Ochsner Eat Fit Jr. Chef Challenge | Top 3 Finalists – CJ Calhoun

Posted: Apr 6, 2022 / 06:10 AM AST

Updated: Oct 25, 2022 / 10:41 AM AST

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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 12^th.

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.

Sweet Heat Tacos by CJ Calhoun | 5^th grader at St. Alphonsus 

CJ won the category of best flavor profile with his savory tacos with a subtle sweet heat.

““I was inspired to make these tacos after participating in the Ochsner Eat Fit CHOP cooking class at Son of a Saint. I love to cook at home, and I wanted to submit one of the recipes that I made with Mr. Leo (my Son of a Saint mentor).

This recipe is Eat Fit-approved because it doesn’t have any added sugar, plus I used whole wheat tortillas. The tortillas and avocado have a lot of fiber, and I used a low sodium seasoning. I even used the leanest ground beef so these tacos are low in saturated fat.”

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.

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.