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February 21st, 201210 Cookie Flavors Worth Baking
February 14th, 2012There are a lot of different kind of cookies out there… But here are ten types of cookies that are really worth baking.
Snickerdoodles
1. Snickerdoodles: In addition to having a great name, these cookies are delicious. They are generally made using butter, eggs, sugar and flour and then rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked. These are a great cookie to make for anyone with nut allergies, as no nuts are ever included.
2. Oatmeal Scotchies: Scotchies is short for butterscotch. These cookies are fantastic! Instead of being traditional oatmeal or oatmeal raisin cookies, butterscotch chips are used in place of the raisins… changing these oatmeal cookies from feeling slightly granola-like into a rich, decadent experience.
3. Chocolate-Chip Cookies: While some of you may think this is the old stand-by, there’s a good reason these cookies are often the first cookie a child learns to make… it’s because they are delicious! To try a new twist, try adding some cinnamon to your favorite recipe.
4. Peanut Butter Cookies: This is a twist on a traditional sugar cookie, using peanut butter… while not good for those with allergies, this is a great cookie to make with kids as they will have tons of fun pressing the designs into the cookies. You can even place Hershey’s kisses in the center of these cookies instead of using a design, to add some chocolate to this cookie.
5. Sugar Cookies: This cookie is another traditional cookie, and very tasty. It’s great to make with children. Sugar cookies can be decorated with colored sugars, sprinkles or icing, and even cut into fun shapes and sizes which makes for a fun activity in addition to a great snack.
Chocolate-Dipped Madelienes
6. Madeleines: Sometimes also referred to as French Butter Cookies, these cookies are light and fluffy and can have a variety of flavors added to them (lemon, orange, etc.) instead of the traditional vanilla flavor. These cookies are generally not the first recipe a beginning baker should try, but they are wonderful cookies and fun to make.
7. Whoopie Pies: Another fun one to make with the kids! Although these are generally chocolate cookies with vanilla filling, twists on this cookie can be used with both the cookies and the filling. You can try vanilla cookies with strawberry filling instead, or any number of combinations.
8. Gingerbread Cookies: Traditionally holiday cookies, these cookies can be enjoyed any time. They are spicy and sweet cookies that often go best with hot beverages, instead of the traditional cookies and milk. Gingerbread can also be great for kids, because it can be decorated with icing or sugar and cut into fun shapes as well. And of course the traditional gingerbread house can be built.
9. Meringue Cookies: Again, not a cookie for the novice baker. But these cookies are wonderful and silky smooth and can be made in a variety of flavors… anything from lemon, to peppermint, to coconut, to cardamom rose, depending on the baker’s preference.
10. Biscotti: Another cookie that goes great with hot beverages and onethat can come in a lot of different flavors. Biscotti is probably best for the cookie lover who isn’t a fan of sweet cookies. It can come in chocolate, cinnamon, pumpkin, cranberry-pistachio… the type of flavoring is only limited by the baker’s imagination.
Twelve Fantastic Apps for Getting and Staying Fit
February 6th, 2012
Whether you want to lose weight, eat healthier or exercise more efficiently, chances are you’ll need some good weapons to help you win the bodily battle. These apps are a great start as you build the weapons that will help you win the war.
Life has a way of getting hectic, and often your diet and exercise plan is the first thing you sacrifice when you are pressed for time. Loading one or more of these apps on your smartphone means that your diet weapons are with you 24/7, helping you stay on track and focused.
Exercise Apps
1. DailyBurn
The dailyburn.com site is one of the biggest fitness communities available online, and this app is its bite-sized companion. Your personal goals and tracking information are synced to the app for on-the-go tracking and accountability.
2. Fitness Buddy
Fitness Buddy has over 1,000 exercises with a great deal of variety. Photos, illustrations and descriptions help guide you through each exercise. You can mix and match to set up 45-minute routines.
3. Daily Ab Workout
Are you ready to start building your six-pack? Every day, a different ab routine, with 20 different exercises in each routine, is available. The randomizer helps keep you from getting bored.
4. iPump Fitness Builder
This app helps you set up routines for at home or at the gym using whichever type of equipment you have on hand. Thousands of exercises are available from which to choose.
5. FitnessClass
Fitness Class gives you access to streaming classes and videos. The workouts have a lot of variety and include everything from kettle ball routines to yoga.
6. Authentic Yoga
Featuring Deepak Chopra, this app is customizable for any fitness level. It can focus on whichever goal you are working toward, whether it’s flexibility, strength or balance.
