What We Eat In A Week - Episode 018

Welcome back to a new episode! This week we had a lot of quick and tasty homecooked meals, went to Beleaf Burgers in Chino for the first time, made vegan Chile Rellenos with my mom, and tried a new vegan protein option at Taco Bell! We hope you enjoy this episode!

Thursday, April 15th

Breakfast - Kashi Berry Bliss Waffles Topped w/ Nutiva Hazelnut Spread & Berries

I toasted Kashi waffles and topped them with Nutiva Hazelnut Spread, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and a drizzle of agave. Anything with Nutiva Hazelnut Spread over top is elevated goodness!!

Lunch - Trader Joe’s Japanese Style Fried Rice + Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick’n + Airfried Spring Rolls

For lunch, I air-fried some vegetable spring rolls that we get from Costco. Then, I heated up TJ’s Japanese Style Fried Rice along with some sesame oil. In another pan, I cooked the Gardein Mandarin Orange Chick’n and topped it with red pepper flakes. This is always so tasty and easy to quickly make!

Dinner - Nongshim Soon Veggie Noodle Soup Cup + Nodoh Jalapeño Style Sticks

We heated up a veggie noodle cup for dinner. I air-fried some vegan jalapeño style sticks to have on the side. These jalapeño style sticks are good! I just wish they were actually spicy.

Snack - Green Apple

Friday, April 16th

Breakfast - Aloo Paratha (Indian bread stuffed with potato, herbs & spices)

I hated up some Aloo Paratha on the comal for breakfast! These are the best!

Snack - Jicama

I cut up some jicama to have as a snack and topped it with some lemon juice and tajin.

Lunch - Pasta Salad

First I cooked the pasta. Then I cooked Cacique Soy Chorizo on low heat along with diced fresh jalapeños. While I waited on the pasta and chorizo I diced 2 medium tomatoes and half a cucumber. Once the pasta was ready, I drained it and added olive oil, white wine vinegar, sea salt, pepper, dried oregano, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice to it and mixed until well combined. Then I mixed in the chorizo and vegetables. This was so delicious and filling! I love making pasta salad because the leftovers are just as good and don’t need to be heated up!

Dinner - Rubios Impossible California Bowl

After we went to the gym we were too hungry to make something so we picked up Rubio’s. Rubio’s now has Impossible Foods as a protein option in CA, AZ, and NV! You can veganize the Impossible California Bowl (or burrito) by omitting the chipotle white sauce. For our order, we swap the citrus rice for Mexican rice and get all their salsas. They also have an Impossible Taco salad which can be made vegan by omitting the ranch dressing. The Impossible California bowl is definitely our favorite vegan option here!

Snack - Green Grapes

I washed some grapes for us to snack on while we watched TV.

Saturday, April 17th

Breakfast - Kashi Berry Bliss Waffle Sandwich

I toasted Kashi waffles and spread almond butter on one side and strawberry jam on the other. Then ate it like a sandwich along with my morning matcha tea.

Snack - Wendy’s Fries + Lemonade

We were on our way to the chiropractor when we started to get hungry so we stopped for some fries.

Lunch - Hot Chick’n Sandwich + Boba Milkshake from Beleaf Burgers

We stopped to pick up lunch from Beleaf Burgers since we were in the area and have been wanting to check them out. We ordered their hot chick’n sandwich and their boba milkshake. I asked for buffalo sauce on the side to have with the sandwich. The sandwich was crispy and moist! It’s not spicy though so if you want some spice definitely get the buffalo sauce on the side. Next time we’re gonna ask if they can cover the chick’n patty in buffalo sauce. If you love boba definitely try the boba milkshake! We want to come back to eat here with my brothers. I really want to try their Korean corndog next time!

Dinner - Leftover Pasta Salad

I’m telling you pasta salad is just as good if not better the next day!

Snack - Jicama + Cucumber

We snacked on some jicama and cucumber topped with lemon and tajin of course!

Sunday, April 18th

Breakfast - Chick’n Tenders from Plant Power Fast Food

We drove over to Plant Power Fast Foods because I was craving their breakfast burrito. Sadly we didn’t know that they stop serving breakfast at 11:00 AM so we ended up having their chick’n tenders for breakfast instead. We got the special sauce to dip them in!

Lunch - Salad topped w/ Alpha Foods Plant-Based Nuggets

First I added a handful of spring mix into a bowl. Then I drizzled the greens with lemon juice, white wine vinegar, sea salt, and pepper. For toppings, I added diced tomatoes and cucumber along with air-fried Alpha Foods Plant-Based Nuggets. I’ve been making simpler salads these past couple of weeks because we haven’t had the chance to get dressing or avocado or kalamata olives. Avocado and kalamata olives just elevate any dish but I still enjoy simple salads!

Snack - Chanachur

I had some chanachur as a snack before I headed over to my parent’s house.

Dinner - Homemade Vegan Chile Rellenos + Spanish Rice + Avocado

My mom and I made vegan Chile Rellenos for dinner. They were magnificent! This was only our first time making them! We used Just Egg and Miyokos Creamery Fresh Mozzarella Vegan Cheese, the rest of the process is vegan as-is. We then topped the chiles with homemade salsa. I missed Chile Rellenos so much and am very happy to have them again! This is another recipe I’m excited to include in my cookbook! :)

Dessert - Mango

We wanted something sweet so I cut up a mango for us to snack on!

