First Lady Michelle Obama, along with President Barack Obama, hosted the third annual Kids’ State Dinner at the White House on July 18, featuring healthy recipes chosen from more than 1,500 entries in the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge. The recipes featured wholesome and tasty ingredients such as squash, ground turkey, salmon, and kale, the White House blog noted.
How were those winning recipes selected? Here’s the video:
The First Lady, Epicurious, the Department of Education, and the Department of Agriculture announced the winners of the nationwide recipe challenge before the state dinner. They hope the contest will promote healthy eating among youth by shining a light on nutritious foods that also taste great.
One winner was chosen from each state and territory. Those 54 students and their parent or guardian were then flown to Washington, where they had the opportunity to sample a selection of the winning healthy recipes, the White House said.
Winners from our states were:
- Tess Boghossian, age 11, Illinois: Lincoln’s Inaugural Soup
- Esther Matheny, age 10, Maryland: Chesapeake Fish Tacos, Lemon-Basil Sorbet
“Thank you all so much for supporting your kids in this passion, and for cooking with them and for putting up with those endless messes in the kitchen,” Mrs Obama said at the State Dinner, addressing the parents.
“But I hope you all know that their success is because of your love and your constant encouragement for their creativity. So we’re just so grateful to all of you grownups who are here with us today, and I hope you’re having a good time, too.”
She also acknowledged the launching of a new program, Kids and Chefs Cook for Success, which she said could take her Let’s Move initiative to the next level and spread the word about making healthy choices so even more children can learn about nutrition.
“That’s really why I started Let’s Move,” she said. “I did it because I care deeply about the kids in this country. I really do. Not just as First Lady, but I’m a mom, I’ve got two kids. I love them, and I love you all just as much. So it’s important for me to make sure that the things I do for my girls are the same things that every kid in this country has access to.”
Even the president took a few minutes from his other concerns of the day to have a discussion about eating the occasional French fry with his wife.
It’s not about saying you can’t have that occasional treat or that occasional food you love but that’s bad for you, he said. “It’s, on a day-to-day basis, at lunches, at breakfast, at dinner, is your basic nutrition something that’s going to make you strong and make you healthy? And if it is, then having fun food that may not be perfect for you, that’s okay, too.”