the poverty luxe kitchen vol. 26: leftover fried rice.

here in the meyers house we eat a lot of white rice. partially because its cheap as heck and goes great with things like salmon, curry lentils, and cajun red beans, and partially because im asian and freaking love white rice (no, im not making this up, my dad is literally filipino). the thing with rice though is that its really hard to correctly guess how much of it were actually going to eat. since rice takes a long time to cook i always end up making extra just in case and then we end up with way too much rice. 
and well... leftover rice is  kind of a difficult thing to deal with when you dont have a microwave or rice cooker for reheating it. for a long time all our leftover rice used to languish in the back of the fridge getting drier and drier until either i cleaned out the fridge or needed the container it was in and threw it away. 
recently i remembered my mom saying that cold, leftover rice was the perfect start for making fried rice. on that particular day we happened to have some leftover rice, so i threw some things together to try it out, and... it was great! not only was it a quick, tasty, and reasonably healthy lunch, but it totally helped us up all kinds of bits of leftovers. once i perfected the right recipe, i made a habit of always making extra, extra rice so i can make this for lunch the next day. 
leftover fried rice.  (serves two)
heres what you need: 
2 cups cold, leftover rice 1 carrot 1 rib of celery 1/4 of an onion 1 cup shredded cabbage 2-3 cloves garlic 1 egg 2 tablespoons soy/tamari sauce olive oil
heres what you do: 
finely chop all of the vegetables and heat a small amount of olive oil in a very large pan. 
sauté veggies in over high heat until fully cooked (approx 7-10 minutes). 
add rice and continue to cook, stirring constantly (making sure to break up any large chunks of rice) until all of the rice is hot. 
scoot the rice away from the center of the pan toward the edges, forming a "well" in the center of the pan. 
crack the egg into that well, scrambling it well and quickly stirring it into the rice and veggies as it cooks. 
continue to stir until eggs are completely cooked and toss with soy/tamari sauce. 
*note: one REALLY great thing about this recipe is that its SO easy to scale up! if you have more rice, just add another egg and some more veggies and make as much as you want
this fried rice is a super tasty way to use up leftovers that would otherwise be thrown away, whats your favorite way to repurpose leftovers? 

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? 

15 quick and easy lunch ideas. (guest post by sonya of sea salt and caramel)

hey folks! while i take a little bit of a break after having the baby, i have some great guest posts lined up from some wonderful blogger ladies! today i have sonya from sea salt & caramel sharing some great inspiration with 15 quick and easy lunch ideas (something we can definitely use with a new baby in the house!). now thats enough of me, ill let sonya take over from here: 

Pita :  Pitas are a great way to satisfy your carb cravings while still having a light and fluffy bread substitute. 

• Tomato & Feta Filling: Use 10-15 cherry tomatoes to add a sweetened zest to the dish. Mix an even amount of diced tomatoes and feta. Feel free to swap out the feta for any cheese you prefer, or mix a few together. Buy feta which is either pre-crumbled or which is relatively hard so you can cut it into pieces without getting the pita soggy. 
• Hummus & Peppers: You will need half a pepper to fill up the whole pita up. You can either cut the pepper in strips or small chunks, whichever you prefer. Lather 2 tbs of hummus onto the warm pita and then fill it with the peppers slices.
• Chickpeas: There are a myriad of ways to prepare chickpeas, you can toss them with some olive oil, lemon, and seasoning, cook them, or bake them and make chickpea “chips”. You can even add some hummus or cream cheese if you want a creamy filling. Or perhaps use feta for some added flavor. 
• Tuna & Hummus: I love tuna and mayo sandwiches, but sadly, it’s not the healthiest thing around. A great alternative to mayo is hummus, it gives you the creamy touch with the nice flavor to boot. You can even season the tuna with some light olive oil or lemon juice. 
• Eggs: Cook a hard boiled egg (should take roughly 10 minutes in boiling water), after removing the shell, cut it into small pieces, you can even use a fork to smash it. Toss with a sauce, such as a vinaigrette, and fill the pita with the mixture. 

Toast: Slices of toast lathered with butter, jam and savory toppings are an age old favorite.

• Avocado & Tomatoes: Use half of a ripe avocado, the smoother the better, and lather onto the toast. For this recipe you can either use cherry tomatoes, for added sweetness, or any you have on hand. Place the sliced tomatoes above the avocado. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil above and then season with salt and pepper and some lemon zest. 
• Salmon & Cream Cheese: On warm bread, spread some whipped cream cheese (I love the one from Trader Joe’s), and place smoked salmon above. Add a touch of lemon juice and some ground pepper to season. 
• Cucumber & Cream Cheese: If you want to try the veggie version, you can use thinly sliced cucumbers instead of salmon. Place them above a layer of cream cheese. You can toss the cucumber slices in a sauce of your choice, a lemon vinaigrette, for example. 
• Cheddar &  Peppers: This one is for the grilled cheese aficionados. Heat a skillet on high and allow a small amount of butter to melt. Place your sandwich, filled with cheddar and pepper slices, into the skillet. Cover and put on low heat. Once the cheese has fully melted, remove from heat and add some chilli flakes if you want a spicy grilled cheese. 
• Bananas & Strawberries: If you love “brinner” (breakfast for dinner), and you have an insatiable sweet tooth then this is the combo for you. In terms of spreads you can choose whatever suits your fancy, some butter, nutella, peanut butter, or almond butter. On the side you can cut your banana up and your strawberries into slices. After choosing your spread you can place your fruit pieces above. Sprinkle with some cinnamon. 

Salads: Salads don’t need to only be green, and boring. With the right mix of ingredients they can be both healthy and delicious. 

• Pasta Salad: This is the perfect way to use your evening leftovers. If you cooked a batch of pasta the night before, either reserve some unseasoned or just use whatever you have left. You can add salad leaves, olives, tomatoes, cheese and a protein to make it a hearty lunch. 
• Prosciutto & Mozzarella: Use 2-4 slices of prosciutto and cut into thirds. Slice the mozzarella into medium-to-small pieces. Toss both ingredients with some salad leave and add your prefered sauce. I think a lemon-oil sauce works best. 
• Chicken Salad: Use leftover grilled or baked chicken, or cook some in the morning. If you have the chance, let it marinate in a flavorful sauce: barbeque, sweet & spicy, or lime & cilantro.
• Veggie Only: If you have tomatoes, olives, peppers, and cheese leftover from other lunches use them for the salad. I like to call this the anything-you’ve-got-on-hand-salad. Add in some cucumbers, a hard boiled egg as a source of protein and some salad leaves to freshen the mix. I recommend using 2-3 eggs to make it a hearty meal, if you choose to forgo the salad leaves. 
• Sweet & Savory: Use a handful of cranberries, and sliced grapefruit to add some sweet flavors to your mixture. Add chicken, tuna, prosciutto or steak for some added protein. On a bed of cabbage, arugula, and spinach this is a great way to mix up the traditional salad. 

I hope you’ve been inspired by my list of 15 quick & easy lunches. All of these different recipes can be combined to make even more delicious meals. I would love to see what you come up with, share your creations with me via twitter or instagram!