Well after a week in the beach and the mountains, we’re relaxed and thankful for a nice week of vacation together. Josh and I went down to Blue Mountain beach and even though it rained most of our trip we loved getting a massage, playing Yahtzee, and hanging out together which doesn’t happen much since he’s working and going to school full time! We went to Surfing Deer and I love how they have marked vegan options on their menu and their sous chef is vegan so it’s much easier than other places down there. We started with the watermelon poke tostadas and she made me a veggie udon bowl stocked with tasty veggies.

The other two nights I cooked in and had leftover pasta and then we picked up Beyond Meat burgers from the local health food store for the last night. We had burgers, oven fries, and broccoli for an easy and delicious dinner. Those burgers are insane! I swear, the longer I’m vegan I don’t really crave that flavor/texture profile very much, but for transitioning vegans it’s amazing how similar it tastes to beef. They’re pretty high in fat so we don’t have them very often, so we splurged on vacation. 

We got home Thursday and had my mom over for a chickpea stir fry (recipe already on blog) and some Thai Vegetable gyozas from TJ’s that are always tasty. I planned ahead before we went to the mountains with his family and prepared some stuff so we were never hungry. I made two of these simple pumpkin breads (above) that are the simplest things ever to make. It’s a box of Duncan Hines Spice Cake mix, a can of pumpkin puree, and a cup of water then mix and bake on 350* for about an hour. I also made and brought some brownies, hummus, guacamole, tofu based potato salad, marinated portobellos, asparagus, pitas, chips, veggies, and leftover stir fry. It’s always best to come prepared!

This week I want to get back into the swing of things with some Starch solution staples. I need to lay off the fattier foods than I’m used to and get back to simple whole foods that make me feel my best. I always want to enjoy myself and indulge on vacation, but I’m ready to get back to my normal way of eating. Here’s what we’ll be having this week, so maybe you’ll decide to make some of these too! #thecharmingchickpea

Simple Veggie Pasta- I’m planning on making this tonight because I’m tired from all the travel. Whole wheat pasta, organic fat free marinara, spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, and basil will make it simply delish.

Lentils and Rice– Another starchy staple. This is one of the easiest recipes I’ve made and always tastes amazing. Plus you just throw it all in the rice cooker (or you could probably use an Instant Pot) and it’s all done! Recipe already on here, search lentils.

Potato Nachos- I’m slicing potatoes thin to make chips and loading them up with black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, salsa, and guac. I might even decide to make a cheezy vegan nacho sauce?

Sushi Bowls- Sushi the lazy way! Put your rice in a bowl and top with your favorite sushi add ins. We use mango, carrots, cucumbers, avocado, spring mix, and maybe edamame.

Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo with Asparagus and Peas– The cauliflower is the base for this creamy vegan alfredo and you add in asparagus and peas to make a yummy one pot pasta.

I hope you’re using these recipes to inspire your meal plans this week! Have a wonderful first week of October! Bring it on fall!