mexican salad in a jar.

I've been making a ton of jar salads lately — and before you say it, no, it's not just because I love pinterest, it's because they actually fit in my work bag better and last longer. The salads stay fresh for a few days, so I can make them on Sunday night and grab one each morning before work, and then when I get to work I dump it all out into a huge bowl and toss with dressing.

For this salad, I tried to replicate what I would get at Chipotle, minus the meat, cheese, and globs of sour cream (though, I might have to add a little dollop to each of these once they're poured out). I'm trying to keep away from unnecessary dairy, especially cheese, and have been replacing meat a few times a week with other proteins, just to keep things light and see if I can shed a few. There is zero science to this, but so far, I feel healthier, and have definitely seen a bit of slimming going on, so I'm not going to mess with what I'm doing unless it stops working. (However, I fully support your additions, and you'd best believe that I'll be making these with cheese from time to time in the future.) This salad is super easy to make, and the directions are made even easier by this handy GIF I made (I know, I skipped the tomato picture and believe me, I'm more annoyed than you are about that).

Mexican jar salad (makes three large jars):
// 1 cucumber
// 1/2 red onion
// 1 can sweet corn
// 1 can black beans
// 3 small tomatoes
// 2 avocados*
// 1 head of romaine

Rinse and chop everything up, and layer starting with the harder veggies, beans and corn, soft veggies and avocado, and then pack it in with lettuce until you can't fit anymore. Seal that puppy up and you're good to go. Enjoy!

*Because avocados brown so quickly, I cut them up into little pieces and tossed them with a splash of lime juice to keep them fresh, and add a little bit of flavor.