A quick-cooking whole grain, bulgur wheat is perfect for the time-crunched weeknight cooking. You can substitute quinoa or whole-wheat couscous if you can’t find any bulgar wheat.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 cups water
2/3 cup bulgur wheat
500 grams chicken breast cutlets
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper 4 cups packed rocket
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
2 cups sliced fresh peaches
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
METHOD
Bring 1 1/3 cups water and bulgur wheat to a boil in a small saucepan over high. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 10 mins. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well; let dry on paper towels. Meanwhile, heat a grill pan coated with cooking spray over high. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Grill chicken, turning occasionally, until done, 6 to 7 mins. Remove to a cutting board. Let stand 3 mins. Slice against the grain into strips. Place bulgur, rocket, tomatoes, and peaches in a large bowl. Add remaining 1/2 tsp salt, oil, and vinegar; toss to coat. Divide mixture among 4 plates; top evenly with chicken.
We all know that incorporating exercise into our lifestyle is beneficial; but this does not change the fact that many of us do not feel motivated to be active. Exercise starts off as a discipline, that eventually turns into a habit. Initially it can be challenging to stick to your routine, but the more you commit, the easier it becomes. In this article we explore the benefits of living an active life and we explore the different kinds of exercise to help you find the type of exercise that will best serve you.
Benefits of Living an Active Life
Exercise has both physical and mental benefits. Not only does it build muscle, maintain weight, or encourage weight loss, but it also affects our brain positively:
Brain Benefits
Reduces stress
Improves memory
Reduces depression (increases serotonin)
Lowers anxiety
Physical Benefits
Lowers risk of chronic diseases (heart disease, diabetes)
Exercise has numerous benefits for our overall health, and one way to maintain your exercise regime is to find a type of exercise that you enjoy. Trying to commit to something you hate is a lot more challenging and increases your chance of giving up.
Types of Exercise: Finding your Niche
Exercise should be a lifestyle, not an event. It is therefore important for you to find an activity that you enjoy – this way, exercise becomes something you look forward to, rather than something that you do because of a specific outcome e.g. weight loss.
There are many types of exercise, and depending on your interests, availability, and access, you may opt for different forms:
HIIT Training
HIIT training stands for High Intensity Interval Training. It alternates between short intense anaerobic exercise with less intense recovery periods. For example, TABATA, which is 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest interval. It is great for individuals who only have 30 minutes to squeeze in a training session. It is a form of cardio training and is effective in burning fat and calories.
Cardiovascular Training
Cardiovascular training is any type of exercise that leads to a sustained rise in heart rate throughout the exercise duration. For example: swimming, running, and cycling. This type of exercise is generally sustained for a longer period of time than a HIIT workout.
Yoga is a form of neuromotor training – it involves balance, agility, and coordination. It is important to improve posture, decrease risk of injury and reduce stress and inflammation. Yoga is a great way to build muscle and it is less intense on the body than activities such as running and HIIT.
Gym classes
A lot of individuals benefit from exercising with others. When it is a social event, they are more likely to commit and enjoy themselves. Gyms offer numerous classes such as spinning and Zumba which allow for an interactive exercise routine.
Pilates
Pilates is a low-impact activity that focuses on flexibility, muscular strength, endurance movements and core strength. It emphasizes proper postural alignment, core strength and muscle balance.
Team Sports
Many people enjoy exercise when it is in the form of team sports. Joining a hockey team or soccer club creates a community and your commitment to the sport increases. The enjoyment of the game is the primary focus and the health benefits are secondary. It becomes a social activity and often not seen as a challenge like going for a run alone.
As you can see, there are numerous ways to reap the rewards of exercise and any form of movement is better than none. Remember, exercise should be a part of your lifestyle, not an event. It is therefore important for you to find an activity that you enjoy – this way, exercise becomes something you look forward to, rather than something that you do because of a specific outcome e.g. weight loss.
