MÄNI'S BAKERY CAFÉ

01.30.07

Fiber Challenge

How much dietary fiber do you eat a day?  Do you know how much you should be eating each day?

Current minimum recommendations for adult dietary fiber daily intake are 20-35 grams.  Personally, 35 grams (in my opinion) is what a healthy adult should be shooting for. 

Here is something that most people don’t realize about dietary fiber.  Your body can’t digest dietary fiber, so basically calories that you consume from dietary fiber won’t add to your waistline.

Good Sources of Dietary Fiber:
1.  Whole Grains
2.  Vegetables
3.  Fruits
4.  Legumes

I challenge you this week to tract your dietary fiber intake for a typical day of your life.  How much dietary fiber do you consume in an average day?  If you find your dietary fiber to fall short of 35 grams for you typical day and want to take the challenge another step further, increase your dietary fiber intake to 35 grams for one day this week.  If you took the second step, what foods did you use to get to 35 grams?  What did you learn from this process?

01.30.07

Soup Menu: January 29 to February 11

Soup Menu
January 29 to February 11

Monday: Chicken Noodle
Ingredients: Chicken broth, Chicken Breast, Onions, Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Chives, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Egg Noodles.

Tuesday: Cream of Broccoli
Ingredients: Vegetable Stock, Celery, Onions, potatoes, Broccoli, Spinach, Cashew Cream, Sea Sal,  Black Pepper, Tamari.

Wednesday: Tomato Lentil
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, Green lentils, cilantro, celery, cauliflower, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, garlic, canola oil, sea, salt, black pepper.

Thursday: Zucchini & Spinach Bisque
Ingredients: Vegetable Stock, Celery, Onions, Zucchini, Spinach, Garlic, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Cashew Cream.

Friday: Minestrone
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, carrots, celery, zucchini, cauliflower, parsley, basil, mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato paste, sea salt, black pepper, garlic, cumin, olive oil, red beans, pasta.

Saturday: Black Bean Soup
Ingredients: Vegetable Sock, Canola Oil, Tomatoes, Black Beans, Carrots, Celery, Onions, Garlic, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, Chili Powder, Cilantro

Sunday: Spicy Tortilla Soup
Ingredients: Vegetable Stock, Onions, Celery, Jalapeño Peppers, Cilantro, Tomatoes, Corn Tortillas, Tamari, Garlic, Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika

01.30.07

I decided to be an athelete!

A declaration and request for assistance from Team Member Shemeka Cunningham:  This year I decided I want to be an athlete.  I want to eat like an athlete.  I want to think like an athlete.  I want to walk like an athlete.  And I want to train like an athlete. 

When I was younger, I was always the last one picked for kickball.  Then I tried to be on the drill team but I ended up only being able to carry the banner because I couldn’t kick my legs high enough.  So, I am putting all that aside to find out what I am made of.  I am going to be in a relay race in April.  Or if I could find some 5K runs, I may do that. 

Here are my issues:  I need to drink more.  (Hey there, I am talking about water!  I need to drink more water.)  I need to be more balanced in my eating.  I need to consistently exercise.

Can you help me?  What can I do? 

01.29.07

Sneak Preview of Valentine’s Day at MÄNI’S

Here’s a sneak preview of the most exciting Valentine’s Day at Mäni’s, maybe the best ever in 18 years.
Availability, pricing and general information will be available on February 2, 2007.  So check back on Friday!  And check out the new Sweetheart Cakes, enough for two, a great gift, it’s a mini Mäni’s cake!

There’s a strawberry forever sweetheart cake in white with raspberries in the upper right of the photo.

01.26.07

Where everyone knows your name…

Greetings fellow bloggers.  My name is Isaac Wayne and I am a server at Mäni’s.  I have worked at Mäni’s for about 2 years.  Over that period of time I have come to know many of Mäni’s patrons.  There are quite a few repeat customers who come in daily.  In fact some come in more than once a day. 

Mäni’s has had the ability to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome whenever they set foot in the cafe.  I have made many friends and learned a lot from the people who frequent Mäni’s.  Its a nice feeling being able to serve these people and know there is something more to the dialog than just taking their order.  I guarantee. 

