Vacations are the best. Let’s do them every week?!
IF. ONLY.
Myrtle Beach was great!! So perfect for a vacation with a 1 year old. Sure, there would have been more things for us to do had she been just a year or two older but there was still PLENTY.
(And there would have been even more if my child wasn’t scared of everything.)
(Not joking. EVERYTHING.)
The big hits were the aquarium, the hotel pool, the children’s museum, the playground at Market Commons, the Barnes and Noble at Market Commons (they have a Thomas the Tank engine train set. Enough said.), and the library!! We’re still working on enjoying the beach (apparently waves, no matter how tiny, are super scary), the zoo, and amusement park rides.
We also did a TON of eating. If you’ve been watching my Instagram Stories, then you’ll know that we were really struggling with getting Remy to eat solid foods but she became such a better eater on this vacation!! I don’t know if it was the distraction from eating in restaurants or she just got hungry, but she tried so many new things (fried green tomatoes were a favorite) and did so much better than I expected. We didn’t order a single item off a kid’s menu for her, she just ate whatever we were eating, and it was such a success.
With all that restaurant eating, I am MORE than ready to eat a week of home cooked HEALTHY meals. This week’s meal plan has some great options, including vegan cashew “ricotta” spinach stuffed shells, chimichurri summer veggie bowls, an Asian peanut pasta salad, hummus flatbreads, and a basil balsamic chickpea kale salad. Hopefully you guys can glean some inspiration from it as well!
Happy eating!!
Sunday
Cashew Ricotta Spinach Stuffed Shells from Making Thyme for Health
Prep Ahead Tip: Shells can be made up to 2 days advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Add sauce and bake when ready to serve.
Vegan/Gluten-free Substitutions: Recipe is vegan. Use GF shells to make gluten-free.
Monday
Chimichurri Summer Vegetable Bowls from Eats Well With Others
Prep Ahead Tip: The chimichurri, roasted peppers, and quinoa can all be made ahead of time. Then when it comes time for dinner, all you have to do is toss the ingredients together!
Vegan/Gluten-free Substitutions: This recipe is already vegan and gluten free!
Tuesday
Asian Peanut Pasta Salad from She Likes Food
Prep Ahead Tip: Pasta Salad can be made up to 2 days ahead of time if desired. Vegetables can also be chopped up to 2 days ahead of time.
Vegan/Gluten-free Substitutions: Recipe is already vegan. Use gluten free pasta and gluten free tamari to make gluten free.
Wednesday
Hummus Flatbread with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Spinach, and Pesto from The Roasted Root
Prep Ahead Tip: This recipe comes together in minutes, so no need to prep ahead!
Vegan/Gluten-free Substitutions: Omit the feta to make this recipe vegan. Use gluten-free pizza crust in place of the flatbread to keep recipe GF.
Thursday
Basil Balsamic Chickpea and Kale Salad from Hummusapien
Prep Ahead Tip: Dressing can be made ahead of time.
Vegan/Gluten-free Substitutions: Recipe is vegan and gluten-free.
Click HERE to print the shopping list!
There’s definitely something about not being at home that makes kids more willing to eat. Of course, it can also make them more distracted. Hit or miss.