MÄNI'S BLOG CAFÉ
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12.26.06
With Christmas and Hanukkah over, lots of us will be making New Year’s resolutions of improving our health (either through more exercise, healthier eating habits, or possibly a combination of both) this next year. Indulgences, every once in a while, are healthy for our bodies. I am going to take the liberty of assuming that most (if not all) of us have indulged in some unhealthful foods these last few days (if not this last month). Most of us have one more big celebration to finish up this year. You guessed it, New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day. We have just under a week, so why not get a jump-start on aiding our body back to a healthier place. The overload of food that most of us have packed into our bodies in the last few days is going to take a little while to make its way through. A few easy tactics that we can use to bring our bodies back into balance are: 1. Eat smaller, more frequent meals
2. Eat low amounts of fat (low fat protein foods)
3. Eat high fiber and water containing carbohydrates (these are your fruits and vegetables)
4. Drink a lot of water Your digestive system can only do so much at one time. Chances are we have clogged that system a bit. Keep in mind that the answer is not to stop consuming nutrients all together; we just want to be more calculated. Use the simple guidelines above (either by applying them to your own food preparation or the Smart and Simple menu for those looking to dine-out) and your body will return to its pre-holiday indulgence functioning before you know it.
10.31.06
With November beginning, the holiday season is quickly approaching. This is definitely one of, if not the most, challenging times of year to keep your body weight in check. I have some good news and some bad news… It has been generally regarded that the average American gains somewhere between 5 and 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s (without a scientific study to back up this assumption). A study performed in 2000 by the National Institutes of Health showed that the average weight gain for there 200 person study to be just over one pound per person. So what is the bad news you might ask? The good news is that Americans do not gain nearly as much as previously assumed. The bad news is that these adult Americans did not generally lose this extra pound of body weight over the rest of the year. Add this up over a couple of years, and it becomes pretty apparent why our nation is getting fatter and fatter. Are you aware that more than half of the U.S. is now considered overweight? Being “Smart and Simple” during the holiday season could be an easy way to combat this yearly increase in body weight. You should not feel guilty indulging for special celebrations, but lets try not to indulge just for indulgences sake. Choose your indulgences wisely, while staying in check the rest of the holiday season. I tell my weight loss clients to shoot for maintenance of body weight during the holiday season. Maintaining body weight instead of allowing the average pound plus increase is like losing a pound because it is a pound that we do not have to lose throughout the rest of the year. With a few calculated moves you can enjoy your holiday season in a “Smart and Simple” way.
10.24.06
As most of you probably know from posting your comments and reading the comments from other guests, YOU have been involved in this issue. Here’s the official tally as of today: 19 people support substitutions on the 400 calorie menu and 7 said no, leave it as designed. We’ve decided that overall customer satisfaction is more important than having something be exactly as we developed it. Since we’re here for you in the first place, being overly rigid, is really not our intention. We want to expose healthier food and nutritional ideas to people, not force anyone to follow a specific regimen. So within the next week or so, we’ll be working out ways to accommodate substitutions for a modest charge of $1 to $2. Here’s some excepts from comments: Speaking as someone who has allergies to certain foods - such as carrots - and being a vegetarian, I always appreciate it when places make substitutions for me... Offer the choices and let the customer order what he or she wants. That way, he or she will be happy. If someone wants the 400 cal balanced version, great. if they want to substitute, great too. I think the 400 calorie menu is great! I like going to restaurants that offer me this sort of healthy option. I say keep it as it is. There are alot more comments written at the end of the original post. Click Mäni’s Smart & Simple Menu (400 calorie) Question We’re going to look at our overall substitution policy on our regular menu as well and see how that can also be changed to make it easier to satisfy our guests, our kitchen, and our servers. We’ll continue to make quality, healthier food and bakery goods. Food that’s good and good for you, so let us know what you think. Thanks for your continued support. All of us at Mäni’s appreciates your business, the time you spend at our blog, and coming to Mäni’s on Fairfax.
