Tamara, Author at The Workout Mama

I Need Jesus

October 1, 2013 by Tamara 15 Comments

For the most part I consider myself to be a fairly good person. According to a recent news poll from a major news organization, 85% of people who believe in heaven but are not necessarily Christian believe that they will go to heaven. Even more surprising is the fact that 77% of people who claim no religious affiliation feel that they are good enough to go to heaven because they feel they are a “good person.”

The truth is I am not a good person. I have a dark side and if you are honest you do too.

I think about me first, not others.

I hurt those I love.

I say things I regret.

Everyone of us has made mistakes, lied, or cheated. You and I are free to make these choices. What a boring life this would be if we were all programmed to run on autopilot with no authentic feelings or emotions.

No matter how good we are, how happy we are, how rich we are, how great of a spouse/parent/friend we are, it will never be enough. We will never be good enough until how we define goodness changes.

All of us have been given a choice. The Bible says that we as humans, when given a choice between life through obedience and death through disobedience, will disobey.

Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious ideal. Romans 3:23

Enter Jesus.

Jesus is good enough. What we can’t do, Jesus has already done.

Jesus came in order for us to see how much God loves us. If you are a parent, like myself, you know the massively huge love you have for your child. The greatest gift God has given us was allowing Jesus, his child, to die on the cross for our sins so that we could live in eternity with Him.

There is good news! This gift is FREE. If you are ready to stop living by the worlds truths and know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, simply pray, “Lord, Jesus, I believe you died for me. Come into my life, forgive my sin- make me into the man or woman or teenager that you want me to be. Give me your purpose in living, give me your perspective and what life is all about,” and He’ll do that.

If you have any questions about what it means to know God please feel free to email me or leave a comment. I would love to talk with you more!

Filed Under: Faith, Personal Tagged With: Bible, God, Jesus, Salvation

Vegan Mac & Cheese

September 24, 2013 by Tamara 4 Comments

This take on mac & cheese is loaded with yummy goodness! It is also Caden approved. It is dairy free, egg free, and can also be made gluten free depending on the pasta you select.

With a high dose of vitamin A, fiber, and potassium from the squash or pumpkin and the added vitamin b12 from the nutritional yeast you are sure to be singing the praises of this mac and cheese for you and your little ones.

This “cheese” sauce is so yummy. My first attempt at making a vegan mac and cheese did not go so well but after some tweaking I came away from my kitchen with a keeper recipe. Using my food processor made creating the sauce super easy and as you can see resulted in a very creamy texture.

Ingredients

15oz can of pumpkin puree or butternut squash puree , or 2 cups fresh pumpkin or butternut squash puree
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons himalayan sea salt
1/2 cup nutritional yeast (provides the cheesy taste)
1/2 teaspoon mustard
2-3 tablespoons tahini
Seasonings of your choice
Pasta of your choice

Directions

Start with cashews in the food processor. Process until the cashews are in very tiny pieces.
Place remaining ingredients (minus pasta) into food processor to create cheese sauce.
Boil pasta and fully drain.
Return pasta to pot and add desired amount of cheese sauce. You can store any pasta and cheese sauce you do not use separately in your fridge for 3-5 days. If you want to make 1 serving only add enough pasta back onto the stovetop and save the extras for leftover meals.
Season to taste and enjoy!

If you plan on trying this recipe or make it I would love to hear from you!

xoxo, Tamara

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Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Entree, Nutritional Yeast, Vegan

What Is Nutritional Yeast?

September 23, 2013 by Tamara 6 Comments

Last year when we began to feed Caden solid foods the baby food book I was reading suggested adding nutritional yeast to his oatmeal. My first thought. Ummm…what the heck is nutritional yeast? Little did I know at the time that this flakey substance would soon by one of my kitchen staples.

What Is Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that is grown on sugarcane and beet molasses. When the yeast is ready it is deactivated, washed, dried, and packaged. This yeast does not make things rise. It is high in protein and is fortified with vitamin B12 and other vitamins and minerals. Making it a staple in vegetarian and vegan diets.

The Benefits

9 grams of protein in 2 tablespoons
High % of Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid
Gluten-Free
Low sodium
Yummy cheesy flavor

In vegan recipes, nutritional yeast is used for its cheesy flavor. There are so many ways you can use nutritional yeast.

The Uses

Sprinkle it on popcorn for a cheesy flavor
When making kale chips sprinkle a layer on before baking
Stir it it to your mashed potatoes
Add to roasted veggies
Sneak in B12 by adding a tablespoon to your salad dressing
Make french fries extra crispy with a drizzle of olive oil and a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast
Oatmeal, smoothies, and pasta are other great ways slip it into your diet

Where To Buy

I love this stuff. You will need to go to a health food store, Whole Foods, or vitamin shop to purchase and it can be bought in the bulk section or by the nutritional supplements. I use the Red Star brand.

Even though it looks and smells a little like fish food flakes it is worth adding to your diet, especially if you are vegan, vegetarian, or do not consume animal products on a regular basis. I promise once you add it into your other foods you won’t even notice it. It does have a really nice flavor.

What about you? Do you use nutritional yeast?

Be sure and check back tomorrow because I am sharing how I use nutritional yeast to create a vitamin packed vegan mac & cheese! It has been kid tested and mama approved!

Filed Under: Nutrition, Products Tagged With: Nutritional Yeast