Life has been a tad crazy lately, so blog posts are not as regular as I’d like them to be (sad face). But that doesn’t mean we’re not testing new recipes, checking out new restaurants or generally creating chaos in the kitchen. Once the dust settles, there will be more posts. Until then, I just had to share what I think is the mother of all contests when it comes to cooking with your kids.

The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge & Kids’ “State Dinner”

Sponsored by First Lady Michelle Obama, the US Department of Education and online recipe and cooking powerhouse Epicurious, The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge invites parents and their kids (8-12 years old) to create an original lunchtime recipe that includes five food groups from ChooseMyPlate.

Judges from Conde Nast, US Department of Education and Agriculture and the White House will judge the recipe submissions. Potential winners will go through a second round of judging, which will include recipe testing. One adult-child team winner from each of the 50 states, plus the US Territories, D.C. and Puerto Rico will be flown to DC to attend the Kids’ “State Dinner” at the White House over the summer. Click here for more contest details.

I think for most of us, getting an invitation to attend a State Dinner at the White House pretty much says you're BMOC (Big Mom On Campus).  Unfortunately my kids do not meet the age criteria, so we’ll be watching from the sidelines (with envy). So what are you waiting for? Get cooking with your kids and make us all envious. Remember, your recipe must be an original creation. But here’s one of our favorite lunchtime recipes from the archives to get the creative juices flowing – Mozzarella and Ham Panini.

Good luck!