Diet Apps
1. LoseIt
This app and its accompanying website are easy to use. Without a lot of clutter, they help you quickly track calories eaten and burned.
2. SparkPeople
A pint-sized version of the popular free diet online community, this app allows you to track food consumption and exercise while on the go. It’s available for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
3. Weight Watchers
The mother of all weight-loss plans has an app that allows you to track your points wherever you are. The app requires a membership in the Weight Watchers program.
4. CarbLovers Diet
Do you want to lose weight but don’t want to cut out your carbs? This app can help you make healthy choices without giving up the foods you love.
5. Fooducate
Take this app with you on your next shopping trip. You’ll see how the foods you buy stack up nutritionally.
6. Shake a Snack
Do you need some ideas for healthy snacks? With this app, you can shake your phone to find a randomized snack between 100 and 300 calories.
Diet and exercise are both integral to an effective low fat diet plan. LowFatDietPlan.org has additional tools to help such as a BMI chart and weight loss goal calculator. Keep these tools in mind as you build your weight loss weapon arsenal.
How to Cook the Perfect Steak
February 2nd, 2012Here’s how the experts do it:
Now that’s probably how your favorite steak restaurant does it. But you probably want to cook it on the grill. That’s what we’ll be talking about today. First, you want to buy a great steak. There are three I would recommend for grilling.
1. The sirloin. It’s a nice lean cut, but sometimes that means it can be a little tough. Ask your butcher. If it’s tender, rub it with a little oil, sprinkle on some salt and pepper, and get your grill really hot. If you have two sides to your grill, it’s great to have one area smoking hot, and another area at medium.
Your steak will be about an inch thick. Cook the steak 1½-2 minutes on each side for rare; 3 minutes on each side for medium and about 4 minutes on each side for well done. If well done, or once the steak is dark on both sides, move it to the cooler part of the grill.
If the sirloin steak is a bit tough, marinate it first. There are many marinade recipes online. Once it’s been marinaded, take it out and dry it, then proceed with the grill.
For all steaks, try to under-cook them a bit, because they will continue to cook while they are resting. And you must rest them for ten minutes. That will allow the juices that want to pour out to absorb back into the meat, ensuring it stays nice and moist.
2. The T-bone and the Strip steak. These are definitely going to be tender. A technique I learned that works well for me is to and rub steak on both sides with a cut clove of garlic, then salt it on both sides. Put it in the fridge on a rack. The salt will melt and be drawn down into the meat. The surface of the meat will be nice and dry and ready for the grill. Take the steak out a half hour or so before grilling to come to room temperature. Then grill as above, but with these timings:
Your steak will be 1 1/2 inches thick or so. Give it 5 minutes on each side for medium; 1 minute less each side for rare; and 1 minute more for well done. Rest for ten minutes before serving.
3. Filet Mignon- the prince of beef. This steak is so beautifully tender that a child could cook it. I like to use the salt and garlic method on these as well. Then cook them exactly like the T-bone. Rest for ten minutes before serving. This leaner steak benefits from a flavored knob of butter placed on top just before serving. You can find many recipes unline for flavored butter for steak. Here’s the classic:
Beurre Maître d’Hôte: Combine 1/2 cup butter with 1 Tbsp. minced parsley and 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice, and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Of course, MagicKitchen.com sells Filet Mignon online. This steak is restaurant quality and if cooked using the techniques above, utterly scrumptious.
Melody, MagicKitchen.com Blogger
Eating a Diabetic Diet
January 27th, 2012Just because you’re a diabetic does not mean you have to give up great tasting, delicious food; or feel restricted by what you can put in your mouth. You can live with diabetes AND eat (mostly) what you want.
Be Balanced
The key to indulging every once in awhile – for everyone, though diabetics have to be a touch more careful, is to ensure you’re eating a healthy, balanced diet and making the right food choices. Portions are important, so make sure you’re eating appropriately sized meals. And of course, ensure you’re getting your fruits, non-starchy veggies (think carrots, broccoli, and spinach), whole grains (instead of processed grains), lean meats, and non-fat dairy products.
Watch your carbs
There’s three main types of carbohydrates – starches, sugars, and fiber. You can help keep your blood sugar levels in your target range by watching how many carbs you’re consuming. Any grains made from wheat flour (rice, pasta, bread), potatoes, peas, and corn are all examples of high in starch foods, and should be avoided when possible. Fiber, on the other hand, can be your BFF. It helps keep your digestive system in tip-top shape, and – surprise – you CAN still eat things like cereal, bread, and pasta – just look for whole grain cereals that are low in artificial and added sugars.
