Mason jar meals: clearly a good choice

When it comes to food, Elizabeth Cancade is all for coming up with — and sharing — new ideas.

“The kitchen is my creative space, selecting ingredients and creating dishes,” says Cancade, owner/operator at Living Simply Kitchen (livingsimplykitchen.com), which offers weekly holistic meal prep.

“Part of what I think really reconnects us with food is community, sharing ingredients, sharing ideas, doing it together. Sharing food with other people is such a foundation for well-being.”

Certified as an integrative nutrition and culinary nutrition expert, her expertise informs her new e-cookbooklet, “Living Simply Kitchen: Mason Jar Meal Guide.” The free-for-download guide is a how-to for quick and easy advance meal-prep using good old-fashioned Mason jars as containers.

Cancade found her inspiration for an e-cookbooklet in the desire to give people a resource to dig into fresh produce and make nutrient-rich meals that could be ‘grab-and-go.’

“As a meal-prep chef and food educator, I am always looking for ways to make meals enticing, portable, and practical. The Mason jar is the perfect vessel to inspire meal-prep because it promotes simplicity and the results are beautiful to see,” she says.

She says Mason jar meals are for anyone who is busy and still wants to eat well. It’s a flexible way to meet particular dietary needs: easy to customize with ingredients that could be gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, low-carb or any other choices.

It’s also a great way to get kids on board in the kitchen.

“Kids love the layering and building process; it’s hands-on and fun. You can prepare the ingredients and let kids layer their own choices, which gives them a bit of autonomy and they may be more inclined to eat if you have a ’selective’ eater. And they work for school lunches!” she says.

Already a fan of using glass in her business, (Living Simply Kitchen won the 2024 Brandon Green Business Award for its reusable glassware exchange program), Mason jars were a natural choice for these recipes.

“Glassware is non-toxic, reusable for a longer term, and can usually be used to reheat if desired,” she says.

“Mason jars in particular show off the beauty of these dishes and will ‘wow’ your friends and coworkers. They keep things fresh and don’t stain or absorb smells.”

Cancade says having ready-to-go vegetables and whole food makes it easier to eat properly.

“People will also find it helps with nutrition, portions, less food waste, and less decision fatigue during the week,” she says.

Foods that lend themselves to Mason jar recipes include layered salads, overnight oats, chia puddings, noodle bowls, taco bowls, grain bowls, soup mixes and fully prepared soup — anything that can be layered and stores well for a few days.

It’s best to avoid foods that get soggy quickly, such as croutons or delicate greens.

“I suggest packing any crunchy toppings like croutons or tortilla chips separately. Delicate ingredients like tender lettuce can be layered on the top. Also, foods with strong odours might be best in a separate airtight container if they’re pungent,” she says.

Layering should be done in a particular order, starting with the dressing or sauce on the bottom. Next comes sturdy ingredients that can hold up or marinate in the dressing. Ingredients like grains, beans, carrots, celery, red onion, broccoli and cauliflower can then be followed by proteins, then softer veggies, and greens at the very top, keeping everything crisp and fresh.

For hot foods, Cancade recommends putting them into a dish for re-heating.

She says advance food prep is about more than convenience.

“It’s about showing up and doing something nice and helpful for yourself this week. Set aside a time each week to create your next jars and soon it will become a healthy habit,” she says.

“And I think people have fun — there’s something inspiring about putting them in cute little jars and layering them up.”

Elizabeth Cancade’s free e-cookbooklet “Living Simply Kitchen: Mason Jar Meal Guide” can be found here: https://www.livingsimplykitchen.com/masonjarmeals

and at https://deft-thinker-4300.ck.page/c7381ebccb (most direct).

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