All about the mason jar salad trend you've been seeing online

(WJBK) - Looking for something to do this weekend? Why not make your lunch for an entire week?

All you'll need for this project is a mason jar (or five), some salad fixings and a little time in the kitchen.

Shannon Pearce is a registered nurse and a wellness coach with St. John Providence, so, naturally, she gets excited about healthy foods that are easy to prep. Her latest love - the mason jar salad. She met up with Deena Centofanti to show us how it's done.

After you figure out what you want to put in your salad, it's assembly time. Take note - the first step is critical! 

"You have to put dressing on the bottom. If the dressing's on the bottom, you don't want it on the sides of the jar, because if it's on the sides it's going to get on the lettuce which means wilty lettuce," Pearce tells us.

Now it's time to layer.

"Next, you add something that will taste good sitting in the marinade. So, not your lettucs. You want to add something like cucumbers would be great marinated," she says. Other favorites to add next after the dressing are carrots and peppers.

Shannon admits she likes to buy bagged greens for an even quicker prep time, and even more variety.

The one she was using to show us, for example, had a mix of broccoli, brussel sprouts and kale.

"Super easy, already washed and chopped," she says.

After that, she adds in her spring mix of lettuce. She recommends packing the leaves in there good, because the less air that's in the jar means the fresher it will stay.

Once you pack it full and pop the lid on, they'll be good to stay in your fridge for a week.

When you're ready to eat, it'll take a few good shakes to shimmy the salad out onto a plate. Feel free to add cheese or chicken.

To get your creative juices flowing, you can search mason jar salad recipes on Google or Pinterest. Shannon says, too, the more healthy meal prep you do, the less likely you'll be to make bad choices.

When buying your mason jars, get a wide-mouthed one.