Workout Wednesday: Must Have Exercise Equipment…

Hey my friends 👋🏼

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite exercise equipments that is a must have.

Before the pandemic, my siblings and myself were attending the gym on a regular basis. One of my favorite parts about the gym was attending the ballet barre classes every Saturday morning. Ballet barre definitely tones and strengthens the body.

Low and behold for almost an entire year the gym was shutdown and we did not have access to a lot of the equipments. Sure you could attend classes via zoom. But how could I possibly do my ballet barre workout without the actual barre? Sure you can use a dining room chair or the edge of a table, but it’s just not the same.

So I decided to go on Amazon (because they sell just about everything you need) and purchased a ballet barre.

Let me tell you, this was a great purchase. Not only is it a sturdy barre, but it’s portable…mind blown!

I definitely recommend anyone looking to tone their bodies to purchase a ballet barre. It’s also perfect for ballet dancers to practice at home.

Here’s the link if you’re interested in getting one of your own.

https://www.amazon.com/shop/nawaterman

Meatless Mondays: Vegan Jambalaya

Hey my friends 👋🏼

For those of you that know me, you know that I don’t eat rice.  I actually despise it.  I always get asked the question, “How can you be an island girl and don’t eat rice?”

Well let me say this, I might not eat rice, but one of my popular vegan dishes is the jambalaya.  I personally can’t brag to you about how delicious it is, but my guests can definitely attest to it.

As we know, traditional jambalaya includes sausage, chicken and shrimp.  Obviously for the vegan version, we technically will not include the traditional meats.  Technically??? Just follow along…

Ingredients:

  • 1 package Beyond hot sausage
  • 3/4 cup of onions diced
  • 3/4 cup peppers diced
  • 1 cup of long grain rice
  • 1/2 Firm tofu cut into cubes
  • 1 packet of Creole seasoning or 2 tbsp of old bay seasoning
  • 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups of vegetable broth

Slice all of the sausage. Turn on your frying pan to medium and add a little extra virgin olive oil. Put half of the sausage in the pan with 1/4 cup of the diced onion and 1/4 cup of the pepper. Sauté…

While the sausage is cooking, fill the pot with the vegetable broth and the extra virgin olive oil. Add the rice, the remaining sausage, peppers and onions. Now add the sliced tofu and seasoning. Mix the ingredients, cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 20-25 mins or until the liquid is absorbed. Make sure you stir occasionally so the rice doesn’t begin to stick.

Once you plate the jambalaya, top it off with the sausage, onion and peppers that you sautéed. Enjoy 😋

Cinco de Mayo Food Idea: Easy Empanada Vegan Version

Hey my friends!

Happy Cinco de Mayo to those of you that are celebrating. In honor of this day, I wanted to make a mexican style dish or two. The twist is that it is vegan.

I love empanadas, but I don’t eat beef and didn’t want to make a vegetable empanada.

Here is my take on a beef and cheese empanada:

Ingredients:

  • Beefless ground
  • Taco seasoning
  • Vegan cheddar cheese
  • Jalepeno
  • Vegan butter
  • Flour
  • Pastry dough
  • Salsa

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In pan add a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and turn heat to medium. Add the beefless ground, tablespoon of water and taco seasoning. Once cooked, turn off the heat and add in the vegan cheese and jalepeno peppers.

Now it’s time to start getting that dough ready to fill. Add some flour to the board and rolling pin. Roll the dough enough to cut into four squares.

*I like to use the leftover pieces of the dough to make an extra empanada.

Start assembling

Melt some of the vegan butter and brush over the dough. Put in the oven for 15 minutes.

Enjoy 😋

Until next time, night night 💋