Mason jars, patented in 1858 and primarily used for food preservation, have been a kitchen staple for years. Recently, there has been a resurgence in their popularity. From crafts to canning, people are finding new uses for these classic containers.

Forget boiling and sealing, it seems that lettuce and vegetables retain their crisp freshness for an entire week when stored in these jars. Plan ahead and prepare your ingredients before you leave for the road.  Along with freshness, mason jars don't stain, they are BPA free, portion controlled, don't leak, reusable and travel well.

How do you plan meals for the road? Leave us your tips and tricks in the comments section.

Layering Salad Jars:

1) BOTTOM - dressing/liquid
2) Heavy ingredients that hold up well when submerged in dressing - beans, cucumbers, radishes, onion..
3) Heavy items that you may not want directly touching the dressing when stored.
4) Leafy greens/light ingredients that take up a lot of space - spinach, kale, chard, arugula..
5) A small amount of heavy accent items - nuts, seeds, dried fruit, croutons, accent spices
6) TOP - colorful ingredients to perk up your taste buds when you pop open the jar - fruit, edible flowers, herbs..

Other: grains and pasta are nice add ins. Place these on top of the plentiful salad so that it doesn't get soggy in the dressing but helps to weigh the greens down so more can fit into each jar.

Source: Healthy Happy Life