If you’re anything like us, preparing lean green meals is uber important, not only for our skin and overall health, but for our quality of life. Planning our meals ahead of time keeps frantic food-searching at bay and gives us a routine we can count on. Plus, we feel better in the end, knowing our food came from our own making. If you’re on the go, here’s a helping hand in preparing delicious, crunchy salads for the work-week. Plus, we’re gonna tell you how many vegetables you’ll need, so you don’t have to see another cucumber go to waste. Let’s begin.

First, your SHOPPING LIST for your five work days:

1 large container of arugula, baby spinach, field greens, etc. Whichever you prefer.

2 cucumbers

2 to 3 bell peppers

5 carrots or one bag of baby carrots.

1 package cherry tomatoes

1 bag red or green grapes

1 can black beans

1 can chickpeas

Sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds

2 avocados

Red Wine Vinegar and Olive Oil

Next, MASON JARS. This gives us the perfect serving and doesn’t take up as much room in our fridge as tupperware. Plus, the glass gets cold and keeps our veggies crunchy and jucy. AND, unlike tupperware, we don’t have to worry about our dressing wilting the veggies before we get to enjoy them. We’ll show you what we mean below.

Ok, so we’ve got our veggies. We’ve got our containers. Let’s start the PREP!

First, put in two tablespoons of dressing. It will be on the bottom of your mason jar, so to keep the veggies fresh. This is perfect for those of you who don’t want to pack a separate salad dressing bottle. Next, veggie time! Start with harder veggies like carrots, radishes, onions, and chickpeas. They aren’t as porous and they can “hang” close to the dressing as a result. Then go for anything else like bell peppers, chopped cukes, and cherry tomatoes. Next, layer up your lettuce. Mix and match, have fun. This should take up at least half the jar. Lastly, your protein! Sprinkle tuna, grilled chicken, or tofu. These will help push the lighter-weight greens down so you add even more to your jar.

Of course, you can also add avocado, nuts or seeds, sprouts, or fruit. Shake or pour when you’re ready. At lunchtime, you can either shake up the container to distribute the dressing, or if you have the luxury, pour the entire contents into a bowl and mix it up with your fork.

That’s it! Now you’ve got salad to enjoy day after day. Enjoy beauties!

Special shout out to Lunchboxbunch.com for the beautiful Mason Jar + Salad inspiration above. Click here or the picture above for the full scoop!