Buy back the beach benefit

Mana Foods is proud to be a key sponsor of the Maui Coastal Land Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in November, 2000. The mission of MCLT is to preserve and protect coastal lands in Maui Nui for the benefit of the natural environment and of current and future generations. For the last 10 years, MCLT has been working at local, state and federal levels, citizens and legislators realize the importance of maintaining Maui's best resources: our coastal areas, cultural and historical sites, view corridors, agricultural lands and open space.

The Maui Coastal Land Trust, which receives 75 percent of its budget through donations, now oversees over 14,875 acres. To support this great organization, you can attend the Buy Back the Beach Benefit, Saturday, April 10, 2010, 5:00 p.m. at the Old Lahaina Luau (click here for details) or visit their donation page.

Natural Egg Dye

Using the foods and flowers found in nature to color eggs is better for you, your family and the Earth. The colors will muted and ligher than synthetic commercially prepared dyes.

- Pick four colors and cooresponding botanicals from the list below. Your stove probably only has four burners, and that is why we are limited to 4 colors.

- If you want to use a white crayon to make designs or write names on the eggs, do it a this time.

- Place the uncooked white eggs in a single layer in a pan. Add water until the eggs are covered.

- Add 1 teaspoon of vinegar and the natural dye. Use more dye material depending on the amount of eggs or for a more intense color.

- After water comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

- If you are satisfied with the color, remove the eggs from the dye solution. The color will lighten once the egg dries.

- If you want the color to be more intense, you can soak overnight. Remove the eggs from the liquid. Strain the dye through a coffee filter, let the dye solution cool to room temperature. If you want a speckled effect, skip the straining step.

- Cover the eggs with the dye solution and let them soak in the refrigerator overnight.

- Naturally-colored eggs will not be glossy, but if you want a shiny appearance you can rub a bit of olive oil onto the eggs once they are dry.

Colors
Lavender
Small Quantity of Purple Grape Juice, Red Zinger Tea

Violet Blue
Hibiscus Tea, Red Wine

Blue
Blueberries, Red Cabbage Leaves

Green
Spinach Leaves, Liquid Chlorophyll

Yellow
Orange or Lemon Peels, Ground Turmeric

Orange
Yellow Onion Skins, Cooked Carrots, Paprika

Pink
Beets, Cranberries or Juice, Raspberries, Juice from Pickled Beets

Red
Lots of Red Onions Skins, Canned Cherries with Juice, Pomegranate Juice, Raspberries

Free Drink Friday!

Friday, March 26th. Free Drink with purchase of prepared food from our deli. $5 minumum purchase, ask cashier for your beverage, choice of ME or R.W. Knudsen Sparkling Essence. While supplies last.

Dr. Hauschka 20% Sale

Dr. Hauschka products are now available at a 20% discount, while supplies last. This sale only happens once a year, so be sure to take advantage of this special pricing.

Whenever I use Dr. Hauschka's Rose Day cream, I am instantly transported to a wonderfully scented sanctuary of peace and my super dry rosacea skin is soothed. I recently found out that the roses are Biodynamically farmed in Bulgaria and that the farmers are paid fair-trade prices. It made me love this company even more! Read more about the Biodynamic Gardens & Growers, click here


Their formulations are based on an understanding of the way skin works and its relationship with overall health. A Dr.Hauschka Skin Care regimen should be part of a healthy lifestyle supported by diet, exercise and contemplative practices to reconnect us with our natural rhythms. All of these factors have an effect on skin health and beauty, and all are a part of Dr.Hauschka's holistic approach.


Every plant and mineral ingredient is carefully selected based on its individual effects and the way it interacts with other ingredients, as well as whether it came from an ecologically and ethically sound source. Dr. Hauschka chooses packaging that's Eco-friendly and which allows them to keep the products free of artificial preservatives.

Think Local: Puna Noni Hair care

Puna Noni Shampoo and Conditioner made with all-natural ingredients and pure Hawaiian Puna Noni. These premium quality hair care products contain no parabens or sulfates. Great for dry, oily, or sun-damaged hair. Helps repair split ends, leaving your hair silky, lustrous and glowing with health and vitality.

