Salad In A Jar

Howdy y'all! Some of you who know me know I have put on a few pounds since well senior year of high school but it got worse when I went off to college.  Freshman 15? hahah yeah it exists and it can be more than fifteen pounds.  Any who...I had, had enough and decided to try and loose weight this summer.  I have tried weight watchers online before, yes it works but I need someone motivating me and checking in on me so that did not last too long.  I tried my own creation of a diet with no carbs... yeah DON'T EVER DO THAT!!! It is not healthy or smart.  So when my friend from high school created a weight loss program and was looking for people to try it out I applied!  Summer Petro is nutrition major at Auburn (SSSSSSSSS, only you aggies will get that one) and is the lovely woman who created the weight loss/ clean eating business Funeral For My Fat.  I have been attempting to follow her plan for me the best I can, it can be hard but its not impossible.  Since I started the program with Summer I have lost about twelve pounds and between last month and this month I have lost 4% body fat without doing anything but following her meal plan.  So now that I have bragged about how amazing Summer is I am going to show you an example of how I do meal prep so that I stay on track! 

Salads are a big thing at my house.  I swear there isn't a meal my mother makes that doesn't have a salad on the side.  But living alone makes it difficult to make salads like my mom does.  So when I saw salad in jar I knew it would be perfect for me! Here is how I make them.  They are inspired by Salata (my favorite place to get a salad ever!!).  

What you need: 

• Mason Jars ( large ones with wide mouths if possible) 
• Lettuce ( I like roman, I tried red tip but it isn't as good)
• Salad Dressing (I love La Madeleine's fat free cesar ) 
• Any veggies/fruits you like in your salad (Cucumber, avocado, black beans for this one)
• Barilla Plus Bow Tie Pasta  (cook according to the directions and let cool) 

How to make them: 

1. Wash your lettuce and any veggies or fruits.  I wash my lettuce by cutting it and filling up the sink with water then washing the cut lettuce in it like a bath and spinning it dry in a salad spinner.  Cut and peel any veggies or fruits that need it.  
2. The first layer in your mason jar is your salad dressing.  The suggested serving on La Madeleine's dressing is 2 tbs.  I will be honest, that is a lot! I found this out the first time I made it so any where between 1-2 tbs is what you will need. 
3. Second layer is going to be your veggies you want to marinate in the dressing.   I put my cucumber then avocado then black beans.  You want to put your veggies in order of denseness (denser on bottom).
4.  Third layer is your Barilla pasta (make sure its completely cool before adding it!) 
5. Your last layer is going to be your lettuce.  Make sure not to fill it too much so you can shake it later on down the road.  
6.  When time to eat just, shake and serve on a plate or eat out of the jar! 

These should last about 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
HEB sells in the lunch meat section prepackaged grilled chicken you can top your salad with. 
If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask! I will post my other favorite recipe I came up with soon.