many questions have been asked since i posted my salad picture yesterday and while i don't have the monopoly on answers ;) i will answer to my experience and what i did to make these salads THM workable.

Q. how long do they last?

i have had these last up to 2 weeks. i do think packing them tightly is what keeps them so fresh. the other trick is to keep your dressing as far away from your greens as possible. i actually like doing this so much more than daily preparing a salad, because once i have thought and planned, i don't have to think again on my meal choice, either for lunch or when the rest of the family wants something NOT THM friendly. it also makes the greens last MUCH longer than when they are in their bulk containers.

Q. what kind of jars and where do you get them?

i kinda covered this in my first post about these little gems. i use mason or ball jars. i have also used walmart brand. they are canning/jelly jars. they are in the area with storage/canning supplies or pickling supplies. i have found them at target, walmart, true value stores and grocery stores. i use mason jars for EVERY. STINKIN. THING. so i have them lying around. i don't like the metal rings as they rust easily and there are 2 parts to keep up with. the plastic lids can be found in the same section with the jars. this is a great time to stock up on them because with the gardening season comes canning season. but any jar with a lid will do. i have tried these with plastic containers but the salads just don't last as long. these jars are the widemouth pint and quart.

Q. do you have to seal them, vacuum pack, etc?

nope

Q. what kind of protein do i use?

again, i covered this a bit in my last post but i keep getting questions. i use chicken, turkey (either cooked at home or deli meat--boars head without fillers, sugars, etc.) i have used ground beef as taco meat. one of my favorites is to buy a package of salami and pepperoni and chop that up and make it an italian type salad. i will usually take a boiled egg with me to put on top as there is barely room for anything else and taking an egg is not a big deal.

Q. what kind of dressings?

i typically make my own but the creamy one in the photo is one i found at whole foods. its a white cheddar and doesn't have all the junk most dressings have.

Q. what other salads can you make?

again, i found these on pinterest.....you can too! if you don't eat THM, its your choice. if you do follow the THM plan, find a recipe you like and just substitue or leave out what makes it not on plan for you. i typically do well with a cross over meal tossed in frequently, so i just make sure the ingredients are still on plan.

any more questions? i am happy to answer what i know and what i don't, i will make up and act like i know ;)

oh...and my wall, LOL....i may have gotten more questions about this than the jars. as you can see its in need of some TLC, but when we moved in this house, it was VERY 90's with floral wallpaper EVERYWHERE. we had just moved from a 100 year old victorian and i wanted to keep my stuff and the look. i wanted my kitchen to look like a farm house/kitchen. we decided to keep the wall paper and paint over it to 1) save money and 2) keep the smooth walls. I LOVE IT. i have several kitchen gadgets from flea markets and my grandma and also decided to hang my cast iron skillet. voila. nothing spectacular but its mine and i love it.

last august i found this eating plan completely by accident. my dr had prescribed apple cider vinegar to be taken daily. this became a little more than i could tolerate well...as in i couldn't choke it down any more. i posted something on facebook about needing to find another way to chug it and all these comments about good girl moonshine kept poppin up. when i googled that (secretely hoping it had tequila in it) THM was mentioned in almost every post. i looked that up and i have been on a get healthier journey that is finally working for me. if you want to know more, google it....what did i ever do before google????? if you want to hear more about my own personal journey with THM, i am HAPPY to oblige.

it has been a trial and error situation for me, and add in beginning to work full time, i had a challenge on how to make this continue working for me. i have some regular things that work well and i would love to write about it all, but you can find most of what i do on pinterest or facebook. BUT. i have made it work for ME.

this is one of those things. i have seen these little jewels on pinterest for years now and been afraid to try them. i LOVE salads! but only when someone else does all the prep work. I love salad bars but they are too pricey for me. and i NEEEEED more salads in my life. so. i decided to bite the bullet and try these out. I LOVE THEM. i take them to work daily and they are so good and i feel so much better first knowing i'm eating better and then i feel better because i AM eating better.

i will explain more about the science behind what i do, but for now (and it will only make sense to those already eating this way) i will tell how i make these salads fit into the plan.

i have made most of these 'S' meals, which means they are high protein, high fat/low carb. Some are 'E' but not as much because i don't do well on high protein, high carb/low fat.

to keep this from being too long on details when all you want is the specifics, i will get to it.

these can be any size jar. the big quart size make a nice salad to share or to feast on. i made them this size first and they were too big...time wise and appetite wise. i had to throw much more out than i wanted, so went to the pint size. they are perfect for me.

i think glass makes a difference in the staying power of the greens. i haven't tried anything else, but what i have read makes me want to stick with mason jars. and honestly, i have mason jars coming out my ears because I LOVE MASON JARS. I DID purchase the plastic lids because i don't like to deal with rust.

the key is the layering order. you want the dressing to stay as far away from the greens as possible. so...what i do and did here is in the order i put them is

dressing
grape tomatoes (not too many if your doing an 'S' meal
zucchini
cucumbers
bellpeppers
purple onion (again...not too much)

basically any vegetable that being merinaded in the dressing won't hurt or will make it better--broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus...you get the idea.

then...i put in either seeds, nuts, olives or avocado, or grains or beans (if I am making an E)

next would come cheese/meats. if i am doing an E, i use fat free feta. for meats, i have used what i have or i go buy specific meats for what i want. i really like pepperoni and salami cut up with parmesean and cheddar. i have used taco meat and made a taco salad. i have used left over baked chicken for both S and E meals. i put the cheese in first and then the meat.

then comes the greens. this is fun because i can use greens that i typically wouldn't buy. i buy the big containers of probably spinach and then 'power' greens. i stuff stuff stuff the top of the jar to the point i have to hold it in to put the lid on.

i put the lid on and put them all in the frig in order of what fuel source they are.

you HAVE to get them full to over the top brimming to keep them fresh.

DRESSINGS:

I have several favorites and for the most part I make them myself.

by the nature of dressings, they would typically be an S but what i do is switch out half the oil with water. Can't even tell.

two of my favorites so far are:

HERB VINAIGRETTE

1/2 Cup Olive oil
1/4 Cup ACV
1/4 Cp Braggs Aminos
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tablespoon dijon
Juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

mix together in a jar

STRAWBERRY VINAIGRETTE

1/4 Cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons sugar free strawberry preserves
juice of 1 lime
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
salt and pepper

mix together in a jar

i use about 2 tablespoons of dressing in the bottom of my jars.

i will post answers to most of the questions i have gotten in my next post......later tonight or tomorrow.

salad in a jar Q/A and my kitchen wall :)

trim healthy mama and how i make it work for me.