Noni Connection is a small, family-owned and operated Noni Juice business located on the Windward side of the island of Oahu. The Noni is grown in the Puna and Kona districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. On the slopes of long-slumbering volcanos, sun-ripened Noni fruit is handpicked, and then aged in the traditional Hawaiian way.

Think Local: Fresh Sugar Cane Juice

Available in lime, mint, and ginger combinations

Visit Mana Foods and check out our new fresh organic sugar cane juice made on site - Did you know sugar cane is very alkaline and can actually help prevent cavities? The fresh cane juice is loaded with calcium, phosphorous, and iron, it is low on the Glycemic Index at 43. When mixed with plenty of lemon juice and cayenne, it makes a great raw Master Cleanse! We are making up batches of Lime, Mint, and Ginger combinations - Come in and ask the produce guys for more information

Health & Nutrition Benefits of Eating Sugarcanes

Q. Will raw sugar cane rot your teeth?
A. The findings of a Master of Dental Science paper from the University of Sydney concluded that consuming raw sugar cane actually has a protective effect against tooth decay due to its high calcium and phosphorous content. It is the opposite of what most people might think. If you don’t believe us, please search the web

Sugarcane, being low on glycemic index, helps keep the body fit and healthy.

Think Local: Queen Bee Productions

All natural, honey based body products. Handmade on Maui with raw, wild crafted honey & organic ingredients. Founded by an herbalist and an esthetician whom both have a passion for Nature and its gifts.
Honey has been used for thousands of years to beautify the skin. Queens of ancient times used this sweet ambrosia to preserve their complexions, heal wounds, and to soften their skin. Honey contains natural Hydrogen Peroxide, which gives it antibiotic and antimicrobial properties. Honey is also a humectant, which draws moisture to the skin.
Queen Bee Productions takes pride in the luxury of natural clean and effective ingredients. There are no fillers, parabens, synthetics, or chemicals.
Old apothecaries, ancient alchemy, and women's beauty recipes from antiquity are the inspiration for Queen Bee Products.

Think Local: Beets grown by Montessori students

Talk about local produce! Now available at Mana Foods, you can buy beets grown a few miles up Baldwin Ave. Pictured are Kirstin Dice and Lili Coryell, 6th graders at Montessori School of Maui, who have been keeping busy in the school garden. They are growing a wonderful variety of Golden, Chiogga, and Red Beets for us to offer our customers this week. They cleaned them up really nice and bagged them into Bio-degradable bags with their own Montessori Label on them.

Mahalo for supporting Paia School Fundraiser

The BBQ fundraiser at Mana Foods, last Friday was a huge success! The sales of the BBQ plate dinner raised $1,400 and the keiki raised additional money during their performances. All proceeds were donated to the Pa'ia Elementary School, supporting Ka Papahana Kaiapuni Hawai'i - The Hawaiian language Immersion Program.

Mana Foods would like to thank the community for it's support. Mahalo to the following vendors for their generous donations: Broadleaf Game, Maui Cattle, Knudsen and Honest Tea.

Retailing’s Unsung Heroes: Mana Foods

From The Journal of Commerce, February 2010 edition

"And so it was during a vacation to Hawaii last month that my wife and I found ourselves in the small Maui town of Pa’ia, a few miles south of Kahului, where we happened upon the Mana Foods Market. Having read the name in a guidebook, in we went. At the end of more than an hour, we had purchased a few items, but had a great time just the same wandering
the aisles. In fact, I found the store so interesting and the variety of items so remarkable that I called the store a few days later to see if they would speak with me about how they managed to get so much stuff into so little space and how they managed the logistics.