It’s okay to indulge
Yup, it’s true – as long as you’re generally a healthy, balanced eater it’s okay to have that small slice of chocolate cake on your birthday. And being diabetic doesn’t mean never eating chocolate or a cookie ever again – it simply means checking ingredients, and being aware of what you’re eating when. Look for treats with less than 10 carbs per serving – things like sugar free jello, no sugar added cookies, dark cocoa chocolate, and low carb ice creams (literally – some of them say this on the package!) can be great choices when you’re craving something sweet. And, if you’ve been day dreaming about a chocolate chip cookie all day – another trick is to “trade” that dessert for another high-carb food you had been planning on eating. Maybe skip the lunchtime chicken sandwich and have a salad instead (or one of our fab prepared diabetic meals!) to make room for that ooey, gooey, cookie.
And remember – as with anything in life, moderation (and in some cases, a lot of moderation) is key to being healthy and happy while still tantalizing your taste buds – yes, even for us diabetics.
Lauren- MagicKitchen.com Blogger
Top Ten Retirement Activities
January 23rd, 2012You’ve been looking forward to your retirement for years; all that free time to do what you want to do for once! But all too often, after the first joys of sleeping in and doing nothing much all day, boredom sets in and you begin to look for things to keep you busy. Here’s a list of the top ten retirement activities.
- Start a part-time business. Start a senior’s exercise or yoga class, buy a hot dog cart, or go to craft shows and sell that beautiful craft you’ve been making.
- Start a garden. There are many sites to get you started. Google “gardening in (yourstate)” to find them. Here’s an example of one in California: California Gardens – The Year Round Gardening Site
- Start camping. You don’t need a big motor home to do so, instead purchase or rent a camper van. MagicKitchen.com has delicious foods for camping.
- Find a retirement job that you can work at temporarily as a fun job. (Greeter at Wal-Mart, drive a delivery van, be a bartender). Here’s a good resource: www.seniorjobbank.org
- Travel!! Now’s the time to get out there and see the places you always wanted to see. There are any number of tour companies that will allow you to travel at your own pace and comfort level.
- Tutor or mentor students. There are many young people out there who would benefit from your knowledge and experience.
- Read. Now you have time to read all those wonderful novels you may have put aside for lack of time. Go to the library to borrow books or just to get ideas on what to read.
- Volunteer. If you’re financially secure, you might think about volunteering part time. It will make you feel great!
- Go back to school. Maybe you wish you would have gone on to get that masters degree. Or you didn’t get to college at all and want that experience. Nothing could be more mentally exhilarating. Even learning a new language is a wonderful way to keep your mental facilities in good shape.
- Set yourself an athletic goal- train to run a marathon, swim a mile, get a black belt, walk a mile a day.
We hope you’ll enjoy and take advantage of these ten retirement activities. Here are more!
Melody, MagicKitchen.com blogger
How to get More Fruits and Vegetables into your Diet
January 16th, 2012The new year is a perfect time to start eating healthier. Here are five easy tips for getting more fruit and veg into your diet.
1. Breakfast
Everyone knows about eating fruit for breakfast. It’s a refreshing way to wake up. Perhaps try eating some veggies in 
the morning as well. Try adding some kale or spinach to a berry smoothie and blend well. Or eat some leftover veggies from the night before as a side dish to anything else you’re eating for breakfast. Slice up some mushrooms and grab some baby spinach to add to an egg or tofu omelet. Breakfast doesn’t have to be typical- eat something you would eat for lunch or dinner like a veggie burger to get that morning energy. Just like exercising first thing, eating veggies when you wake up is a way to get it out of the way for the day or just add more!
2. Two-Veg Dinners
A typical dinner is a protein, a starch, and a vegetable. Why not make your standard meal a 2 vegetable one? Always make sure to make a salad in addition to your cooked veggie or have your veg on the side along with a one-pot meal that has your protein, starch, and lots of added in veggies. Or, eat a vegetable as your main course! There’s no need to limit how many veggies you are eating. If you’re feeling it, add a side of fruit to the table or toss some apples, halved grapes, or mandarin orange segments into your salad.
3. Snacks
I know I love to eat crackers, pretzels, and quesadillas as snacks, but veggies are an outstanding alternative to those almost empty calories. Dip some crudité into your favorite roasted vegetable hummus or an herb based dip such as low fat green goddess. Have peanut butter apple slices or celery sticks like you did when you were a kid. If you are super low on time and don’t have time to chop and trim, rinse off an apple, grapes, or grab some baby carrots for speedy nourishment. Fruit and vegetables are fast and easy to prepare for a quick bite, and you can feel good about eating something not out of a box as your snack!
