In collaboration with the New Orleans Home & Garden Show, Ochsner Eat Fit hosted the annual Eat Fit Junior Chef Cooking Challenge. Children ages 8-18 submitted recipes that met Eat Fit nutritional guidelines; three finalists were selected to compete in the Caesars Superdome on Saturday March 12th.
Each Jr. Chef contestant excelled in a particular category, so the Eat Fit panel of judges (which included WGNO’s own Brooke Laizer) opted to award each finalist with the ‘grand prize’ award, an on-air cooking segment with Brooke and Molly on FUELED Wellness + Nutrition on WGNO-TV’s Good Morning New Orleans! Each Jr. Chef recipe is featured on the Eat Fit mobile app, available free for download. Click on ‘RECIPES’ and type ‘Jr Chef’ in the search bar. To learn more about Eat Fit, visit www.OchsnerEatFit.com.
Caribbean Shrimp and Plantains with Pineapple Salsa & Mango Puree by Audrey Brust | 10th grader at the Brust Homeschool of Awesome
Audrey won the category of best overall wow factor with her gorgeous presentation of shrimp with plantains, topped with fresh pineapple salsa and restaurant-caliber sauce dots of mango puree.
“When I was 7 years old, I was diagnosed with celiac disease and knew then my mission was to create delicious gluten free meals. My journey of promoting gluten free meals and being an advocate for celiac disease really began when I competed on Top Chef Jr. at the age of 11(2017). This amazing opportunity afforded me the platform to speak out for all people who struggle with food allergies.
I have recently become heart health aware due to my granny’s recent heart attack and stroke. Taking part in the Eat Fit Junior Chef Challenge will allow me to continue to promote safe, healthy, and delicious food. I chose to enter my dish because it is naturally gluten free dish, grain free, low sodium, low fat, and has no sugar added.
While utilizing plant based fat, this dish also promotes eating fruits and vegetables. The shrimp in this dish is a sustainable, lean, and delicious meat. The plantains I have chosen for this dish, while they are a starch, are a complex carbohydrate. The plantains also are chock full of many vitamins and thus are nutrient dense, making them both a healthy and a scrumptious choice”
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FUELED Wellness + Nutrition is powered by Smoothie King. Learn about Eat Fit at Smoothie King; click here for the full list of Eat Fit options available at Smoothie King, proud sponsor of FUELED Wellness + Nutrition with Molly on WGNO.
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Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD is a registered dietitian + nutrition journalist in New Orleans, and founder of Ochsner Eat Fit nonprofit restaurant initiative. Tune in to her podcast, FUELED | Wellness + Nutrition and follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @MollyKimballRD. See more of Molly’s articles + TV segments at www.mollykimball.com, and sign up for Eat Fit Wellness Bites weekly newsletter, here.
