What We Eat In A Week - Episode 027

Welcome back to a new episode! If you’re new and want to learn more about us and why we started this series, read our about section :)

This week we discovered our new favorite Vietnamese vegan restaurant in San Diego, made quick meals like falafel salads, and had frozen meals for our busy days. On a whim, we also decided to drive to Irvine to try Taco Bell’s new vegan chicken chalupa shell (available for a limited time)!

We hope you enjoy it!

Thursday, June 17th

Breakfast - Nutty Açai Bowl from Robek’s

We had a chaotic start to the day and didn’t have time to cook so we picked up our favorite bowl from Robek’s. To make it vegan ask for no bee pollen and no honey. We like to add agave and strawberries to our bowls.

Lunch - Plant-Based Sandwich from Peets Coffee

We had Peet’s vegan breakfast sandwich as an early lunch. I also had iced matcha with oat milk and no foam to wake me up a bit.

Dinner - Vegan Banh Mi, Wonton Soup, Satay “Chicken” lettuce wraps from The Purple Mint

This is hands down our new favorite restaurant in San Diego! Everything was so flavorful we were mind blown! The Satay “Chicken” lettuce wraps were incredible and reminded us of a lettuce wrap we’d had at a vegan dinner event in Vegas hosted by a vegan chef.

Their vegan Banh Mi was delicious and the bread was — next level!

Last but not least the wonton soup had layers of flavor — it was perfect!

We also ordered “Prawns” in Garlic Noodles but with chick’n instead of “prawns” to go.

Dessert - Go Max Go Cleo’s White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups + Snap Crisped Rice Chocolate Bar

We stopped by Mission Square Market (the first and only all-vegan market in San Diego County and it’s right next to Purple Mint). We picked up these chocolates and they were divine! The white chocolate peanut butter cups tasted exactly like the Reese’s Peanut Butter cups and the Snap Rice Chocolate Bar tasted like a Crunch bar too, it was all spot on!

Friday, June 18th

Breakfast - Smoothie

We were craving smoothies this morning. For the base, I used Costco’s “Fresh Start Smoothie Blend” which has blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, kale, and spinach. I also used Wowona Pear-fect Peach Blend from Costco and a handful of fresh kale. Then I added a tablespoon of moringa powder, chia seeds, and Earthly Choice’s Espresso Maca Mulberry Powder. For the liquid portion, I used Humm Pomegranate Lemonade Kombucha and Suja’s Citrus Immunity Juice.

Lunch - “Prawns” in Garlic Noodles from The Purple Mint

We heated up the to-go order from Purple Mint for lunch. We ordered “Prawns” in Garlic Noodles and asked for chick’n instead of “prawns” because Fahim isn’t a fan of seafood. These noodles were so great too!

Dinner - Mosaic Peanut Tofu Bowl + Mosaic Pozole Verde

Brianna had gifted us some frozen food so we wanted to try a couple of things for dinner. I heated up Mosaic’s Pozole Verde and their Peanut Tofu bowl.

We shared both bowls — the Pozole Verde needed salt but was good. I just wish it didn’t have beans because I have IBS (and had to take my meds before eating any). Pozole also typically doesn’t have beans.

I’ve never had green pozole before because my family always makes pozole Rojo, which I prefer. Fahim rated the pozole Verde a 7 out of 10.

I picked out the broccoli from the peanut tofu bowl before eating it (IBS problems) but we weren’t big fans of this bowl. We still finished it but wouldn’t buy it from a store.

Snack - Veggie Masala Patties

We air-fried these veggie masala patties from Miramar Cash & Carry in San Diego. They were oh so crispy and delightful!

Saturday, June 19th

Breakfast - Dunkin’ Beyond Breakfast Sandwich

We had another chaotic morning so we picked up breakfast from Dunkin’. To veganize Dunkin’s Beyond Breakfast Sandwich omit the egg and cheese. We like to stack hashbrowns into our sandwiches and add Green Pepper Cholula too! For pictures check out Episode 9!

