As part of our beach vacation meal plan series, we bring you this vegetarian-friendly version to help you with figuring out how to organize your trip. Just like our omnivore versions, this one includes a combination of make-ahead meals with easy recipes you can whip out in less than 30 minutes each and plenty of prepared foods to tie you in for snacks and sides. Breakfasts are protein-heavy to give you energy for the day and dinners are easy and mostly on the grill for speedy cooking and lots of flavor.

We first outline the foods you will be bringing and/or preparing in advance and then provide you with a handy guide organizing all of them into three-day meal plan:

Prepared Foods:

1. Bread
2. Pita bread
3. Pita Chips
4. Hummus
5. Cheese
6. Nuts
7. Crudités for hummus

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

Many of us subscribe to a no-cook rule while on vacation. After all, what’s the point of going through all the motions of getting there only to end up tied to the kitchen with a sink full of dishes just like every other day at home? Or maybe you’re hesitant because you’re just not a great cook and are secretly afraid of ruining your family’s vacation with overcooked burgers.

But just because you don’t feel like doing the kitchen work or are just not very good at cooking, it doesn’t mean that you need to spend your beach vacation surviving on frozen hot dogs, burgers and pizza with some supermarket brownies on the side or wasting a considerable chunk of each evening waiting for a table at the only restaurant in town where you’ll wind up blowing double the money you were originally planning on spending for that trip.

To help you out in putting delicious food on your table that will make your vacation even more memorable, we searched around for a set of easy recipes with minimal ingredients and barely any cooking time at all. Some only require the assembly of good quality ingredients into a sandwich or appetizer spread while others are so good on their own that all you have to do is throw them on the grill and wait for them to brown.

We first outline the foods you will be bringing and/or preparing in advance and then provide you with a handy guide organizing all of them into a 7-day meal plan:

Prepared Foods:

1. Deli chickpea salad
2. Cheese
3. Yogurt
4. Granola
5. Bread
6. Cold cuts
7. Smoked salmon
8. Hummus
9. Crudités 
10. Pita bread
11. Pita chips
12. Mixed nuts
13. Choice of dessert

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

Day 4:

Day 5:

Day 6:

Day 7:

Along with deviled eggs, fondue and cheese logs quiche has been relegated to the pantheon of old school foods to cringe at the same way we do when remembering the forest green velour pants we wore whilst eating them.

But with all the 70’s nostalgia going around these days, it’s only fair that we also give the decade’s cuisine a fair chance at some well-deserved comebacks and no other dish is a better candidate for this than quiche.

As it happens with any food that becomes ubiquitously popular, quiche has become, since it’s heyday on the American table four decades ago, one of the culinary world’s favorite punchlines.

It brings back bad memories of heavy, custard side dishes to holiday dinners and the frozen versions many of us are used to buying on a whim at the supermarket haven’t helped its reputation at all.

But we’re here to argue that quiche - the homemade kind - is pretty darn good. It’s the perfect multi-purpose food to make ahead and have around for breakfast, lunch and dinner and it works both as a main dish or as a side.

It’s also one of the best meals to feed our current brunch obsession as nothing says: “I had time to make breakfast today because it’s a weekend” better than baking your eggs into a pie.

And let’s not get started on how insta-ready those quiche slices will look with all of the colorful veggies you’ll put into them.

The last thing anyone wants to do while on vacation is cook and then have to deal with a messy kitchen after a fun day at the beach. You’re tired, you’re sunburned and you’d rather plop down on the couch to watch a movie with your family or sit outside to enjoy the warm summer night with a cool glass of Pinot Grigio in your hand. But keeping it simple doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice eating real food and live off canned tuna, hot dogs and hot pockets for a week. With the right ingredients and recipes at hand, you can create easy, healthy and delicious meals that will satisfy everyone and add some delicious memories to your vacation experience.

Dinner:

This is where the temptation to eat out strikes! You’ve been out all day and are hungry and tired. In order to make it easy for you, we’ve chosen a mix of meals you can prep in advance or whip up in your grill in just a couple of minutes:

•  Ranch Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

Ranch Chicken Sandwiches Recipe | Ree Drummond | Food Network

• Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi Recipe | Taste of Home

• Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti Recipe | SimplyRecipes.com

• Grilled Steak Skewers

Grilled Steak Kebabs

Dungeness crabs are native to the cold waters of the U.S. west coast and their habitat covers an area that goes from Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, past British Columbia, Washington State and Oregon and down into Southern California. They are prized for their large size and the sweet, mild flavor of their meat and have been considered a delicacy ever since the first Native Americans settled in those regions.