The first time you come to Mäni’s you will feel welcome.  The second time, you will feel satisfied and the third, you will feel like its your local spot away from home.  What can I say.  Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name.  And their always glad you came.

01.24.07

Raul is Cool!

Here is one of our cooks with his wife (Ena) and his 1 year old child (Reina).  Raul has worked at Mäni’s for over 3 1/2 years.  He is awesome in the kitchen.  Next time you are in, peek back into the kitchen and wave! 

01.23.07

Portion Control

A great theme, portion control, started with some comments to last weeks What Works for You blog post.  At the most basic level, that is what the “Smart and Simple” menu is all about.  In my mind, there is not anything more important than portion control to your personal nutrition success (there are some things that might be as important, but I would not rank anything higher). 

Here are a few reasons why portion control is key to your success:
1.  Eating too much at one time overloads your digestive system and can actually make your body tired because it has to use so much energy just to digest the food you have just ate.
2.  Eating too little will leave you hungry (and probably cranky), which will result in temptation to snack on something convenient.  The majority of the time these snacks end up being unhealthy choices.
3.  It is common for people to feel guilty when they over eat at a meal (this can take a toll mentally), resulting in possibly changing eating habits for the rest of the day trying to make up for the earlier indiscretion (when the best thing you could do is just get back to your nutritious eating habits).

At Mani’s, the “Smart and Simple” menu was devised to attack this problem.  Providing items that are 400 calories and nutritionally balanced (in respect to carbohydrates, protein, and fat), anyone from a 200+ pound male to a very petite female can eat appropriately for themselves.  For instance, the male could eat a “Smart and Simple” item every two hours whereas the female might be satisfied for four hours by consuming one “Smart and Simple” item (or half every two hours).

01.20.07

Just for Fun

There is so much knowledge of being healthy and living a better life on the blog that I decided I would post a joke, JUST FOR FUN! ENJOY!
As you are reading this try and keep a mental note that eating healthy does require some discipline but it is still very possible to do.  Do your best.
With that being said, this guy tried and stayed healthy until the very last day!

One thing we can learn from this. It is never too late to strengthen your body and live a better life.

- Juan

01.20.07

I am the Infamous Chuy

My name is Chuy. I am the infamous busser that everyone loves at MÄNI’S. I love MÄNI’S becasue of the employees that work here. Everyone is really nice. I also really like the cookies and my schedule. It is just how I like it. Not too early and not too late. And finally I also love MÄNI’S because it is very close to my house and the owner is a very, very nice guy.

01.20.07

Introducing Valerie

Hi, I’m Valerie
    I have been a server for about 3 years and am a huge fan of MÄNI’S.  (I’m not just saying that because I work here.) I use to be a frequent customer and requested the wheat-free scone, which is a raisin scone by the way.  About a month ago I became a huge fan of the wheat-free vegan pancakes.  Those delicious pancakes brought me in about every other day.  At one point I went on vacation for 2 weeks and was so excited to come to Mani’s and fill my craving for those pancakes. 
Unfortunately they were discontinued from the menu.  WHY?
Please bring them back. As a server I always loved to recommend those pancakes. If we get enough people to comment on my post we might be able to get them back on the menu.
Try your hardest and POST COMMENTS!!!

VALERIE

01.19.07

Introducing Janice

The following story was written by Janice and submitted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address):
Growing up a vegetarian in Small Town, Texas ain’t no easy thang.  With the lack of vegetarian restaurants (or any restaurants, really), you would think that I had developed a cookbook of varied, fascinating, meatless-wonders, but I’m a busy girl.  And in a world of busy people, where convenience seems to reign over health, I found myself eating quite poorly.  Burgers without the meat, please.  Chips. Sweets. Sweets. Pizza. Sweets.  Healthy?...not so much. Readily available? You betcha. 

Then my college years came around and I decided to spend them in Seattle.  Finally! Food!  REAL Food! A vegetarian’s haven.  And then, veganism set in.  Since I was a wee girl of 10, I have been slowly cutting animal products from my diet.  Being a vegetarian seemed like a hassle at times (especially when all your friends eat meat and you can’t decide on a place to go), so I figured a vegan lifestyle would cut a lot of restaurant dining out of the picture. 

