April 3, 2012

Tips for Tuesday – Preparing Lunch Salads for the Week

I am super L-A-Z-Y when it comes to making meals for the week when {G} is gone. I only work a few minutes from home and since he is rarely home during the work week anymore I make it a point to have lunch with him when he is.

He is super spoiled too since I make his lunch for him… I’m pretty sure that ever since we got married that he has made himself a less then 10 meals… we’ll be married for two years in August. Also, don’t get me wrong, {G} and I are both super traditional when it comes to who does what in the house. Do I WANT to clean and make all the meals? Not always… but does {G} want to pay all the house bills and mow the lawn in 90 degree weather.. I’m guessing that’s a no as well. As much as I could complain I love to take care of him so my hour lunch breaks at home are our special time.

When {G} is gone it is really easy to just stop at subway or in most cases a fast food place a few times a week. That habit can break the bank and not to mention my pant size so when I came across this idea I knew I had to try it.

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On Sunday nights I prep all of salad lunches for the week, then each day I have one ready to go either for lunch or as a side at dinner! It may take a few extra minutes but you save all that time during the week and can take them to go if you wish.

My favorite lettuce is FOXY romaine lettuce. I have learned not to buy bags of lettuce anymore, they always go bad within a few days time. Think about it - the lettuce is grown in the fields, harvested, cut and mixed in a factory, packaged, shipped, then shelved. By the time you get it on your dinner plate it’s already a few days old and once you open the bag all the oxygen gets in a takes the only freshness that was left behind. I always by the heads of lettuce and cut them up myself. Yes, they are still harvested, packaged, shipped, and shelved but with my experience the lettuce ALWAYS last much longer in the fridge then the bagged stuff.

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After I chop up two heads of romaine lettuce (this usually gives me exactly 6 mason jars of salads for the week) I always wash my lettuce. I am not a "supporter of organic” foods. If you are great but there is nothing wrong with washing your produce the old fashioned way – or with a lettuce spinner.

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After I wash the lettuce and dry it in the spinner I add a pinch of salt and pepper to the mix then section it off into the mason jars.

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Some times I make hard boiled eggs to add to the mixture for some extra flavor but leave the croutons out. 

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When you are ready for a light lunch just reach in the refrigerator and grab a jar! Dump it into a bowl, add some dressing, and enjoy. Always Rinse and Reuse the mason jars.

Like I said, I can be lazy with meals so if I put all my efforts into Sunday evening I can enjoy a simple lunch with zero effort.

Try it out! :)

2 comments:

  1. That's a cool idea. We generally buy organic lettuce mainly because we think it tastes better, but I've also bought the regular kind too. We still wash it, because it is not packaged and I have no idea who has touched it at the store before me. A lot of times we like to use a bleach and water solution to help get the germies off. My boyfriend is a bit more paranoid than me about that stuff, but I see his point. I work, so he's usually the one who does most of the cooking!

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  2. I completely agree with washing produce no matter if its organic or not. One day I was shopping and this little girl about 4 yrs old was going down the aisle touching each item and saying "apple, nana, lettuce, tomato...etc" The mom was cheering her on and yes while this can be cute to a mom the other shoppers watching like myself were taking back. I'm sorry but I don't know where your kids hands have been... I'm guessing in their nose and mouth... GROSS

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