Finalists announced in Recipes for Healthy Kids competition

June 15—The finalists in the Recipes for Healthy Kids competition, a national contest to promote healthy eating among children, have been announced. The first-place winners from the Whole Grains, Dark Greens and Orange Vegetables, and Dry Beans and Peas categories will compete for the grand prize at a national cook-off event during the American Culinary Federation National Convention in Dallas on July 25.

The first, second and runner-up recipes are:

Dark Greens and Orange Vegetables

First place: Central Valley Harvest Bake; Joshua Cowell School; Manteca, Calif.
Second place: Stir-fry Fajita Chicken, Squash and Corn; Monument Valley High School; Kayenta Unified School District; Kayenta, Ariz.
Runner-up: Crunchy Hawaiian Chicken Wrap; Mount Lebanon Elementary School; Pendleton, S.C.

Whole Grains

First place: Porcupine Sliders; Intermediate District 287; South Education Center Alternative; Richfield, Minn.
Second place: Chic’ Penne; Harold S. Winograd K-8 School Mission; Greeley, Colo.
Runner-up: Mediterranean Quinoa Salad; Bellingham Memorial Middle School; Bellingham, Mass.

Dry Beans and Peas

First place: Tuscan Smoked Turkey & Bean Soup; Ira B. Jones Elementary School; Asheville, N.C.
Second place: Lentils of the Southwest; Sweeney Elementary School; Santa Fe Public Schools; Santa Fe, N.M.
Runner-up: Confetti Soup; Burke Middle and High School; Charleston County School District; Charleston, S.C.

The public also had the opportunity to vote on their favorite selection in the Popular Choice Award. The winner was the Tasty Tots recipe from Bellingham Memorial Middle School in Massachusetts. The school will receive $1,500.

The contest was launched by the USDA and first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign last September. The contest challenged teams of school nutrition professionals, chefs, students and community members to develop creative and kid-approved recipes that schools can easily incorporate into National School Lunch Program menus.

The top-ten recipes in each category will be published in a Recipes for Healthy Kids Cookbook.

“Creating and consuming nutritious meals provides a foundation for healthy lives among America’s children,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a press release. “We congratulate these teams on their hard work, creativity and dedication to improving the health and nutrition of kids across the country."

To learn more, visit the contest's website.