Tamara, Author at The Workout Mama

Natural Grocers Scottsdale

August 10, 2015 by Tamara 2 Comments

This weekend Josh and I were invite to a sneak peek tour and shopping event at the new Natural Grocers in Scottsdale. While normally we wouldn’t drive 15 miles north of our house to grocery shop we were both intrigued and wanted to check out this new store. Now after visiting and shopping we are hoping and asking that they please open a store in Chandler. Please, please, please.

The Scottsdale store is Natural Grocers 100th store and is a specialty retailer of organic and natural groceries, body care, and dietary supplements. Natural Grocers has stores in over 17 states and this year they are opening 18 new stores. The Scottsdale store features a community room with free wi-fi, complimentary coffee and tea for shoppers, and contains a kitchen that will be used for cooking demos and lectures.

Why we are really hoping they open a store in Chandler…

In the grocery department:

Natural Grocers does NOT carry products that contain artificial colors, flavors, sweetness, or preservatives.
They do NOT sell hydrogenated oils or partially hydrogenated oils.

In the produce department:

You will only find USDA Certified Organic Produce at Natural Grocers. The produce was beautiful and I loved not having to search for my organic fruits and veggies.

Employees:

They are knowledgable in the products they carry. We were pleasantly surprised by the amount of information the employee in the supplement section offered us about fish oil. Explaining how to read the labels and what to look for in regards to EPA and DHA.
Each store has a Nutritional Health Coach that is available for FREE consultations to shoppers to answer questions on special diet needs, design eating programs, and can educate consumers on individual health and fitness goals.

Affordability:

Natural Grocers believe healthy foods and nutritional supplements should be affordable to everyone.
They are the low price leader in this industry and they will price match.

Natural Grocers cares about the healthy choices their customers make and what you to be your own advocate for your health. They firmly believe that affordable access to healthy food and nutrition education can change peoples lives and you can see that they incorporate this belief into how they operate.

They don’t have a butcher but they do carry Mary’s, Applegate, and several other popular non-GMO brands. Natural Grocers is also a bagless store. Either bring your own, buy reusables from them, or grab some boxes at checkout to carry out your purchases.

Josh and I were also able to sample a few tasty treats yesterday and I LOVED the Curry Cashew Chicken Wrap. It reminded me of the Curry Chicken Salad from Pita Jungle. So so good! They also provided us with all the recipes of the foods we sampled.

I would LOVE to shop here on a regular basis. I know many friends and family who would love this store in Chandler! If you live in Scottsdale be sure to check out the store. It is 1 mile north of Cactus Pool & Recreation Center.

13802 NORTH SCOTTSDALE ROAD UNIT 110

STORE HOURS: MON – SAT: 8AM – 9:04PM, SUN: 8AM – 7:06PM

(480) 483-2200 | NATURALGROCERS.COM

Have you ever shopped at Natural Grocers or are you planning too?

PS…If you are local, Josh and I will be offering FITCamps for adults and families (3+) at Freestone Park in Gilbert in September. For details click HERE.

Filed Under: Health, Nutrition, Recipes Tagged With: Natural Grocers, Organic, Scottsdale

Gluten Free & Egg Free Banana Pancakes

August 3, 2015 by Tamara Leave a Comment

Since being on the elimination diet I have discovered that gluten and eggs don’t react well in my body. Before we started I would eat eggs almost everyday for breakfast in some way. Scrambled, omelets, pancakes, waffles, donuts, muffins, and the list could go on and on. If you have been reading this blog for several years you know I love my breakfast foods. Sadly we have not been eating any Quinoa Blueberry Pancakes around here and won’t be anytime soon until I figure out how to tweak the recipe.

Yesterday morning I really, and I mean really, wanted a pancake. I wasn’t about to make them with eggs because my skin rashed up and broke out so bad the last time I ate them. Instead I decided to get creative in the kitchen before the kids woke up. I am so glad I did because WOW! I might have just made the best pancake I have eaten since being on this elimination diet in April.

I happily present to you my very own Gluten Free Pancakes made without eggs. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice flour
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup almond milk
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
1 mashed banana

Directions

Combine all dry ingredients.
Add almond milk, oil, extract, and mashed banana. Mix together until just combined. Be careful not to over mix. It is ok if there are chunks of bananas.
Heat skillet over med-high heat. Coat skillet with coconut oil.
Measure 1/4 cup of batter once pan is hot and pour onto skillet. This batter is a little lumpy so use the measuring cup to help you form the pancakes immediately after pouring batter onto skillet.
Once bubbles form on surface flip pancake. Don’t, I repeat, don’t flatten pancake with spatula. Once cooked these pancakes should be fluffy.
Eat and enjoy!

This recipe made about 12 small pancakes which was the perfect amount for me and my 3 and 1 year old. Josh was at work and sadly didn’t get to try them but as soon as he is home I will be making them for him.

I would love it if you could let me know if you think you will make these or do make these how they worked for you!

Filed Under: Nutrition, Recipes Tagged With: Breakfast, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten-Free, Pancakes

The Drop & Squat Workout

July 16, 2015 by Tamara 2 Comments

I am fairly certain I won’t be able to move this morning. The last two days I have been at Yoga Sculpt Training for CorePower Yoga and I think I might have squatted myself silly. I can’t remember the last time I did that many squats at once. It has been awhile and my legs are letting me know.

Learning a new format has really taken me outside of my comfort zone. It is humorous to hear yourself try to teach knowing where you want your class to go but being unable to verbalize it effectively.

In honor of the insane amount of squats and pushups I have done over the last two days I wanted to share the love with you! Here is a fun workout that has just the right amount of squats and pushups to get your heart rate up with a fun little cardio burst thrown in at the end. Have fun and remember to drop low into each and every squat. Keep your chest up and those hips back.

Hope you all have a great weekend! Just curious, has anyone taken class at CorePower Yoga? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Filed Under: Fitness, Workouts Tagged With: CorePower, Pushups, Squats