As we enjoy the recent balmy weather, our minds have started to wander to our summer holidays and how we can turn our diets around to get that ‘summer body’. Even you don’t need to lose weight, it’s a great time to get active and start to get your diet in shape! Mason jar meals are great for those trying to eat healthier, as you can control the size of your portions according to the jar size and most meals can be batch prepared at the start of the week so that you have time to enjoy yourself instead of cook! Check out the tastiest-sounding mason jar meals that we’ve found online…
Chicken Curry Salad with Greens
Everyone loves a curry, but they are notoriously calorific! This clever recipe keeps all the great flavours that we love, but replaces the unnecessary high calorie counts of high fat mayonnaise and rice, with low-fat yoghurt to reduce the guilt. This recipe only comes in at 261 calories per serving!
Ingredients: chicken breast, mayonnaise, low-fat Greek yoghurt, curry powder, sea salt, ground black pepper, carrots, celery, raisins, unsalted toasted almonds and arugula.
Find the recipe at Live Strong.
Veggie Macaroni and Cheese
We know that all macaroni and cheese is vegetarian, but this super simple meal idea throws in some vegetables for added nutrition. Now this is controversial, but this recipe calls for instant macaroni cheese, instead of homemade… but give it a chance!
Ingredients: instant mac ‘n’ cheese, cherry tomatoes and broccoli.
Find the recipe at Framed Cooks.
Healthy Shepherd’s Pie
One of our national dishes; Shepherd’s Pie is a comforting, warming meal that fills us up. This healthier version of the classic recipe uses parsnip instead of potatoes to lower the calorie count but still keep the creamy, smooth texture. Only 461 calories per serving!
Ingredients: parsnip, parmesan cheese, almond milk, seal salt, ground black pepper, no-stick cooking spray, lean ground beef, fresh thyme, garlic clove, worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, leeks, carrots, peas, sweetcorn and parsley.
Find the recipe at Live Strong.
Healthy Sesame Ginger Instant Noodles
This delicious take on the popular instant noodle pot is just perfect for taking to work for lunch. You just need to prep your ingredients the night before, then simply add boiling water and mix together when you want to eat them! This recipe uses Asian flavours such as soy and ginger, but you can easily customise it to suit your taste.
Ingredients: chicken stock concentrate, sesame oil, soy sauce, grated ginger, whole-wheat spaghetti, veggies (of your choice), shredded chicken and toasted sesame seeds.
Find the recipe at Sweet Peas and Saffron.
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Pot Pie is a mainly American creation, but we British never turn our noses up at a pie. The traditional US recipe features a pale, creamy sauce, but feel free to make it a bit more at home on this side of the Atlantic by using gravy instead!
Ingredients: ready-roll puff pastry, butter, onions, plain flour, salt, pepper, chicken broth, milk, shredded cooked chicken and mixed vegetables.
Find the recipe at The Nerd’s Wife.
Watermelon, Cucumber and Feta Salad
Mason jars are perfect for serving up salads, acting as a bigger and better bowl where you can layer up all your ingredients. This fresh and fruity salad is great for eating outside in the hotter summer months.
Ingredients: lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, honey, jalapeno pepper, salt, watermelon, cucumber, feta cheese and basil leaves.
Find the recipe at Oh My Veggies.
Blueberry Pancakes
Fancy pancakes for pudding or breakfast but can’t be bothered to make them properly? Step forwards this blueberry pancake-in-a-jar! All you need to do is make the batter mix, add fresh blueberries and microwave for around 90 seconds. Then voila! The batter will rise up to create lovely fluffy pancake! Perfect for those who are in a rush in the morning.
Ingredients: flour, baking powder, sugar, margarine, nut milk and blueberries.
Find the recipe at Boy And The Rabbit.
Strawberry Cheesecake
No bake cheesecake is creamy, indulgent and, best of all, it’s easy to make! You just have to whizz all the ingredients together and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours until it sets. They’re absolutely ideal for serving at dinner parties or barbecues.
Ingredients: graham crumbs (digestives for us Brits), butter, cinnamon, sugar, cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, strawberries and chocolate chips.
Find the recipe at The Home Journalist.
Breakfast Parfaits
This is a breakfast that you can make a batch of on Sunday and separate into 5 portions to get you through the week, so you can just roll out of bed and grab your pre-prepared brekkie straight from the fridge! This parfait is essentially just overnight oats and fruit, but you can make it look more exciting my layering up the fruit, yoghurt and oats into colourful strands.
Ingredients: greek yoghurt, oats, chia seeds, milk and frozen berries.
Find the recipe at Iowa Girl Eats.
Glass Jars For Every Budget!
Our selection of glass mason jars come in sizes ranging from 30ml up to 3 litres! You can buy them without lids or choose from our multitude of lid options, which include twist off lids in many colours and patterns, as well as hinged, rubber lined lids.
Our 324ml Bonne Maman Jar is ideal for serving up puddings such as the no-bake cheesecake in, thanks to the smaller size and wide neck – big enough to get a tablespoon in! It has a stylish, faceted design and it compatible with twist off lids to lock in your food’s freshness. If you’re not looking for anything fancy, then our 720ml Budget Jar is for you. It’s big enough to take your salads to work in and the clear glass will show off your colourful layers of vegetables!
Our rustic 750ml Le Parfait Jar has a distinctive orange rubber lined lid, along with an embossed logo moulded into the side of the glass. The rubber lining forms an airtight lock for the food within, with the metal clasp giving you quick and easy access when you want to open the jar. You also won’t lose the lid, as it’s attached! We think it’s perfect for storing your homemade noodles, shepherd’s pie and macaroni and cheese. Our largest glass jar is our 2lb Traditional Glass Jar, which has plenty of room for fresh fruit and vegetables for lunch, or you could have a go at the breakfast blueberry pancakes! They only cost 73p per jar!
Browse the whole glass jar selection here.
