Author Archives: jabel

Marvelous Melon Munching at the Old Town Farmers Market

Posted on September 10, 2013 by jabel

On August 24 Master Food Volunteers Kim Frey and Casandra Lawson added a new facet to their monthly educational exhibit at the Old Town Farmers Market in Alexandria—food tasting! Several farmer vendors at the market donated an array of sweet and juicy melons that Kim and Casandra cut up and offered to over 300 hungry market visitors. Market goers got to try the melons dipped in lime juice, shredded coconut, basil, mint, and lemon balm. All of the melons were locally grown, so the tasting helps to showcase the many ways to enjoy in-season local produce.

In addition to the popular melon tasting, Kim and Casandra also shared recipes and general nutrition information. They will return to the market on Sept. 28^th to offer samples of a tasty zucchini, tomato, and basil salad, so be sure to visit the Old Town farmers market between 9:30 and 12:00.

Master Food Volunteers at the Arlington County Fair

Posted on August 20, 2013 by jabel

The Arlington County Fair took place on August 9-11 and the Master Food Volunteers (MFVs) played a prominent role in VCE’s exhibit. Thanks to a team of energetic and creative MFVs—Katie Savarese, Holly Rowe, and Julia Schneider—we designed an interactive exhibit full of plenty of things to keep visitors busy. Volunteers chopped up honeylope melons donated by Twin Springs Fruit Farm and allowed visitors to sample them plain or dipped in coconut and lime juice. Visitors also got to make their own salt-free herb and spice mixes by making different combinations of basil, garlic powder, dill, cumin, and oregano. Fair visitors could also test their knowledge by playing the nutrition fact or fiction game, share their favorite food memories, enter a raffle for $25 gift cards, and pick up wallet-size cards with daily nutrition tips.

The lead MFV team was also joined by MFVs Nancy Broff, Kristin Bruce, Aleksandra Damsz, Dorothy Dempsey, Shari Henry, Marney Michalowski and Michal Warshow who put in shifts at the exhibit. Special thanks to our summer intern Carrie Vergel de Dios for creating many of the materials used in the display.

Residents at Carpenter’s Shelter Mix it Up in the Kitchen

Posted on August 19, 2013 by jabel

Written by Katie Potestio, Master Food Volunteer

Last week participants in the Life Skills class at Carpenter’s Shelter, a homeless shelter in Old Town Alexandria, completed a three week healthy cooking series led by Master Food Volunteers Katie Potestio, Lise Metzger, Kristin Bruce, Desiree Morningstar, Nancy Broff, and Kim Frey. During the first class participants cooked a tasty Latin-style meal of black bean soup accompanied by cornbread and a corn and rice medley. The cooking was truly a team effort with contributions from very experienced cooks as well as novices in the class. In the second session the group whipped up some healthy whole grain breakfast items including banana-walnut oatmeal, applesauce French toast, and breakfast burritos (which included a special burrito-rolling tutorial!). Participants learned to be wary of the often empty “whole grain” claim on the front of food packages and to check the ingredient list on the food label for whole grain ingredients such as whole wheat.

The final session emphasized the longstanding healthy eating recommendation to eat more vegetables and some tips for how to eat a few extra during the day. The volunteers surprised participants with a creative way to fit more veggies in on a hot summer day – in smoothies! Using blenders donated by the community, participants created three delicious fruit smoothies including one green smoothie made with baby spinach. Blended in with fruit and sweetened yogurt the greens add an extra dose of nutrients and a fun color to this refreshing drink. The participants who dared to try the green smoothie agreed that it tasted good and said they would be likely to make it again. Other greens to try in the blender are chard, kale or bok choy. At the end of the night the volunteers surprised the class yet again by raffling off blenders that they had collected from community donations to eight lucky residents! Although making smoothies doesn’t require a recipe, below is the Green Smoothie recipe approved by the residents at Carpenter’s Shelter. Give it a try!

