Cross posted from the Let's Move! blog:
Have you cast your vote? The selection period for the Popular Choice Award in the First Lady’s Recipes for Healthy Kids competition will close soon, so it’s time to make your voice heard. The First Lady and the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched the competition last September, challenging teams of school nutrition professionals, chefs, students, and community members to develop creative, nutritious, and kid-approved recipes that schools can easily incorporate into National School Lunch Program menus - and families can try at home. And I just want to say that I think Recipes for Healthy Kids is a really neat idea. It draws on America’s culinary creativity and our commitment to the healthy lifestyle we all aim for. Chefs are providing culinary expertise, school nutrition professionals are sharing insight as to what can be accomplished in a school setting, and kids and parents are making sure that students will choose these nutritious items in school and beyond.
But back to the voting: Fifteen recipes were chosen recently (from among 340 recipes originally submitted) to move forward as semi-finalists in the competition. Schools located across America, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio and South Carolina, submitted delicious recipes in each of three categories: whole grains, dark green and orange vegetables, and dry beans and peas. Offering more of these healthful choices to children is important because we know children eat less than 20 percent of the recommended levels of dark green and orange vegetables and less than one-quarter of the recommended level of whole grains. So these kid-friendly recipes can definitely help improve the nutrition of our kids.
Choosing a winner for the Popular Choice Award won’t be easy. That’s why it’s so important that we hear from you. The recipes are posted on the Recipes for Healthy Kids website, where you can find out more these yummy entries and if there’s one from a school near you. But don’t wait. Voting for the Popular Choice award will close May 31.
