What We Eat In A Week - Episode 029

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 :)

Our favorite at-home meals this week included: homemade sushi rolls, udon soup, quick burger bowls, cheezy ciabatta sandwiches, and last but certainly not least, chilito de nopales (cactus dish)!

We also enjoyed lunch at The Purple Mint in San Diego, and got takeout from our favorite local Thai restaurant!

We hope you enjoy it!

Thursday, July 1st

Breakfast - Peanut Butter Cup Overnight Oats

I made overnight oats the night before. In each container, I added the following: 1 cup of oats, 1+1/2 cup of almond milk, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder, 1 heaping tablespoon of peanut butter, sprinkles of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. I let it sit in the fridge overnight and we enjoyed them for breakfast the next morning. This was so satisfying and filling!

Lunch - Wonton Soup + Kung Pao “Chicken” from The Purple Mint

For lunch, we stopped by The Purple Mint in San Diego, which is one of our favorite places now. We ordered Wonton Soup, Kung Pao “chicken”, Thai tea, and ordered 2 Banh Mi’s to go.

Their wonton soup is flavorful and their kung pao “chicken” was nice and crispy!

Dinner - Bahn Mi from The Purple Mint + Go Max Go Cleo’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

For dinner, I had the Bahn Mi from The Purple Mint. Fahim wasn’t feeling good in the evening and wasn't hungry so he had two packets of Go Max Go’s Cleo’s peanut butter cups as his dinner.

Friday, July 2nd

Breakfast - Just Egg Scramble + Hashbrowns + Avocado

I made us a quick breakfast this morning. First, I air-fried Trader Joe’s hashbrowns at 400°F for 8 minutes. Next, I made Just Egg into a scramble and added 2 handfuls of spinach in towards the end. Lastly, I plated everything along with a quarter of an avocado.

Lunch - Falafel Salad

To make this, I first added a couple of handfuls of spinach to a bowl and drizzled the greens with Trader Joe’s Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing. Next, I added some roughly chopped cilantro to the bowl. I topped each bowl with 3 falafels (we got them from Miramar Cash & Carry in San Diego), and Trader Joe's Vegan Tzatziki Dip in the middle of the bowl. This is one of our favorite salads — simple and filling!

Snack - Sabritones + Smart Sweets Peach Rings

I snacked on some Sabritones and Smart Sweets peach rings while we were watching TV.

After Gym Snack - Aloo Tiki + Veggie Masala Patties

We were really hungry after we got back from our workout so Fahim air-fried us some snacks to have before dinner. He air-fried some Aloo Tiki and Veggie Masala Patties we got from Miramar Cash & Carry in San Diego.

Dinner - Homemade Sushi (jalapeño popper rolls and tofu, avocado, cucumber rolls)

I decided to make sushi at home! I had been wanting to make it for a few weeks and it was all I could think about. First, I washed some rice and put it to cook in the rice cooker. While the rice was cooking, I sliced some tofu and placed it in an oiled pan. I covered the tofu with a layer of Hoisin sauce on one side and Szechuan sauce on the other side. Once the rice was finished, I divided it into 2 plates. I drizzled some rice wine vinegar and sea salt in each plate and mixed it in and placed the plates in the fridge to cool.

Next, I prepped the veggies: cucumber, green onions, jalapeños, and avocado. I also made my own spicy mayo by adding 3 tablespoons of Best Food’s Vegan Mayo along with Sriracha, cayenne powder, and smoked paprika into a medium bowl.

After that, I assembled the sushi rolls with a bamboo sushi mat. I made two kinds of rolls, the first being a jalapeño popper roll. For the base, I spread rice onto a seaweed sheet and spread the spicy mayo onto the rice. Then I filled 2 deseeded jalapeño halves with Treeline’s Plantbased Cream Cheese and placed them over top of the rice along with tofu, cucumber, and avocado.

For the other roll I used the same base (rice and spicy mayo), but I placed cucumber, tofu, avocado, and green onions inside this roll. I made 5 of these rolls in total. I served them with Tamari on the side.

These rolls were heavenly! We preferred them over the vegan rolls that inspired these and we had leftovers for the next day too. :)

Saturday, July 3rd

Breakfast - Smoothie

I made us a big smoothie this morning for breakfast. For the base, I used Wawona’s Frozen Daybreak Blend and Rader Farms Fresh Start Organic Smoothie Blend from Costco. Then I added plenty of peanut butter, chia seeds, moringa powder, and Earthly Choice’s Espresso Maca Mulberry Powder. For the liquid portion, I used Suja’s Mighty Dozen green juice and Suja’s Citrus Immunity Juice. This was so tasty! I love making smoothies during the summer.

