I like to make it a priority to eat healthy, delicious food.  This kind of nourishment is the epitome of self-care--taking the time to make yourself a meal that will feed your body and soul.  All this sounds great until mid-week comes and I'm too tired to whip up a quick breakfast or lunch.  So I came up with the idea of make-ahead mason jar meals that satisfy my need for easy and healthy meals during the week.  By far the best lunch I've come up with is this Southwest Salad.  It has all the tang and spice of a good Mexican dish with the easy of a grab-n-go mason jar.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked black beans

2 cups sweet corn

2 cups red bell peppers

1 cup chopped radishes

1 cup chopped spring onions

3 tablespoons lime juice

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon red chile pepper

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (optional)

Toss black beans in the red chile powder and set aside.  Mix lime juice and olive oil together in a small mason jar to form salad dressing.  Pour the dressing evenly between four mason jars.  Layer each ingredient into the jars, starting with the beans and sturdier ingredients that won't wilt in the dressing.  For this salad, it works best to layer it with beans, corn, bell peppers, then radishes and finally the spring onions.  If you are using the Greek yogurt, you can layer it between the beans and the corn.  Store in the fridge.  When you're ready for your mason jar meal, simply shake the jar to spread the dressing around.  You can eat straight from the jar or pour it on a plate.  Serves 4. Enjoy!

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