By LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir on 1/22/2012 7:51 PM
The hottest meme racing around Facebook right now has to do with people’s birthdates. You click on a web site and find out what song was number 1 on the day you were born. Imagine our delight when we plugged in 1986 (the year Lifeway was founded) and learned Live To Tell by Madonna ruled the airways. We’re huge Madge fans and have been spending the past few weeks gearing up for her fast-approaching Super Bowl halftime performance at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on February 5.
Read More »
By LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir on 1/20/2012 8:19 AM
We went on a little bit of a Sweet Kiss bender here in the office yesterday - sampling each of our cheesecake-like, light farmer cheese spreads and oohing and ahhing over how creamy and yummy they are! With less fat and fewer calories than cream cheese, not to mention probiotics, why not indulge a little?
Sweet Kiss cheeses are tasty all on their own, but we figured why stop at dessert? So we whipped up some Apple Cheesecake Muffins for breakfast this morning, we hope you enjoy them!
Ingredients:
- 1 & ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup white whole wheat flour
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¾ cup plain Lifeway Kefir
- ½ cup butter, melted & cooled or canola oil*
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup apple Sweet Kiss Cheese Spread
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 Tbs brown sugar
*Replace with 1/2 cup apple sauce to cut fat & calories, but note that the muffins will be slightly chewy.
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and spray one muffin pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a smaller bowl, combine Kefir, butter (or substitute) and 1 egg.
- Stir together Kefir mixture with flour mixture, mixing only until combined. The batter will be lumpy and that's OK - don't over mix!
- In another small bowl, beat together the Sweet Kiss cheese, 1 egg, vanilla and brown sugar until it's smooth and spoonable.
- Fill each muffin cup half way with the muffin batter, then top each with 1 Tbs of the cheese mixture. It will combine when the muffins bake, giving you a cheesecake-like center or topping on each muffin.
- Bake for 22 minutes, until topping is set up and muffins are golden. Cool in the pan on a wire rack 10 minutes before serving warm.
By LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir on 1/13/2012 10:40 AM
Kefir fans find all kinds of creative ways to enjoy the nutritious, tangy treat. From adding a splash to soups and chili to folding it into pancake batter, kefir is a really versatile ingredient! Check out the creative use of kefir in these Spiced Chocolate Root Beer Cupcakes from
Bake and Destroy.
Ingredients:
- 1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp root beer flavoring
- 3/4 cup plain Lifeway Kefir
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Mix together flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg and root beer flavoring until smooth. Alternately whisk in flour mixture and kefir until smooth. Scoop batter into pan and bake 22-27 minutes until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on wire rack.
Top these with a sprinkle of powdered sugar for a not-so-sweet treat, or fold 1/2 tsp of root beer flavoring into whipped cream and top each cupcake with a generous spoonful of whipped cream.
By LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir on 1/13/2012 9:44 AM
It’s not often that you find a highly respected registered dietitian who’s bold enough to ask “Did someone step on a duck?” when blogging about beans…and get away with it.
The author of 101 Foods That Can Save Your Life, blogger for WebMD and longtime national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (recently renamed The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics), Grotto is a Vince Vaughn lookalike from the Chicago suburbs who can spout off random-yet-useful factoids like, “A handful of tart cherries before bed can help you sleep better,” at the drop of a hat. When we caught word over Twitter that he was a fan of kefir, we just knew we had to interview him for our blog. Here’s what he had to say:
Lifeway: So, why do you like kefir so much?
David Grotto: “The thing I like most about kefir, as opposed to yogurt, is it offers the ultimate in convenience. It’s portable, easy to use: You just drink it, with no need to dirty – and then wash – a spoon afterwards. Not to sound lazy or anything. It’s nutrition and convenience rolled into one.”
Lifeway:What's your all-time favorite kefir flavor and why?
DG: “I’m “old school” – none of those newfangled flavors for me. I like to keep it traditional, like they used to serve in the old country. It’s Birthday Cake for me.”
Lifeway:Everyone seems to pronounce kefir differently – “KEE-fuhr,” “Keh-FEER.” How do YOU pronounce it?