To my delight, Sunette Fenn, one of Mana Foods’ founders, was generous enough to take 30 or 40 minutes of her time to speak with me about the business, especially the logistics. Just for some perspective: The Mana Foods store is about 6,500 square feet, and the company has an order book of some 30,000 items that appear on the shelves. According to the Food Marketing Institute, the average size of a grocery store in America was 46,755 square feet in 2008 and stocked approximately 47,000 items. It’s worth noting Hawaii is the most isolated island chain in the world;
Maui’s population was 143,574 in 2008, and Pa’ia is very small.
So how does Mana Foods do it?
The specifics — no direct imports, a large number of distributor suppliers, dedicated staff, and constant attention to customer wants
and needs — are less important than the fact it does it and has
been doing it every day, every week, every month, for more than 25 years; and to be sure, without the awareness of virtually all of their customers — except, of course, for the random visit of a geek from the mainland.
Thanks, Sunette, I appreciate your time and the Mana Foods
story. Your copy of this column will be on its (electronic) way to
you soon." JOC
Barry Horowitz is the principal at CMS Consulting Services. He can be contacted at 503-208-2232, or at barryh@cms-cs.com.

Gluten Freedom: March 2010

Breakfast! Are you starting your day right??

We’ve all been told breakfast is our most important meal of day. Eating a balanced breakfast can help regulate your energy, mood and blood sugar throughout the day. Studies show eating breakfast, especially a breakfast rich in protein, results in fewer sugar cravings as well as fewer overall calories consumed. It has also been noted that children who eat breakfast show increased concentration and attentiveness in school over those who go without.

Many common breakfast options are unfortunately laden with gluten and as we all know can make it more difficult to make this important meal a part of your day. Here are a few tips on making sure you start your day right!

Plan ahead - It is especially difficult to eat gluten free on the run. But if you find yourself running out the door and on the hunt for a quick breakfast consider these options:

-Fruit smoothie with protein powder
BASIC RECIPE
1-1 1/2 cups milk (Blue Diamond almond milk, coconut milk, or milk of choice)
1/2- 1 cup fresh or frozen fruit
1-2 scoops protein powder (Manitoba Harvest Hemp, Nutiva Hemp, Nutribiotic Rice or Biochem Whey Protein are few gluten free options)

Place all ingredients in blender and blend. Add more milk or fruit for desired consistancy. This is also a great place to sneak any supplements or super foods.

- Van's gluten free waffles (bump up the protein and top with peanut butter, almond butter or my new favorite, sunflower seed butter)
- Applegate Farms cooked chicken sausage
- Kinnickinnick English Muffin toasted with nut or seed butter
- A piece of fresh fruit and small handful of nuts or seeds
- Yogurt (Brown Cow, Nancy's, Redwood Hill Farms Goat, So Delicious Coconut Yogurt are all great gluten free options) with nuts/seeds and/or Perky's Nutty Rice Cereal stirred in for a little crunch.
- Hard boiled eggs
- Ants on a log! Go back to your childhood and fill those celery sticks with peanut butter and top with raisins. Get creative and try other nut and seed butters and top with dried blueberries, shredded coconut and/or hemp seeds.

Take A Little More Time - Set that alarm clock a little earlier and prepare yourself a delicious hearty breakfast

Coconut Quinoa Slam! Did you know quinoa offers twice the amount of protein over oatmeal? This is one of my favorites and just takes 15 minutes.
1 1/2 cups lite coconut milk
1 cup quinoa (rinsed twice)
1/2 cup fresh papaya (optional)
1 Tbsp hemp seeds (optional)

In medium sauce pan, bring coconut milk and quinoa to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook until liquid is absorbed approximately 15 minutes. Top with papaya and hemp seeds or a fruit and/or nut/seed of your choice.
** Save even more time and try this delicious recipe in your rice cooker.
** Don't have time to rinse?? Try Ancient Harvest boxed quinoa.... they've done the rinsing for you!
**Stretch your food dollars and make your own lite coconut milk by diluting 1 can of full fat coconut milk with 2 cans of water. Use remainder for quick smoothies or freeze left over milk in ice cube trays for future use or an extra slushy smoothie

Other options to try:
- Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix - It's hard to believe these are really gluten free!
- Veggie omelett with homemade breakfast potatoes
- Bob's Red Mill certified gluten free oats
- Shelton's turkey breakfast sausage

Think outside the cereal box ??
- Last nights leftover
- Soup: Split Pea, Lentil, Butternut Squash or even Miso can make a great warm breakfast