"I love to help my dad grow vegetable and fruits in our home garden, and I love to help my mom use those veggies in different ways with our cooking," recounts Jasmy. "My favorite dish is this spaghetti with lots of vegetables and shrimp cooked in lemony sauce. I like to eat this with fresh fruit or a fruit smoothie." - Jasmy Mavilla, age 8, Kansas
"My name is Anabel, and I live on a farm with chickens, turkeys, five acres of asparagus, and two gardens," says Anabel. "I mixed some of my favorite things from our farm, and voilà! The best thing to have with veggie pancakes is blueberries or grapes so you have all the colors of the rainbow on your plate at once. Almost every weekend you will find me in the kitchen because I love to cook.
Posted by Sophie McKinney Han, Indiana on July 15, 2014
"My dad grew up in Honolulu, so at our house we eat a lot of Asian meals. My parents want me to eat vegetables and try new and different foods; however, when I tried spinach, I wasn't too crazy about it on its own," says Sophie. "My mom and I thought of a creative way to add spinach in this dish because it is so nutritious.
Posted by Tess Boghossian, Illinois on July 15, 2014
"We chose to make a soup inspired by Abraham Lincoln's inauguration," says Tess's mom, Deborah. "After some research, we learned a brunoise soup was served for dinner. We wanted to pay tribute to Lincoln's inauguration, but add more nutritional value than the soup originally served by adding whole grains and lean protein.
"My mom and I were attempting to make a quick, healthy, and easy dinner, and we came up with this recipe," recounts Katie. "Both my brother Timmy and I modified it to make sure it was a complete meal and tasted fabulous!!! We both love to cook!
"In my third-grade class we study about Hawaiian culture. I thought it would be a great idea to create a recipe that combined local Hawaiian foods with the foods of my family's ethnic background," says Grady. "We have been studying about the Hokule'a (a voyaging canoe) as it takes its journey around Polynesia, which is what inspired this delicious meal.
"This recipe has evolved with my family learning about trying new foods and tastes," says Lily. "We started with only a few of the spices and then added the cinnamon and cloves for a tastier dish. We have also experimented with different dried fruits and veggies to add in. We have even wrapped the mixture into lumpia wrappers along the way." - Lily Vinch, age 8, Guam
"At my school, I have always enjoyed when we have outdoor grilled lunches. But as a vegetarian, there is not really much for me to eat, as the menu is always hot dogs and hamburgers," says Mira. "I decided to create a healthy, delicious, and vegetarian grilled lunch. Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike will devour this scrumptious meal!" Mira likes to have this with a spinach and dried-cranberry salad and frozen mango-banana smoothie.
Posted by Gabriel Medina, Florida on July 15, 2014
"I came up with this fish recipe because I love fish," notes Gabriel. "In this recipe that I invented, I also included other foods that I love, which are tomatoes and mushrooms. When I eat fish, I like it simple with not a lot of stuff, so that is why I decided to make it in a paper bag so it could cook in its juices. While it was cooking in the parchment paper, I also included the side--potatoes.
Posted by Maxwell Wix, District of Columbia on July 15, 2014
"My dad makes something like this for dinner a lot, and I love to take the leftovers to school the next day for lunch," says Maxwell. "I modified his recipe to make it healthier, adding different grains and more and different vegetables. I would serve some plain 2% Greek yogurt drizzled with honey with this dish, because it completes the meal with some dairy.
"Well, I am both Chinese, from my father's side, and Irish, from my mother's side. My mom loves shepherd's pie, and I love the taste of Chinese food," says Roisin. "So, one day while eating shepherd's pie I thought, "What if I used ground turkey instead of beef. I bet it would be delicious! And it was!" Roisin likes this Get Your Goat for dessert. - Roisin Liew, age 9, Delaware
Posted by Cecilia Vinas, Connecticut on July 15, 2014
"I came up with my dish by thinking about a food that a lot of Americans enjoy--I came up with a hamburger,” says Cecilia. “Next I thought of how I can make this dish healthier but still taste really good. I thought of a quinoa base for grain with chicken for a lean protein, then kale and potato for veggies." - Cecilia Vinas, age 10, Connecticut
Posted by Kiana Farkash, Colorado on July 15, 2014
"I made grilled salmon because it is one of my very favorite dishes," says Kiana. "I made the salad because it is very colorful and it reminds me of spring. I like warm, tropical places, so I decided to serve this with a tropical breeze smoothie because it reminds me of our family trip to Florida. I used farro because it's a healthy whole grain and I like the nuttier flavor it has!" - Kiana Farkash, age 8, Colorado
Posted by Genene Savall Wedd, California on July 15, 2014
"I love cooking with my mom. It is fun spending time with her and talking about my day," says Genene. "This is one of my favorite recipes because it reminds me of Ethiopia, my birthplace, and is a very healthy meal for my body. We added our favorite traditional ingredients together to create this comfort food to suit our tastes.
Posted by Michael Lombardi, New York on July 15, 2014
"My grandparents take me out for Chinese dumplings for a good report card,” says Mike. “We wanted to make a healthy version at home. Kids like finger foods, so I decided to make this fun. My aunt must eat gluten-free, so we used tamari instead of regular soy sauce. To complete a MyPlate-inspired meal, I would serve this with steamed broccoli and a glass of low-fat milk." - Michael Lombardi, age 11, New York
