This EASY healthy taco mason jar salad recipe is low carb, gluten free and Paleo friendly! THIS salad in a jar will actually make you actually LOVE salads!
PIN Taco Mason Jar Salad
I am pretty sure that I am one of THOSE people who just can’t get my head around the “dang fangled new trends of the 21st century”
And by that I mean, I am an 80 year old living in a 24 year olds body.
I mean, when did we start putting a salad in a jar? Back in the old country where I walked UPHILL both ways to school (WITH NO SHOES) we ate our salads in a bowl. You know, like all mixed up. Not in layers of COLOR and flavor that made my eyeballs happy because PRETTY.
But today I’ve got you a jar salad recipe that is never going to make you go back to bowls again: this paleo-friendly Chicken Taco Salad loaded with creamy avocado, spicy salsa and lightly-crisp-but-a-little-bit-smoky cumin toasty-roasty veggies.
With cilantro.
Because my life motto is “CILANTRO ALL THE THINGS ALL THE TIME.”
For serious. I have about 6 bunches in my fridge right now. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME that I go to the store I walk by the leafy green section and go “BUT WHAT IF I HAVE NO CILANTRO AT HOME? WILL MY WORLD GO ON?” so I buy some out of sheer panic and terror.
If a zombie apocalypse happens, don’t worry. I got your Mexican needs COVERED. I bet I have enough to make Chipotle burrito bowls, grilled cauliflower rice Mexican chicken bowls and even “cheesy” Mexican quinoa for ALL OF YOU if that time comes.
See, I always have YO’ BACK.
And, you know, your taste buds. BFFS.
Anyway.
What I didn’t understand about this whole salad-in-a-jar-shenanigans was exactly HOWONEARTH I am supposed to eat said salad out of said mason jar. Would it magically mix together if I just gave it a little shake and be ready for me to munch? How would I fit my fork into the bottom of the jar once I had gotten down to the end?
It stressed me OUT.
Until I was informed that you don’t, in fact, eat a mason jar salad OUT of the jar. It’s strategically layered so that the ingredients don’t do that gross soggy/mushy/veggie thang that happens when you bring pre-mixed salads to the working environment. You then dump it into a bowl and faceplant into your perfectly fresh and crisp green lunch and feel the healthy energy from your head to your tippy toes.
And, really, now that I actually get concept, HOW BRILLIANT IS THAT?
This salad. It’s seems unassuming and low-key. And it is. If I were taking the IDEA of this salad on a date, I would think just a small, cozy café lunch date would do the trick.
And then you take a bite and the creamy-smooth-avocado and toasted cumin hit you SQUARE in the taste buds, and you know this salad deserves something more than that. It needs to be wined and dined.
I really don’t even know what all the means. But, let’s roll with it.
How to Make Salad in a Jar
The key to making mason jar salads is ALL in how you layer them. You have to be strategic about how you layer so you can ensure it will stay good, fresh and not get soggy. You’ll start with the dressing on the bottom and then you’ll work your way from bottom to top with the heaviest and most non-absorbent ingredients on the top. The lighter, more-absorbent ingredients will be on the top. Then your greens will go on the VERY top so they don’t get soggy!
How long does a salad in a jar last?
This mason jar salad will last a good 5-6 days in the refrigerator, if you layer it as I’ve outlined here. The layers are strategic so it stays fresh and not soggy!
THIS mason jar salad salad, with its healthy vegelicious unassumingly-delicious ways was declared “a salad that I actually don’t mind eating” by the kale-fearing-only-eat-steak-always-forever-the-end Huberoni.
In Mr. FFF speak that is like reaching the Mecca of salad GLORY.
And I know you want a piece of that.
So I suggest you shovel your nutritious nums into a pretty jar and watch as you give all those lovely co-workers a MAJAH case of LUNCH ENVY.
For step-by-step instruction of this recipe, watch my video tutorial below:
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Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil divided
- 8 Oz Chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cup Large carrots sliced (about 1 of slices)
- 1 Large Red Bell pepper sliced
- 1/2 Cup Large onion roughly chopped (about 1/2 )
- 2 tsps Garlic minced
- 2 tsp Cumin seed not the powder
- Salt
- 1 Large avocado
- 1 Large Lime juiced
- 1 Cup Salsa of choice
- 2 Cup Roma tomatoes chopped (about 1 )
- 1/2 cup a Cucumber chopped (about 1 )
- 1/2 Cup Cilantro roughly chopped
- Fresh spinach
- 2 Quart Wide-Mouth sized Mason Jars
Instructions
- Heat 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken breast until golden brown, and no longer pink on the outside. Set aside in a small bowl.
- Add the remaining 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil into the pan turn to medium/high heat. Cook the carrots until they begin to just soften, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and add in the pepper, onion and garlic. Cook until soft and the outsides begin to look charred.
- While the veggies cook, place the cumin seeds in a small, dry pan over medium/high heat and toast them, stirring frequently until golden brown and fragrant, about 2-minutes. Transfer them to a cutting board and crush. I use the bottom of a glass, which works really well.
- Add the crushed seeds into the pan with the veggies and season with salt. Mix well and turn off the heat.
- Scoop the avocado and the lime juice into a small food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. You can also just mash them together in a bowl if you wish.
- To assemble:
- Place 1/2 cup of salsa in the bottom of each jar, spreading evenly. Divide the avocado/lime mixture on top, gently spreading out. Then, divide the cumin roasted veggies, followed by the chicken. You may need to lightly pack everything in to get it all to fit.
- After the chicken, place the chopped tomatoes, and then the cucumbers. Finish off by dividing the cilantro and then as much spinach as you can stuff in there!
- Seal and refrigerate until ready to DEVOUR.
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
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i made this to bring with me camping at a festival, and it was SUCH a clutch choice. because of the heat, my appetite wasn’t huge, so i actually made each mason jar last for two meals (4 total). i loved how you cooked up the veggies, making it 5050 cooked/raw.
Glad you liked it Liz