This simple pasta is fresh and serves as the perfect dish for a Spring lunch! Peas contain high concentrations of dietary fiber, protein, vitamins A, C,E and K. They are great for digestion and are rich in phytonutrients!
Ingredients
500 grams large shell pasta (or pasta of choice. Bowtie pasta also works well!)
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
500 grams package frozen baby peas (do not thaw)
2 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Method
Cook your pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with some olive oil to prevent sticking, cook until just tender but still firm to bite. Do not overcook. Drain the cooked pasta and keep 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pot.
In the meantime, bring your cream to a simmer in a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add peas and simmer just until heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of Parmesan cheese (keeping the rest for serving) and stir until melted and the sauce thickens slightly, this should take roughly 1 minute. Stir in the mint and half of your parsley. Pour sauce over pasta and toss to coat, adding pasta cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowls. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley.
This smoothie is a delicious and healthy way to cleanse your body with no refined or added sugar and no dairy. Packed with essential nutrients, beetroots are a great source of fiber, folate (vitamin B9), manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C. In our opinion, nothing ‘beets’ this healthy start to your day!
Ingredients
1 beetroot (fresh and uncooked) with stem removed, washed, quartered
1 apple cut into quarters
1/4 cup carrots tops removed, washed, loosely chopped
1/2 cup baby spinach rinsed, drained
1 Tbsp ginger peeled
1/2 cup ice cubes
Water as needed to change consistency: Add enough water to reach the surface of produce and ice
Method
Blend and enjoy!
Serve immediately; or you can store in the freezer and thaw up to one hour before drinking.
For an extra sweet touch, add sweetener of choice.
A top tip from the inner circle of veteran vegans; once you make the decision regarding the BIG ‘V’, please do yourself a favour & prep, babe! This is not a choice to be taken lightly, it is a lifestyle change at the end of the day & your current pantry staples are more than likely not really up to scratch! You reckon you’re fine, ‘cause you have bread & butter, you’ll just make a sarmie?
Nope. That bread is probably made with milk & your fave sandwich spread is 100% made using eggs. UGH!
You are about to venture into the most intense game of speed reading you could ever imagine. I am pretty sure every single Pick ‘n Pay employee in Jozi must think I’m not lekker in the head; I stand for hours reading labels. Why does everything use MILK POWDER? You’re about to lose A LOT of the products you once knew & loved. Perhaps, take a moment of silence for your once beloved packet of Doritos. Shame.
This all may sound scary & overwhelming, thinking that you’re ‘losing out’ by going vegan. But, you are about to gain so much more! You would not believe the incredible vegan alternatives to absolutely everything you can imagine… Vegan chocolate is the flippin’ bees knees! (No bees were harmed in the making of this blog thanks to SunnyBo Hunny!)
Back to business, though! My newbie vegan shopping list is short & sweet, to get you through your first week. You probably think it’s a list as long as my arm, consisting of quinoa, agave syrup & tofu? Well, the truth of the matter is, there is only one thing in this realistic vegans starter pack…
Peanut butter.
Yep, that is all you need, honey. Peanut butter (OhMega Nut Butters being my personal favourite!) & a spoon big enough to feed the inevitable cravings. Because, they will come. Trust that! I think the vegan community has created an air of being ‘from the Earth’, drinking water straight from the damn stream & bathing in oat milk… (Oat milk is hella expensive, it would be a very shallow soak.)
But the reality is, most of us are just as unhealthy as the next person. Myself included! I can promise you right now, every single vegan alive has some sort of nut butter in the cupboard. Not all of us want to eat kale & drink Kombucha. DO NOT BE FOOLED!
You need to understand, going into this that your body is going to go through some major changes. A lot of withdrawal & you are going to have some hectic cravings for things you never thought you would miss! Fish paste from boarding school when you were in grade 7? GET IN MY BELLY! A lekker oily boerie roll from that dodgy braai stand outside of Builders Warehouse? ASSEBLIEF!
