Meatless Munch: Mason Jar Foods

For Christmas I requested some glass Pyrex dishes to take my lunches in. Ever since then, I've been a fan of storing and transporting food in glass.
I started using old canning jars for my overnight oats and smoothies and decided it was time to invest for real.

I purchased 2 packages of canning jars- pint-sized and quart-sized.
I use the quart sized to store green smoothies in (when I make a double) and the pint-sized for lunches and storing smaller things in, like ground flax and chia seed.

Not only do they look cute, they are super easy to clean, dishwasher safe, microwave safe, freezer safe and best of all? BPA free.

As a meal-prepper, I love jars for making even portions and how nicely they look lined up in my fridge. (I know, I'm a nerd that way.)

Here are my favorite Mason Jar Foods

Overnight Oats
I'm not sure which blogger was the first to start OOIAJ (Overnight Oats In A Jar) but it is one of my favorite foods to prep for the week and one of the tastiest. All you need are some ripe bananas and a couple jars.

 Here is my go-to recipe:

1/2 banana, chopped (or one small banana)
1/4-1/3 cup dry oats
1 spoonful chia seed
1 spoonful flax meal
1/2-2/3 non-dairy milk

Additional add-ins (pick one):
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 scoop protein powder
1/3 cup fruit (strawberries or blueberries are tasty)

Spices & toppings:
cinnamon & splenda
honey & chopped almonds
cardamom, ginger and cinnamon for chai (in this case I omit the banana and then heat it up. YUM)

Layer up your ingredients, then pour the milk over the top.

You can store in the fridge up to a week. I make 5 jars on Sunday so I have breakfasts or an easy lunch handy.

Another thing I like to make and store in a mason jar is smoothies.
If I'm doing a Simple Green Smoothie, I use a quart sized jar to store the other half of my smoothie for the next day.
If I"m prepping a protein smoothie, I use the pint-sized jars.

Here is my favorite recipe via OhSheGlows

Classic Green Monster

1 cup almond milk, or milk of choice

1 ripe banana, preferably peeled + frozen

2 handfuls organic spinach or 1 handful kale

1 tbsp chia seeds OR 1 tbsp ground flax

1 tbsp nut butter, optional

1-3 ice cubes

protein powder of choice, optional

Read more: http://ohsheglows.com/2011/01/13/classic-green-monster/#ixzz2Pv8TUdEn

If I'm using protein powder (as I did in this case) I omit the peanut butter. Also, I didn't have a lot of green left so to stretch them, I only used 1 cup of greens per smoothie.

These make great snacks, breakfasts or lunch (I pair it with fruit or fresh veggies and hummus). 

And when I'm cleaning out the fridge and using up bits of random salads, I just layer them all in a jar like this- greens on the bottom, veggies and grains next, dressing on top. Right before it's time to eat, give it a good shake and ta-da!

Do you eat food out of a jar? 

What are you favorite mason jar go-to recipes?