There are conflicting opinions regarding on where the best Dungeness crab is found. Since these crabs love cold water, some argue that the higher up you are along the west coast, the better the Dungeness crab will be. Washingtonians like to claim that they have the best ones since, after all, they were the ones who made them world famous but you don’t have to go all the way up to Washington state to enjoy delicious Dungeness crab. Both Mendocino and Sonoma counties in California have a bustling crabbing industry and Dungeness crab is a regular and sought-after staple in restaurants all over San Francisco and in nearby Napa Valley. Oregon, lying quietly in between California and Washington, is often forgotten but here is where most of the Dungeness crab in the U.S. is caught and where you are very likely to find plenty of under-the-radar hidden gems serving excellent renditions of it.

Lately, though, Dungeness crab season has been changing quite a bit with seasons becoming delayed or cut short on many occasions. The main causes for these problems have been events related to climate change and the warming of oceans. Crabs love cold habitats and the warming of the waters they live in affects their food sources and therefore their development. It’s happened before that, since the crabs did not have enough to eat, they were not yet be at their ideal size for when the season kicked off and so it had to be delayed. Changes in water temperature can also cause an opposite reaction where there will be a larger-than-usual bloom of toxic algae. The crabs will eat this toxic algae and the toxins that accumulate in their bodies will, in turn, make the crabs’ meat unsafe for human consumption and affect the length of the season. 

Since Dungeness crab season has become so affected in the past couple of years, we recommend you stay informed and do your research to be on the loop on what’s going on. You may have to forgo having them in your table around the holidays because the season has been put off and maybe even have to wait until the following season if they are not safe to eat during a particular one. Although it’s sad that this delicacy and staple of the American table has become so affected by climate change, this will hopefully makes us appreciate it even more when it’s in season and realize how important it its for us to take care of our planet.

We’re going to bet on the fact that, until now, you didn’t even know that shrimp and prawns were different animals and that, just like us, you’d been using their names interchangeably all your life thinking that prawn was maybe just a fancier term for shrimp.

Although it’s quite difficult to distinguish a prawn from a shrimp by just tasting them, they are, in fact, two different animals that just happen to look very similar.

The most important difference between shrimp and prawns is that prawns are freshwater dwellers while shrimp are only found at sea in saltwater. Asides from rivers, prawns will also live in what is known as brackish water or water that is a mixture of fresh water and salt water which can be found in lagoons and estuaries.

Regarding their looks, there are small differences between the two that can help you identify them. First of all prawns are larger than shrimp but if you’re not doing a comparison with both items present, we have a list of things you can look at to figure it out:

• Claws - This is the easiest way to distinguish a shrimp from a prawn as it only requires a quick look. Both shrimp and prawns sport claw-like structures in their front legs but prawns will have three pairs of clawed legs while shrimp only have two.
• Shells - Shrimp and prawns have segmented shells to help them move. The first of these segments is the one that’s right behind the head. Starting with this one, count three segments. If the second segment is overlapping the first and third ones, then you’re looking at at a shrimp. If they continue in a regular pattern, then you have a prawn.
• Bend - That overlapping segment that we just talked about creates a more distinct bend in shrimp than the one found in prawns. This means that shrimp will have a more pronounced u-shape and that prawns will exhibit a flatter curve.

Using the words prawn and shrimp also varies from one country to another. Americans almost always use the term “shrimp” to refer to anything that looks shrimp-like but will sometimes use the word “prawn” to describe larger shrimp. Since word “prawn” originated in Britain, you will find that it is  much more commonly used in Europe and in countries that are culturally associated with the U.K. such as Ireland, New Zealand and Australia.

Although prawns and shrimps are two different animals, their flavor profiles are nearly identical and so they are interchangeable ingredients in the kitchen. The same goes for their nutritional value: they’re both excellent sources of low-fat protein, B-12 vitamin, phosphorous and selenium.

For those with more developed palates, however, the difference may be palpable, though not a deal breaker. Many claim that prawns tend to be sweeter than shrimp because they live in freshwater and consume a different diet.

Knowing how to differentiate each species from one another can be useful and even fun but we recommend you focus on an even more important matter: where was the product sourced from? Regulations for both food and human safety in the shrimp and prawn industries are notoriously lax, especially in countries such as India or Thailand. This is why choosing shrimp or prawns that are sustainably sourced and wild caught will give you better results, a superior experience and be safer for you and the planet.

