PHOTO COURTESY TERESA STARK
Salad in a jar can be a lifesaver for the next day's school lunch when you have a busy night ahead of you.
One more last long weekend hurrah and then it’s right into routine of back to school. One of my boys has already left to get ready for school. I’m super proud of Levi who will be attending law school at my alma mater, the University of Saskatchewan, this year. He has wanted to be a lawyer since he was very young so this is a dream come true for him. I miss him already. His wife Tori continues in pharmacy, miss her too. She is my favourite daughter-in-law, OK my only one, but she’s still amazing. My youngest, Benji, has one more week of work then will return to Concordia in Edmonton. The oldest two will stay here working. I asked them if they missed going back to university in the fall and without hesitation it was a unanimous ‘No!’ Believe it or not I still miss going back to school in September, so I just buy a bunch of school supplies to appease myself and I’m good.
I asked a few students from a variety of age groups what they thought about going back to school. The most common answer was they were excited to see all their friends. Some said they were looking forward to learning and of course lots of little ones were looking most forward to recess.
I’m sure many parents are over the moon happy to have their kids back in school. Others, like me, may have heavy hearts and a tear or two. It started in 1997 when I registered Josiah for kindergarten, I sat down in the school to fill out the forms and suddenly started to cry and cry then finally excused myself and said I’d drop them off later. Twenty-one years later and…
Another aspect to going back to school is back to making school lunches. This can be a challenge but getting organized will definitely help. The weather is a bit cooler this week so might be a good time to bake up some healthy homemade muffins and cookies. Wrap them individually and freeze them for a quick and easy grab and go for lunches during the school year. You can also make up pizza bagels, bake them, wrap individually and freeze for a convenient sandwich alternative. Some sandwiches can also be frozen to save time. Each week it’s also easy to cut up a few fresh veggies and bag them in snack bags so they’re ready to go each day of the school week.
Try to plan lunches to include at least one food from each of the four food groups of Canada Food Guide: Meats and Alternatives; Grains and Grain Products; Milk and Milk Products; Vegetables and Fruit.
This lunch meal is a great and unique idea that my friend Teresa uses for her three girls. It’s especially great for busy activity nights when supper is on the go. It looks delicious and is a fun way to serve up a great little meal.
Wishing everyone from administrators to teachers to students to staff a wonderful 2018/19 school year!
Joanne Smith is a registered dietitian.
Salad in a Jar
4 500 ml mason jars
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
Mix well in small container with lid or dressing carafe
1 cup diced English cucumbers, unpeeled
1 cup diced red, yellow or orange bell peppers
1 cup grape tomatoes
2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion (optional)
1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup pitted Greek olives sliced (optional)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
Layer the following ingredients in four separate 2 cup (500 ml) mason jars:
1/4 cup salad dressing
1/4 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup diced peppers
1/4 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 Tbsp chopped onion
1/4 cup chicken
1/4 cup sliced olives
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup romaine lettuce
Top with lid. To eat, make sure lid is tight then invert jar until dressing runs throughout ingredients, or give it a shake to mix it up as Teresa tells me, “shaking up the salad is the funnest part!”Turn back, remove lid and use a fork to slightly mix ingredients from bottom to top or just mix with each delicious forkful.
You can make these ahead and keep them in the fridge for 3-5 days. Also, adults or older kids can double the recipe and make it in a 4 cup mason jar and when it’s time to eat it dump it out into a bowl or a plate and voila u will have a salad with dressing on the top right before your eyes!
