As promised last week, there is no new menu this week.  The next new menu will come out on Thursday, May 30^th for meals delivered on June 10^th.  Orders will be due Monday, June 3^rd by 5pm.  Be sure to order early.  With the week off, we’re likely to get lots of orders.

Both kids are officially out of school for the summer, and the whole family is looking forward to good times.  Swimming lessons, guitar lessons, working in the garden, and relaxing at the lake top our list of priorities.  We enjoy our simple life and our time together, and we are, as always, so grateful to our friends and clients who make it all possible.

We hope all of you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, and we’ll see you soon!

Orders for the Magic Meals prepared meals are due early this week.   We need your orders by 2 PM on Sunday. No orders will be taken after Sunday, so please get them in early!

Then we’ll get to work on this week’s cooking so we can get it done quickly and have it ready to deliver to you on Thursday or Friday of next week (May 23 or 24).    Orders for delivered meals this week can be delivered to both the Greater Topeka and Lawrence KS area.

We have big plans for the weekend and next week, and we need to get our work done so we can play.  Like granddad always said, “If you’re going to dance, you gotta play the fiddler”, so we’re paying in advance.

The deliveries for orders placed by 2 PM on Sunday 5/19 from this menu will be delivered on Thursday 5/23 or Friday 5/24.  We’ll contact you on Wednesday to make delivery arrangements.

After our time off, the next menu will come out on Thursday 5/30 (due 6/3) for meals to be delivered on Monday June 10^th.

As you look at this week’s menu, remember that we are now offering our wraps in bowls, without the tortilla, on request.  While the wraps we use are really nice whole wheat tortillas, we know that many of our friends are limiting wheat, carbs, or grains in general and this new option opens up one more choice on each week’s menu.

This week’s wrap is Stacey’s Mexican Burritos.  This Mexican flavored wrap or bowl includes mildly spiced Ground Turkey that has been simmered with Garlic, Peppers, Onion, Corn, Peas, and Black Beans. This is available in a vegetarian version at your request.

Be sure to order enough meals this week to stock your freezer until the next delivery day on June 10^th.

Once again, thank you for your support as we make these changes that allow us take more time together as a family.  So far it seems to be working really well.

You can now see the Magic Meals Home Delivery’s menus and cooking schedule for the next few months.  Now you can plan ahead and order our healthy prepared meals from your favorite menus.  You’ll also see that we are taking a number of weeks off for family-time in the coming months, but now you’ll see those weeks off well in advance so you can stock your freezer with the meals you need to simply your life while eating the way you want to.  HERE is the link to the upcoming menus.

Don’t forget that we are taking the last week of the month off, so this is the last new menu you will receive this month.  Orders from this menu are due by 5 PM on Monday April 22^nd for delivery on Monday April 29^th.  The next new menu will come out on Thursday May 2^nd for meals delivered on May 13^th.

This menu is the fourth of our redesigned menus.  Like the others, you’ll find this one packed with favorites and with a nice balance of styles and ingredients.

The first item on this menu is our Classic Meatloaf.  We’ve been told by many that this is the best meatloaf in Topeka or Lawrence, and while we’re more than a little biased, we totally agree.

We also included our Garden Vegetable Soup on this week’s menu because it is both satisfying on the remaining cool evenings and a delightful hint of the bounty to come from our spring garden plantings.     Enjoy this healthy and beautiful soup either hot or cold.  The light broth and herb soup features with red lentils, rice, tomatoes, carrots, colorful bell peppers, garbanzo beans, cabbage, and zucchini.

Thanks again for working with us as we take the upcoming week off.  We’ve made a commitment to spending lots of time with the kids this summer and with that commitment we’ll be taking more weeks off throughout the summer.  Each time we’ll give you plenty of warning so you can assure that your freezer is stocked ahead with healthy Magic Meals.

We are also working on putting together a schedule for the whole summer.  When that project is complete, you’ll be able to see not only which dates will be dedicated to family time; you’ll also be able to see the upcoming menus for the whole month.  With that information, we hope it will be even easier for you decide which weeks you’ll want to place your order.  Our goal is to have the Magic Meals schedule available on the website by the end of the month.  When it’s done, you’ll be the first to know!

Your Friends,

Stacey, Angela, Evander & Marley

At Magic Meal’s Home Delivery, we are so excited that our Kansas spring is just around the corner, but a bit bummed that we’ll have winter weather this weekend.  Fortunately, we’ll be inside on Saturday celebrating the coming of spring, and you’re invited to join us!