Lunch - Tofurky Plant-Based Sesame Garlic Chick’n Kale Salad

To make the salad, I first massaged some kale with lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Next, I added spinach to each bowl along with diced avocados and tomato (only in Fahim’s bowl because I was avoiding tomato this day). Lastly, I cooked Tofurkys Plant-Based Sesame Garlic Chick’n and added that over top. This was a quick and simple lunch!

Dessert - Jolly Rancher Popsicle

We got Jolly Rancher Popsicles from Walmart a while ago because they’re especially nice to have with this hot weather and we each had one.

Dinner - Vegan Gyro Fries + Vegan Poutine Fries from Gentle Grill

We were out running errands when dinnertime rolled around so we decided to pick up dinner from this all-vegan restaurant in Temecula called Gentle Grill. We shared their Gyro-style fries and their Poutine-style fries. When we went in to pick up our order we couldn’t help ordering some donuts we picked out the following flavors: smores, salted brownie, and lemon.

Gentle Grill is so wonderful! They make their own vegan meats from scratch and the (GF) vegan donuts they get from a local independent bakery Kre8tive Bites are so soft and the perfect amount of sweet! We had the s’mores one for dessert this day and saved the rest for later.

Sunday, June 20th

Breakfast - Trader Joe’s Taiwanese Green Onion Pancakes

We tried these vegan-friendly Taiwanese Green Onion Pancakes from Trader Joe’s for breakfast. We enjoyed them and will pick them up again whenever we see them!

Lunch - Falafel Salad

First, I massaged kale with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Next, I added in a handful of spinach and cilantro. Then I drizzled in Trader Joe’s Vegan Caesar Dressing and tossed it all together.

To finish, I topped each bowl with 3 falafels (we got them from Miramar Cash & Carry in San Diego). This was so simple to make and very delicious! Fahim said it topped all the expensive salads he’s tried at salad places.

Snack - Grapefruit + MylkDog Queso Blanco with chips

After we had lunch I went to visit my grandma. While I was there I snacked on a grapefruit. Fahim had some Queso Blanco with chips as a snack. Our favorite vegan queso is from The Honest Stand but MylkDog’s Queso Blanco is not bad as a dip. We wanted to try it because they had a bigger jar than most vegan queso we’ve seen. I also want to add it into a burrito sometime!

Dinner - Vegan Pozole Rojo

My cousin kindly made a separate pot of vegan pozole for us. I brought it home and heated it up for dinner! She uses fresh maiz (hominy). (I forgot to take pictures).

Dessert - Vegan Cake Donuts from Gentle Grill

We shared the salted brownie and lemon cake donuts we got from Gentle Grill on Saturday. I also washed some strawberries for us to have with them!

Monday, June 21st

Breakfast - Oats topped with strawberries & chia seeds

First, I cooked the oats. I used 1 cup of oats, 1 cup of water & one cup of plant milk. I usually also use almond milk for this. I drizzled in some sweetener (I brown sugar this time but agave and maple syrup work too), cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves.

After it reached a simmer, I turned the heat to low and let it simmer for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.

Lastly, I plated the oats & topped them off with chia seeds and fresh strawberries.

Lunch - Falafel Salad

First, I massaged kale with Trader Joe’s Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing. Next, I added spinach and cilantro to the bowl. I topped each bowl with 3 falafels (we got them from Miramar Cash & Carry in San Diego). This salad was so good we had to make it two days in a row!

Dessert - Trader Joe’s Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

We had some of Trader Joe’s Vegan Cupcakes for dessert! We can’t help but get these whenever we’re in Trader Joe’s.

Dinner - Enchiladas Rojas

I made Enchiladas Rojas using homemade enchilada sauce my mom had just made. I fried them in a pan and topped each side with the salsa/sauce. Then I stuffed the enchiladas with slices of Miyoko’s Creamery Fresh Mozzarella and Cacique’s Soy Chorizo. Lastly, I topped them with diced mozzarella and sprinkled it over top. These were perfect as always!

Snack - Avocado Toast on Hashbrowns

We wanted a snack after cleaning for a couple of hours. As I opened the freezer and fridge I remembered I wanted to try avocado toast on hashbrowns, thanks to Jesiyka for the inspiration!

