Fresh Vegetables Made Easy
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January 2010 Newsletter

Welcome 2010! We are all ready to tackle another year. 2009 is in the past and Mann Packing is energized with the new year and hopes to make 2010 one of the best years ever. We will bring you healthy veggies that are easy to prepare, health tips and money saving ideas to help stretch your dollars. Mann renews our consumer commitment to make Quality, Healthy Eating and Convenience our priority.



Starting Out Fresh With Diet & Exercise
I have officially started my January "do over" to make up for the last few months of holidays and hibernation. Here are a few tips to get going in the right direction:
- See your doctor for your yearly check up.
- Make sure you have your cholesterol, blood pressure and heart checked. Review the results with your doctor.
- Verify what your weight should be for your height with a Height & Weight Chart.
- Incorporate a minimum of 5 servings a day of fruit and vegetables into your daily diet. Fruit & Veggies Matter.
- Design a realistic exercise program that really suits you. Don't set yourself up to fail, take a slower steady approach for long lasting results and goal attainment Mayo Clinic 5 Steps to Getting Started.
- Get together with friends and family that will make you laugh. Laughter is one of the best stress relievers.

January is National Soup Month
In the spirit of renewing our promise to ourselves to eat healthier and either get back in shape or maintain our health, soup is a perfect meal. It's hearty and will warm you up in this cold weather. When making soup, if you don't have time to make your own stock, be sure to watch labels and buy low sodium broth. Some of the broth has up too 1,000 mg of sodium per cup. (Currently, 2400 milligrams is the recommended daily intake amount. However, a typical American diet ranges from 3000 to 5000 milligrams of sodium. For our bodies to survive, we need about 500 milligrams. A teaspoon of salt is close to the 2400 milligrams.)

These are two of our favorite soups. You can pump them all up with additional protein by adding cooked chicken, beef or shrimp.
Mock Noodle Soup
Asian Soup

iPhone Price Check & Foodscanner
If you own an iPhone and are looking for the best prices try using the RedLaser app. You use the camera to scan the UPC code on an item. It not only gives you the price for the item at the store you are in, but lists other stores and their prices, so you can find the best deal.

In the quest to tract calorie intake when you are on the go, try out both the Lose It! app and the Foodscanner app. Some of us need all of the help we can get!

Chinese New Year & Broccolini
The Chinese Lunar Calendar is 2,640 years older than ours and never begins on January 1st, nor does it begin on the same date each year. It can begin any time between January 21st and February 18th, depending on the date of the New Moon in Aquarius. Each year is named for an animal. Every 12 years this cycle begins again. The Chinese say that the animal ruling the year you were born will influence your life. In 2010, Chinese New Year begins February 14th and is the year of the tiger.

Seems like a perfect fit to partner Broccolini™ and Litehouse dressing. Purchase Mann's Broccolini™ and get $1.00 off any Litehouse dressing, plus a delicious Szechwan Broccolini™/Beef recipe.

Mann's Party Platters
Superbowl Sunday will be here on February 7th. If you are planning a party for the Superbowl or any winter event, don't forget to pick up one of our delicious platters. We have the Veggie Platter in three convenient sizes, as well as the popular Meat & Cheese Platter combination.

Real California Cheese and Mann's Fresh Cut Vegetables
Mann Packing Company is partnering with Gourmet Garden® Herbs & Spices this month. Shoppers will save $0.55 off any tube of Gourmet Garden® Herb & Spices with the purchase of a 2lb bag of Mann's Broccoli Wokly. And bonus, there are 2 recipes included with this instantly redeemable coupon! Now that's the way to spice up on those cold winter days!

The Women & Men Behind Mann!
Mann Employee Profile
Sheridan Silver, Director of Purchasing

Sheridan Silver may have one of the most unusual skill sets in the fresh vegetable business. He is director of purchasing for packaging and maintenance supplies, which are durable, shelf stable categories, as well as all the fresh vegetables Mann Packing uses in its operations (except Broccolini® and broccoli.)

"There are few people in the Salinas Valley who buy both supplies and veg," Sheridan said.

Quality in materials is the common denominator for whatever he's buying but otherwise, the areas are very different. "I work on vegetables in the morning because things can change so fast, then supplies in the afternoon. Procurement is the link between marketing and sales and production."
Read Entire Article

Consumer Questions & Answers
Most frequently asked questions for January 2010:

Question # 1 : I just purchased some Broccoli Cole Slaw with a best date of 1-08. Why are you selling produce that is a year old? Mira in Salem, MO

Answer # 1 :
Our Fresh-Cut Veggies have a total shelf life of 16 days. And we use no preservatives or additives. So our products would never last a year. The best date is stating the month and day, not the year. Be sure you check the dates when purchasing, and use the produce by the best date.

Question # 2: Can Broccolini™ be eaten raw, or do I have to cook it? Hank in Connecticut.

Answer # 2: Absolutely you can eat it raw. It is very good chopped up and added to salads, or served with your favorite veggie tray.

We hope your new year is off to a good healthy start. Please write to us and let us know of any areas of interest you would like to see addressed in the monthly newsletter. We count on your comments and suggestions. Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Susan Cameron
Mann Packing Co.
Fresh Vegetables Made Easy!