We’ll be at Forest House Yoga Spring Fair in the Ramada Inn & Convention Center at 420 SE 6th Ave, Topeka, KS 66607 (6^th & Madison – Just East of Downtown Topeka).  Join us at the FREE fair this Saturday: 11-3 to sample some of the best healthy options in Topeka.  At the fair you’ll find Free Yoga, Massage, Reiki, Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Healthy Foods, Entertainment, and Magic Meals Home Delivery with a wonderful sample of Salmon Loaf to share.  There will also be vendors offering yoga supplies, astrology readings, henna tattoos, local produce, clothing, and more.

During this health fair, we’ll be focusing on answering your questions about the many popular eating plans and diets.  While we’re not licensed dietitians, our eight plus years of helping our friends in Topeka and Lawrence meet their health goals has given us a broad and very practical understanding of most popular diet strategies.  On Saturday, we’ll be waiting to share our experience with you.

Hope to see you all Saturday.  It’s going to be cold outside, so come on down and visit with us in the warmth of the Forest House Yoga Spring Health Fair!

This is our gluten-free cook week which means that everything on this menu with the exception of the wraps and breakfast sandwiches can be made gluten-free.  Research continues to show correlations between gluten intolerance and the symptoms related to Autism, MS, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome as well as the obvious health impact on those with Celiac Disease and uncomfortable digestive issues related to gluten intolerance and sensitivity.   Estimates of how many of us are sensitive to gluten range from 1 to 6% of the American population.

While our meals are neither tested nor certified gluten free, we have served the Topeka and Lawrence Celiac community for over seven years with great success.  We are extremely careful with our ingredient choices and eliminating the chance of cross-contamination with gluten in our kitchen.  Your health is very important to us!  For those of you who are not diagnosed as gluten intolerant or sensitive, but are still curious about how a gluten-free diet might impact your quality of life, our gluten-free cook weeks are a great way to give it a trial run.

We could set you up with a modified breakfast / lunch / dinner weight loss plan, and then with some good choices for snacks you could give your body a whole week of gluten-free food to see how you respond.  You might be surprised by how much better you feel.   Or you could get a lunch and dinner plan that would last you for two weeks, and we could help you come up with some simple gluten free breakfast ideas to stretch your gluten free ‘trial run’ to two weeks.  Since gluten is a sticky substance that takes time to clear from your body, an extended trial could be just what the doctor ordered!

And if you’re not worried about gluten, don’t hesitate to order this week.  We really are experts in gluten-free cooking, and our gluten-free meals are just as tasty and satisfying as our other cook weeks.

Take care,

Yeah for rain, yeah for snow; Happy Days!

Now we need a lot more of each to prepare our soil for a big spring garden.

We understand that not everyone celebrates the winter moisture as we do.  We know that snow and ice can make it difficult to get around, but we hope you remember that Magic Meals can help.  Since it is likely that we have a few more snow storms heading our way in the coming months, it just makes sense to prepare for those difficult days.  Having your freezer well stocked with healthy home-cooked Magic Meals assures that going out on icy days is your choice and not a necessity.

Our prepared meals store in your freezer for up to three months, so they are ready for the days you need them most.  We have no contracts, and you can order as often as you like.  You can even get a single package delivered to your home, and then share them with family and friends so they too are ready for those icy days.

Also don’t forget about your work lunches on those days that leaving the building just isn’t fun.  Many of our casseroles and wraps are very popular with busy professionals who don’t always want to go out for lunch.  Magic Meals lunches are often more affordable than going to a restaurant for lunch (especially when you consider the value of your time) and almost always healthier.

Be sure to try our Vegetable Shepherd’s Casserole this week.  This hearty and healthy home-style favorite makes a great dish for the coldest days.  Nearly all of us could use more veggies in our diet, and this meal makes getting those veggies not only simple and yummy.

Until next week, stay warm and drive safe…and eat your veggies!

Happy New Year!

Magic Meals is excited to see what 2013 will bring, and we hope you are, too. Our phone has been ringing a lot, with new people from the Topeka and Lawrence area that are interested in our healthy, tasty prepared meals. Some of the new calls are from folks who want to be able to eat at home instead of braving the winter elements to eat out.  Other calls are from those who want a little help with lite meals to meet their weight and health conscious new year resolutions.  For both groups, Magic Meals Home Delivery is the answer for so many people.