10.17.06
Last week, in my Traveling “Smart and Simple” Experiment blog, I expressed the objectives of our little experiment. My results are as follows: New Mayan (still great up to 6+ hours after preparation) –
I find that taking the “New Mayan” to go and eating it refrigerated adds an interesting dichotomy to the wrap because of it’s mildly, spicy tang (eating a spicy dish hot possesses a whole different dynamic than eating that same spicy dish cold). Personally, with my schedule, I eat about half of my meals cold and half of them hot throughout the week. The “New Mayan’s” dichotomy effectively creates two similar but different wrap options depending on if it is consumed hot or cold. P.S. Sogginess was not an issue Al Carciofi (still great up to 6+ hours after preparation) –
“Al Carciofi’s” integrity is not compromised if you don’t decided to consume this wrap right away or all at once. “Al Carciofi” is served cold (except for the multigrain wrap being grilled), so take-out is almost exactly the same as dine-in with this item. Because “Al Carciofi’s” multigrain wrap does not get soggy and fall apart, I highly recommend this item for take-out, dine-in or a combination of both. Pita Stop (20+ hours later/next day) –
The “Pita Stop” possesses that hot or cold option. Both the “Pita Stop” and “Garden Patch” performed superbly largely because of the pita pocket. The pita pocket didn’t have any problem with getting soggy or drying out. Obviously the garden burger was cold when I ate it, but I honestly might like the garden burger better cold than hot (haven’t decided yet, this was the first time I have consumed it cold). Fountain of Youth (20 hours later/next day) –
I wasn’t sure how the “Fountain of Youth” was going to hold up with the moisture created by the tuna and yogurt combination. Surprisingly it held up much better than I thought, but it was rather messy by the time I consumed it 20 hours after preparation. The multigrain wrap was damp, but it was not even soggy enough to start falling apart. This was the first time that I had tasting the new fall “Smart and Simple” items. I was very impressed with the taste even after 20 hours of travel in a mini lunch cooler. Garden Patch (24 hrs. later/next day) –
I am pleased to report that the “Garden Patch” performed good as new in the Traveling “Smart and Simple” Experiment. I was in such a hurry to get to the airport that it didn’t dawn on me to pack the vegan ranch dressing on the side while transporting this item. Even with the vegan ranch dressing in the pita for 24 hours, we couldn’t even cause the pita pocket to get soggy and messy. No Stada (20 hours later/next day) –
The “No Stada” was incredible. The “No Stada” could probably perform just as well after another day. We made one preparation change to the “No Stada,” and that was to postpone squeezing the fresh limejuice onto the item until time of consumption (definitely worth the effort of freshly squeezing the lime yourself). I was really impressed.
10.16.06
We need your help. We’re having a bit of a conundrum about menu substitutions on the Smart & Simple 400 calorie menu. Please help us decide our policy on menu substitutions. Here’s the issue: If we accommodate substitutions on the Smart & Simple 400 calorie menu, then those substitutions change the calorie content and the mix between balanced macronutrients… carbs, lipids (fats) and protein. So please help us decide how to proceed. Do we or don’t we allow menu substitutions on the Smart & Simple menu?
Your feedback will greatly help us decide how to proceed!! Use the comment link to give us your opinion.
10.14.06
 That must be why it is on our Mani’s Smart & Simple - 400 Calorie Menu (Balanced Meals for Balanced Living) menu. GARDEN PATCH: Warmed pita with roasted turkey breast, tomatoes, cucumbers & sprouts, topped with turkey bacon bits & ranch dressing.
10.09.06
We are going to find out how our "Smart and Simple" pita and wrap items keep during a day of travel. Do they get soggy? Are they too fragile to transport? Do they taste good cold? etc. I am traveling to Canada this weekend because one of my cousins is getting married. Why should you care? The part of my weekend that you might be interested in actually concerns Mäni’s “Smart and Simple" pita and wrap items. I want to know first hand how these items taste and keep when they have been transported and refrigerated for up to a day. Results will be in next week.
10.03.06
Early last week, I advised one of my personal training clients to start using Mani’s SMART AND SIMPLE 400 CALORIE menu items for the foundation of his daily nutrition. I suggested that he have the Pro Green Shake after his workout at the gym and order a wrap or two for later use in his day. He quickly dismissed my suggestion because he was worried that the wrap would be soggy by the time he ate it later in the day. Upon my return from mine and my mother’s birthday celebratory hiking trip down Havasu Canyon, my client very enthusiastically told me that he had been frequenting Mani’s everyday of the week since I left for my trip. He couldn’t get enough of the Pro Green Shake and the New Mayan wrap. To his (and my) surprise, the wrap did not become soggy before he ate it later in the day. I was very pleased to hear that the wrap worked well as a prepared portable meal solution (and even more surprised that this client actually listened to my advice for once).
09.19.06
What has been your 400 Calorie Menu experience? I want to know how you like to use this convenient nutrition option, and please feel free to ask for advice on how to improve your daily nutrition (if you are interested in improving your daily nutrition). My personal clients have told me a lot about their personal experience with the incorporation of Mäni’s 400 calorie menu into there daily eating plans. For instance, one of my client’s just loves the “Mountain Climber.” Her biggest concern was to make sure that we were not going to be taking it off the menu for the Fall. In a pinch, my clients sometimes rely on the 400 calorie menu for multiple easy meals during the same day. If they know that they aren’t going to be able to take the time to eat properly, they will order a few items to go so that they have nutritious meal options for themselves during their chaotic workday. Have you tried any of the 400 calorie items yet? If you haven’t, why not?
08.30.06
In growing our 400 Calorie menu, and expanding the options of it, we are faced with this challenge: what do we call it? For us, it’s not just about the calories. And, we want to know what it means to you, our customers. What are the reasons you choose to eat from this menu? We would love your feedback or thoughts that might generate a new way of viewing this menu. Then we can come up with the right name for it. Let us know your thoughts!
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