Green Smoothie Recipe

Servings: 4

2 large oranges, peeled and segmented

1 banana (frozen in slices if possible)

2 cups frozen strawberries

4 cups baby spinach leaves

2 cups vanilla low-fat yogurt

1 cup ice (if bananas are frozen, omit the ice cubes)

½-1 cup liquid such as water, juice or milk (optional)

Directions

In a blender, combine oranges, banana, strawberries, spinach, yogurt and ice. Puree until smooth. Add liquid as needed to help with blending. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Teens in Foster Care Learn that “Cooking Matters”

Posted on July 18, 2013 by jabel

Last week a group of ten teens in the Arlington foster care system attended a week-long Cooking Matters for Teens course taught by program assistant Ellen Mathis and extension agent Jennifer Abel. Each day participants learned about healthy eating and prepared two-three recipes. Healthy recipe selections included turkey tacos, sweet potato fries, baked mozzarella sticks, fruit salad, mango salsa, fruit and yogurt parfaits with homemade granola, and many others. On the last day of the course, the teens had honed their cooking skills to such a degree that they were divided into teams with a captain for each team and assigned one of three recipes to prepare on their own with minimal guidance from the instructors. Teams prepared baked French fires, flaked baked chicken, and fruit smoothies.

Upon completion all participants received a textbook with recipes, certificate, and aprons and potholders. The teens expressed a great deal of enthusiasm for the course and said that it inspired them to do more cooking on their own and for their families. One teen even said that she wants to volunteer with VCE at other nutrition classes in the fall.

The Cooking Matters program was created Share Our Strength, a national anti-hunger organization, and provides curricula and resources for healthy cooking and nutrition programs for kids, adults, teens, families, and child care providers.

A Cooking Matters participant prepares a baked chicken recipe.

Arlington Energy Masters celebrate award-winning year

Posted on June 28, 2013 by jabel

On Wednesday members of the 2012-13 cohort of Arlington Energy Masters volunteers and members from the inaugural class in 2011 gathered to celebrate their accomplishments of the past year. These dedicated volunteers worked together to conduct energy and water-saving retrofits in 157 low-income apartments, surpassing the 100 units that received these services in the first year of the program. Volunteers received graduation certificates to acknowledge the 60 hours required of current year volunteers and 20 hours required of returning Energy Masters.

Created by VCE, Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment, and Arlington Thrive, the Arlington Energy Masters program was recognized with two accolades this year: a Green Giant award from Washingtonian Magazine and a state award from Virginia Cooperative Extension for excellence in new initiatives. The latter comes with a cash prize that the partners will use to purchase more energy saving supplies as the program enters its third year.

The goals of the program are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help low-income residents cut their utility bills. The next training for new volunteers begins on Sept. 26. If you are interested in becoming an Energy Master please fill out the on-line

Recognizing the 2013 Arlington Energy Master volunteers

application that you can find here: www.arlingtonenvironment.org

Master Food Volunteers Encourage AFAC Clients to Choose Low-fat Dairy Products

Posted on June 27, 2013 by jabel

Chocolate banana ice cream may not sound like a healthy treat, but when made with non-fat vanilla yogurt, unsweetened cocoa powder, bananas and just a little bit of honey it can be a great alternative to full-fat, high sugar choices. Clients at the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) got to enjoy this cool snack at the main AFAC food distribution site today and also received information on how to make healthy dairy choices. Master Food Volunteer Catrina Moran joined an AFAC volunteer to make the recipe, distribute samples, and give out fact sheets on how to incorporate low-fat and non-fat dairy products into a healthy diet.

June marks the sixth month that Master Food Volunteers have been providing quick nutrition education at AFAC sites while clients wait to pick up their food. In addition to AFAC headquarters they also go to other food distribution sites including Gunston Community Center, Claridge House, and Clarendon United Methodist Church. The nutrition theme changes each month and so far we have covered topics such as portion control, heart health, limiting sugar consumption, and smart shopping for fruits and vegetables. Earlier this month Master Food Volunteers Nancy Broff and Cristina Zabala made and distributed samples of yogurt-onion-dill dip at Claridge House and Clarendon UMC, respectively. On Saturday Aleks Damsz will be back at AFAC HQ to share the tasty chocolate banana ice cream.

If you have ideas for other nutrition topics that you think we should cover at AFAC in the coming months, please let us know by leaving a comment on this post.

