Preheat your oven to 400 F and set your rack to the middle position.
Grab your medium sweet potatoes, peel (optional) and dice into 1″ cubes. Add avocado oil and your favorite seasonings to your taste preference (I used ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder and ½ teaspoon onion powder), toss and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Let cool to room temperature.
NEXT, MAKE YOUR QUINOA:
While your sweet potatoes are roasting, cook your quinoa according to the instructions on the packaging or use pre-cooked frozen or packaged quinoa. Let cool to room temperature.
NEXT, ASSEMBLE YOUR MEAL PREP SALAD:
Grab a large jar or meal prep container as pictured, start by adding 1 tablespoon tahini, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard,1 teaspoon honey, 1 & ½ tablespoons water, ⅛ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper to the bottom of the bowl and giving it a whisk until everything is well combined.
Next, add in ¼ of your chick peas so that they soak up the flavor of the dressing while they sit in the fridge. Then add 1 cup of massaged kale, ⅓ cup of your roasted and cooled sweet potatoes , ⅓ cup of cooked and cooled quinoa, 1 tablespoon of dried cranberries and 1 tablespoon of roasted and sliced almonds. Repeat process with the other jars.
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days until you are ready to enjoy. When you are ready, flip the jar over onto a bowl, because the tahini may thicken a bit, you will need to likely scoop the dressing and chickpeas with a spoon and then toss your salad before serving.
Hint: All you need to do to massage the kale is add in about a teaspoon of oil to the kale and massage it with your fingers to soften the kale up and make it easier to enjoy. You can also add a pinch of salt.
Hint: Make sure to use a jar or container as pictured and assemble in the order that I specified to prevent your salad from getting soggy. You may also just store the dressing separately if you do not own a jar or container as pictured.
Video
Notes
Substitutions
Sweet Potatoes - substitute sweet potatoes for butternut squash.
Roasted and Slivered Almonds- feel free to use sunflower seeds instead.
Dried Cranberries- use fresh pomegranates instead.
Vegan- Use maple syrup instead of honey to make this recipe vegan.
This gut-friendly recipe is already gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian.
Variations
If you make all the substitutions I suggested above, then you will have another fall variation of this recipe
All you need to make these healthy salad jars is an air tight container or 24-26 oz jar. If you are in the market for some great, aesthetically pleasing glass containers, you will love these for prepping your salads.Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you choose to purchase through qualifying links.
Storage
This is a meal prep friendly jar and this is meant to be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Top tip
Make sure to use a jar or container as pictured and assemble in the order that I specified to prevent your salad from getting soggy. Additionaly, just store the dressing separately if you do not own a jar or container as pictured.