From the MIND of Vanessa

Hey all, Vanessa here this week, talking about my love for the Mason jar and its compatibility with the MIND diet. If I've already held you captive regarding Mason jars, I apologize! But there's so many uses for them that are particularly relevant for this week's EatWell topic. Please bear with me. :)

The primary tenets of the MIND diet are to increase your intake of leafy greens and all other veggies, berries, whole grains, nuts, and beans (among some other foods). Some really easy, portable, and meal-preppable solutions for incorporating these recommendations become so much easier when you enter a Mason jar (or any jar with a lid, honestly). They are easy to carry and easy to clean. They are safe in the dishwasher and microwave (just remove any metal!). They fit easily in the fridge and they are clear so you can see exactly what's in there. And they even have little measurement graduations on the side if you you want to use them. So now, what to put in them? Here's some ideas that are MIND diet compatible:

Breakfast: How about a yogurt parfait, refrigerator oatmeal, or frittata?

Snack: Pack veggie sticks and dip or apple and nut butter, just to name 2 ideas

Lunch: Try some quiche, salad in a jar, (be sure to use a jar to make your own olive oil-based dressing as well!) or instant noodle soup, or burrito bowls

What are some other ideas that you can think of? I'm not necessarily recommending this one in the same *spirit* as the above, but I suppose that sangria would fit both with this whole jar theme as well as those MIND diet recommendations of adding more fruit as well as 1 small glass of wine per day...hmm...