While I’m not an all-out meal planner or prepper, I get down with the occasional mason jar lunch. Slow-cooked beans, quinoa, cheddar, and cilantro got me through many long days at the office; more recently I’ve been on a butternut squash, corn, beans, and kale mason jar salad kick (that creamy cashew-based vegan dressing is killer). But until recently, I hadn’t explored the world of mason jar soups. A goop article on the subject piqued my interest a while back, but I never got around to testing one of the recipes out, and I forgot about the concept. That is, until I was flipping through Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams’ The Ultimate Soup Cleanse: 60 Recipes to Reduce, Restore, Renew & Resolve which has a small section devoted to mason jar soup.
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mason jar meals
Squash, Pinto Bean, Corn, and Kale Mason Jar Salad
Thanksgiving leftovers are pretty epic on day one, but by day two, I tend to get a little bored by the mild flavors and starchiness of it all. That’s where this rainbow of a salad comes into play. A celebration of fall produce — ok, corn is not really in season, but thawed previously-frozen kernels work great here — it is a fiber-packed antidote to holiday overindulgence, and a great make-ahead option.
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Slow-Cooker Black Beans With Quinoa and Sweet Potatoes
Beans and lentils are two of my dietary staples; fiber- and protein-rich, versatile, and inexpensive, there’s not much these humble legumes can’t do. I typically keep a few cans of cannellinis, chickpeas, and black beans in the pantry for quick-fix dinners, like rosemary-garlic chickpea soup and broccoli white bean soup, but most of the time I prefer to cook them myself using a slow-cooker.
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