Learn the basics of home food preservation, with a hands-on waterbath canning workshop and a pressure canning demonstration. This workshop is perfect for beginners and those looking to brush up on their skills.
Category Archives: Food and Nutrition
Master Food Volunteers at the Arlington County Fair
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
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”
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.
Master Food Volunteers Encourage AFAC Clients to Choose Low-fat Dairy Products
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
For Healthy Families, Cooking Matters!
With all the pressures of raising young children and maintaining a household, it takes dedication to complete a 6-week cooking class. That’s just what parents across Arlington and Fairfax are doing, thanks in part to the support of Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) Master Food Volunteers. Area courses are being lead by Jennifer Abel and Katie Strong, VCE Agents, and Ellen Mathis and Hareg Tecklu, VCE Family Nutrition Program Assistants.
Cooking Matters for Adults is a cooking and nutrition course designed to empower families at risk of hunger with the skills, knowledge and confidence to make healthy and affordable meals. During each class, participants learn to make several recipes and receive a bag of groceries to make the recipes for their families. The well-designed curriculum includes student and instructor guides covering practical nutrition, food shopping and food safety along with 65 tasty, healthy and low-cost recipes. Many of the recipes used in our VCE Master Food Volunteers training program came from Cooking Matters.
Leading a program in Reston were two registered dietitians, Katie Strong, VCE Agent, and Yara Saad, Early Childhood Nutritionist with Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) Head Start Program. They were supported by FCPS and VCE staff Jessica Forsty and Patricia Reyes along with Master Food Volunteers Michael Perel and Sue Gonzalez. Many thanks to Reston’s Southgate Community Center for providing an excellent kitchen and classroom for this program.
Participants receive certificates and Cooking Matters shopping bags at the final class on May 22.
Instructors Katie Strong, Patricia Reyes, Jessica Forsty and Yara Saad discuss nutrition while demonstrating food preparation.
Participants help prepare hearty egg burritos.
Fruit salad topped off with fresh mint is a class favorite.
Using bags of black beans, Katie Strong demonstrates how quickly bacteria multiply when food is not kept at safe temperatures.
Jessica Forsty holds up a “blubber burger” filled with Crisco to illustrate the amount of unhealthy fat in one participant’s favorite fast food meal.
Cooking Matters for Adults teaches low-income adults (primarily adults with children) how to prepare and shop sensibly for healthy meals on a limited budget. Founded in 1993 by Share Our Strength and nationally sponsored by the ConAgra Foods® Foundation and Walmart, Cooking Matters now serves 17,000 families each year. To learn more about Cooking Matters, visit www.cookingmatters.org.
–Sue Gonzalez, Master Food Volunteer
A Special Visit
Written by Carrie Vergel de Dios
On Tuesday, June 4th Arlington’s VCE office was proud to welcome Dr. Edwin Jones, Director of Virginia Cooperative Extension who also serves as the Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech. Kirsten Buhls started the day off by demonstrating how the Master Gardener Help Desk answers community members’ gardening questions. Next the new Arlington and Alexandria 4-H agents, Samantha Nagurny and Reggie Morris talked about their plans for youth development work in the area. Following was a presentation given by Jennifer Abel and Wendy Peichel about recent achievements in local financial education programs and the many contributions of the Master Financial Education Volunteers. Three Energy Masters volunteers, Barbara Englehart, Nabilah Haque, and Colleen Morgan next talked about the exciting work that this group has been doing over the past two years and the two awards that they have recently won. The chair and vice chair of the Arlington & Alexandria Extension Leadership Council, Mary Van Dyke and John Woodard, then talked with Dr. Jones about local priorities.
The visit ended with a wonderful lunch prepared by Katie Strong, Hareg Tecklu, Megan Mauer, and included the special help of several Master Food Volunteers: Nancy Broff, Caroline Comport, Sue Gonzalez, Catherine Hader, and Kate McCarthy. The delicious lunch consisted of Tuna Boats (pictured below), Green Salad with Cider Vinaigrette, and Brown Rice and Orange Salad, with refreshments of Lemon Water and Black Tea as well as Fruit Salad for dessert.
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VCE’s Family Nutrition Program at “The Winner’s Circle”
Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Family Nutrition Program made the trip down to Concord, NC last week for their Multi-State Conference. The conference was hosted by North Carolina’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program and offered a variety of entertaining and informative sessions.
Opening Luncheon and Keynote speaker Jump with Jill, The Rockstar Nutritionist using a rock ‘n roll approach to communicating a healthy message. www.JumpWithJill.com
Haregowin Tecklu, Arlington Adult Program Assistant, claims she learned a great deal about antioxidants, diet and metabolic diseases. She states, “It’s a great idea to talk about how eating more fruits and vegetables could save your health bill in the long run. I plan on sharing this idea with my WIC and Early Head Start parents.”