4. Mixing and Combining
Mix vegetables in with something else you already make. Add sautéed chopped veggies to brown rice. Mix in carrots, celery, bell peppers, and mushrooms to your usual chili. Dice up any veggies you have and add them to tomato sauce for your pasta. Make a sauce with prunes or other dried fruit. Sneak vegetables and fruit in to everything you make to add texture, flavor, and nutrition. Don’t forget the herbs and spices to flavor things up salt-free.
5. Dessert
I don’t think I’d be able to sell anyone on eating a vegetable for dessert… but fruit can be amazing for the end of the day. Froyo with berries piled on, a small slice of poundcake with berries or apples, or even just a big pile of whatever fruit you have on hand diced up and mixed together with a little yogurt glaze as a fruit salad! Try to stay away from desserts with lots of added sugar because they can be more detrimental than healthy. Either bake those creations at home to control the amount of sugar and flaky crusts you use or go for fresh fruit options instead. You don’t have to feel guilty about dessert if it’s fruit-based!
Mindy, MagicKitchen.com blogger
HOLLYWOOD’S CRAZY DIET FADS
January 10th, 2012If I were a sugar plum fairy, I’d make a fortune by selling some sort of crazy, quick fix, magic diet to the celebrity
masses. If there’s one thing there’s no shortage of in Hollywood – it’s crazy diet fads. From liquid diets to color-coded
diets to one-food-only diets; Hollywood has tried it all.
Here’s some of the craziest diet fads we’ve heard of.
Hands down, this diet screams “every sorority girls dream” – this crazy diet fad centers around the idea of portion
control: if you can fit it into a 3 oz. Martini glass, you can consume it (and loose weight doing so). Three shots of
vodka and an olive, please.
Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon are allegedly doing it, and you can be next. Babies look totally young and cute,
so logically eating nothing but baby food means you’ll look totally young and cute too, right? And who wouldn’t want to
spend their days mowing down on pureed bananas and green, pea-flavored mush?
The Grapefruit Diet is also nicknamed “The Hollywood Diet”- and that should really say it all. This is the literal definition
of a crazy diet fad – by following it, you’ll lose 10 pounds in 12 days by eating a ton of grapefruit and drinking lots of
black coffee! Sounds super healthy, right?
While I’m not denying the Acai berry has awesome antioxidant powers – after all, it has been named the number one
antioxidant food on Oprah, and Oprah doesn’t lie – an entire diet fashioned around the berry (and claims the berry will
increase your vitality and, therefore, see you shed pounds) is just silly. Inject some Acai into your diet, sure – but don’t
believe the pricy Acai berry supplements will magically zap you into a ten-pound-lighter you.
The Cambridge Liquid Diet is one of the oldest crazy diet fads around (does that even qualify it as a fad anymore?) -
it’s been in existence for over 20 years; and is still garnering attention. The basic idea involves drinking three liquid diet
formulas a day; no food required. I once tried a variation of this with milkshakes and fro-yos, but it didn’t have the
same results. Maybe I should have used Skim Milk instead of 3%.
Personally, I believe all you really need to lose weight is a healthy, nutritious diet plan chock full of balanced portions
and fresh, nutritious foods – like Magic Kitchen’s healthy, chef-prepared meals that are quick to prepare. Forget about
jumping on the Hollywood Crazy Train; and take a look at these fantastic products instead – I mean, why bother with
these crazy diet fads in an attempt to lose weight – and be disappointed when they don’t work, or worse, be
unhealthy, lightheaded, and unhappy because of the extreme nature of some of these fads?
New Year’s Resolution Time
December 28th, 2011All right everyone, get ready because the first of the year is coming up, and we all know what that means. Time to make a new year’s resolution that can be broken as quick as possible so that we can move on with our lives.
Men are funny about New Year’s resolutions; typically it’s the “I’m going to get in shape” resolution. Hence, on the first of January there will be a gaggle of men across the country that will walk into a fitness center, write a $1,500 check for membership, hand it to the guy behind the counter and then tell them “Thank you very much, you will never see me again”.
Women are equally as funny. Their New Year’s decree is to lose 47,000 pounds in five months, you know, just in time to slip into that new bikini that is no bigger than a string of dental floss and an eye patch. Jay Leno once said “Now there are more overweight people in America than average-weight people. So overweight people are now average… which means, you have met your New Year’s resolution”. That about sums it up for me.