First, I air-fried Trader Joe’s frozen hashbrowns. While those cooked I sliced up avocado. Then I topped the hashbrowns with avocado slices and sprinkled the following seasonings over top: pink Himalayan salt, fresh cracked pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. This was amazing and definitely a new favorite!

Tuesday, June 22nd

Breakfast - Vegan Breakfast Burrito + Hashbrowns from Plant Power Fast Food

I had to do bloodwork this morning on an empty stomach. After I finished up at my appointment it was still early enough for us to get Plant Power Fast Food for breakfast so we headed over to their Riverside location. We ordered 2 breakfast burritos, 2 hashbrowns, and 2 orange juices. These burritos are great! I was craving Plant Power’s breakfast ever since the last time we went and were disappointed because we didn’t realize they stop serving breakfast at 11:00 AM.

Late Lunch - Madras Curry + Rice + Trader Joe’s Mini Vegetable Samosas

First I washed and put the rice to cook in the rice cooker. I seasoned the rice with sea salt, pepper, and 1 not chick’n bouillon cube. Next, I air-fried some tofu cubes at 400°F for 10 minutes (flipped them halfway through). Then I thinly sliced potatoes and cooked them in a cast-iron skillet along with frozen corn, garlic powder, and pepper. Usually we’d add bell pepper and greens but we were all out that day.

After about 15 minutes I transferred the potatoes and corn into another pan with Maya Kaimal’s Madras Curry Simmer Sauce along with the air-fried tofu. I let it all simmer together for a few minutes. While I was doing this Fahim air-fried Trader Joe’s Mini Vegetable Samosas. Lastly, I plated everything together. This was immaculate as always!

Dinner - Maggi Masala Noodles

Fahim made us Maggi noodles for dinner! These always hit the spot!

Dessert - Trader Joe’s Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert Chocolate Fudge Oat Bars

We picked up these vegan chocolate fudge bars from Trader Joe’s. These are the only fudge bars we’ve tried that didn’t disappoint, they were so creamy! If you miss fudge bars give these a try!

Wednesday, June 23rd

Breakfast - Smoothie

I made us big smoothies for breakfast. For the base, I used a frozen berry mix from Costco and Wowona Pear-fect Peach Blend from Costco. Then I added in peanut butter, moringa powder, chia seeds, and Earthly Choice’s Espresso Maca Mulberry Powder. For liquids, I used almond milk and Trader Joe’s Orange, Peach, and Mango Juice. (yes, I’m reusing takeout containers. I also like using these for water). :)

Lunch - Trader Joe’s Vegan Tikka Masala + Trader Joe’s Mini Vegetable Samosas

We had to quickly make lunch because I had an appointment that was an hour away. We microwaved Trader Joe’s Vegan Tikka Masala and air-fried Trader Joe’s Mini Vegetable Samosas at 400° for 8 minutes. Trader Joe’s Vegan Tikka Masala is one of our favorite quick frozen meals and their samosas are good too!

Dinner - Vegan Chick’n Chalupa Shell from Taco Bell

While we drove to my appointment I was telling Fahim about Taco Bell testing a vegan chick’n chalupa shell. He asked me if they were testing it at a select location as they did with their cravetarian taco we had tried previously. I went to check and found out that they were testing it at a select Irvine location. We were so excited and decided to drive over to try them for dinner!

This is what we ordered: 4 naked chalupas with a crispy plant-based shell, with no cheese and no ranch sauce. (as well as 1 large Baja blast freeze). Their vegan chicken chalupa shells were so juicy, crispy, and flavorful! We hope they make this a permanent item.

Just like their cravetarian taco, this plant-based shell is made by Taco Bell, and they use pea protein! Go check it out if you can — it’s available until June 27th or until supplies last at this location: 2222 Barranca Pkwy, Irvine, CA 92606.

Dessert - Trader Joe’s Vegan Banana Bread + Apricots

We had two slices of Trader Joe’s vegan banana bread and two apricots as a snack/dessert. Trader Joe’s banana bread is so moist and the right amount of sweet.

Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed this episode or one of our meals share your thoughts with us and leave a comment below! Don’t forget to also subscribe to get new posts sent directly to your email inbox every Thursday! Sending you all love, take care <3 See you next time :)

-Mariana & Fahim