MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) – March 7, 2013 – The Navy is looking for recipes that are easy, healthy and created with Sailors living in bachelor quarters in mind.
To inspire a little “healthy” competition, Navy Nutrition is holding a recipe contest to compile an online barracks cookbook officials said March 6.
“This cookbook contest is meant to be a fun way to encourage Sailors to showcase the creative ways they eat well with limited resources,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Wallinger, a dietitian with the Navy Physical Readiness Office. “Many Sailors are finding ways to make easy and tasty meals, without a full size kitchen and pantry. We want you to share these ideas”.
The goal of the contest is to compile a collection of recipes that are compatible with barracks life. A recipe may consist of cooking foods in a microwave or as simple as assembling ingredients. If you are making it and it is healthful, we want it in the cookbook. Each recipe may only be submitted once, but you may enter as many recipes as you like.
The rules include a limit on the number of ingredients, pieces of equipment and recipe steps. “If you live in the barracks, you have limited storage space, limited utensils and, in compliance with housing rules, a microwave for a heating element.” explained Wallinger.
With the recipe contest running in conjunction with Navy Nutrition Month, there is also focus on nutritional value. “The number of ingredients will be limited, but there is no limit to the flavor, herbs and spices are encouraged” Wallinger continued. “We are just limiting added components such as sodium, which affects many prone to high blood pressure, and fat to keep in line with dietary guidelines. We have included an explanation on how to determine the amount of sodium and fat for each recipe in the rules.”
Entries to the contest will be accepted in seven categories, which are broken down by when you are likely to eat them, for instance; breakfast, sandwich/wrap, snack, vegetables, starchy side, main course (entree) and sweet treat.
The contest will run from now until 31 March at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time zone.