Lunch has been a bit of a problem for me lately. Work’s been busy and by the time I get around to lunch break, I just want to grab something – which has been a lot of fast food or something from the cafeteria at work. Occasionally, I can get myself to pick up something healthy (aka, salad bar), but all of it’s been a little rough on the wallet.

I decided I was going to kick the habit this week and get lunch under control.

The idea of jarred salads have been all over Pinterest – and they seemed a really good option. Prep them at the beginning of the week -dressing goes on the bottom, lettuce on top – and you have fresh, prepared salad all week. I made a Greek-inspired version for lunches this week.

There’s not really a recipe here, just a layering method. You start out with your dressing at the bottom (I used a Greek vinaigrette with feta) followed by your proteins (red beans and grilled chicken, for me). After that comes the “sturdy” vegetables (cucumber and red onion), then the more “delicate” toppings (tomatoes, olives and feta). The rest of the jar is filled up with lettuce.

It cost me just about $15 to get everything to make five days worth of lunch (not including the jars – I already had those). At $3/day, this is much less than I would spend buying lunch. It’s also a pretty balanced, healthy lunch – better than I would pick during a normal lunch rush.

Just dump the contents of the jar into a bowl and you’re good to go.

I was really impressed by how well the salads held up packaged like this. Today’s lettuce is still crisp and nothing is soggy. I wish I had tried this sooner – it’s just what I needed for lunch.