with the ever popular mason jar, your make-ahead, portable lunch options can get a lot more exciting, flavorful, and packed with nutrients to keep you healthy and energized. Enter: these simple yet delicious mason jar salad recipes.
These salads put a creative spin on your typical greens-based meal, mixing in seasonal veggies, fruit, various protein sources, healthy fats, and plenty of carb options to help you maintain energy on the run and keep you satisfied for hours. Thanks to the mix of good-for-you ingredients, you get lots of vitamins and minerals in each jar, too.
5 Mason Jar Salad Recipes to Make for Your Next Lunch
1. Deconstructed Sushi
Sushi might be a runner’s perfect food due to its balance of easily digestible carbs, healthy fat, and protein. Rolling sushi is a task most of us don’t have time for, though, so making this recipe is ideal. The super stars of this dish are salmon, which is rich in omega-3s that boost heart function and reduce inflammation, and astaxanthin, an antioxidant that has been shown to reduce muscle damage in response to training. This mason jar salad also contains nori, which contains trace nutrients that help cellular function, as well as an essential mineral for thyroid function known as iodine.
Salad ingredients:
- 1 cup edamame, shelled
- 1 cup quinoa or rice, cooked
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- 1 avocado, pitted and cubed
- ½ pound raw salmon, skinned removed and diced (if you don’t have access to sushi-quality fish, cook the fish before using)
- 2 tbsp dried nori flakes
- 1 tbsp sesame seed
Vinaigrette ingredients:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- Sriracha to taste (optional)
Instructions:
- Place all dressing ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- In a bowl, toss the sesame seeds, quinoa (or rice), and nori.
- Have two mason jars ready.
- Layer ingredients into the jars (half in each) in this order, starting from the bottom and working up: vinaigrette, edamame, avocado, quinoa mixture, cucumber, salmon.
- Close the lid tightly and refrigerate (store for up to 2 days).
- Shake or dump on into a bowl before consuming.
2. Fruit Salad
Thomas Hengge
Fruit salad might make you think of syrupy fruit cups or bad potluck, but this version will change your mind. An endurance athlete’s power combo of satisfying, slow-burning fats and fast-acting carbohydrates, this mix provides lasting energy. The papaya contains an enzyme papain, which aides in breaking food down to ease digestion and increase nutrient absorption. Eat it a few hours before running for more energy to leave on the pavement or trail.
Ingredients:
- 1 banana, sliced
- 1 cup papaya, chunked
- 1 cup quinoa
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 2 tbsp goji berries
- 1 lime, juice and zest
Instructions:
- Have two jars ready.
- Toss the banana, papaya, and avocado with lime juice.
- Layer ingredients into the jars (half in each) in this order, starting from the bottom and working up: yogurt, almond butter, quinoa, fruit, coconut, lime zest, goji berries, and hemp seed.
- Close the lid tightly and refrigerate (store for up to 2 days).
- Shake or dump on into a bowl before consuming.
3. Street Corn Taco Salad
Thomas Hengge
Tacos aren’t exactly easy to pack as a lunch, but this jar version make them much more convenient. Corn provides the fiber and carbohydrates, with the added bonus of quercetin, which may support better endurance performances. This recipe also combines iron-rich beef and vitamin-packed spinach to help keep you performing at your best.
Salad ingredients:
- 1 cup corn kernels
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- ½ pound ground grass fed beef
- 1 cup spinach, shredded
- 1 green onion sliced
- ½ cup salsa of choice
- 1 avocado, pitted and diced
- 2 tbsp jalapeño, diced or to taste
Dressing ingredients:
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup cotija cheese, crumbled
- 1 lime, juice
- ¼ tsp each: garlic salt and cumin
Instructions:
- Heat a skillet over medium/high heat. Add oil. Once oil is hot, add the beef and pinto beans. Sautéing until nicely browned. Set aside to cool.
- Mix dressing ingredients together.
- Have two jars ready.
- Layer ingredients into the jars (half in each) in this order, starting from the bottom and working up: salsa, beef, corn, corn dressing, avocado, lettuce, onion, and jalapeño.
- Close the lid tightly and refrigerate (store for up to 3 days).
- Shake or dump on into a bowl before consuming.
4. Mediterranean Mix
Thomas Hengge
The Mediterranean diet has long been supported as one of the healthiest eating styles, thanks to its prioritization of omega-rich fats and minimally processed ingredients. Following this diet has the potential to improve cognitive function, reduce muscular damage and, maybe most importantly, some research suggests an association between this diet and better VO2 max. This recipe will provide you with calcium, vitamin C, protein, carbohydrates, and fiber for a solid foundation of nutrients that will keep your body healthy and well-fueled.
Salad ingredients:
- 1 cup orzo, cooked
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- ½ cup feta, crumbled
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes in oil, diced
- ½ cup jarred artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 1 cup rotisserie chicken, shredded (can substitute for shrimp or chickpeas)
Vinaigrette ingredients:
- ¼ cup garlic hummus
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp dukkah
Instructions:
- Make the dressing by whisking ingredients together until smooth.
- Have two jars ready.
- Layer ingredients into the jars (half in each) in this order, starting from the bottom and working up: vinaigrette, bell pepper, artichoke, tomatoes, chicken, orzo, feta, arugula.
- Close the lid tightly and refrigerate (store for up to 3 days).
- Shake or dump on into a bowl before consuming.
5. Harvest Grain Jar
Thomas Hengge
’Tis the season for hearty grain bowls full of root veggies and squashes! For runners, this is more than just a delicious change of flavors, it means more nutrients that deliver more of what you need to perform at your best. For example, this recipe contains complex carbohydrates to supply lasting energy from beets, apples, chickpeas, squash and quinoa. Bonus, the beets contain natural nitrates that improve blood flow, boosting the amount of oxygen your muscles get and how well you can perform.
Salad ingredients:
- 2 cups butternut squash, cubed and roasted
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked
- ½ cup canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2 cups kale or Brussel sprouts, shredded
- ½ cup apple, shredded
- ½ cup raw beet, shredded
- 2 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp flax seed
Vinaigrette ingredients:
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp whole grain mustard
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- Chipotle chili flakes to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
- Have two large jars ready.
- In a large bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Add the kale or Brussel sprouts to the bowl with the vinaigrette. Massage the dressing into the greens to soften it.
- Layer ingredients into the jars (half in each) in this order, starting from the bottom and working up: beet, butternut squash, chickpeas, quinoa, massaged kale, apple, pumpkin seeds, flax. Drizzle over any extra vinaigrette.
- Close the lid tightly and refrigerate (store for up to 3 days).
- Shake or dump on into a bowl before consuming.
All recipes created by author Lori Russell, MS, RDN, registered dietitian, an avid cyclist and runner who's passionate about empowering athletes with nutrition expertise for optimal performance.
