WASHINGTON — A Kids’ “State Dinner” at the White House hosted by first lady Michelle Obama on July 18 will have 54 children eating a healthy lunch made from some of recipes the honorees submitted to the national “Healthy Lunchtime Challenge.” All the kid attendees are challenge winners; there is a winner representing each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia, home to the White House, with its Kitchen Garden made popular by Mrs. Obama, who will give a tour of the garden plot after lunch.
Sienna Mazone, 12, of Dresden will represent Maine at the dinner. Her winning recipe is called Mexican Haystack.
The winners — all between the ages of 8 and 12 at the time of entry — had worked with a parent or guardian to come up with a recipe for lunch that is “healthy, affordable, original, and delicious,” according to a statement from the Office of the First Lady at the White House. Since the contestants were also fighting childhood obesity with their meal planning, each recipe was required to meet the guidelines that support the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate focus on food groups that make up a healthy meal. Fruits and veggies had to make up roughly half the plate or recipe.
“The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge is a wonderful opportunity to help kids build healthy habits. First Lady Michelle Obama, through the Let’s Move! Initiative, offers another shining example of how we can mobilize public and private sector resources to improve the lives of our children,” said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The decisions parents make to keep their kids healthy often start with the meals made at home. Young people who participate in this challenge and are inspired by MyPlate encourage other children to eat healthier and build food preparation skills that will influence their food decisions into adulthood.”
The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, originated by recipe and nutrition website Epicurious three years ago to promote healthy eating among America’s youth, fielded more than 1,500 entries this year.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.