^ One of last week’s simple meals- Simple Chickpea Salad: romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, can of chickpeas, scallions, carrots, and a fat free balsamic. I was going to add avocado too, but forgot…Oops! It’s working! Starch Solution works! I’m officially down 20 lbs and back to my wedding weight. It’s amazing because it feels like I’m…
Tag: healthy
Sofritas-esque Burrito Bowls
Josh is obsessed with Chipotle, I mean get it every day he’s off obsessed. It’s always a sofritas burrito bowl with black beans, fajita veggies, lettuce, corn pico, and guacamole. Chipotle is semi healthy without all the cheese, sour cream, and meat, but still has lots of oil and salt. I wanted to recreate something…
Apple Spice Pancakes and Meal Plans 8.19.18
I woke up this morning wanting to make something extra yummy for breakfast. I’ve been having a bowl of watermelon for breakfast lately, so a stack of fluffy pancakes sounded like a treat! I’m still working on my vegan baked goods (my banana bread from yesterday was a total FAIL) so I thought pancakes are…
Chickpea Pot Pie Lasagna
It’s a two in one favorite! This concept just blew my mind because it’s two of my favorite dishes together in one pan, and I’ve been wondering how it would be for a while now. I found this recipe on my McDougall Starch Solution app and I finally decided to give it a try. Don’t…
Broccoli Kale Mac n Cheeze
Mac n cheese was my all time favorite meal as a child and I ordered it every time we went out to dinner. Problem was, I was lactose intolerant and I got sick on the way home after EVERY time. I still give my mom grief for not putting that together! After that, whenever I…
Meal Planning 8.12.18
I’m taking the time while my family naps to write about this week’s upcoming menu. My sister had a baby on Monday, so we’re visiting them this weekend in Philly! It’s been so much fun playing with our 2 year old nephew and holding our newborn niece, but everyone needed a nap. I decided to…
BBQ Tofu and Rice Bowl
The taste of summer is BBQ sauce, and this BBQ glazed crispy tofu hit the spot. I added roasted broccoli, worcestershire baby Bella mushrooms, and tomatoes over long grain brown rice and drizzled my maple mustard bbq dressing over the top. It’s a summery, yet hearty meal made in heaven! You can add whatever veggies…
Meal Planning 8.6.18
This week has been super busy with going back to school with the kids, and planning my cousin’s bridal shower that was yesterday. Whew! So far my class seems like they’ll be an adorable bunch, and the shower went perfectly so now I can breathe out a sigh of relief! I went to get the…
Summer Veggie and White Bean Soup
It’s been raining for what feels like forever so I’ve been craving some kind of light, yet comforting, soup. The summer veggies are in their prime so I decided that was what kind of soup I wanted to make. I mixed frozen with fresh and it turned out to be the perfect meal for my…
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with Tzatziki Dressing
Last night I made this light yet satisfying salad with crunchy spiced chickpeas, and an array of fresh veggies then topped it off with a creamy tzatziki dressing. It’s perfect for summer when you want something flavorful but it’s 100* outside. I used High Carb Hannah’s tzatziki recipe that I’ve posted before and it’s pretty…
Eggplant and Quinoa Bake
I came up with this invention because I was missing the constant supply of eggplant and zucchini that I had in Italy, but I was still not ready for a regular pasta dish. What about a lasagna type bake with quinoa instead and layers of tofu ricotta and zucchini? Delish! It was really different and…
Creole Spiced Lentils with Roasted Potato Chips
Just when I thought I was so prepared for this week’s meals… I ran out of most of what I needed for the sloppy Joe’s I was going to make tonight. I was out of chili powder, down a can of diced tomatoes, and then I was missing the main ingredient, BROWN LENTILS! Uhhh I…
Meal Planning 7.28.18
Is it weird that I really enjoy sitting down on a Saturday morning with my breakfast, tea, and a notepad to meal plan? There’s something relaxing about the ritual and the 5% part of me that is OCD likes the planning and organization so I know what to expect throughout the week. I’ll have crazy…
Expanding my blog following…
In order to expand my blog following, I’m going to be making my Instagram public and post more vegan cooking videos and pictures relaying followers back to my blog. If you’d like to follow what I’m making on Instagram, you can follow me on charmingchickpea and if you have any questions you can email my…
Meal Planning 7.23.18
After a glorious two weeks of endless white carbs (bread, pasta, bruschetta, pizza, bread, pasta, repeat) I’m ready to get back on my high carb low fat lifestyle. I know I usually eat a lot of carbs, 80% of my daily intake in fact, but complex carbs affect me so differently. After a few days…
Positano, Italy Vegan Eats
We just got back from an incredible 12 day trip to Italy and I’m up at 4:30 with my messed up time change alarm clock, so I thought I would start to share with you the best vegan finds and delicious restaurants we went to while we were there. I already shared the not so…
Let’s Get Physical (exams)
Last year I got a physical right before going vegan and everything was normal, which is good, but I wanted to see how much better it could be. I was doing high-intensity workouts almost 6 days a week for 6 months before that physical and haven’t done much of that this year. I usually get…
Quick Chickpea and Potato Curry
After 7 hours of driving back from the beach in on and off pouring rain, I was ready to be home! It was hard to get myself unpacked and back out of the door to the grocery store but I wanted a quick and healthy home cooked meal after eating out more than usual. I…
Vegan Beachin’
I’ve spent this week at the beach relaxing with family and my bestie, so I haven’t been posting many recipe because I haven’t been cooking much. We’re in Blue Mountain Beach near Seaside, FL. As I mentioned, I packed a lot of food to have as back ups in case there weren’t many options for…
Greek Oil Free Pasta Salad
Need a simple and fresh pasta salad for summer? This was a tasty and dill-icious light dinner and would be perfect as a side for a cook out or party. It’s only a few ingredients and it comes together quickly, so I’m glad I put these things together because it definitely works! I used High…
The Charming Chickpea 