But, I’m telling ya, if you’re going to be vegetarian or vegan, Los Angeles is the place to do it.  Seattle kept me well fed for five years and for that, it will always hold a special place in my heart, but I needed to venture outside vegan Thai food.  Don’t get me wrong, I love (love love) Thai food, but it’s so nice to have other options. 

And Mani’s has options.  I can come here with vegetarians and/or meat lovers and rest assured that we will each find something delicious on the menu.  I don’t just mean appetizers, I mean full-on meals.  Vegan/Vegetarian/MeatLover feasts galore!  And don’t forget to save room for dessert.  Before this becomes a blog on my life story, I’ll cut it short and give you the meat (ha) of my post.  Here’s a list of my vegan favorites at Mani’s:

* Tofu Steak.  Tofu ANYTHING.  We marinate it and season it just right so it never tastes like flavorless blocks.  Substitute the tofu steak in your sandwiches, salads, wraps, and burgers.  And don’t forget that you can build-your-own-scramble using our tofu in place of eggs, too!

* Vegan Ranch.  ADDICTIVE. I eat it with my fries, potatoes, bread, on anything.

* Veggie Chili. I think of this as a super-chunky, spicy soup.  My favorite part is the fresh mushrooms and big chunks of carrot.  Give me some slices of our fresh baked olive bread, and I’m good to go.

* Almond Shortbread Cookie.  I had worked at Mani’s for over a month before I actually tried this tiny square wonder.  It’s soft and just sweet enough. Try it dipped in chocolate as well (you can thank me later).

* And I can’t go without mentioning our regular ol’ Chocolate Chip Cookie.  The people behind the scenes recently changed up the way they mix the batter and created a cookie with the same delicious taste, but now with a softer texture.  Have us heat it up for you and it will taste like it just came out of the oven.  Actually, everything’s so fresh here, it probably did just come out of the oven.

There’s a lot more I could add but this has turned out to be a lot longer than expected.  The point is, come on in.  You’re bound to find something to satisfy your taste buds.

01.18.07

An Addiction

Even though I eat at Mäni’s 5 days a week I sometimes have to stop myself from coming here on the weekends for fear that I might actually have to start paying rent, but what can I say?  I love the food!  It’s no secret here my favorite of all favorites is the Garden Patch. 

I am one of those people who really enjoys food so believe me when I say it’s like a little slice of heaven for my taste buds. And as an added bonus it’s only 400 calories so I don’t have any guilty feelings about eating it.  If you haven’t tried it yet you’re truly missing out.  And I’m not the only one who feels this way; it has quickly become one of our most popular 400 calorie menu items. 

There was a period of about a week and a half, or maybe it was two weeks (who’s counting?), where it was the only thing I was ordering for lunch.  Do I suffer from an addiction?  Possibly.  Am I concerned?  Slightly.  But the way I see it, there are a lot worse things a person could be addicted to so I won’t be seeking help any time soon.  What’s YOUR Mäni’s addiction?

Posted by Cassie

01.17.07

Kitchen Lingo 101 by team member Dan Rib

In the front of the kitchen at Mani’s there is a special whiteboard. (And yes, I’m going to let everyone in on behind the scenes Mani’s info here…) This whiteboard is known as the ‘86’d board.’ Being that Mani’s is my first restaurant experience I had no idea what that meant. If this is old news to some, I urge you to read on and offer up your knowledge. For everyone else, let me enlighten you. (I’m a theatre student, so this conversation will be brought to you in theatrical playwright format)

Dan: Hey! Can I get some of that amazingly fresh and savory jalapeño cheese bread, Jose?
Jose: Jalapeño cheese is 86’d.
Dan: That’s cool, but can I get some?
Jose: No. It’s out.
Dan: Aahhh.

So, the term means that an item is temporarily out of stock. Good to know. But why 86’d? Where does that come from? Why not 0’d? Well, I looked it up and this is what I found:

The term 86’d goes back to the first American restaurant Delmonicos. It refers to the ribeye steak that was sold there. It was item 86 on their menu and was sold out one night, hence the term 86’d.

The reason is because of the old specs used to bury the average person——the hole is “6” feet deep, and is “8” feet long. Hence, being called “86d” was not a good thing…but a “gone” thing…

One explanation of the term is, that in olden days 86 portions where prepared, when the last item was sold the chef would yell “86 the prime rib”!

