Top Tip: Kilner Jar Salad’s

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I recently read an American post about “10 Mason Jar (What the US calls Kilner Jars) Lunches to have on hand” via the Super Healthy Kids Blog which was recommended to me by a NHM Reader a couple of years ago and thought it sounded like a brilliant idea.

I was slightly sceptical about whether it actually worked but then I saw a work colleague with kilner jars on her desk and she said they were fantastic. She makes all her lunches for work on a Sunday, keeps them in the fridge and the salads are still in great condition by the following Friday.

As regular NHM readers know I’m always looking out for any short cut’s that will make my life a bit easier so I knew I had to try this.

It’s also pretty widely known that Mr NHM literally takes a step back when the word “salad” is used in any context ;-).

I don’t know if it’s his northern blood but he categorically refuses to eat anything remotely salad like. Combine this with a child who has suddenly developed a “fussy food streak” and the only person I’m making any salads for is myself.

I don’t have the time or inclination to spend every evening making only myself a salad…. until I tried the kilner jar method!

Honestly, it’s fantastic!

I did what my colleague suggested and made up 4 kilner jars for the week on a Sunday and put them in the fridge. I also made up a kilner jar with cous cous and raisins and stored this in the fridge. It took me about 15 minutes of time to make the 5 jars but I was doing them at the same time as cooking another meal.

I was expecting the salad and cous cous to be soggy by the time I used them but they weren’t, it was as if I’d just prepared them!

I have no idea whether it’s because the jars are air tight but they are MILES better than using tupperware or lock and lock’s.

I bought my kilner jars from The Range as they were the cheapest I could find.

The pictures in this post are from one of the recipes in the original “10 Mason Jar Lunches” post, “Chicken Taco mason jar salad”, and I adapted it to what I had in the fridge and the equivalent to the US products.

I used, rocket and watercress chopped up, then grapes and blueberries, then a chopped tomato, some sweetcorn, some cucumber and finely chopped radishes and topped off with some black beans (not in the picture as I got distracted!).

I made the sauce from mild salsa mixed with creme fraiche when I needed it as I’d decided not to put it in the jar because I’m still a bit sceptical about whether the sauces will keep. I’m definitely going to try it next time though.

When I needed the salad, I dumped it all out into my bowl, topped with the sauce and it was DELICIOUS!

I highly recommend using kilner jars for storing food like salads and cous cous. Now I’m sold I’m going to try it on LOADS of other different foods and will report back soon! :-D.

Let me know if you have any good “kilner jar” recipes as I’d love to expand my current repertoire.

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