But, if you’re committed to your decision to tread more lightly on the planet, then push through! The reward far outweighs your need for a lamb chop or even a Wimpy burger! Think of the impact you as a person are making in the world. For every year that you choose not to eat meat, you would have saved 10 055 pigs, 647 737 chickens, 11 357 cows & 3 million prawns! I highly suggest checking out Fry’s website to see some really eye-opening stats!
I mean, that is a hell of a lot of good karma!
A Raw Deal
I think my least favourite question I get, being a vegan (and trust me, there are PLENTY) is, “but why are you vegan?” I am never quite sure how to respond to that one. Should I be brutally honest? Should I sugar-coat it so that I don’t offend you? And, are you genuinely asking out of interest or are you just waiting to give me your opinion?
My answer? I am vegan for all of the reasons.
But mainly ‘cause Russel Brand told me so & who could ever say no to him?
Want some meal inspo? Check out these plant-based meals:
I don’t really remember the day, to be honest, the specific day that I stopped eating meat. It was more of a slow process of eating less of it & a whole lot more frozen broccoli than I care to admit.
All of a sudden, I realised it had been MONTHS since I had eaten any meat. I kind of accidentally became a vegetarian & felt like a new woman. But to say I was nervous to tell anybody about my new lifestyle change, would be a MASSIVE understatement. I knew the stigma. Hell, I had possibly added to the problem many times throughout my life, with poorly timed jokes at the expense of someone else.
The Saturday afternoon that I had been dreading for months finally reared its ugly head… A family braai. It was time. Time to break the news to my VERY Afrikaans family that, “no, I will pass on the boerewors today, Oom. How about a fried mushroom instead?” Shock & horror followed this, as predicted & there was a moment of silence for the loss of a comrade. I scoffed down that rubbery mushroom & got the heck out of there before they had the chance to ask me, “but where will you get your protein?”
Although the braai was not nearly as difficult as I thought it might be, the judgement & scandal behind my choices extended past my family. Strangers felt the need to let me know why meat is a necessary part of my diet, their favourite argument being… “If we’re not meant to eat meat then why do we have canine teeth?”
The Journey: Part 2
My living hell was only perpetuated when I took the next step of becoming vegan. A no-brainer for me, but more of a NO-BRAIN to those around me. It was an easy transition, my only regret? Not doing it sooner.
I was living in the mountains of the Drakensberg at the time, doing yoga in the veld & eating tomatoes straight from the freaking earth, man. I was some kind of hippy, minus the leg hair (mostly.) I was always the odd one out. The black sheep, or rather the black BeyondMeat patty.
For the most part, being vegan in the Berg was a breeze. I got a few quizzical looks at coffee shops when I asked for non-dairy milk. Huh? Like… Goat milk? Uh. Never mind, I’ll just have still water. It was actually during that time that I learnt how to drink black coffee & pretend like it didn’t taste like sadness. I only cried in the shower a few times. WINNING!
But everything changed when I moved back to the city. Jozi, baba. You beaut! I found a community here, a community of like-minded people. A place where I could vent about the RIDICULOUS price of vegan yoghurt & not have someone roll their eyes straight back into their skull. I so appreciate that in a friend. If you’re looking for a starting point, I would highly suggest you check out my fellow veggie compatriot Caley’s blog, for all the inspiration you could ever hope for, honey!
Vegan Job Opportunities
At the same time, I realised that within this beautiful community of amazing people, there are a plethora of other factions. Societies within society & they’re out for blood. Human-blood, of course. They would not appreciate that joke!
I’ve affectionately named these groups; The Vegan Police, The Plastic Police, The Palm Sugar Police, The Gluten Police & The SAPS. Well, the last one is only on this list ‘cause I’m pretty salty about my lack of vegan wine in the cupboard, but that’s a whole other story.
These groups work tirelessly to ensure that you’re happy, but never TOO happy. Like your mother-in-law on a good day.
Enjoy that oat milk latte, Claire. But it better be in a paper cup! Oh, I hope you didn’t add any refined sugar to that? Is that coffee fair-trade? Are you going to recycle that cup or do you just hate sea turtles?
