A ride in the car to the beach? Murphy was ALL about it. Seriously, once those words left my mouth, he was frantically following my every move as I got us ready and packed up to go to the beach. What can I say, the dog loves a good adventure! 🙂
We headed to the beach in the late afternoon and stayed until the sun set.
Once we got settled, we headed down to the ocean to cool off. Murphy was actually really into it… until he wasn’t. He splashed around in the water for probably 5 minutes before he retreated to the beach. Pugs aren’t generally fans of water, but if Murphy gets hot enough, he’ll definitely go in!
Quinn found all sorts of treasures in a nearby tide pool.
He was beyond pumped!
Eventually, we settled in and had some dinner that we brought from home.
On the menu: Vegan Taco “Meat,” which was ready-to-eat lentils from Trader Joe’s (17.6 ounces) mixed with chopped walnuts (1 cup), taco seasoning, and half a jar of Cowboy Caviar (6 ounces). I think salsa (instead of Cowboy Caviar) would work great too – I just had some in the fridge to use up.
The end result: Really good! Even Mal liked it! I ate my “meat” over sautéed kale with a little avocado from home. It was quite delicious and seriously filling!
The rest of the evening was spent catching up with some CrossFit friends, who we ran into on the beach, and also making some new ones.
The family next to us had a “Quinn” of their own, so the Quinns played together while the parents out hung.
Ohhh, summer! I never want it to end!
Question of the Day
Any favorite vegan/vegetarian recipes to share?
Mal and I are trying to consume less meat, so we’d love some recommendations!
11 Comments
I make sloppy lentils in the crockpot every so often – very easy to make! I serve them in pita pockets because they’re messier than regular sloppy joes
Anything/Everything Oh She Glows and Minimalist Baker! This red lentil dal is a fall/winter favorite – https://ohsheglows.com/2015/10/12/golden-red-lentil-dal-with-cilantro-speckled-basmati/.
@Courtney: Oh She Glows is literally spot ON. She is the BEST.
Everything from the blog delish knowledge!
Looks like such a great beach day and I LOVE the idea for vegan taco “meat!” I love how versatile lentils are; I’ve actually seen a vegan lentil bolognese recipe I’ve be meaning to try out!
Just a curious random question. How many grams of protein do you normally have a day?
I know in general it’s 1g per lb you weigh. Do you always hit that target?
Even with a protein shake it’s hard to get in all my protein but I know it’s important to get it in if you’re looking to build muscle.
I’m usually between 100-130g per day, and it definitely can be hard to get to that number. I’m a big fan of collagen and pre-planning my day with protein. Here are some blog posts to check out for getting protein into your diet – I hope they help! 🙂
https://carrotsncake.com/2018/05/opex-tips-more-protein-favorite-sports-bras.html
https://carrotsncake.com/2018/07/easy-ways-increase-protein-intake-tips-health-fitness-influencers.html
These buffalo cauliflower tacos are legit! I’ve made them with GF all purpose flour and almond milk, and they are delish.
https://pinchofyum.com/buffalo-cauliflower-tacos-avocado-crema
Yummmmm!!
Love those pre-packaged lentils. That actually reminds me of a burrito I got from a local veg restaurant here in Southern CA. It was made with walnuts and tasted EXACTLY like tacos. I was blown away. I cook a lot of plant-based meals. Felix is a vegetarian (I occasionally eat poultry) so it’s a must! Some favs for him are tempeh/tofu, obviously. But for me, I like to stick to stewed black beans with cilantro lime rice (!!!), lentils like we mentioned up top, and Buddha bowls with lemony rice and tahini drizzled with loads of roasted sweet potatoes and veggies. Can’t get enough! – Kaitlyn | http://www.poweredbysass.com
Vegan Taco meat!!! what an awesome idea and product. Thanks for sharing, pictures looks totally awesome.