Brown Rice and Arugula Salad + Mason Jar Salad

I have a a darling little boy who is ten months old. When he was born last summer my little sister, Layne, came to help out and spend a few days with us. The afternoon we all came home from the hospital I walked into my house and my table was set beautifully with this scrumptious looking salad. It may be all of the positive feelings associated with this salad, but it is definitely one of my favorite salads in America. This is technically Layne's recipe, but since she is off gallivanting around Jerusalem for the summer, I am going to share it with you. It really is incredibly simple, I could hardly call it a recipe, more of an ingredient assembly, if you will.

The best part about this recipe is that you can serve it as a standard salad, or you can easily make it into a Mason jar salad for an easy, go-to lunch. In my recent baby weight loss journey I have found that salad jars have been the key to success. Every Monday I make 3-5 salad jars to get me through the week. They're easy, I can take them if we are having a picnic, and they're really isn't an excuse for having a "bad" lunch! Plus, it's much easier if they're delicious and filling salads (like this :) Today I'll show you how to prepare the salad and make it into a salad jar.

Before you begin with everything else, make sure you have your brown rice prepped and ready to go, or begin making your rice (remember to use the perfect baked brown rice recipe!).

Start with 1 pound of chicken, patted dry and trimmed of fat. Cut into 1" or bite size pieces and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over med-high heat in a medium sized skillet. Add in the chicken and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning.

Saute until cooked thoroughly, about 5-7 minutes.

Now that you have cooked Italian chicken and brown rice, it's time for the salad assembly. This will make 4 salads, or mason jar salads. In each jar or bowl, place 1/2 cup warm, cooked brown rice, then 3 ounces chicken and add two handfuls of arugula to the top. Finally, dress the salad with 1.5 tablespoons of Newman's Own Olive Oil & Vinegar salad dressing (I find this kind is really the best, but you can use another kind or make your own). When making a salad jar, put the dressing in a separate condiment cup and tuck it on top. It may sound silly, but the order of ingredients does matter, both in the bowl or the jar.

So here is the basic recap:

Salad in a Bowl
In this order:
1/2 cup brown rice
2 handfuls arugula
3 ounces cooked chicken
1.5 Tablespoons Newman's Own Olive Oil & Vinegar salad dressing

Mason Jar Salad
In this order:
1/2 cup brown rice
3 ounces cooked chicken
2 handfuls arugula
1.5 tablespoons Newman's Own Olive Oil & Vinegar salad dressing in condiment cup

As for the dressing, I have only ever used Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar. I always disregarded the dressing in the past, thinking it was silly to buy a dressing of olive oil and vinegar when I have those two ingredients sitting on my counter at all times. But, I tried it and am a dressing convert. The dressing is really what makes the salad! If you don't have this dressing on hand or don't want to buy it, try making your own olive oil and vinegar dressing!

Brown Rice and Arugula Salad
Recipe by The Everyday Veggies
4 Servings

1 pound chicken, trimmed of fat and cut into 1" or bitesize pieces
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 cups cooked Brown Rice, warm
10-12 ounces arugula
6 tablespoons Newman's Own Olive Oil & Vinegar dressing

1. Prep your brown rice, if not already done. If you don't have brown rice, white rice is fine as well.
2. Trim excess fat from 1 pound chicken. Cut into 1" or bite size pieces and lightly season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add chicken, give it a stir, then add the Italian seasoning. Cook until no longer pink, and well done, about 5-7 minutes.
3. In 4 bowls, add 1/2 cup of rice to each, then 2 big handfuls of arugula, then top 2.5-3 ounces of chicken. Add dressing (1.5 tablespoons) and serve immediately.

Mason Jar Instructions:
Prepare rice and chicken through step 2.

In a wide-mouth mason jar, add 1/2 cup of rice to the bottom, then 2.5-3 oz of chicken (cooled), and two handfuls of arugula to the top. Add your dressing into a condiment cup with lid, and nestle onto of the arugula. Cover with major jar lid and store in fridge for up to 5 days. When ready to eat simply pour contents into a bowl.