Page 3 - RVO What Women Want May 2017

What Women Want • An Advertising Supplement to the River Valley & Ozark Edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette • Sunday, May 7, 2017 • 3VV featured business
ARSHIA KHAN / RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION Perfect for summertime lunches, Pretty Pasta Salad, left, features layers of macaroni tossed with creamy dressing and alternated with fresh veggies, olives, bacon and chunks of rotisserie chicken. Hearty Barbecue Parfaits, right, pack the flavors of a backyard barbecue into a jar — sweet and savory baked
beans, mashed potatoes and chunks of chicken tossed in barbecue sauce. Pack coleslaw separately to top it all off.
Lunch in a FLASH It’s easy to prepare a week’s worth
of delicious meals over the weekend
BY LINDA GARNERBUNCH | SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
Mason-jar lunches are all the rage right now, and it’s not just because the color- ful layers of food look so appealing. That little rubber seal on the canning-jar lids forms just enough of a seal — even without going through a heat-canning
process — to keep everything fresh and tasty for up to a week.
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Plus, those nice glass jars can be reused many times, so you’re not constantly send- ing plastic bowls into a landfill somewhere. And Mason jars come in a variety of sizes that are ideal for holding everything from snacks to meal-size salads.
Another bonus, especially in today’s health-conscious society, is the ability to create perfectly portioned meals that not only taste amazing, but they’re also bet- ter for you than fast food or prepackaged lunch items. You’ll save money by not eating out every day, too (I usually pack
week, and make your shopping list; then hit the grocery store to buy the rotis- serie chicken, fresh fruits and vegeta- bles, cheeses and any ingredients you don’t already have at home. When you get home, debone and chop the chicken; place it in an airtight container in the fridge until needed.
During the afternoon or evening: Precook any pasta or grains you plan to use, and make any other components that you’d like to prep ahead of time (baked beans, mashed potatoes, dressing for pas- ta salad, etc.). Lightly steam any raw veg- gies, if desired. Let everything cool, and store in airtight containers in the fridge until time to put everything together.
SUNDAY
Anytime during the day or evening: Wash and dry the Mason jars, lids and rings. Wash, drain and chop fresh fruits and vegetables, and drain any canned or cooked frozen veggies. Give your salad greens a good rinsing; then spin or shake them dry.
Next, line up your Mason jars, lids and all ingredients on the counter, and go to town filling them up with colorful, flavor- ful layers. Put the lids on the jars, and store everything in the fridge. The seals on the canning-jar lids will help keep everything fresh and crisp for the entire week.
Here are a couple simple but yummy Mason-jar lunch ideas. Note that these are ideas, not hard-and-fast recipes with mea- sured ingredients, so you can tweak the dishes to suit your personal tastes.
PRETTY PASTA SALAD
I love a good pasta salad, and the best thing is that you can throw in all your favorite ingredients. This one’s pretty basic, but it’s filled with simple delicious- ness. Dump everything into a bowl, and toss to combine just before serving. In a pint-size jar, layer these ingredients:
Broccoli florets (I like mine raw, but you can lightly steam them if you prefer.)
Cooked elbow macaroni tossed with a mixture of mayonnaise and prepared peppercorn ranch salad dressing
Whole pitted black olives
Matchstick carrots (Steam ’em a little bit if you
don’t like a lot of crunch.)
Chopped cooked chicken
Cooked, crumbled bacon
Another layer of macaroni and dressing (if
there’s room)
BARBECUE PARFAIT
If you love barbecue, this hearty one- dish meal has it all — sweet and savory baked beans, creamy mashed potatoes and tangy barbecued chicken. If you want to add coleslaw, pack it separately and throw it in the bowl after heating everything else. Layer these items in a pint-size jar:
Baked beans (canned or your favorite home- made recipe)
Mashed potatoes (This is a great way to use up leftovers from Sunday dinner.)
Chopped cooked chicken tossed with your favorite barbecue sauce
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velunches for Monday through Thursday, mthen splurge by going out with co-workers 4on Friday). Just devote a couple of hours on Saturday and Sunday, and you can create a week’s worth of lunches for just yourself, aor you can concoct meals in a jar that will
orappeal to the hubs and kids, too.
to While you can certainly devote an ntentire day to a marathon session in the tokitchen to prepare lunches for the com- dsing week, I prefer to break the tasks up,
ogiving me plenty of free time on both
eSaturday and Sunday. As much as I
). love to cook, I really don’t enjoy living
nin the kitchen. I like to use rotisserie
-chickens from the grocery-store deli as
era base for my weekly meals — the meat
ntis always tender, juicy and flavorful,
erand it makes meal prep a breeze. Here’s
an example of my planning schedule. u
p m f-
or
SATURDAY
In the morning: Decide what dishes wyou want to prepare for the following
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