Lunch - Leftover Sushi + Homemade Chow Mein

We got too hungry while cooking so we ate the leftover sushi while making lunch. First, I cooked the chow mein noodles according to their instructions. Once the noodles were ready we drained them and ran them through cold water and set them aside.

Next, I washed 2 baby bok choy and red bell pepper. In a pot, we added some oil, along with the bok choy, diced red bell pepper, frozen corn, and lastly a prepackaged chow mein seasoning box we got from the Indian Market into the pot.

We let that cook for a few minutes before adding in the noodles. Then we added in the noodles and mixed everything together for a few minutes. Lastly, we plated and served the chow mein with Sriracha drizzled over top. I think I overcooked the noodles this time but nonetheless it was delicious!

Snacks - Smart Sweets Peach Rings + Snap Crisped Rice Chocolate Bar + Vegan Robs Dragon Puffs

Later in the day we snacked on some Smart Peach Rings, a couple pieces of a Snap Crisped Chocolate Bar, and Vegan Rob’s Dragon Puffs. If you miss peach rings, these smart peach rings are good as they’re really hard to stop eating. If you’re looking for a vegan alternative for Crunch bars this Snap bar is the best vegan alternative we’ve tried!

I personally miss Hot Cheetos Puffs and Vegan Robs Dragon Puffs are my favorite vegan alternative to them!

Dinner - Fry’s Family Vegan Mediterranean Woodfired Pizza

For dinner, we wanted to have something quick and easy. I baked our go-to frozen pizza — Fry’s Family Vegan Mediterranean Woodfired Pizza. I sprinkled sea salt, garlic powder, and oregano over top. We get this pizza from Grocery Outlet, if you ever see it definitely try it out!

Sunday, July 4th

Breakfast - Dunkin’ Donuts Beyond Breakfast Sandwich

We picked up breakfast from Dunkin’ this morning. 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 - Mushroom Udon Soup

I was craving something soupy for lunch so I made udon soup. I use Fortune Udon Mushroom Flavor noodles. Aside from the seasoning packet provided, I like to add chili oil, sesame oil, and garlic powder to the broth. I also added corn, and baby bok choy into the soup. For toppings, I used red pepper flakes and crispy jalapeños on both our bowls plus seaweed on my bowl! This soup is great and simple to make!

Dinner - Burger Bowls

I couldn’t figure out what to have for dinner but we had some Impossible Patties I wanted to use up so I decided to make a quick burger bowl. First, I cooked the two Impossible Patties on a pan. I drizzled lime juice onto each side of the patty. For the seasonings, I used black pepper, and a version of Lawry’s from Cardenas. While the burger cooked I added 2 handfuls of spinach into a couple of bowls along with diced cucumber. Once the patty was done cooking I diced it and added it to the bowls. Then I drizzled the bowls with Follow Your Heart’s Thousand Island Dressing, and some fresh homemade guacamole with a whole avocado, a quarter of a tomato, chile de arbol powder, and sea salt. This was amazing!

Monday, July 5th

Breakfast - Just Egg Scramble + Rice + Avocado

First, I cooked Just Egg into a scramble. Next, I heated up the rice, added it to our plates, and put the Just Egg scramble over top. I also sliced up avocado to have on the side. For toppings, I drizzled sesame oil, chili oil, and seaweed flakes (on my plate). This is our favorite breakfast!

Pick me up - Yerba Mate + Vegan Tea Cookies

Fahim picked me up from work and brought me a yerba mate tea and vegan tea cookies from the coffee shop he goes to work at. The yerba mate is so smooth and their vegan tea cookies are lovely!

Lunch - Vegan Burritos + Horchata from Ranchos Cocina in San Diego

We decided to try Ranchos Cocina in San Diego for the first time. They have a lot of vegan options. We ordered 2 “The Works” Burritos made vegan (one with no beans for me because of IBS problems), and 1 large vegan horchata. The burritos were good, but next time I want to try their vegan chipotle crema instead of their vegan sour cream — that was the only thing I wasn’t a fan of in the burrito. Their vegan horchata was incredible!

Snack - Homemade Popcorn

When my brothers and I were kids, my dad used to make popcorn at home from time to time. He got us a bag of popcorn kernels and I was craving popcorn so I decided to make it on my own for the first time. I drizzled oil into a pot and added in the whole bag of corn kernels (I should’ve done half or less). I also added sea salt into the kernels. I kept the heat on medium covered the pot and kept an eye on it and let it all pop as evenly as possible. You can shake it every couple of minutes to make sure none of the popcorn burns.

