Is your child an aspiring chef? For its seventh annual Walk On! Kids Cooking Challenge, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is searching for a winning recipe from junior chefs ages 9 to 12.
Arizona kids who submit a tasty, health-conscious side-dish recipe could get a new bike and prepare their original dish at a Phoenix Suns home game.
“The Walk On! Kids Cooking Challenge is one of the best ways to impress upon kids that nutrition-rich ingredients can also be great tasting,” Myrna Collins, health promotion executive at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, said in a statement. “Year after year, we are inspired and impressed with the delicious side-dish recipes our budding chefs create, and we can’t wait to see what this year’s participants bring.”
Contestants can submit recipes between Sunday, Jan. 1 and Wednesday, Jan. 25 at walkonaz.com. Recipes must be for an original hot or cold side dish that contains at least one fruit and/or vegetable and must take no longer than 20 minutes to cook (not including prep time).
Five top recipes will be chosen based on nutritional value, taste and originality. Five finalists will present their creations at a Friday, Feb. 10 Phoenix Suns home game at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. After the cooking demo, recipes will be posted online at walkonaz.com for a public vote, open through Wednesday, Feb. 22.
Briony Campisi from Phoenix won last year’s competition with her Rainbow Mango Strawberry Salad Taco recipe.
“I entered the contest because I thought I could test my limits,” said Briony, who is 11. “I’ve been cooking for a long time with my mom, and I thought this contest would be a great way to see what I could do on my own!”
The cooking contest is part of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona’s “Walk On!” challenge to educate and inspire fourth- and fifth-grade students to each day: eat five fruits or vegetables, limit screen time to two hours, get an hour of active play and drink water instead of sweetened beverages.
To enter: Visit walkonaz.com for contest details and to submit a recipe starting Sunday, Jan. 1 through Wednesday, Jan. 25.
