Tag: mason

Mason Jar Salad

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My wife is very interested in figuring out a way to get me to eat healthy; apparently she wants me to be around for a while.

She figured out the novel approach that if she wanted to create a blog about healthy eating and start doing videos about it, then I would be more inclined to help her. I hate to admit it, but she is probably right.

Today’s video is her first video of an idea she found to make salads in mason jars.

I am not sure where my wife found this tidbit (I would guess either Facebook or Pinterest), but when she shared it with me I was excited.

My wife and I now make our lunches in bulk at the start of the week and store them in mason jars.

This helps with portion control, time management, and it keeps me eating my vegetables.

This is a pretty flexible way to get work lunches, but you need to beware of moisture.

What we have found is that if you layer your foods in the Mason jar according to moisture level and resistance to moisture you can get by with some creative ideas.
We start with the dressing, and then add things like chopped chicken, olives, and/or cherry tomatoes. We then add some cheese, then lettuce, and lastly any croutons.

These store easily in the fridge, are distinguishable in the break room fridge, and you can eat it directly from the jar.

However, I find that if you pack the jar full it can be heard to get a good mix of dressing and greens, but if you leave some room you can shake the jar and mix it up that way.

Like most things, I got an idea from somewhere and then took it farther, for the last couple of weeks I have been carrying one of these salad jars with a Mason jar of chili or other leftovers.

Score one for the wife.

Do me a favor and leave her some nice comments so she keeps positive about both her new videos and her struggle to get her family to east healthier…

February 20, 2014
Review Mason Jar Sprouting Lid

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Since wheat is such a large part of my food storage plan, I try to sprout it occasionally to keep my family accustomed to the taste and texture of different ways to eat bulk wheat.

One of the problems I have when I sprout is not straining the wheat properly and having a white mold grow in my sprouting jar.

When I saw a $5 Mason Jar Sprouting Lid on Amazon I thought I would try it.

This lid made sprouting using mason jars much easier – I could fill and drain the jar without having to take the lid off –

It was much simpler than my old method of using a piece of cheesecloth and a rubber band.

It is also easier to clean – and I imagine that it will last as long as I will.

For those that don’t want to use a store-bought solution – I imagine you could drill a bunch of 1/8 inch holes in a plastic mayonnaise jar lid.

Sprouting is a great way to get more nutrients and use out of seeds, and seeds are generally easier to store than many other foods, so I feel that this is a win.

However, if you don’t want to buy a lid like this, I think you could probably improvise a mason jar sprouting lid using a Parmesan cheese lid.

January 22, 2014
How to Make a Mason Jar Mini Hamburger Press

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I know some people in my life think I am crazy because they don’t get why I do the things I do, but I really have a master plan. You see, while some of my little projects and experiments don’t always work out, or turn out to be inefficient – the process keeps my mind lubricated and trains it to see new solutions to problems.

The other day while looking for new things to try I came across a link to a technique of using mason jar lids as mini spring form tart pans (Yes I will share later), and my mind jumped to “that’s awesome, I would never have thought of that – I wonder if I could adapt this to something else…. HAMBURGER PRESS!) – As the comedic marriage counselor says men’s brains are waffles, women’s brains are spaghetti – my brain is a mess, so lets use our mason jar hamburger press

So anyway, I got out a wide mouth mason jar ring and two new lids.

I then balled up some hamburger, and tried to make patties.

I learned that by inserting the first lid outside up, placing the hamburger on it, and then topping with the other lid outside in, the process went better – by having the smooth outside touch the meat, it slid out much better.

While this made burger patties that are the size of sausage patties (….new idea…) it is very easy, and I think would be a great way to make sliders from dinner rolls.

Anyway, it was a quick thought I tried out my Mason Jar Hamburger Press and I liked it, hopefully it is useful to you.

July 9, 2013
Organization Tip: Mason Jar Salt Lid

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The Parmesan cheese lid article was so popular I figured I would show you a similar tip for wide mouth jars. I present to you the mason jar salt lid tip.

The top of a 26 ounce salt container just happens to be the same size as a wide mouth mason jar.

The top and the bottom are formed, with the body being wound around them.

If you feel the container, you will feel a “lip”. If you carefully cut the top along this lip – you can press it down over the top of a wide mouth mason jar and screw the ring over it.

This isn’t as easy as some of the other lid tips I have shared with you, but it is a good way to store opened salt.

As I said in the video, I only use this mason jar salt lid for containers I have already opened – but it does make it easier to store salt without it getting moist and hardening.

I used this the other day after a snow storm – I used some stored salt in these containers to try to remove some stubborn ice spots since I took all my shovels to the land. I know that table salt is not the same as road salt, but the work similarly (just more expensively) – it worked though and I could get to work.

April 10, 2013