DG: “I pronounce it ‘Key furtghddf.’ The last six consonants are silent.”
Lifeway: You’ve got three teenage daughters – that sounds crazy! Do they like kefir?
DG: “Indeed they do! They’re 17, 15 and 13 and two of them are lacto ovo vegetarians, which means they don’t eat meat but they do eat dairy and eggs. These girls are finicky, but my wife and I aren’t running a restaurant so we need foods that appeal to all three of them. Kefir works well within their dietary laws, plus it tastes delicious. They love the sweet tang. I feel assured not only as a dietitian, but as a dad, that I’m doing the best for my girls’ overall health, bones, immune health. We get a triple bang for the buck.”
Lifeway: What’s one of their favorite ways to enjoy it?
DG: “I’ll use it as a base for smoothies. They’re usually so busy, they don’t even have time to nuke something in the microwave. They need something quick. So I’ll whip up a blender-full of smoothies. We’ll throw in some soy or whey protein, nut butter – maybe pistachio or almond, some fruit juice, and whatever fresh fruit is lying around. Maybe bananas or peaches. I also use it to cook oatmeal, swapping out half of the liquid ingredients for kefir. It gives it a nice, creamy consistency. We also use it in baked goods: My wife made a rum cake for Christmas and used kefir, and it was very moist and tasty with a nice tang.”
Lifeway:What do you think of those Activia commercials featuring Jamie Lee Curtis?
DG: “I don’t watch them. Now if they featured Tony Curtis, that would be a different story.”
By LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir on 1/11/2012 3:19 PM
We're the first to admit that, unless you grew up drinking it, kefir can be a mysterious food! While almost everyone who tries it likes it, we get a lot of questions regarding some of kefir's quirks. We do have a pretty thorough
FAQ that we recommend checking out, but we thought we'd take a minute to address a seasonal FAQ here.
I've been buying your kefir for months, and now all of the sudden it's lumpy. What gives?
We get this question a lot in the winter months, and there are a few reasons why your kefir has lumps. For one, winter milk tends to be thicker than summer milk. Believe it or not, the Midwest has some really hot summer months! Our cows are drinking more water then, so their milk is a little thinner. When it's cold out, though, a higher concentration of protein solids makes the milk thicker, resulting in a thicker kefir.
Additionally, our milk is non-homogenized and we don't add any chemical stabilizers to it, so some of those lumps might be bits of fat and cream from the milk that have stuck together as result of the culturing process.
So what if you don't like lumps? No worries! You should always give kefir a good shake before you drink it. In the wintertime, leave it out on your counter for a few minutes until it loses the chill from your refrigerator. Once it's warmed up a bit, shake it up and it should smooth out for you.
Remember, kefir has a long shelf life - up until the expiration date printed on the bottle, so lumps don't mean it's gone bad. It's just a quirk associated with producing an all-natural product!
Do you have questions about kefir that aren't in our FAQ? We'd love to hear them and possibly blog about them in the future!
By LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir on 1/9/2012 10:04 AM
Think back to 2002. What was going on in your life? Maybe you were graduating from high school or college. Or planning a wedding. Or getting ready to have a baby. For Lifeway CEO Julie Smolyansky, 2002 was a time of immense transition. Her father, Michael Smolyansky, died suddenly and unexpectedly, and our board named her as his successor almost immediately afterwards. She was just 27 years old at the time, making her the nation’s youngest female CEO of a publicly traded company.
The grief of losing a parent would be enough to derail anybody. But Julie managed not only to cope, but somehow, to thrive. She brought our company to new heights, ushering in a whole new era of Lifeway kefir. In 2002, we took in $12 million and had 70 employees. Today, we’re a tight-knit network of nearly 300, generating $80 million in annual sales.
When NBC Chicago’s Inc. Well blog caught wind of her success, they called her for an interview, focusing on the experience of inheriting a business. Keep reading to see how she responded, then go hug your moms and dads, because you never know what tomorrow may bring.
Before you inherited Lifeway Foods, what sort of plans did you have for your future?