Chumley’s, a historic speakeasy located at 86 Bedford in New York City, is where this term has its origin. This speakeasy was owned by Leland Chumley and served as a legitimate printing office during prohibition times. It has two entrances: one on Bedford and another off the courtyard of the adjacent street. During prohibition, when the police were about to raid the speakeasy thru the courtyard, the bartender would yell “out 86”, referring to the 86 Bedford address. Patrons would exit thru the Bedford street door to avoid arrest.

So, there are a few of the many absolutely correct explanations. Anyone else know another for sure historic account of the term. Please let us know!

01.16.07

What Works for You?

Ricardo, one of my long standing personal training clients, has formed a “Smart and Simple” post-workout habit.  After our workouts in the weight room Ricardo will clean up in the locker room and get dressed for work, but the first stop he makes after leaving the gym has become Mäni’s Bakery.  Ricardo will order a Pro Green Shake (for his post-workout shake) and order a New Mayan to take with him for lunch.

Look back to Juan’s post My Personal Experiences at Mäni’s and his approach at eating healthy.  This might work for you and it might not.  It would not work for Ricardo.  He doesn’t have the time and discipline to weigh his food and make healthy choices all the time.  Mäni’s “Smart and Simple” menu makes it very easy for Ricardo to make healthy and calculated nutrition decisions without a lot of effort.

What are your secrets for managing your nutrition?  You will be surprised at how your little tricks could help someone else. 

01.15.07

Sugar is Really Good For Something

A couple of years ago I received a hummingbird feeder for Christmas.  I thought it was cool and love to watch those tiny birds buzz around, but I couldn’t come up with a place to put the thing that would allow viewing easily.

So I stuck the contraption, still in its box, in the garage.  Of course then it was out of sight and out of mind, until yesterday.  During our recent cold snap, I noticed a tiny bird outside my window, looking for a flower to feed on.  Jogging my memory about the feeder, I dusted off the box and opened it and read the instructions.

I read how to make nectar.  One part sugar, four parts water.  But how could the founder of Mäni’s accept feeding sugar to some lovely creatures?  So I spent the next hour combing the internet and found out yes, it’s true, the best nectar is pure sucrose watered down.  I even read Audubon Society postings and they verifed the information.  Only pure sugar and water.

But when you think about hummingbirds, it makes sense.  Because these little birds spend most of their time flapping their wings 50 to 90 times a second!  That’s over 300,000 flaps per hour.  Therefore they must have a diet that gives them extremely high energy, constantly.  So let’s leave the sugar for those guys!

01.14.07

Soup Menu through January 28

The soups they are a changin’...

Soup Schedule for January 15 - 28, 2007

Monday: Chicken Noodle
Ingredients: Chicken broth, Chicken Breast, Onions, Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Chives, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Egg Noodles.

Tuesday: Creamy Mix Vegetables with Tofu (NEW)
Ingredients; Vegetable Stock, Onions, Carrots, Celery, Asparagus, Broccoli, Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Spinach, , Tofu, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Tamari

Wednesday: Carrot & Ginger (New)
Vegetable Stock, Carrots, Celery, Yams, Fresh Ginger, Sea Salt, Tamari.

Thursday:  Cream of Asparagus
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, Onions, Celery, Potatoes, Asparagus, Spinach, Cashew Cream, Sea salt, Black Pepper, Tamari.

Friday: Tomato Lentil
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, Green lentils, Cilantro, Celery, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Onions, Tomatoes, Garlic, Canola oil, Sea, Salt, Black pepper.

Saturday: Tamale Soup
Ingredients:  Vegetable stock, pinto beans, onions, green &red peppers, celery, chives, celery, garlic,  cayenne pepper, cumin, canola oil, yellow corn meal.

Sunday: Cream of Broccoli
Ingredients: Vegetable Stock, Celery, Onions, potatoes, Broccoli, Spinach, Cashew Cream, Sea Sal,  Black Pepper, Tamari.

