the poverty luxe kitchen vol. 22: spinach + chèvre salad.

fun fact about me: im not a huge fan of salads, and i never have been (even while i was vegan, i never ate salads). james could eat a huge salad with every meal if i made one (actually, he frequently makes his own to accompany whatever it was i made), but for the most part, salads just dont do it for me. partly because they tend to be a lot of work, partly because most salads have some kind of thing i dont like in them, partly because i dont like my foods all mixed up and touching, and mostly because every single time i eat a salad (unless its like, tuna salad) i end up even hungrier than i was before i started eating salad. 

so i just never made salads. 

but then last semester i had a bit of a sticky situation for lunch: i had an awesome 20 minute break between my classes to eat a real lunch, BUT my school doesnt really have any gluten free options to buy, and there arent any microwaves available so bringing leftovers (which is what i usually eat for lunch at home) was out of the question. at first i tried to load up on snacks (fruit, cheese, crackers, granola bars, etc.) but that took a lot of prep and frankly, wasnt a real lunch. 

so then i gave in and decided to bring a salad, which was probably just a big container of spring mix with some balsamic vinegar on it because thats basically the only "salad" i ever made. and that wasnt really a real lunch either (especially considering last semester was basically the entire second half of my pregnancy). after that i decided i would figure out a salad that would keep me full at least till the end of class, and that i would actually like. oh, and it had to be easy to make, because no way was i getting up extra early to chop veggies OR adorable layering a weeks worth of salads in mason jars. 

heres what i came up with: spinach (heartier and more nutritious than the salad mix i was used to using), goat cheese (my favorite), and some simple toppings (no peeling or chopping at all!), and the simplest dressing ever. overall, its very satisfying. for a salad, i mean. 

spinach and chevre salad. 

(note: im not using any specific quantities so that way you can decide exactly how much salad you want to make. see also: i have no idea how to write a recipe for salad)

heres what you need: 

spinach

goat cheese (plain or herb flavor)

roasted pumpkin seeds (very inexpensive from the bulk bins at sprouts)

dried cranberries (preferrably unsweetened)

toasted pumpkin seed oil (from bluff cove olive oil co.)

balsamic vinegar

black pepper

heres what you do: 

place desired amount of spinach in a large bowl, topping with goat cheese, pumpkin seeds, and dried cranberries. 

drizzle with pumpkin seed oil and balsamic vinegar, adding black pepper if desired. 

normally i eat this salad by itself when i pack it for school or an outing where ill need my own lunch, but it also makes a great side dish, especially with salmon or mac and cheese). 

im curious, what are your favorite kinds of salads? 

alice in wonderland nail art tutorial (a guest post by taylor of posh polish nails).

Hi everyone! It's Taylor again :) I am back to share another fun nail design with you! As I mentioned in my first post, I came up with this design thanks to Victoria's daughter Alice! Side note : Can I just say how awesome Alice is? From what I read in Victoria's tweets and posts, she is a hilarious little girl. Can a three year old be my role model? Anyways, back to the reason I am here :) Today's nails are inspired by Alice in Wonderland! I have been wanting to try this design out for a while, and I thought this was a perfect time to do it! So without further ado, here are my nails!

  Just like my previous design, I will give y'all a step by step tutorial for each nail! Let's get started!

Index finger (Alice):

Polishes used:

Sally Hansen - White on and Lemon Shark Orly - Liquid Vinyl The nude is a Bolivian polish :)

Tutorial!

Start with a base of white. Paint a small portion of the tip with a nude polish. This doesn't have to be precise, you just need to make sure you have enough nude for her forehead. It is better to overdo it than not have enough because you will be covering up the excess in the next step! Using a yellow polish, paint two strokes above the nude, one to the right and one to the left. This will be Alice's hair. The next step is to outline her hair and add a bow, I recommend using a black polish for this step. Side note: I am awful at painting faces, which is why I chose to paint the top of her head instead of her face. Would you have guessed it was Alice? I was told it looked like a duck XD

Middle finger (Eat Me Tag):

Polishes used :

Loreal - Club Prive Sally Hansen - White on and Black Nail Art Pen And the grey is Bolivian :)

Tutorial!

Start off with any color base, I chose Club Prive because I love teal/turquoise polishes. This next step is optional, so feel free to get creative on this one! I chose to add grey polka dots to the base of Club Prive. Want stripes instead? Or would you rather it be plain? Go for it! Next paint the base of the tag with a white polish. I don't know why I made mine so small, especially since it was the only thing on the nail. I recommend making it bigger to at least fill half the nail, because it makes the next step so much easier. Now it is time to add the writing, see why it would be easier to have a bigger tag? I used a nail art pen by Sally Hansen because I find it makes it so much easier to write with than a nail art brush. The final step is to outline the tag to make it stand out against the background!

Ring finger (Pocket Watch):

Polishes used:

Orly - Liquid Vinyl Sally Hansen - White on The grey and gold are Bolivian as well :)

Tutorial!

Start off with a base of a dark color. I chose to use grey, but black or any other deep color would work. The next step is to paint the base of the watch. I recommend using a metallic color, as you can see I used gold. You can either use a nail brush or the polish brush to paint the base, use what is easier for you! Then using the same metallic polish and a dotting tool, add a big dot to the top of the watch, and slightly smaller dots to form a chain. The next step is to add smaller dots over the chain dots using your base color, to finish the chain. Using a white polish, paint the base of the face of the watch. The last step is to use a black polish to add all the small details, such as the hands of the clock.

