How to get your kids to eat veggies!

It's the question on every parents mind. How do I get my kids to eat vegetables? I tried everything! Cut them into tiny pieces, made colorful presentations on small plates and stood on my head at the dinner table.  Nothing worked!  UNTIL, my obsession with mason jar salads happened. Then poof! Magically, Both of my kids want and love salads now. Oh dear, I sound like an infomercial.  Sorry!  I'm so excited about this though. I say, "Realaaaaay"? Is that all it took? YES!  I'm so happy I stumbled upon this amazing thing that worked for our family. I hope it helps you too! Read below for the miracle!!!:o)  Mason Jar salads are easy to make and delicious!  For some reason, way more delicious than just putting together a bunch of veggies in a bowl and mixing them up.  I think it's the veggies working together in the sanctity of the jar environment!  The best part is, they preserve for about 5-7 days. If you are interested in the mason jar salads in detail, you can read about them here on my blog!  Anyway, let me get on with the rest of this story. I did exactly this:

1) Sat down with each child as if I were interviewing them. Made it official with a pen and pad!
2) Told them I needed a new salad recipe for my mason jar salads and I wanted to name it after them. They loved this part!  I will be posting their recipes on this blog soon!
3) I asked them what veggies, fruit or other items they would like to include? Furthermore, it would have to be something they would eat and stand behind if it was going to be a real recipe!  
4) The List: They made a list of of things they would like included in their salad.
5) We shopped together, washed the veggies, fruit and other items together, cut together and layered their mason jars! Put the cap on and placed them into the refrigerator.
6) I prayed they would love their creations! I honestly did this. I really wanted them to get something out of this exercise. I was somewhat skeptical since nothing I had ever done excited them enough to eat veggies. But guess what?

 They both ate their entire salads!

My little girl was so excited about her salad she wanted me to take a picture and told me to put it on my blog! Perfect I say!

:o)Grace

Greek Mason Jar Salad Recipe

Ok guys! This is a great tasting salad! It's so fresh and light! YUM. If you just happened upon this recipe and need more detailed information about the assembly of Mason Jar salads, there is a post dedicated to that very subject on my blog!

Have a super fantabulous day and go make this salad! You will absolutely love it and so will everyone you make it for!!!!:o)

Layer your ingredients in a quart size Mason Jar as follows:
-Dressing (recipe below)
-Garbanzo beans
-Red, yellow and green bell peppers
-Sliced black olives
-Sliced scallions
-Chopped roasted red peppers
-Chopped cucumber
-Cherry tomatoes
-Chopped Romain Lettuce

Dressing Ingredients:
-6 Tbsp Olive oil
-2 Tbsp Freshly squeezed lemon juice
-1 Tsp. Red wine vinegar
-1/2 Tsp. fresh garlic chopped
-1/2 Tsp. dried oregano

Other Ingredients:
-Feta cheese
-Croutons (crushed)
*When you serve this salad, put feta and crushed croutons over the top!

*Side note: I like to double or triple my salad dressing recipes and store them in a mason jar. that way if you would like it for later, it's already made and if you are making 12 salads at a time like I do, you have enough dressing!

Confetti Mason Jar Salad Recipe

The best way to make this recipe is to get about 12 quart size mason jars, all of the ingredients and make them all at once. Yes! Your family has to love salads! But you have 5 days to eat them! If it's just you then do 6 jars and keep the left over ingredients! You will have to experiment with your family needs and the amount of jars you make!

Layer in a 1 quart size mason Jar:

Starting on the bottom and layer the following:

-Salad dressing - I use balsamic. Two or Three Tablespoons. This is your preference.
-Chickpeas
-Matchstick carrots
-Broccoli slaw
-Chopped mushrooms
-Sliced black olives
-Sliced cucumbers with skin on
-Green peppers, red peppers and yellow peppers - chopped
-A few roasted red peppers from a jar - chopped
-Cherry tomatoes (Do not chop)
-Lettuce - I like Artisan Lettuce - chopped

When you're finished layering the ingredients, put a small square of paper towel in the top of the jar to absorb the moisture while in the fridge, then screw on the lid.

When you're ready to serve, just shake it up. Yes, it will shake even though it's packed! But the beauty of this is, it will not disturb the layering of the salad.  It will simply distribute the salad dressing perfectly even throughout the salad. Pour the salad onto a large plate or bowl and you will have the most delicious tasting, most beautiful salad you have ever had! The veggies at the bottom lay over the lettuce in a way that makes you want to take a picture of your plate. Add shredded cheese and croutons if you like and your tummy will thank you!

Amazing!

Salad in Mason Jars!

I Love these delightful little jars filled with all the colorful salad peaking out! When I look at them, not only do I see a beautiful array of colors I like to call "salad art", I also see a jar full of delicious yummies, packed with nutrients! The first time I ate one of these creations I was so amazed with how different it tasted from any other salad I had made! I think it has to do with the layering and how it pours onto the plate. Honestly, most salads I've ever eaten paled in comparison. So, I urge you to go get these ingredients and create your own! Let me know how you like them! Some rules of thumb while making the salads;

1) Put the harder veggies at the bottom of the jar. I put salad dressing in the bottom, first and the denser veggies next. They can withstand the dressing and do not get mushy. Some examples of things I like to put in the bottom are cauliflower, carrots, broccoli slaw or chick peas.
2) Layer the salad and put the lettuce at the top.
3) Cut a paper towel in four sections and put one on top of the lettuce right before you screw the cap on. It helps aid in moisture removal from the jar which can help preserve the salad.
4) I like to buy the quart size mason jars. These make a big meal. The smaller mason jars would make a side salad.
5) Refrigerate the salad. They should last about 5 days. I read somewhere else 5-7. But not sure how they look at the seven day mark! Mine are always gone within three.
6) When you are ready to serve, shake it up a bit and just pour the salad onto a plate. The veggies and dressing in the bottom will fall beautifully over the salad!
7) Enjoy!