From The Straits Times    |

Healthy lunch ideas, Michelle Obama-styleUS First Lady Michelle Obama has launched an online recipe contest inviting kids to submit healthy recipe ideas for lunch, as part of her Let’s Move campaign to fight childhood obesity.

Along with leading online recipe site Epicurious.com, Obama has challenged kids 8 to 12 to come up with healthy, balanced lunchtime recipes for a chance to have dinner at the White House as the guest of honor at an official State Dinner.

Families looking for healthy menu ideas all week long, meanwhile, can avail themselves of the online site ChooseMyPlate.gov, a US Department of Agriculture program which swapped out the food pyramid for a more user-friendly plate diagram.

Here’s a week’s worth of healthy lunch ideas from ChooseMyPlate, part of a balanced 7-day menu plan that clocks in at 2,000 calories and provides the recommended nutrients from all food groups.

Day 1: Taco salad
Ingredients: tortilla chips, cooked ground turkey, kidney beans, low-fat cheese, lettuce, avocado, lime juice, salsa

Day 2: Roast beef sandwich
Ingredients: whole grain bun, lean roast beef, part-skim mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, mushrooms, mustard.
Serve with potato wedges

Day 3: Tuna salad sandwich
Ingredients: rye bread, tuna, mayonnaise, lettuce
Dessert: peach

Day 4: White bean-vegetable soup
Grocery store chunky vegetable soup with pasta
On the side: white beans, celery sticks

Day 5: Turkey sandwich
Ingredients: whole wheat pita bread, roasted turkey slices, tomatoes, lettuce, mustard, mayo
Dessert: grapes

Day 6: 3-bean vegetarian chili on baked potato
Ingredients: cooked kidney, navy and black beans, tomato sauce, chopped onion, jalapeno peppers, cheese, large baked potato
Dessert: cantaloupe

Day 7: New England Clam Chowder
Ingredients : canned clams, potato, onion, celery, evaporated milk, fat-free milk, bacon, white flour, whole wheat crackers
Dessert: orange

Full recipes can be found at http://1.usa.gov/wiJQSP.