Monday, April 19th

Breakfast - Leftover Chile Rellenos + Spanish Rice + Avocado

I heated up leftover Chile Rellenos and Spanish rice for breakfast!

Lunch - Vegan Sliders & Buffalo Tofu Bites from Vintage Vegan Diner

I heated up Vintage Vegan Diner’s sliders and air-fried the buffalo tofu bites. We’re so happy we can have Vintage Vegan Diner again! Autumn and Taylor are the best! They’re are making bomb affordable vegan food from scratch!! We had the pleasure of trying their wonderful food in Vegas. They started doing pop-ups in Las Vegas when we lived there. In February they switched to online contactless delivery, shipping their food to doorsteps in LV. This month they announced they’d be shipping to CA too so of course, we set alarms to stock up on all our favs! Definitely go check them out and show them some love!! <3

Snack - Watermelon topped with Tajin

I cut up some watermelon to have as a snack and topped it with Tajin.

Dinner - Air fried Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Chick’n Tenders & Potatoes + Massaged Kale & Avocado

First I cut up red potatoes into thick-ish slices, seasoned them, covered, and cooked them for 10 minutes in a pan. Next, I air-fried Gardein’s Ultimate Plant-Based Chick’n Tenders according to the instructions. Once the tenders were done cooking I took the potatoes off of the heat and put the tenders into the pan and covered them. Then I air-fried the potatoes at 400°F for 10 minutes. While the potatoes finished cooking, I massaged a few handfuls of kale with lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Lastly, I plated everything with a side of avocado (not pictured was too hungry to take more pictures). This was so scrumptious and filling! These new Gardein Tenders are our new favorite vegan tenders now. Shoutout to my Mom for picking these up for us at Ralph’s!

Tuesday, April 20th

Breakfast - Just Egg Scramble + Toast + Leftover Potatoes + Avocado + Strawberries

First I diced an onion and added that into an oiled pan. Next, I added a diced jalapeno, and orange bell pepper along with sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder. When the veggies cooked through, I set them aside and cooked the Just Egg in the same pan. Once the egg was a perfect scramble consistency, I added in the veggies and mixed it all together for a couple of minutes. Then toasted a slice of bread and spread Miyokos Creamery Double Cream Classic Chive Cheese over top. I also heated up the leftover potatoes from the day before. Lastly, I plated everything with a side of avocado and strawberries. This breakfast was incredible!

Lunch - Nongshim Soon Veggie Noodle Soup Cup + Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Chick’n Tenders

We made a quick lunch because we had our second vaccination appointment this afternoon and I lost track of time cleaning. We heated up a veggie noodle cup and air-fried Gardein’s Ultimate Plant-Based Chick’n Tenders as a filling side!

Dinner - Trader Joe’s Vegan Tikka Masala

We heated up one of our go-to frozen meals from Trader Joe’s!

Snack - Kale Salad + Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Chick’n Tenders

I got hungry again a bit after having dinner so Fahim heated up some more of those Gardein Tenders for us. I made a quick kale salad, I massaged lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and avocado into it! (tendies not pictured, we ate them too fast).

Wednesday, April 21st

Breakfast - Just Egg Scramble + Rice + Avocado

First I put some rice into the rice cooker along with sea salt, pepper, and vegetable bouillon. Next, I sauteed shiitake mushrooms along with sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Once the mushrooms were cooked I set them aside and cooked Just Egg in the same pan. I tossed the mushrooms back into the pan once the “eggs” reached the scramble consistency. I plated the scramble over a bed of rice and topped it off with chili oil, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, seaweed (on mine), and a side of avocado! This is one of our favorite breakfasts — it’s so delightful and filling!

Lunch - Simple Salad + Air fried Spring Rolls

First I added a handful of kale and a handful of spring mix into our bowls. Then I massaged the greens with lemon juice, sea salt, and pepper. Toppings were the usual diced tomatoes and cucumber. While I was making the salad, Fahim put the spring rolls into the air fryer to have as a side!

Snack - Pineapple

Dinner - Taco Bell

A select Taco Bell in Tustin, CA is testing a plant-based protein until April 29th! When we heard the news we decided to head over there to try it out for dinner. We ordered: 2 Cravetarian tacos with no cheese and no sour cream, 2 chalupas with the plant-based protein, no cheese, no sour cream, add guacamole, 1 Crunchwrap with the plant-based meat no cheese no sour cream, Add guacamole, potatoes, jalapeños, and rice (we forgot to add rice this time but recommend getting it), 1 large Baja blast freeze.

We were fans of this plant-based protein! It definitely tops the Beyond Meat option at Del Taco. Taco Bell said they’re using chickpea and pea protein for this plant-based option and it was so good! Go check it out if you can, it’s worth the trip! I haven’t had a chalupa in YEARS because I didn’t realize the bread itself is vegan-friendly. I’m honestly still thinking about this chalupa!

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this episode or one of our meals please Tweet me @marianavtp and share your thoughts with me! Don’t forget to subscribe to get new posts sent directly to your email inbox every Thursday! Sending you all extra love! Also Happy Earth Day! <3 See you next time :)

-Mariana & Fahim