Julie Smolyansky: Well, I had worked for my for five years before he passed away, so I did have complete anticipation that I would eventually succeed him. But I didn't think that it was gonna happen so quickly. I thought it was going to be when I was in my 50's and he was in his 70's. To his credit he had done a great job of teaching me everything he knows, basically. He had me do presentations to our board, and at the annual meeting of shareholders, serendipitously, somebody raised their hand and said, "This seems like a one-man show. What would you do if you passed away?" A week before he did. My dad said, "You know, I have two kids who have been trained on all the things that they need to and they would take over."
What is the process like of inheriting a business? Is there paperwork involved? Can you walk us through the transition?
Julie Smolyansky: Oh, yeah. First of all, we were and are publicly traded. My family owns the majority of shares, and so the board has to put in a CEO. The board put me in. I didn't inherit the company, or inherit anything actually, I'm a paid-for CEO.
The board met and decided that I would be the next CEO and there was a bunch of paperwork and different resolutions. Those were filed. That was basically it in terms of the legal paperwork. A press release was made and we moved forward from there. That's all there was in terms of when it's a publicly traded company: the board decides who will be the next CEO. I'm not sure when it's another company, I'm guessing an estate lawyer would transfer the assets from person X, but that wasn't exactly the case. My dad's stock transferred to my mom because she was his spouse. So that transaction happened. But in terms of how I became the CEO, it was the board having a meeting the day after he passed away, and voting me in I guess.
Wow. What advice would you give to people who find themselves in a similar situation? That has to be unimaginably tough, and I feel bad about pecking away at the subject with you.
Julie Smolyansky: [Sighs.] I'm still traumatized by it, and, my gosh, I get asked about it every day. It's okay. These interviews force me to go back to that time of complete chaos, but, look: First of all, I was suffering the loss of my dad. I was 27. I was basically a kid. It was sudden and unexpected. There was that. And he was the president at the time of a 70-person company. $12 million in sales, about. It was in a good position. He had left us a really well-greased operation. That was one thing, thank you, that he left us. There were no financial issues to resolve or whatever. That really helped.
The grief that I felt, probably all that energy I put into making sure the company would survive and evolve. I was doing things like, "What am I going to do to make we're okay the next day, the next year, and in five years?" I would say with a laser approach, I was so focused and dedicated to making it succeed -- almost to the point of obsession. 22-hour work days, in some cases. That's not normal, but that's also somebody who's under mourning.
It's like a coping mechanism.
Julie Smolyansky: It was a coping skill. And it worked to my benefit. It was fine, because it wasn't like I was trying to balance work-life. I'm mourning. I don't have a life. I'm not interested in being out and about. I want to retreat, I want to focus on my company, and that's all I wanna do at that time. As I was able to process the grief, in time, my role evolved, and I have a little more work-life balance I guess. At that time did I not only not want it, but it wasn't even possible. But, it gave us a really good
foundation, I wrapped my brain around the company and what it needs, and as soon as I officially was the CEO I brought my team in and had a positive conversation about -- which was really hard, like, "Hey, we're gonna keep going! We're gonna survive!" when your heart is broken, but everyone understood, and nobody left.
My dad was such a great guy, he had helped so many people, that people had the utmost respect for him and to me. That was a really heartwarming thing to hear. Again, that was just my dad helping in his own way.
Have people come forward to you and expressed similar sentiments about how you've helped them?
Julie Smolyansky: All the time.
Do you think that's rare among CEOs? Wanting to always help people?
Julie Smolyansky: Oh God, I don't think so. I think that when you're in this role, it's all about the people around you making sure that they're safe, that they have the support that they need. To me, this is like a family. And so I would do anything for my family.
By LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir on 1/5/2012 11:27 AM
It’s cold and flu season again, and apparently a few of us at the office have been slacking on our kefir consumption because there are some definite sneezes and sniffles going around. Before you get all zonked-out on cold medicine, check out these tips for busting your cold naturally. And remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so drink your kefir and keep yourself healthy this season!