New Year resolutions might have a better chance at success if they fall into the realm of reality. Not that losing weight or getting into shape is unrealistic, but it’s better to know your limitations.
How about trying a New Year’s resolution that is fun. Still want to get into shape? Make a New Years resolution to swim once a week. Remember how much fun it was to swim when you were a kid? Guess what, it still is. Or how about learning to surf, or snow ski. In fact, a great New Years resolution would be to make a list of activities you’re never tried, or haven’t tried in a while, and meet those goals. Want to eat healthy? You know where to go. Our portion-controlled meals have got you covered.
Try hiking a nature trail. It’s beautiful and you may lose an extra few pounds. Or, if you’re really the adventuresome type, how about canyoneering. If you live near the water try kayaking or snorkeling.
How about a New Year’s resolution of making a list of all the fun things you always wanted to do, but never did.
The point is to have fun, and it doesn’t even have to start at the first of the year. Happy New year. everybody!!
Wendy Tree, Guest Blogger
Ring in the New Year with Kidney-Friendly Party Snacks
December 16th, 2011Counting down the New Year with your favorite friends usually includes a few tasty treats and a glass of bubbly. Enjoying special times while having to watch your kidney diet can be a challenge, but thanks to DaVita® dietitians, you can serve up some mouthwatering snacks and still eat renal-friendly foods.
When speaking with people on dialysis about their renal diet, many times the focus is on what cannot be eaten. There are, however, many delicious foods that are perfectly acceptable on the dialysis diet. The trick is finding ways to prepare these foods so that you don’t feel deprived. DaVita.com has wonderful, kidney-friendly recipes that focus on the “what you can have.” Each week DaVita dietitians share their personal stories and provide tasty selections for you to enjoy. The best part is if you’re cooking for others who are not on dialysis, they’ll be able to eat the same foods as you and not think they’re eating “diet” food because it’s all so tasty.
As you begin a new year and you start making your resolutions, please remember to visit the recipe section of this website for menu selections designed to keep your lab results where they need to be. Remember, in addition to eating the right foods, portion control is important, as well as discussing your food choices with your doctor or dietitian.
We’ve planned the menu for your New Year’s gathering with 10 easy-to-follow appetizer recipes along with a comprehensive grocery list to help you enjoy this festive time of year.
Let your family and friends know there’s a wealth of renal-friendly recipes right at their fingertips at DaVita.com.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year appetizer menu
Appetizers
- Artichoke Relish on Toasted Pita
- Brie and Cranberry Chutney
- Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
- Snack Mix
- Shrimp Spread with Crackers
- Sugar and Spice Popcorn
- Sweet ‘n’ Sour Meatballs
Beverages
Happy New Year appetizer grocery list
Baking Goods
- canola oil
- olive oil
- grape jelly, 6 ounces
- popcorn, unsalted (to make 11 cups)
Beverages
- 1 bottle champagne
- 12-ounce can 7 UP®
- 8 ounces cranberry juice
- 1/2 cup liquid or frozen fruit punch concentrate
- 1 liter diet lemon lime soda
Bread, Cereal, Crackers and Pasta
- 7″ pita bread rounds
- low sodium crackers
- 24 matzo cracker miniatures (or other low sodium crackers)
- 1 box low sodium cornflakes
- 1 box corn cereal squares
- 1 box rice cereal squares
- unsalted tiny pretzel twists
- unseasoned bread crumbs
Dairy and Nondairy
- grated Parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
- 8-ounce wheel of Brie cheese
- small carton liquie nondairy creamer
- 8-ounce carton sour cream
- margarine
- unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
Frozen Foods
- 1 pint sherbet lemon or lime flavor
- ice
Fruit
- 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries
- 1 lemon
- 5 strawberries, stems attached
Meat
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts
- 1 pound ground turkey (7% fat)
- 2-1/2 ounces cooked shrimp
Seasonings and Spices
- Dijon mustard
- Heinz® bottled chili sauce
- honey
- sugar, or Splenda® granular
- brown sugar, or Splenda® brown sugar blend
- ketchup, no salt added
- mayonnaise
- Tabasco® sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- black pepper
- garlic powder
- ground ginger
- ground nutmeg
- ground cinnamon
- allspice
- Mrs. Dash® lemon herb seasoning
- onion powder
Vegetables
- 2-ounce jar diced pimento
- 2 green onions
- 1 medium onion
- Reprinted with permission by DaVita Inc.
- Source from www.DaVita.com