All I can say is that I am so happy that during a global pandemic, during this Coronacoaster, these cops have jobs & that they’re able to work from home! LUCKY! I just hope they’re being paid for their ‘ESSENTIAL’ services to the vegan community.
My wish is that this blog spot somewhere on the interweb inspires you. Inspires you to try a Fry’s Chicken Nugget without dry-heaving. Even if you chase it with a mouthful of fatty biltong. I’m not here to anybody; I’m just here for a good time not a long time, uhh. I mean, I’m here for the animals.
Eat food. Not too much, mostly plants.
“The most damaging phrase in language is; we have always done it this way.” Grace Hopper
While you’re here, check out some of my recent recipes with WellBe:
This very berry quinoa porridge is an easy, clean eating breakfast for busy mornings. It’s full of good-for-your-gut nutritious ingredients, leaving you feeling fuller for longer and energised to take on the day!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup cooked quinoa
3/4 cup macadamia milk or any milk of choice
1/2 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
TOPPINGS
1/2 cup of berries of choice
1 tsp sunflower seeds
1 tsp goji berries
1 Tbsp nut butter of choice
METHOD
Warm the milk, honey & vanilla in a small sauce pan over the stove.
Place the cooked quinoa in a bowl & pour milk over it.
Is there anything better than a warm and delicious bowl of oats in the morning? Add chocolate to that mix and you have the perfect winter warmer combo!
INGREDIENTS
40 g oats, cooked in water
100 ml of nut milk of choice
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp cacao powder
Toppings:
Nut butter
Seeds
Fresh fruit
Maple syrup or honey
METHOD
Blend the cooked oats in a blender and top with toppings of choice.
This meal is wholesome & full of plant-based deliciousness, perfect for meat-free Monday. A fun twist on your classic pasta dish and using chickpea pasta is high in protein, great for your gut and for your health!
INGREDIENTS
40 g chickpea pasta e.g. happy earth people
1 large whole fresh tomato
1/2 red bell pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp tomato puree
½ – 3/4 cup vegetable stock
Half a medium-sized aubergine
Salt & pepper to taste
Sprinkle of seeds of choice
Chilli flakes, optional
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Cut the tomato in quarters and place the tomato and red bell pepper in a baking dish with oregano, olive oil, salt and optional chilli flakes. Cook it in the oven for 40 mins. While the tomato and red pepper is in the oven, cut the aubergine into slices and fry the aubergine in olive oil until it starts to caramelise. Remove the tomato and red pepper from the oven and blitz together with tomato puree. Add the sauce to the aubergine and cook with vegetable stock for 10 mins. While the sauce is cooking, heat the pasta as per packet instructions. Place the pasta in the bowl, top with the homemade sauce & sprinkle with seeds, salt, pepper and enjoy.
Chickpeas are a rich source of vitamins, minerals and fiber and a variety of health benefits, such as improving digestion. Being a plant based meal, this curry is great for your gut and sure to warm you up! Chickpeas are high in protein and make an excellent replacement for meat in vegetarian and vegan diets.
INGREDIENTS
1 tin chickpeas, drained
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tin coconut milk
1 tin chopped and peeled tomatoes
1 tbsp each curry powder + turmeric
1 tsp each cumin powder + paprika
1 tbsp each grated ginger + crushed garlic
1 lemon (juice squeezed)
1 tsp honey (optional) (use sugar if vegan)
2 handfuls of spinach
100 g mushrooms, chopped
Salt, pepper and chilli flakes to taste
Serve cooked brown or Basmati rice and
fresh chopped coriander
METHOD
Cook the rice as per packet instructions. Mix all the spices together and fry in a large pot with the onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil for 2 minutes on a medium heated stove top. Add the chopped mushrooms and chickpeas and fry for a further 3 mins. Add the tinned coconut milk, tinned tomatoes and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach, lemon juice and honey. Stir all together and allow to simmer for a further 10 minutes. Season to taste. Serve with cooked rice and chopped coriander.
