Join the 2016 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge!

Yum-o! is Pleased to Join This Year’s Healthy Lunchtime Challenge

First Lady Michelle Obama is teaming up with PBS flagship station WGBH Boston, the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to host the fifth annual Healthy Lunchtime Challenge & Kids’ “State Dinner” to promote cooking and healthy eating.

Kids can submit a healthy lunchtime recipe for a chance to win. One winner from each state or territory, and a parent or guardian, will win the opportunity to be flown to Washington D.C. and to attend the Kids’ “State Dinner” at the White House, hosted by the First Lady, where a selection of the winning healthy recipes will be served. And for the first time this year, Rachael and Yum-o! are coming along to help!

Here’s how it works:

• Kids, ages 8-12, in collaboration with a parent or guardian, are invited to create and submit an original lunch recipe that is healthy, affordable, and tasty at pbs.org/lunchtimechallenge.
• In support of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative to help kids and families lead healthier lives, entrants are encouraged to reference ChooseMyPlate.gov to ensure recipes meet the USDA’s recommended nutrition guidelines.
• Entries should represent each of the food groups, either in one dish or as parts of a lunch meal, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy.
• In addition, the 2016 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge is putting a spotlight on homegrown pride across the country and encouraging entries to include local ingredients grown in the entrant’s state, territory, or community.

“The Kids’ ‘State Dinner’ is one of my favorite events to host at the White House, and I am thrilled to announce the fifth annual Healthy Lunchtime Challenge,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “Every year, I am amazed by the healthy, delicious dishes that kids across the country create, and I am excited to see what kids cook up this year!” Check out what else the First Lady has to say:

“My Yum-o! organization and I are so happy to be a part of the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge and Kids’ ‘State Dinner’ and can’t wait to meet all the winners this summer at the White House,” said Rach.

The winning recipes will be chosen by a panel of judges that includes: Let’s Move! Executive Director Debra Eschmeyer, representatives of the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Editor-in-Chief of Rach’s magazine (Every Day with Rachael Ray) Lauren Purcell, an Executive Chef from United Airlines, previous Healthy Lunchtime Challenge winners, and Founder of Cooking Up Big Dreams Tanya Steel.

For all the official rules and how to enter, visit pbs.org/lunchtimechallenge. Good luck!