I distributed the popcorn into two bowls. I melted Miyoko's European Style Cultured Vegan Butter and drizzled the melted butter over each bowl and mixed it in along with more sea salt. I ended up making WAY more popcorn than I intended. After all this was the first time making it on my own, when I told my dad how much I made he laughed and said I only needed about 2 handfuls. Honestly, this was even better than movie popcorn! We snacked on a few handfuls while we watched tv.

Dinner - Smoothie

We wanted a light dinner so I made us smoothies. For the base, I used Wawona’s Frozen Daybreak Blend and Rader Farms Fresh Start Organic Smoothie Blend from Costco. Then I added plenty of peanut butter, chia seeds, and moringa powder. For the liquid portion, I used Suja’s Mighty Dozen green juice and Suja’s Citrus Immunity Juice, and Humm’s Mango Passionfruit Kombucha. This was refreshing and perfect for this hot day!

Tuesday, July 6th

Breakfast - Breakfast Burrito

First I air-fried some Trader Joe’s Hashbrowns. While the hashbrowns cooked, I made Just Egg into a scramble and added Vevan Foods Pepperjack Shreds into the scramble towards the end. Next, I heated up the last of the leftover rice. I also heated up 2 Mission Burrito Size Flour Tortillas on the comal. Lastly, I assembled the burritos. I spread the rice onto the tortilla, added the cheezy Just Egg scramble, avocado, hashbrowns, and pico de gallo. I rolled them up and we enjoyed them along with plenty of water!

Lunch - Panang Curry + Tom Ka Soup from Palm Thai Cuisine

We weren’t in the mood to cook because of the heat so we picked up food from our favorite Thai restaurant. We ordered the following: Panang Curry with fried tofu, and Tom Ka Soup with fried tofu. Like always everything was wonderful!

Dinner - Chilito De Nopales + Rice + Quesadillas

My parents invited us over for dinner but we were still full from our late lunch so we just hung out with them. I ended up bringing home my mom’s glorious chilito de nopales that I’ve been craving for a while now. If you’re unfamiliar with this dish, it’s basically a soupy salsa base with nopales (cactus), potatoes, and usually some sort of meat. This time my mom made it without meat (she usually makes it without meat anyway).

I've also made it at home before with vegan porkless bites! To accompany the chilito de nopales, I made some rice with veggie broth instead of water and added frozen corn and mixed vegetables along with bay leaves. I also made 4 quesadillas using vegan-friendly flour tortillas and Vevan Foods Pepperjack Shreds. This was spectacular! Whenever I eat or even think about this dish my mouth immediately waters.

Dessert - Endangered Species Oat Milk Rice Crisp + Dark Chocolate

We had a few pieces of chocolate as a sweet treat. We get this chocolate bar at Walmart!

Wednesday, July 7th

Breakfast - Dunkin’ Beyond Breakfast Sandwich

We picked up breakfast from Dunkin’ this morning again because I didn’t have time to make breakfast. 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 - Cheezy Ciabatta Sandwiches + Soup & Vegan Rob’s Dragon Crisps

I made these sandwiches in the morning so we could pack them with us to have for lunch after I got off work. First I spread Best Foods Vegan Mayo on Trader Joe’s Everything Ciabatta Rolls along with Sriracha. I topped each side of the ciabatta with Vevan Foods Pepperjack shreds and air-fried the ciabatta at 370°F for 2 minutes. Then I topped the ciabatta with Sweet Earth’s Traditional Seitan Slices I had already made a few days ago.

In a separate Tupperware, I added in the veggies: sliced cucumber, tomatoes, and spinach. We put these into our sandwich right before we ate them so the bread wouldn’t get too soggy. As a side, we had some yummy soup Brianna made and Vegan Robs Dragon Crisps. This is now our favorite sandwich and we will be getting Trader Joe’s Everything Ciabatta Rolls again to make these sandwiches! These were perfect to pack for our lunch picnic! :)

Dinner - Chilito De Nopales + Rice + Quesadillas

We had the same dinner as the night before but since we didn’t have as much chilito left over, I added Gardein’s Porkless Bites to it. First, I cooked them in an oiled pan. Once the porkless bites turned golden brown, I added in the leftover chilito and heated everything through. Next, I heated up leftover rice to have on the side. For another side, I also made a couple of quesadillas using Mission Burrito Size Flour Tortillas and Vevan Foods Mozzarella Slices for the cheese. I can truly never get tired of this dish! I would typically have freshly made beans with this but I can’t have beans often because of my IBS.

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! I hope you all have a good weekend <3 See you next time :)

-Mariana & Fahim