We're a website that strives to resonate with individuals who reside on the picturesque lake shore or coast.

We strive to make an impact with individuals who head to kinds of breathtaking locales on a regular basis as well. It doesn't matter if you're an easygoing coastal resident. It doesn't matter if you simply head to the lake for leisure all of the time, either.

We want to accommodate your seafood recipe requests and more here at WarmChef.com.

We zero in on folks who are all about tranquil existences. If you're the kind of individual who has always been enamored by serenity and ease, then we're precisely the site you need at your disposal.

Options That Can Accommodate All of Your Waterfront Dining Requests and More

There are so many food preparation sites on the Internet that never change. WarmChef.com is definitely not part of that camp. Our team members know just how crucial it is to give our readers information that's both relevant and current. We know that coastal lifestyles change on a routine basis. We admire that as well.

If you have a penchant for casual coastal dishes that are filling, then it's up to you to tour our extensive site. We don't restrict ourselves to dishes that are simply filling, either. That's because our website is a haven for dishes that can suit all kinds of needs and wishes.

If you want to prepare energizing meals that are ideal for social gatherings, we're ready to assist you. If you want to prepare soothing meals that are optimal for lazy nights at home with your cherished ones, we're just as ready to aid you, and that's a simple fact.

What is WarmChef.com?

We recently acquired WarmChef.com in order to fulfill a vision that we could create a blog + store relating to coastal kitchens everywhere.

Whether you own a house or condo at the beach (congrats), or you travel there regularly like we do, we think there is a slightly different vibe, look, mentality people have while near the beach.

We are starting to modify the content a bit from WarmChef.com and WarmChefShop.com to match more of this mentality and there is more to come.

It is really about a mentality of slowing down, taking in nature, eating a bit healthier on some days in order to eat poorly on other days. It is about eating really complex recipes on a rainy day, and finding the easiest, best recipe to make when it has rained for 2 days and you want to maximize your time in the sun.

In terms of products...it is about finding great deals on products that you may have for your vacationing visitors (it will find its place in reviews on VRBO / AirBnB), and the best stuff in a closet for when you are enjoying your space yourself.

Who are we?

Daniela is our Website Developer, a Home Chef and mom. She was born and raised in the beautiful coastal city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Dani is obsessed with creating a flawless customer experience, but she asks you to bear with her while she juggles all of her responsibilities. She earned a bachelors degree in Marketing from Georgia State University and a bootcamp certificate for Software Development from Georgia Tech (she worked at Turner Broadcasting for 10 years before switching careers). She currently resides in Chamblee, GA with her husband and 2 kids.

Josh is our online buyer and resident professional chef. Josh attended Georgia Southern University and Johnson & Wales University College of Culinary Arts. He has worked in the kitchens of Atlanta restaurants Pano's & Paul's, La Tavola Trattoria and The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, as well as Louie’s Backyard in Key West Fla. He lives in Smyrna, Ga., with his lovely wife Kelly and two children Beckett and Kennedy, and spends spare time searching for the perfect bourbon, losing his voice at Falcons games, and refining the art of “porch time.”

Derick, Publisher / GM: Derick is fanatic about creating a community through a superior audience experience, he earned a bachelors degree in Finance from University of Minnesota and an MBA at Emory University and worked for years at Home Depot. He has lived in Atlanta since 2003 with his wife, two kids and “a Carolina dog named Dakota.” He enjoys visits from his mother-in-law, who owns a small brownie company. His favorite recipes are gumbo and the classic old fashioned.

Paula lives with her husband and their 2 children. She likes cooking and making delicious dishes for her family brings her happiness. She hopes to associate with other cooking blogs to have more recipes. Paula is the former editor of WarmChef.com.  

Collectively, we are adamant that we will never write content influenced by or paid for by an advertiser. To support our work, we do make money from some links to companies and deals on our site.

A Brief Introduction to Edible Mushrooms

Conclusion

Mushrooms are ingredients derived from the fungi kingdom. But despite their status, edible mushrooms are still on par with some veggies when it comes to nutritional contents that they have. They are known to curb down health issues like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

Aside from their health benefits, mushrooms are also great in improving the overall taste of various recipes. They elevate the impact and appeal of the dish. That's why it is a sad thing if some people dislike or allergic to them. Their tongues are missing a lot of flavorful palettes.

Fortunately, these mushroom substitutes that I have listed here can somehow cope up with this problem. You just have to use them appropriately so that you can get the best results.

Do you know other alternatives for mushrooms? Share it with us in the comment section below!