Pinky (Cheshire Cat):

Polishes used :

Loreal - Hint of Lavender and Violette

Tutorial!

This nail is the easiest of all the designs. Start with a light purple/pink base, whichever you have that is closest to the Cheshire Cat's lightest color. This next step can be done two different ways. The first is to hand paint the stripes using a nail art brush. The second way is to use nail striping tape, which is what I used. If you have the striping, I recommend using it because you will achieve much cleaner and precise stripes than simply hand painting them. But if you don't have tape, no worries! Hand painted will still look good :) I finished all of these designs by using NYC Matte Me Crazy top coat. I wanted a matte finish, but if you prefer shiny nails, you can use a regular top coat! It is all up to you! 

There you have it! What do you all think? If you recreate this mani, I would love to see! Tag me on Twitter or Instagram so I can see! I want to thank Victoria for letting me share not just one, but two design's with you all! I had a lot of fun putting these together, I hope you guys enjoyed them!

- Posh Polish

gluten free mango ginger cupcakes (guest post by stacie at housewifes whimsy)

hey everyone! stacie from Housewife’s Whimsy is back with another guest post, this time with a recipe for gluten free mango ginger cupcakes. as if a cupcake recipe wasnt awesome enough, shes here today with one thats not only gluten free, but with a totally unique flavor AND a mascarpone icing, are you excited? cause i am. lets let stacie take over so we can get to the actual recipe:

A fresh fruit base is a departure from my typical cupcake recipes. I personally love anything and everything chocolate but I really wanted to embrace the flavors of a California summer for this cupcake. So thanks to Poverty Luxe for inspiring me to bring these bright flavors to North Iowa! The mango and ginger flavor combo may not be the first thing you think of, but you will definitely fall in love once you try it.

If you’ve ever made gluten free cupcake recipes before you know that they can tend to be on the dry crumbly side. I’ve been able to change and refine this recipe over time so it is now perfect! I have a fabulous chocolate version on my blog to complement this vanilla based version.  The texture of the cake is just as good as any “regular” cupcake you might eat. It is light and fluffy without any hint of dryness. By using both xanthan gum and cream of tartar you get the best cupcake texture possible.

This recipe uses fresh fruit throughout the entire recipe. It also has the added benefit of no refined sugars in either the cake or icing. Because of this, the cupcake is not overly sweet. It has a hint of sweetness due to the honey, but mostly it relies on the mango and ginger flavors to shine through. The mascarpone provides the perfect vehicle for the bright summery California flavor combination. The hint of lemon added to the ginger syrup really creates a complex flavor blend throughout the entire cupcake.

I typically use piping bags and tips when I ice my cupcakes. This gives them the professional look and feel that really impresses those eating your cakes. If you’re not familiar with how to do this, I have a short tutorial over on my blog that walks you through how to get that bakery look. If you’re short on time though you can ice these cupcakes with a spatula or offset knife. I chose not to garnish these since I felt they were far too pretty with the clean lines, but you could feel free to finish the tops with a chunk of mango or candied ginger if you wish.

Gluten Free Mango-Ginger Cupcakes

For the Cakes:

1 Cup Gluten Free Flour

½ Cup Raw Honey

¼ Cup Salted Butter

¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 Eggs

½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum

1 Teaspoon Cream of Tarter

½ Cup Mango Puree

½ Teaspoon Ground Ginger

¼ Cup Milk

For the Icing:

½ Cup Mango Puree

¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Ginger Root

½ Cup Water

1 Tablespoon Raw Honey

Splash of Fresh Lemon

16oz Mascarpone

2 Tablespoons Arrowroot Starch/Corn Starch

To make the cakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a twelve cup muffin tin or line it with paper liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the honey, butter, olive oil and eggs on high until well mixed and free of lumps.

Add the mango puree, vanilla extract and ground ginger. Stir until mixed.

Once the mixture is well combined stir in the xanthan gum, cream of tartar and gluten free flour. Beat on high until slightly elastic and the xanthan gum has been activated.

Add the milk and slowly mix until incorporated.

Using a ¼ cup measuring cup spoon the prepared batter into the lined muffin tin.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Let cool completely before icing the cupcakes.

To make the icing:

Place the fresh ginger, water, honey and spritz of fresh lemon in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let boil until reduced by half. Strain and let cool before moving on.

In a small bowl place the mascarpone, mango puree, ginger syrup and arrowroot starch. Use a spatula to stir until all the ingredients are well combined, adding additional arrowroot starch if the mixture is too runny.

Spoon the finished icing into a piping bag fitted with an icing tip if using. Pipe the icing onto the cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

Stacie LaMoore has been blogging at Housewife’s Whimsy since November 2014. Her blog contains a variety of topics including Gluten Free recipes, natural body and home ideas, and most importantly, cupcakes. She lives in northern Iowa with her husband, dog and cat where there isn’t much to do other than bake and watch the corn grow. She loves reading, kayaking and everything related to baking.  She’s very excited to have this chance to share a little of her life with you!