Ramen-- Fat Lady Style

 That's a lot prettier than those square packages of  sodium and preservatives you get 5 for $1 at WalMart, isn't it?? 

I, like most people I know, have run out of time.  There are not enough hours in the day to get done what all I feel needs to be done.  Even with a detailed planner, with pretty washi tape and bright colors, I fall behind in all the many things I want to accomplish so my life can be perfect. 

Stop laughing.  No seriously.  Stop laughing. 

I myself am not a fan of Ramen noodles.  I really do not like the taste all that much and they make me so thirsty (HELLO 9000000 mg of sodium!).  My kids and my husband love them.  And quite frankly, they are easy and cheap.  So I keep the pantry well stocked.

  I am obsessed with Mason jar foods.  And Mason jars.  I even bought those nifty lids that turn your soup jar into a sippy cup.  I have the little ones to put salad dressing in, huge for soup (or Mommy Juice), medium for quick salads or my hot tea.  It's so bad they have taken over 2/3 of my overstock pantry.  Sorry guys- no room for cereal or can goods, MY JARS ARE THERE! 

I am also obsessed with Pinterest.  A few weeks ago, I was busy at work and didn't have time to log in for 3 days and they send a doctor to my house to make sure I was OK.  

Pinterest has tons of ideas for Mason jars.  And also homemade Ramen jars.  Alas most of those are for vegan or gluten free people and we are not those people.  So I goofed around and looked at all the recipes and ideas and adapted something to fit our tastes.  There is still sodium and some preservatives BUT nothing like the original.  And there are Fresh veggies. 

Look right there- there is your sodium in a jar.    You can just use bouillon instead of the soup base but I found it gave it oodles of flavor.  These noodles held up the best in my opinion.  You can use rice stick but they degrade super fast and will have less shelf life and are not reheatable once you add the water.   My local Publix had 10 different types of noodle to chose from.

Shredded Nappa Cabbage and spinach.   

 The first batch I made with Nappa cabbage and it worked great.  The next batch, I was trying to cut down on prep work as much as possible and used bagged cole slaw mix.  I actually like that better. 

The 12 oz jars are a full meal for one of us.  Even the hubs who can eat his weight in food.  The larger jars were perfect for 2 to share and be full.  I prefer to pour almost boiling water in the jar and let it sit.  Hubs has less time for lunch at work so he microwaves his.  (be careful- it will boil over )Once full of water, give them a little shake to get all the base mixed in and it took about 3-5 minutes for the noodles to cook.  The veggies were still a little crisp the way I like them.  

Since these have perishable foods in them, obviously they are stored in the fridge but if you just did flavor base and noodles, you can stock pile them in a pantry.  I have had a few in the fridge for 2 weeks and they are still perfect. 


Flavor and Stock Base
2 tbsp stock starter or chicken bouillon (or beef or veggie or even miso starter)
2 tbsp onion flakes
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp wasabi powder
1/8 tsp powdered ginger
1 tbsp sugar
**2 tbsp red pepper flakes (this is optional but we like spicy foods)

Other stuff 
Mason Jars ( I used 12 oz and 20 oz)
Shredded carrots
cut spinach leaves
shredded cabbage
green onions
froz corn
shredded chicken
whatever you have handy you want to toss in there


Put the flavor base in first- @1 tbsp for the 12 oz jars- then layer your leafy greens, and other veggies, chicken, etc and cram the noodles on top.  The order doesn't really matter EXCEPT noodles are always last.  And you do not want to put a moist veggie right on top of the powdered soup base.  And seriously- cram the noodles in there. 
 

Yes, it costs more than $1 to make 5 of these, but they are still economical.  The soup base was the most expensive thing I purchased but it lasts- I have made 5 batches and have used about half the jar.  The noodles were less than $2 a pack and 1 pack made @ 4- 12oz jars. Bags of pre shredded carrots and cole slaw mix are less than $2 each if you want to cut down on prep work.  And use leftovers for the rest of it.  Got some chicken left over from last Wed?  Throw it in.  Green beans?  Yep.  In the jar.  Don't like wasabi?  Don't add it.