buzzz worthy. . .
AMERICAN SAMOA: Breadfruit, Taro, and Garlic Chicken Trio, Amelie Chen, Age 9
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| Table decor and healthy drinks at the 2015 Kids State Dinner. Photo by Mona Austin. |
Over 1,200 entries were submitted to this year’s Healthy Lunchtime Challenge. The winning recipes were selected based on their healthfulness, taste, originality, affordability, and following USDA’s MyPlate nutrition guidance. In addition, in celebration of the MyPlate, MyState initiative, this year’s challenge put a spotlight on homegrown pride across the country and encouraged entries to include local ingredients grown in the entrant’s state, territory, or community. It was no easy task to select the winners from all of the incredible submissions this year!
On July 14, 2016, the 56 winners, representing each U.S. state, five territories, and the District of Columbia, will join First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House for the fifth annual Kids' “State Dinner.” The winners and a parent or guardian will enjoy a healthy lunch hosted by Mrs. Obama that features a selection of the winning recipes. Following lunch, everyone will head out to the South Lawn to visit the White House Kitchen Garden.
Below are the winning chefs for this year’s Healthy Lunchtime Challenge. Check back soon for a free downloadable and printable e-cookbook of the winning recipes!
ALABAMA: Green Chicken Wrap and Fruit-tacular Salad, Lael Jefferson, Age 11
ALASKA: Wrapped Alaska Denali Style and Spinach Smoothie, Denali Schijvens, Age 9
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| 2015 Kids State Dinner dishes. Photo by Mona Austin |
ARIZONA: Scarlet's Southwest Barack-A-Bowl, Scarlet Summers, Age 10
ARKANSAS: Asian in Arkansas, Lily Radtke, Age 11
CALIFORNIA: Cannon's California Rolls, Cannon Meiers, Age 8
COLORADO: Hannah's Sweet and Savory Chicken and Peaches, Hannah Skalicky, Age 10
CONNECTICUT: Springtime Lunchtime, Kalaya Moody, Age 10
DELAWARE: Caribbean Fiesta!, Jamal Bin-Yusif, Age 11
FLORIDA: Bountiful Florida Fish “BFF” Cakes, Olivia LaRochelle, Age 12
GEORGIA: Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Bolognese, Jackson Kelly, Age 8
GUAM: Quinoa-Crusted Katsu Curry with Cauliflower Rice, Grayson Giles, Age 8
HAWAII: Poke Me Ke Aloha, Kaira Grace Pan, Age 9
IDAHO: Super Stars and Stripes Salmon Patty, Jacob Russell, Age 8
ILLINOIS: West Wing Chicken with Secret Service Noodles, Maggie Smith, Age 11
INDIANA: Chicken Tikka Pita with Cucumber Raita, Shakthi Ramachandran, Age 8
IOWA: American Gothic Calzones, Lola Shorney, Age 11
KANSAS: Lentil Tacos with Cilantro-Avocado Drizzle, Joey Heidari, Age 12
KENTUCKY: One Bag Bluegrass Bake!, Will Bingham, Age 10
LOUISIANA: Sweet Savory Dip-tastic Louisiana Power Lunch, Owen Osborne, Age 8
MAINE: Quinoa Chickpea Salmon Rolls with Salad, Scout Bookham, Age 8
MARYLAND: Maryland Crab Lettuce Cups, Colby Trenor, Age 9
MASSACHUSETTS: Fit to Run Boston Marathon Cod-Potato Cake, Abby Newman, Age 10
MICHIGAN: Super Stuffed Squash, Ethan Yodzevicis, Age 10
MINNESOTA: Alexandra's Refreshing Watermelon Salad, Alexandra Steele, Age 9
MISSISSIPPI: Kickin’ Cauliflower Shrimp and Grits, Aniya Madkin, Age 10
MISSOURI: Tropical Vacation with Catfish and Quinoa, Abhijith Jenkins, Age 11
MONTANA: Bison in a Field, Brooke DuCharme, Age 8
NEBRASKA: Tasty Veggie Tacos, Lauren Hinrichs, Age 10
NEVADA: Veggie-Packed Indian Lentils, Skylar McGough, Age 8
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Teeny Zucchini Triangular Panini, Jude VanderHooven, Age 8
NEW JERSEY: Gianna's Salmon Paradise, Gianna Malecki, Age 8
NEW MEXICO: Green Chili Cheese Roll and Lime Jicama Fries, McLean Knight, Age 10
NEW YORK: Chicken Cheeseball Kabobs on Veggie Spaghetti, Danielle Mazlish, Age 10
NORTH CAROLINA: Korean Lentil Patties, Mena Choi, Age 10
NORTH DAKOTA: Red Potato Boat with 3 Bean Bison Chili, Stella Halverson, Age 8
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS: Chicken Kebab Lettuce Wraps, Fanai Staffler, Age 9
OHIO: Chicken Sausage Cauliflower Crust Pizza, Wyatt Rosengarten, Age 9
OKLAHOMA: Okie Pride Brown Rice with Chicken and Vegetables, Maya Jacob, Age 10
OREGON: All Kale Caesar!, Hannah Conte, Age 12
PENNSYLVANIA: Sunny's Omelette and Bo's Patriotic Parfait, Ava Terosky, Age 9
PUERTO RICO: Oat! My Tropical Pizza, Victor Junniel Rivera, Age 10
RHODE ISLAND: Peace in the Middle East Soup and Salad, Pablo Aizenman, Age 10
SOUTH CAROLINA: Carolina Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Salsa, Kiana White, Age 12
SOUTH DAKOTA: Catch of the Day Fish Tacos, Josh Weissenberger, Age 11
TENNESSEE: Awesome Baked Falafel with Mango Salsa, Leya Alani, Age 9
TEXAS: Tex-Mex Veg-Head Lasagna, Priya Patel, Age 10
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS: Healthy Chicken, Orin Hayes, Age 12
UTAH: American Flag Ravioli in Creamy Garden Sauce, Daniela Bergantz, Age 10
VERMONT: Go Local Lunch!, Miranda Gallagher, Age 8
VIRGINIA: Victory at Yorktown, Kathryn Duvall, Age 10
WASHINGTON: Salish Sea Kedgeree, Lukas Anderson, Age 10
WASHINGTON, D.C.: D.I.Y. Sushi, Elena Sotobashi, Age 8
WEST VIRGINIA: Grace's Supermeal: Cool Couscous and Berry Healthy Dessert, Grace Landini, Age 12
WISCONSIN: Wisconsin Cranberry Chickpea Salad, Raya El-Hajjar, Age 8
WYOMING: Chicken and Veggie Salad, Hannah Andreen, Age 11