Arizona Kids Invited To Submit Ideas For A Lunchbox Makeover

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona to select five finalists for contest

PHOENIX, Jan. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is looking for healthy lunchbox recipes. Arizona kids are invited to submit their ideas for a fresh take on take-to-school lunch through the Kids Cooking Challenge, part of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona's 2013 Walk On! program. Five top entries will be chosen based on inventiveness, potential taste and nutrition. The recipes will go head-to-head in a public vote for the grand-prize winner.

The Walk On! Kids Cooking Challenge is open for recipe submissions January 1 – 23, 2013. To be considered, each submission must:

• Be inventive, delicious and nutritious
• Be a recipe for a hot or cold main dish lunch item
• Include at least one fruit and/or vegetable
• Be able to be packed to take to school

"I love to cook and I thought the contest was a good way to show people how to make something healthy taste better," said Emily Lenz, a student from Basha Elementary School in Chandler who submitted a recipe for broccoli with raspberries in the 2012 competition.

Finalists will be paired with a local professional chef from Fox Restaurant Concepts who will help them prepare their recipes on film. The taped videos will be available online at BCBSAZ's Facebook page and at azblue.com/WalkOn for public voting from February 5 - 14, 2013. The grand-prize winner will receive a new bike and be announced on February 19, 2013 at azblue.com/WalkOn and at BCBSAZ's Facebook page.

Visit azblue.com/WalkOn for complete contest details and to submit a recipe. All entries must be received no later than Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013 to be considered.

Now in its eighth year, the Walk On! program is a consistent component for many fifth-grade classrooms around Arizona, supporting schools' efforts to teach the importance of good nutrition and physical activity. The Walk On! Challenge is a free health and fitness challenge implemented in classrooms each year in February designed to motivate fifth-grade students across Arizona to incorporate healthy habits into their daily routines for a healthier future.

The Kids Cooking Challenge is open to children ages 9 – 12, regardless of whether their class is participating in the Walk On! Challenge.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ), an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is the largest Arizona-based health insurance company. The not-for-profit company was founded in 1939 and provides health insurance products, services or networks to 1.3 million individuals. With offices in Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tucson and the East Valley, the company employs more than 1,300 Arizonans. Follow BCBSAZ at www.facebook.com/bcbsaz or on Twitter at @bcbsaz to get information on health and wellness, a knowledgeable perspective on health insurance reform, and become a part of what we're doing in your community.

SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona