The White House Wants Your Healthy Recipe
Photo credit: Ian Garlick / StockFood
Do you know any 8-to-12 year olds who think nothing of whipping up some teriyaki salmon with a bed of quinoa? Who like to fix up a fresh fruit salad and Greek yogurt to have it as a snack at school? Then tell them—or someone in their family—that the deadline for the 2014 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge & Kids’ “State Dinner” is Saturday, April 5th.
Created in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Education, and the White House, the contest challenges kids and their parents to create healthy, delicious, affordable, original lunch recipes using MyPlate guidelines; half of the dish or recipe should be composed of fruits and veggies, and the rest comprised of whole-grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy. Two recipes from each state, plus Puerto Rico, D.C., and the U.S. Territories, will make it to the final judging. It’s always so hard to choose and narrow it down to one winner from each state and territory, but choose we must. The prize is, well, priceless, for sometime this summer, up to 56 winners, plus a parent or guardian, will board Delta Air Lines to head to Washington D.C, where they will have the opportunity to attend the third annual Kids’ “State Dinner,” hosted by the First Lady, Michelle Obama.
Inspired by Mrs. Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative, a colleague and I conceived of this challenge several years ago to motivate, empower, and celebrate kids getting into the kitchen and eating healthy, and I am constantly humbled by the response and enthusiasm it has engendered. Here’s to many more annual Kids’ “State Dinners” in the years to come!
Want more background on the contest or peeks at the first two year’s events? See our coverage of the Kids’ State Dinner 2012 and the Kids’ State Dinner 2013. Get inspiration from the MyPlate Pinterest Board as well as the MyPlate site. Meet some of the past winners in the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge Cookbooks from 2012 and 2013. Then get your junior chef into the kitchen. There’s no time to waste as the contest ends midnight on April 5th, so enter soon! www.recipechallenge.com