Quite a few folks have mentioned that they’ve been referred to us by happy clients. Thank you! You are by far the best advertising we could ever ask for.

For those wanting to add fish to their diet more regularly, this week’s Fish in Parmesan Herb Breading is a great place to start. Baked, not fried, and full of great flavor, this is one of our most popular fish meals. The Cashew Chili is a great choice is you want to reduce the amount of red meat in your diet. This one is Stacey approved, which means its hearty enough that you won’t miss the meat in this great tasting chili.

Our more home-style options will still help you maintain healthy balance, too. The Salisbury Beef is made with lean ground beef and the Barbecue Short Ribs feature homemade BBQ sauce without as much salt and sugar and none of the preservatives in commercial sauces.

The kids are back to school today. We had a great time at home with them this last week, spending some valuable family time playing games, reading books and watching movies, amidst the family holiday gatherings. We will certainly miss the kids while they are back in school and not at home with us.

Stay warm and be safe,

We love our job.  We received this email earlier today and the sender encouraged us to share it with you.

It’s not too late to order Magic Meal’s Home Delivery Gift Certificates for Christmas.  If you’re interested, give us a call or drop us an email and we’ll work out the details.  You can pay online and we’ll email you a gift certificate that you can printout.  A simple way to give a wonderful gift.

We may not have snow, but winter is finally in the air, and we’re all getting ready for the holidays!

To help you prepare for yours, we’re offering a Christmas Dinner special of prepared Christmas Meals delivered in the greater Topeka KS area. We are offering everything you need to make dinner for the family Christmas celebration easy.  Honey and Apricot Glazed Ham, Parmesan Mashed Potatoes, Honey Butter Green Beans, Cornbread and Cherry Cobbler will keep you out of the kitchen and spending more time with your loved ones.  Order under the “Holiday Specials” on our website, by phone, or email, and just let us know whether you’d like the smaller package for 4-6 adults or the larger package for 8-10 adults.  Or if you have more, let us know!  See below for more information.

As always, we make sure that our holiday offerings can be ordered gluten-free, for our friends who want to enjoy the meal with their family but can’t have gluten.  Please specify when ordering.

This week’s meals will also be available for Lawrence delivery, and this is our last menu before the end of the year.  Orders will be due Monday, Dec 17 and we’ll deliver them the weekend before Christmas.  Since our normal Monday delivery time would be Christmas Eve, we’re going to work to get everything finished and ready to deliver on Saturday and Sunday, Dec 22 and 23.  Then we’re taking off the week of Christmas, and we’ll be back again cooking at the first of the year.  Make sure to stock up your freezer this week!

We still have gift certificates available!  Magic Meals makes a great gift for your loved ones who already have everything.  We all need healthy, reliable meals, and our service is great for people who don’t have time to cook for themselves, don’t know how or just don’t enjoy cooking!  To ensure mail delivery by Christmas, please order gift certificates by Thursday, Dec 20.  Call or email Angela, and she’ll help you make sure your gift giving is taken care of.

Our mama rabbit had a new litter over the weekend, just in time for the cold snap!  We haven’t actually seen them yet because she has them tucked away in a corner of the straw-filled hutch, covered with a thick layer of her fur.  But we’ve seen movement under the pile, and she’s eating and drinking more than usual, so we know they’ve arrived!

We’re having our first Christmas celebration this weekend with Grandma Vickie.  It will be so nice to celebrate the season with family.   We hope you, too, have some time to enjoy the holiday season, spend time with your family and friends, and remember how blessed we all are.

Christmas Meal Special!

Everything you need for your Christmas Dinner, ready to be heated in the oven for your holiday meal:

•           Honey & Apricot Glazed Ham
•           Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
•           Honey Butter Green Beans
•           Cornbread Muffins
•           Cherry Cobbler

All of these items can be made without gluten-containing ingredients, since we know how difficult the holidays can be for our friends who can’t have gluten!

Package for Four:  One pan of each item, with enough to serve 4-6 adults, $75 plus tax.  (Available only in conjunction with a regular Magic Meals Package order.)

Package for Eight:  One pan of each item, with enough to serve 8-10 adults, $120 plus tax.  (Available without ordering a regular Magic Meals Package with a $10 delivery fee.)

You can order the Christmas Meal Special on our website under Holiday Specials, by email, or phone.