Super Spaghetti
Move over, chicken soup, because spaghetti, or more specifically pasta sauce, is the new immune system-boosting comfort food. With its antimicrobial and immune-stimulating properties, garlic is known to relieve congestion while tomatoes are high in vitamin C. Pair the sauce with whole grain pasta for added protein, iron and vitamin E.
Tea Time
Your immune system needs plenty of water to function properly, so it’s important to stay hydrated. Drinking water is the easiest and best way to do this, but it’s not always the most appealing when you’re sore and sick. Try chamomile tea with honey. Warm and comforting, chamomile tea can help reduce congestion and honey soothes a sore throat and can help suppress coughing. Add some fresh lemon for extra vitamin C and flavor.
Viva Vinegar
Lots of people swear by apple cider vinegar for treating a sore throat. The theory is that the acid kills bacteria in the throat. To try it yourself, mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with 6-8 oz of water. We recommend gargling with it a tablespoon at a time and spitting it out, although some also suggest swallowing it afterwards. Full disclosure: those of us who have tested this remedy did get some relief, although we don’t recommend it if you’re feeling nauseous because it tastes horrible!
Soothing Smoothie
Our signature Starfruit Cafe Immunity Smoothies are a hot commodity this time of year. If you can’t make it to one of our Chicago locations to get one, make it at home by blending together fresh or frozen strawberries, mangos, pineapple, a scoop of Vitamin C Complex & vanilla kefir. Or, grab our
Pomegranate/Blueberry BioKefir for Immunity.
With more than 20 billion units of probiotic activity in each bottle, BioKefir contains twice the amount of probiotic power found in regular kefir.
Aftercare
After you’ve kicked your cold, there are a few steps you should take to insure a full recovery to make sure you don’t infect anyone else. Cold and flu viruses can linger in your house for days, so it’s a good idea to wipe down any surfaces you touched while sick – like the remote control and your cell phone. Replace your toothbrush, especially if you had a bacterial infection like strep throat. And finally, drink your kefir! The 12 live and active strains of good bacteria in Lifeway Kefir can strengthen your immune system and help digestion. Kefir is especially helpful for restoring good bacteria in the gut if you’ve been on antibiotics for strep throat or a sinus infection.
What are your favorite remedies for the cold and flu?
By LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir on 12/28/2011 8:42 AM
We were really excited to see traditional Russian breakfast foods getting some love from the
Wall Street Journal over this holiday! From "tart and pillowy"
oladi made with kefir to
blinchiki with fresh fruit jam.
Check out Edward Schneider's Russian pancake journey
here, along with recipes for traditional
syrniki (farmer cheese pancakes,)
oladi (kefir pancakes,) a modern
syrniki from Moscow's Vogue Cafe, and
varenye - Russian-style jam.
The author points out that you may have difficulty tracking down some of the ingredients like kefir and farmer cheese but we beg to differ. Use our
Store Locator to find Lifeway products in a store near you!
By LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir on 12/26/2011 4:54 PM
New Year’s resolutions – everybody’s got one. And everyone, it seems, winds up flaking on theirs. For actress Jessica Biel, 2012 is the year to learn another language. “But I say that every year — I’ve said that for about 12 years now!" Pocket Full of Sunshine singer Natasha Bedingfield recetly admitted, "I’m very excited because I’m hopefully going to get my driver's license — [but] that’s been a resolution every year!” And reality star Kelly Osbourne told Seventeen magazine, "Every year I've had a New Year's resolution, I haven’t stuck to it. I'd say, 'I’m not going to eat this' — or 'I'm going I’m going to be vegetarian.' Then it was vegan, and that made me sick! For me it’s about staying positive and focusing on the now and not the past. You can’t change what happened — I try to take a lesson learned and turn it into a positive."
Read More »
By LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir on 12/20/2011 12:19 PM
Hellloooo, holiday season! Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa or anything in between, there’s no excuse for leaving kefir out of the mix. We decided to have some fun and come up with a list of ways to incorporate our creamy concoction into your December mix. Check it out and tell us which ones you tried:
Read More »