01.12.07

Customer And Product Spotlight

This is the first story in an occasional series of customers at Mäni’s and their favorite dishes.  Our intent is to publish fun, or amusing or interesting experiences of customers.  These stories are for the most part spontaneous.  Our first story in this new category is about Ruby.  Ruby doesn’t fit our classic demographic, but there’s no question she loves coming to Mäni’s….

Let me introduce you to Ruby.  Apparently her favorite dish is guacamole, not necessarily with chips.  Perhaps the chips take away from the pure flavor of the guacamole.

Ruby licking the plate.  Yes customers are allowed to do that at Mäni’s

Ruby really liked the guacamole and is deciding if she should order one more plate of it..??  It was sooooo goood.

Ruby doesn’t wear make-up, she prefers the look of the food.  It’s very natural, nothing else added, so its perfect at Mäni’s….

01.12.07

Mäni’s is on the Radio!

Denise (on the right) and Patsi of the Blog Squad are sharing their expertise about blogging with the world.  Denise is our blog consultant.  They started a radio show and Mäni’s is mentioned in the first show.  In fact, our blog site is actually highlighted on their webpage as well. 

18 years ago Mäni’s revolutionized the bakery world by being the first to create amazing great tasting desserts that are sugar free.  Now we are on the cutting edge of the internet by using our web presence as a blog site. 

I am constantly telling people to get on the blog site and tell us your opinions, perspectives, and feedback.  It is a great way to participate and get involved.  For us it is a great way to bring our vision to life. 

Our vision is to empower our employees, educate our customers, inspire everyone, and create the possibility of living a healthier lifestyle.  I could go on but Denise and Pasti explain it all in simple language that will rock your world. 

Click here to go to the Blogging and Beyond Radio Show!

01.11.07

From Behind the Counter

Hello to the Mäni’s blogging world. My name is Dan and I work at the counter at Mäni’s . I’ve only been working at Mäni’s for about 5 weeks and I’ve also been Stage Managing the Los Angeles Ballet’s production of ‘The Nutcracker.’ I enjoy both because they keep me quite busy.

I’m going to start up my blogging career right here and let everyone in on the life and times of a Mäni’s barista:

I’ve worked every possible shift here at Mäni’s , from the shift beginning at 6am to the closing shift which ends 1am. All of them have there own challenges and perks, but as of yet I’m going to have to vote on the early morning shift as the most rewarding. Besides having to get up at 5:30am, which I don’t recommend for anyone unless absolutely necessary, the shift is very relaxing. There aren’t an overwhelming number of customers and the majority of those that do stop by in the wee morning hours are usually there every day.

It’s very nice to be able to see someone walk up and know exactly what they are going to get and have it ready for them as they walk in. I would advise anyone who isn’t a regular and has the time to stop by in the morning to do so. I recommend the blueberry coffee cake and a vanilla latte.

01.11.07

Our World

I’ve never commented publicly before on our national issues, but I feel compelled to share my view with you.

On my way into Mäni’s this week, I was listening to a radio show.  They were discussing how the $600 billion spent on the Iraq war could have had other/better uses.

At first I thought they were referring to the ‘left’ and how liberals would have perhaps preferred the money was used for healthcare or similar societal benefits.  But then they started talking about how the ‘right’ would have used that money.  Maybe for lowering taxes or balancing the budget.

When I realized that this was not so much of a polorizing issue, it was an issue that all Americans could benefit from, it got me thinking more about how important it is to really discuss this out in the open.

So I signed up to support Senator Kennedy’s proposal to require congressional approval before force levels can be increased in Iraq.

After just raising the minimum wage of our dishwashers and other entry level restaurant workers, it just made me think, I’m I doing enough to make sure our country is doing the right thing?

I would really like to hear from you our customers.  What are your thoughts?  How important is this?  Am I in sync with our customers, or way out there?

Sincerely,

Larry

01.10.07

My Personal Experiences at Mäni’s

Mäni’s Bakery has provided me with a healthier eating habits and inspired me to eat better and live a healthy life. When I started working here about a year ago, I didn’t care what I was eating. Being in this environment has helped me gain the knowledge to eat better, live a better life and just be healthy in general. I have learned so much.
My advice, keep a daily routine schedule to help yourself out.  I always have TO DO lists at work and in life and I do everything one by one and cross it off as I complete it.
Here’s an example: