FORT FRYDAYS are BACK!

TGIFF stands for Thank goodness it's FORT FRYDAY.  After a one week hiatus, Fort Frydays are back to bring in the weekend.  As you know, we're celebrating that military families can now buy our non-fat, vegetable loaded Veggie Wedgies in military commissaries!

This week we're celebrating Kristine Schellhaas, the founder of USMC Life, hometown hero and military wife.  USMC Life is an incredible resource for Military families;  providing an overview of every major Marine Corps base focusing on specific base information, military housing and photos, schools, youth programs and sports. It's got everything!  Thanks for everything you've done for military families, Kristine, you truly deserve a celebration and some yummy veggie fries of course.

More From This Week's Hometown Hero, Kristine Schelhaas:

How long have you been a military wife?

"We have been a military family for almost eleven years. I first met my Marine at the age of nineteen; we dated for six years before we married in 2002.  We have two kids: my big second grader who is eight, and my pre-k darling who is four. My husband and I met in our hometown of Boise, Idaho in college where most of our family lives today."

What made you start your website, USMC Life?

"I kept thinking about how Marine wives needed a place to go online to find out more about the Marine Corps. It really takes a few years to get to know the area, so what happens if you don’t know someone to ask advice from? I started asking friends to participate and give me feedback on the major Marine bases and voila, USMC Life was born three years ago. I added a blog last year to add a new element to the site so people could relate to other people’s military and family life."

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

"I love base living. When we first were stationed at Camp Pendleton, we chose to live off base because my husband wanted to get a break from the Marine Corps. I was pretty lonely because I was away from the community. We decided to move on base after my husband returned from deployment and I have loved every minute of it. We currently are back living on Camp Pendleton!"

What is the best thing about base life?

"The community hand’s down. I love our neighborhood. Everyone is so great about supporting each other, keeping an eye out for one another’s kids, bringing each other meals, joining together in events and more."

What is your favorite food to prepare for your family this time of year?

"Something about winter just screams comfort food. I love to buy vegetables in season and cook up a great soup or chicken pot pie with mashed potatoes."

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

"My husband! He would take control and make sure everything is okay. Plus if anyone knows survival stuff, he's the perfect guy for the job."

Is Military wife life what you thought it would be?

No. I really didn’t know what to expect from military life. I had this idea that we would be living a glamorous life, traveling the world, and living these great adventures. This is partially true, but it gets pretty lonely and stressful at times. The best part is building the community around each other and making each other’s lives better."

Create New Family Traditions

I grew up in Wisconsin where spring time could not come soon enough after a long and cold winter. We had gorgeous Cherry Blossom trees in our backyard, and to this day, the smell of those luscious flowers reminds me of home!

Every spring my mom would pick one, beautiful sunny day and take her 2 daughters out in the yard to snap photos in those trees. I remember feeling like a bird on those afternoons and just loved being so close to nature.  Afterward, she would add the new photos to the hallway wall in our house.

I really cherish this memory of growing up and am now grateful for all of the photos I have!

What traditions does your family have?

Let Kids Play with Their Food

Well, with fruits and vegetables at least!


Nurture your kids' curiosity and creative side by encouraging them to arrange fresh foods in fun ways. 


Just like the ambiance of a nice restaurant might have you eating foods that you ordinarily avoid, making a game out of eating fruits and vegetables (and by playing and eating right along) can get kids to try and enjoy foods they used to 'dislike strongly' (rather than 'hate').


Here at Peas, we know that the eating experience is very important to kids. We love the looks of shear delight as kids hold, dip and dunk our Veggie Wedgies into organic ketchup.  Those moments are the highlights of tradeshows and other events, watching a child smile while eating a broccoli fry and watching their parent's eyes bulge out of their head in disbelief! 


How else can you and your kids have fun together with healthy foods?

"Name this fruit?" photo from "Kids: 3 Reasons to Play With Your Food" on http://whatscookingwithkids.com

• bring your kids with you to the store. Let them pick out a fruit or vegetable of their choice. Let them select, weigh and bag it. Let them (with help, as needed) take it from the cart to the check-out belt, let them do it all. Prepare this new item together. I used to play this game with myself in college. Every time I went grocery shopping, I'd look for a new-to-me vegetable and just buy it. I'd bring it home and consult Deborah Madison's - Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, prepare and enjoy it. It was always a highly satisfying experience, even when my dish wasn't perfect, and for some kids, the "I made it myself!" factor cannot be underestimated! And you'll be learning too.

• have a taste test. As a family, try 2 or 3 different varieties of apples, for example. Talk about how they are different, ask each person which is their favorite, discuss textures and flavors, embrace your own descriptive language and encourage you child to join the conversation. Ask them what they think?

• give it a year or two and then try again. Humans are born with innate dilikes to certain tastes, particularly bitterness and astringency. From an evolutionary standpoint, this is useful because many poisonous plants taste bitter and/or astringent, so this innate reaction of disliking bitter foods makes sense. However, over a lifetime, a person's ability to detect these unpleasant tastes degenerates. In fact, by age 65, a person can only taste 25% of what they could taste when they were born. As sad as it may be to think about in that context, use this fact to your advantage. Kids really do 'grow out of' dislikes. If your child had a repulsion to a particular food when they were 1 or 2, at age 5 they may not be able to taste the exact compound that they reacted to at 1 or 2. They may just shrug at eat it. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

Have you had a new-food-breakthrough playing with your child? 


Sources:
 * http://whatscookingwithkids.com
 * http://fatherhood.about.com

A Little Help in the Kitchen Goes a Long Way

Having help from everyone in the family transforms cooking dinner from a chore into a bonding experience, memories of which will last a lifetime. Plus, lending a hand in the kitchen is a great way to introduce kids of all ages to new foods; even picky children will want to taste the dishes they help make. Get your kids involved in the kitchen with these age-appropriate kitchen tasks:

5 years and under
pick herbs
stem fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary
scrub potatoes
wipe mushrooms
shuck corn
sprinkle cheese
brush garlic butter onto bread
sort out bruised berries
work the salad spinner
taste everything
make butter (*see “Homemade Butter” below)

6-9 years
all of the above, plus:
measure ingredients
help choose recipes
knead dough
stir continuously
crack eggs
wash fruits and vegetables
thread skewers
whisk vigorously
crank pasta machine
assemble salads
layer lasagnas and casseroles
package up extras
set the table

10-12 years
all of the above, plus:
toast nuts
mash potatoes
grate cheese
begin learning knife skills
make croutons

13-18 years
all of the above, plus:
dice onion
mince garlic
make vinaigrette
wash pots and pans
work toward making the whole family dinner once a week

* Homemade Butter
Here’s a great way to not only keep little ones busy as you cook but also allow them to contribute to dinner in their own way. Fill a jar halfway with heavy cream and screw the lid on tightly. Have your child shake the jar and in less than 15 minutes, you’ll have homemade butter. When a ball of butter forms in the jar, pour off the liquid, add a little salt and contemplate additions to flavor the butter. Minced garlic and/or any minced herb work great, but suggest playful combinations like orange-honey butter (+ orange zest & honey) for cornbread muffins or strawberry butter (+ strawberry jam) for buttermilk biscuits and let your child decide!

Sources: - Dinner at Your Door by Alex Davis, Diana Ellis & Andy Remeis

Fun with Oranges

I came across a fun recipe on FamilyFun.com "Gelatine Oranges." This had a lot of potential for a healthy snack for kids. http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50510&cmp=NLC-NL_Recipe_042009_gelatin

The original recipe was simple:
Ingredients:
Oranges
Water
Orange Gelatin (or Jello)

1. Cut the oranges in half from top to bottom and spoon the fruit from each half, leaving the peel intact. Prepare the gelatin according to the package directions, then pour it into the peel halves, adding fruit pieces if desired.

2. Set the halves into ramekins or a muffin tin to keep them from tipping and carefully place them in the refrigerator. Let the gelatin set according to the package directions.

3. Once they're ready, remove the orange halves from the refrigerator, cut them into wedges, and serve. But here's the problem, maybe you and your kids are vegan? You can't eat regular gelatin. AND why waste the actual orange, why not use it and make a natural, vegan gelatin. I did a little research, here's how you can adjust your recipe.

Ingredients:

4 Tbl agar agar (a natural, vegan gelatin made from seaweed)
1 Qt fruit juice (use the juice from the orange and add a little water)

1. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 mins.

2. Fill your orange halves as you would have above and chill.