#TWKatHome Activities

Spinach & Jar Salads from A to Z

Welcome to TWKatHome, our fun, free online content that helps kids and families explore food and build positive, healthy eating habits. May is National Salad Month and we are excited to share salad activities all month long. We're also fundraising to give salad kits to all our Days of Taste students and could use your help!

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Let's learn about spinach!

Leafy greens are the main component of a salad.  Leafy greens are packed with vitamins and nutrients to help you be your healthiest you! Spinach is a great leafy green to add to your salad.  It comes from Southwestern and Central Asia and has small yellow and green flowers.  Read below to learn just how much spinach can benefit your body.

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How can adding spinach to a salad help you?

Spinach has super powers!

Did you know adding leafy greens like spinach to a salad can help your body in so many ways? Spinach has all of the super powers listed below.

  • Strengthens bones- raw spinach has vitamin K which helps bone health
  • Supports your eyes- spinach has a nutrient called lutein that helps prevent eye diseases
  • Helps your heart- the potassium in spinach can help your heart be healthy
  • Builds your immune system- spinach is filled with flavonoids that carry enough vitamins to help you fight illnesses and may prevent cancer

 

Learn from a chef!

Watch Dana Sicko, of the Gundalow Gourmet, show you how to make TWO different spinach salads.

Watch and find the recipes here!

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What other leafy greens can be used in salads?

Here are just a few other suggestions of leafy greens you can add to your salad.

  • Arugula: Arugula is also known as garden rocket.  It can be used both raw and cooked.  Arugula has a peppery flavor that can add some extra spice to your salad.
  • Baby Lettuce: Baby lettuces are a variety of lettuces that are harvested at an early stage of growing and tend to be delicate and sometimes are considered sweet.   Baby lettuces include baby romaine, baby leaf lettuces, and baby head lettuce.
  • Swiss Chard:  Swiss chard is usually cooked when added to a salad.  The leafy greens have an earthy flavor.  Chard is also pretty because it’s stems can be red, yellow, pink, and purple.
  • Butter Lettuce:  Butter lettuce includes Bibb lettuce and Boston lettuce.  These lettuces have tender sweet leaves with a mild flavor.

What is a jar salad?

A jar salad is a salad made and stored in a mason jar.  These salads can be made ahead of time and can be stored for up to 5 days.  When meal planning, jar salads can be a great way to plan and ensure you have a salad in your weekly diet.

 

Jar salads are delicious and beautiful!  Kids will have fun layering the ingredients and creating a piece of healthy culinary art.

Check out this How to Make a Salad information sheet from our friends at Pompeian.  Salads can be made on a plate, in a bowl, and in a jar!

Let’s make a jar salad:

  • Step One- Pour in your dressing.  The dressing should always be at the bottom of the jar so that your salad does not get soggy.
  • Step Two:  Add your vegetables as the next layer.  The heavier ingredients should be put in the jar first.
  • Step Three:  Put your preferred protein in next.
  • Step Four: Place your leafy greens and toppings at the top and seal tightly.

Store your salad in your refrigerator until you are ready to enjoy.

 

For some added fun, shake your jar before your dump your ingredients onto your dish to eat!

 

 

Jar Salad Recipe

Try this Lemon and Herb Couscous Salad Jar recipe from Pompeian.

 

Salads are healthy additions to your weekly diet and can be fun to make!

 

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Keep Exploring!

 

Jar Salads from A to Z

Print the Jar Salad Activity Sheets to have some extra fun at home.  Challenge yourself to name a salad ingredient for each letter in the alphabet! Challenge your family to use each salad ingredient to celebrate National Salad Month!  Draw and color what your jar salad looks like in the empty jar.

Share with your salads with us!

Share what you learned or created from the activity on our social media! We’d also love to hear your ideas for what other content you’d like to see from TWKatHome. Share with us on Facebook (@TasteWiseKids) or Instagram (@tastewise_kids) and use the hashtags #TWKatHome and #myTWKsalad, or email info@tastewisekids.org.

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