Megan Mauer, Northern District Nutrition Outreach Instructor, enjoyed her first Multi- State Conference and finally having the chance to meet everybody throughout the state. What was really valuable to Megan was hearing how others approached teaching a healthy lifestyle within their programs. “I got a sense that everybody at the conference was very passionate about their work, but also appreciative and supportive of others.” Overall the conference was a success and Hareg and Megan look forward to applying their new skills to some of their local programming.
How much sugar is hiding in your drink?
Did you know that the average American consumed 44 gallons of soda last year?
Master Food Volunteers (MFVs) in Arlington and Fairfax joined 173 other groups of health advocates across the state to raise awareness about the dangers of sugary beverages.
“Rev Your Bev” day, sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth, sensitized citizens about the high sugar content in popular beverages and encouraged them to lower consumption of these drinks. MFVs set up tables in Fairfax and Arlington County Extension Offices, displaying the amount of sugar in various beverages, including sodas, sports drinks, sweet tea, and energy drinks.
This photo of the Rev Your Bev display shows the sugar content of some popular drinks.
Interested bystanders were asked to fill out a survey to gauge their knowledge of the issue and the amount of sugar-sweetened beverages in their diets. The MFVs talked with people about the astounding statistics on sugar consumption in the U.S. and offered strategies for making healthier beverage choices.
- For each sugary drink consumed per day, a child’s risk of becoming overweight increases by 60%.
- It takes over an hour of walking to burn off the 240 calories in a 20-ounce bottle of cola.
- By drinking just one 20-ounce cola per day, you could gain 25 pounds in one year.
Why were MFVs so interested in educating the public about these beverages, which some health practitioners have called “sugar delivery systems”? Sugar sweetened drinks are a primary cause of the obesity. Yet, it is difficult for many people to avoid over consuming them because they are cheap, ubiquitous, and tasty. And, many drinks are marketed as healthful—promising improved sports performance, vitamin and mineral delivery, etc.—yet packed with sugar.
Kristin at the Fairlington Community Center
To help reduce sugar in your beverages, buy smaller portion sizes, buy lower calorie drinks, and of course make water your default beverage. You can also make your own drinks, such as coffee, tea, or water sweetened with a splash of fruit juice. Adding a teaspoon of sugar to these drinks only adds 15 calories. In contrast, a 20-ounce bottle of soda contains 240 calories or 16 teaspoons of sugar.
Melanie at the Pennino Building
For more tips on making smart beverage choices, check out the U.S. Department of Agriculture fact sheet, Make Better Beverage Choices.
–Mike Perel, Master Food Volunteer
Master Food Volunteers Present Salad and Spice Workshops
Fairfax County administrative professionals picked up new spices and hearty salad ingredients as they shopped for groceries this weekend, inspired by Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Food Volunteers.
Extension Agent Katie Strong answers questions after audience samples a Smoky Black Bean and Corn Salad prepared during Fairfax County Administrative Resource Team Conference workshop.
Held during the last week of April in conjunction with National Administrative Professionals Day, the annual Administrative Resource Team (ART) Conference brings personnel from throughout Fairfax County together for a day of workshops. This year’s conference, held on April 26 at the Government Center, featured two workshops by VCE.
“Healthy Cooking for Busy Families: Hearty and Versatile Salads,” featured a cooking demonstration. VCE Extension Agent Katie Strong prepared Smoky Black Bean and Corn Salad while Master Food Volunteers Sue Lagon, Mike Perel, Julia Schneider and Sue Gonzalez dished up and served samples to nearly 80 participants. Strong recommended that families prepare healthful, filling salads on Sunday evening for lunches and snacks throughout the week.
The highlight of the “Herbs and Spices Master Class” was a spice tasting contest. Using unsalted pretzels dipped in olive oil, more than 70 attendees sampled and tried to guess the names of six spices. Strong then delivered a fast-paced tour of the world of herbs and spices. The goal of the program was to encourage participants to try alternatives to sodium, which is far too prevalent in the typical American diet.
Fairfax administrators participate in spice tasting contest during workshop aimed at reducing sodium intake by increasing awareness of healthier seasoning alternatives.
Master Food Volunteers Sue Lagon and Mike Perel discuss the outcome of the spice tasting contest. To their surprise, none of the participants were able to identify all six of the spices – basil, cumin, dill, oregano, sage and thyme.
In addition to getting a well-deserved break from their workday routines, conference participants picked up a wealth of healthy cooking ideas to share with their families and friends this weekend.
Sue Gonzalez, Master Food Volunteer