Kendra Ambrose and Catrina Moran pass out healthy sweet treats at AFAC in Arlington

Master Food Volunteers Educate Customers at Old Town Farmers Market

Posted on June 24, 2013 by jabel

On Saturday Master Food Volunteers Kim Frey and Casandra Lawson, joined by dietetic intern Rachel Patterson, provided lots of great nutrition information and education to customers at the Old Town Farmers Market in Alexandria. They distributed recipe cards featuring lots of healthy ways to use the produce currently in season. They gave out wall calendars with different healthy recipes suggested for each month. The volunteers also set up the Rev Your Bev display that shows people the high sugar content of many popular beverages and helps encourage them to make better drink choices.

Volunteers shared information like these MyPlate flyers and recipe cards with market shoppers.

Response to the Master Food Volunteers and their resources was strong, with the volunteers talking to more than 65 market shoppers during the 2 ½ hours that they were at the market. The volunteers will be at the Old Town market at least one Saturday a month throughout the season, so if you frequent this market keep a lookout for them. Each month they’ll be distributing different recipes and conducting a variety of activities to get people excited about making healthy food choices.

One Week, Two Awards

Posted on May 21, 2013 by jabel

During the week of May 13 we learned that the Arlington VCE office was the recipient of not just one, but two state awards. Our Extension Leadership Council (ELC) came in first place for the ELC programming excellence award in Marketing and Jennifer and community partners received a state award for achieving excellence in New Initiatives. Both awards were announced at the annual meeting of the Virginia Extension Service Association and both come with monetary awards to use for program support or professional development.

The ELC is truly deserving of this honor because the volunteer members have worked hard over the past year to help introduce initiatives that spread the word about VCE’s programs and successes. ELC members helped staff create our new blog, networked with schools and the Arlington Credit Union to increase the number of Kids Marketplace and Reality Store events that we do each year, increased our presence at Arlington Chamber of Commerce events, facilitated a full-page article about VCE in the Chamber newsletter, organized the Energy in the Community forum, formulated public value statements to better inform legislators about the economic, social, and environmental impact of VCE’s programs on the community, and much more. Staff are very grateful for the dedicated work of ELC members.

Along with recently winning a Green Giant award from the Washingtonian Magazine, Senior Extension Agent Jennifer Abel and community partners Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment and Arlington Thrive (the new name of Arlingtonians Meeting Emergency Needs) won the Northern District and State awards for excellence in New Initiatives for the Energy Efficiency Education Program. Started in 2011, this is the program through which we train Energy Master volunteers to make energy- and water-saving improvements in low-income Arlington apartments. To date volunteers have performed retrofits in 232 apartments and we are starting to collect data about energy savings that have been realized. Staff and volunteers truly appreciate the recognition of this exciting program. The next training for new volunteers will begin on September 26 with applications due July 1st. Contact Jennifer if you are interested in applying: jabel@vt.edu.

New Arlington VCE 4-H agent

Posted on May 20, 2013 by jabel

On May 10 Samantha Nagurny joined the Arlington office as the new 4-H agent. Sam graduated in 2011 from the University of Tennessee with a degree in animal science and has a deep background in 4-H. She has been going to 4-H camp and has participated in 4-H clubs and activities since she was 9 years old, spent two summers working as an intern for the 4-H agent in Fairfax County, and leads a 4-H club in Fairfax. Most recently Sam worked at Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon where she helped visitors learn more about the park’s many farm animals. Sam is looking forward to leading a group of Arlington children and teens to 4-H camp this summer in Front Royal and to starting many clubs, after school programs, and other enrichment activities for youth in Arlington.

My Favorite Savings Technique

Posted on May 17, 2013 by jabel

By Megan Kuhn, Master Financial Education Volunteer

When I decided to buy my first home*, I discovered what is now my favorite savings technique.

My goal was to increase the funds for my down payment. Every time I went shopping, I would ask myself, “Would I rather buy this $85 handbag, or would I rather put more money toward my housing fund?” If I didn’t purchase the $85 handbag, I would move $85 from my checking account to my savings account. I labeled the transaction something like “victory for the house.” I did this for big and small items, even the iced coffees I resisted.

Spending money is more than splurging on a handbag or snapping up a clearance deal. It is about opportunity cost. If I buy the $85 handbag or the $3.50 iced coffee, I miss the opportunity to save (or spend) that money for something else.

*Something else I found is the fabulous first-time residence buying class that Arlington Public Schools offers through its Adult Education Program. The one-time class meets for a couple hours, and is well worth the registration fee. After the class, I felt prepared to tackle the home buying process.