Fort Frydays

Fort Frydays is back celebrating our Veggie Wedgies, which are now available in military commissaries!

Today our hometown hero is Kristina Doss, a military daughter, wife and mom.  By day, Kristina is a journalist whose work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Times and by night, she's a hometown hero taking care of her husband and daughter.  

Photo by Camille O. Martin-Jones

More from Christina, this week's hometown hero:

What branch of the military is your spouse in?

"My husband is in the U.S. Navy. He has served our country for 12 years and my family is incredibly proud of his service and all that he has accomplished so far."

How long have you been a military wife?

"I’ve been a military wife for almost seven years. During that time, my husband and I have moved, lived and traveled around the world. (We currently live in Singapore.) It’s been quite the adventure – one that I share on the blog My Traveling Troop."

Do you have kids? If so, what are their names and ages?

"Our daughter Bella is four years old. We also have another bundle of joy on the way."

Do you or have you lived on base? Which one?

"We’ve lived both on and off base over the years. I think both options offer wonderful and unique experiences. For us, the choice to live on or off base depends on the area and what stage in life we’re in at the time we have to make the decision."

What is the best thing about base life?

"Living off base has given us an opportunity to develop friendships with locals and, when we’re overseas, learn about their culture and customs more. On the other hand, living on base provided us with an immediate sense of community and support from people who also live and understand a nomadic lifestyle."

What is your favorite food to prepare for your family?

"That’s a tough question, because I love to cook! But if I had to choose one, I would say chicken and brown rice soup. The dish is easy to make and healthy since it’s packed with protein, vegetables and fresh herbs. My husband and daughter love it."

You are on a deserted island and can only bring one thing...Go!

"I’m going to imagine that this deserted island has excellent reception so that I can bring my iPhone. The phone has a map application, so I’ll always know where we are and how to get home. I can call for help and Google how-to instructions on how to build a fire, pitch a tent from the materials around us and forage for food while we wait for help to arrive. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to have a little entertainment while you’re stranded somewhere. "

Is Military wife life what you thought it would be?

"I grew up as a Navy child; my father served for 20 years. As a result, I had a good sense of what to expect when I married someone in the Navy. But truth be told, as a military wife I’ve experienced more surprises and adventures than I ever could have imagined."

Fort Fryday's : Celebrating our Hero's at Home!

A huge accomplishment of ours this year was shipping our products into the Military Commissaries! Commissaries are similar to grocery stores accept they are located on military bases all over the world. They stock similar items available in the US regardless where they are stationed, so a service member in the Middle East is able to purchase foods he would buy at home, like burgers and buns!

We started shipping our veggie French fries into the commissaries a few months ago and to celebrate this exciting accomplishment we created Fort Fryday's designed to honor the mom or dad who takes care of the household while their spouse is/was away. We call these strong amazing people, our Hometown Hero's!

Here is our next Hometown Hero and her story:

Name: Amy Cruder
Affiliated Base: Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach

-Amy, what branch of the military is your spouse ? "My husband is in the Navy for almost 10 years now and he was just promoted to 1st class. The kids and I are so proud of him." 

-How long have you been a military wife? "We were married a couple of months after my husband joined in July of 2003 and are currently on our 3rd deployment which is also the hardest because the kids are now old enough to realize daddy is gone." 

-How many kids do you have? "Hunter, our son, is 5 and Arelyn, our daughter is 3."

-Do you or have you lived on base? "As a Navy family we have never lived on base but instead bought a house in Virginia Beach which is a strong military Community with ties to all branches of the military and NASA."

-Tell us, what is the best thing about miliary life? "What I like about living here is the relationships you forge with other military families.  I have friends all around the world because we met here and hope our travels will bring us back together one day."

-Since we are a food company we must ask, what is your favorite food to prepare for your family? "My favorite food to prepare for my family has always been spaghetti because I buy veggie packed noodles and the sauce we buy has 1 1/2 servings of veggies per serving so I am able to get a good amount of vegetables into my family without them being any the wiser, although my kids would probably pick your cauliflower fries over the spaghetti.  In reality, anything that is healthy and natural that my family will happily eat is enough to make me happy which is why I was ecstatic to be directed to your amazing options by another military wife and friend, Jodi Martin."

-Ok, so you are on a deserted island and can only bring one thing...Go! "If I was on a desserted island and could only take one thing?  Oh my that is a tough one.  In hopes that the desserted island would be full of vegetation I would have to take a fully loaded tool box so I could build myself a raft to get home to my family.  Is that cheating?  I would love to say my family but I would hope that fate would never befall them."

-Is Military wife life what you thought it would be? "I am an Army brat so I was prepared for some of the challenges of being a Navy wife, however it is a little harder when it is your spouse leaving all of the time.  Sometimes you feel like a single parent and it's a hard feeling to deal with but then your husband calls and it makes all the hardship worth it to know that he is out there keeping us safe and free.  I would do it over again in a heartbeat.  I am proud of my Sailor and all he does for us."

Thank you, Amy, for sharing your story with us! Keep on pushing those veggies into your family and enjoy your Peas of Mind care package!

Fort Fryday's : Celebrating our Hero's at Home!

A huge accomplishment of ours this year was shipping our products into the Military Commissaries! Commissaries are similar to grocery stores accept they are located on military bases all over the world. They stock similar items available in the US regardless where they are stationed, so a service member in the Middle East is able to purchase foods he would buy at home, like burgers and buns!

We started shipping our veggie French fries into the commissaries a few months ago and to celebrate this exciting accomplishment we created Fort Fryday's designed to honor the mom or dad who takes care of the household while their spouse is/was away. We call these strong amazing people, our Hometown Hero's!

What better time of year to deploy Fort Fryday's than now, the time of year we give thanks!

Here is our first Hometown Hero and her story. 

Name: Ashley Lopez
Affiliated Base: Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington

-Ashley, what branch of the military is your spouse ?
"My husband, Miguel, is in the Army. He is a sergeant"

-How long have you been a military wife?
"I have been a military wife for about 6 years now"

-Do you or have you lived on base?
"We lived on base while we were at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska. We lived on post for 2 and half years. My husband is currently stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state and we are living off post in our first home."

-Tell us, what is the best thing about base life?
"It is like a little city, everything that you need is right there, from everyday necessities to great friends."

-Since we are a food company we must ask, what is your favorite food to prepare for your family?

"My favorite food to prepare is meatloaf, because I love sneaking vegetables into my husband and son’s diet. I love hiding vegetable in all the meals I make."
Cool Ashley, it sounds like we have similar missions!

-Ok, so you are on a deserted island and can only bring one thing...Go!

"If I was in a deserted island I would want to have an ultimate survivor’s kit  because it would have everything I need for a little while . But when I asked my husband this question, he answered that he would want the portal gun (from the game “Portal”) and said that he would become the only survivor in history to become obese. He said he would portal a wild boar straight into a fire pit, then portal the food straight into his mouth. Yeah, my husband is a nerd."
We just laughed out loud after reading this!

-Is Military wife life what you thought it would be?
"I really didn’t know what to expect, everything happened so fast, from when my husband left for boot camp, then schooling and then 2 deployments, but I wouldn't change a thing, all the places I have been and seen because my husband joined, all the great people I met and those I will meet have been a great life altering experience."

Such a cool story Ashley! Sounds like you are open to whatever life throws your way and you handle it with such a great positive attitude! Thank you for sharing your story with us! Enjoy your Peas of Mind care package!