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What does your mom lunch look like? I’m a stay-at-home mom and sometimes, lunchtime can be the worst! I am already making something for the children, so sometimes I just eat some chicken nuggets or mac and cheese and feel unfulfilled and hungry (and guilty) the rest of the day.
Other times I skip lunch it all together and get super ‘hangry’. Or Iyou grab an apple and a cheese stick and snack on fruit snacks and goldfish on-the-go.
Or on my best days, I have motivation and time! I make something yummy and healthy for mom lunch. While it tastes good and I am feeling happy with my health choices, I now have a big mess to clean up. My time is eaten up with my meal prep and cleaning.
With these options, lunchtime is not something I end up looking forward to!
I find that when I don’t look forward to a healthy, delicious lunch, I tend to eat snacks, especially unhealthy snacks. Not having a lunch plan creates guilt around healthy eating.
But recently, I created the PERFECT solution!
Start a Salad-in-a-jar exchange group
How does Salad Exchange work?
Find five moms to participate in your group. Each week make five 1-quart mason jars of the same salad recipe. Choose a recipe that sounds great to you. Shop for the ingredients for enough to make 5 jars full. You can put the dressing in the bottom of the jars or store the dressing in separate containers (that fit inside the jar) so the meals don’t get soggy.
If no other moms can join you, you can make salads just for yourself, but if you have 2-5 other moms in the group, it will create more variety and accountability.
We get together right before lunchtime on Monday and swap jars, ending up with five different types of salads. This is one of my favorite parts! Which one to eat first?!?
Benefits of a Salad Exchange Group
Every day for mom lunch I just open the fridge, grab a jar and start eating. No mess to clean. No decisions to make. Healthy. Delicious. Variety. It is fantastic.
I think I got the best deal because my friend’s salads are amazing. Most of the recipes I would see and think “Nah, I won’t like that” but when I eat their creations, I LOVE it!
In this group, I actually have the motivation to try new recipes, make them amazing. I have one preparation time and one clean up and then I enjoy the fruits of my labors the rest of my week.
This has been life-changing for me this school year. Now I look forward to time to eat a delicious meal and spend time with my preschooler. My stomach is full and I’m fulfilled emotionally by sticking with healthy eating.
If I’m hungry I can eat early or later if life happens. I can eat on-the-go. I don’t need to snack, because I know I can open a jar and eat real, clean foods. My husband even takes a jar sometimes to work {If I let him!}!
Variations of Salad Exchanges
Even without a group to exchange with, you could do this, you just wouldn’t have the variety daily. With only 2 people, you could get a little variety. In our group, we are really flexible, so if you can’t join one week, no biggie!
In my group, we are open to any foods and recipes. I have tried lots of foods I never buy myself. We want to be healthy, but also want to like our food, so we don’t limit dressings or other yummy additions {Bacon is my favorite!}. Your group can have whatever rules you choose!
There are so many salad recipes out there! You can even branch out to untraditional salads like pasta salad, egg salad, taco salad, or fruit salad. This winter we’ve had a few weeks where we exchanged soups instead.
Do you make salads for lunch? Please share your favorite recipes so I can impress my mom friends!
If you start an exchange group, please share your tips and tricks to making it work.
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