Snack Attack Contest
A contest to explore healthier snacking options through a recipe
development and cooking contest.
Bust the Myth! Snacks cannot be healthy.
Target Audience: High school culinary students
Contest Description:
Participants work in small groups and are given a snack recipe. The challenge is to make a
variation of the recipe and “sell” it to the judges and their classmates in a short live commercial,
advertising its health and snack appeal. Participants can be creative with the use of costumes,
props, visual aids, etc to make their presentation unique and entertaining.
Instructions:
The contest will take approximately two 80-minute class periods to complete. Activities should
be broken up in the following manner:
Day One:
1. Present the contest and encourage discussion of what makes foods good snacks, what
makes foods healthy, and how these qualities can be combined.
2. Participants have time to look at their snack recipe, make at least three changes to
their recipe, create a grocery list, create their commercials, and practice them as much
as they have time for.
Day Two:
3. Participants cook/make their healthy snacks for invited judges and classmates.
4. At least three judges are recommended. Judges can be food service directors, school
administrators, teachers, or other impartial people.
5. After portioning out their snacks, and providing a sample to the judges and their
classmates, students present their commercials.
6. Judges score the snacks and commercials based on the following criteria.
Judging and Prizes:
Groups are scored separately on their commercials and snacks, with the following criteria in
mind:
 Commercial criteria:
o Persuasion
o Creativity
o Identify a memorable name for snack
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o Clarity of commercial as far as what they are selling and how they present it.
Snack criteria:
o Creativity – Note that students must make at least three changes to their recipe.
o Health Appeal
o Snack Appeal – easy to make, grab-and-go, eat, or store.
o Tastiness
Extra Point: Use at least one ingredient off the local list.
Two winning teams are crowned in each culinary class – one for the best snack and one for the
best commercial. Prizes should be awarded to the winning teams for both categories.
Tips:
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This contest requires a high level of involvement and planning to run, but is well worth
the effort!
Be sure to create a list of local foods that are available in your area during the time of
contest so that students can use these while developing their recipes.
When participants are creating their shopping lists for the cooking part of the process,
support them in calculating the amount of ingredients actually needed to make enough of
their snack for the class and judges. All basic snack recipes provided yield enough for 25
people to have a sample.
If you have access to video equipment and technical support, it can be fun to record the
students’ commercials to show other classes.
Resources included:
 Release forms for optional videos
 6 basic snack recipes
 Judging rubric
 PowerPoint presentation
Snack Attack Contest Video Release Form
(One release form for each person appearing in video)
Contest entrant –please collect all signed release forms and include them with the
submission.
I, __________________________, hereby give permission to ______________________
to use my name, and the “Snack Attack” commercial in which I appear, in any electronic
and print publications, websites, and events.
Signature _______________________________________ Date____________________
Signature of parent/guardian for actors under age 18: _____________________________
Six Basic Snack Attack Recipes
1. Quick & Easy Kale Chips
Taste servings: 25
Delicious, healthy & easy baked kale chips.
Ingredients
1. 1 bunch of kale, washed and dried
2. 2 tbsp olive oil
3. salt to taste
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove the center stems and either tear or cut up
the leaves.
2. Toss the kale and olive oil together in a large bowl; sprinkle with salt.
3. Spread on a baking sheet (or two, depending on the amount of kale). Bake at 300
degrees for 15 minutes or until crisp.
http://paleogrubs.com/kale-chips-recipe
2. Homemade Granola with What’s in Your Pantry
Taste servings: 25+
Ingredients (Ratio)
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4 cups oats
2 cups any mix of chopped nuts and/or seeds
1 cup mix of dried fruit (chopped roughly, if large)
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1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup syrupy sweetener or mix thereof (honey, maple/golden/Karo syrup, etc.)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Prep a baking sheet. (Line it with aluminum foil if you want the easiest cleanup
ever.) Grease it a little.
3. Mix your coating (oil & syrup) in a small saucepan and put over low heat. (You
don’t have to hover.)
4. Pour your 4 cups of oats and your 2 cups of mixed nuts & seeds into a large bowl.
(Don’t add dried fruit.) Toss it around a bit.
5. Check on your coating. Is it bubbling yet? If not, turn the heat up a little until it
does. Once it’s bubbling…
6. Stir the coating, and pour it over the oat mixture.
7. Stir adding a little kosher salt as you go.
8. Pour it in the pan, spread it out, and put it in the oven.
9. Bake it until it’s golden (about 30 minutes), stirring every 10 minutes or so for
even crunchiness. (Note, it may be a little on the soft side until it cools.)
10. Add dried fruit and let it cool, then store it in an airtight container.
http://ambertheblack.com/no-recipe-easy-homemade-granola/
3. Healthy Banana Muffins
Taste servings: 24+ (makes 12 muffins)
Ingredients
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3 ripe bananas, peeled
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a deep mixing bowl mash up the bananas.
Add the egg, vegetable oil and vanilla. Mix together.
In a separate bowl or plate mix the flours, sugar, salt and baking soda.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix gently with a wooden
spoon until well combined. Do not overmix.
6. Transfer to a greased muffin tin and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick
inserted in the center come out clean.
7. Once done, transfer on a cooling rack to cool.
8. Enjoy!
http://www.sonisfood.com/2013/01/basic-banana-muffins.html
4. Basic Hummus Recipe
Taste servings: 25
What to buy: Make sure to buy roasted, not raw, tahini. If you’re not sure which is
which, check the label for roasted sesame seeds.
Game plan: The hummus can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Ingredients
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1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium garlic clove, peeled and smashed
Juice of 1 medium lemon
1/4 cup roasted tahini
1/4 cup water, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
Salt
Instructions
1. Place beans, garlic, half of the lemon juice, tahini, water, olive oil, and a big pinch
of salt in a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and process until smooth.
2. If the hummus is too thick, pulse in more water, a tablespoon at a time, until the
desired consistency is reached.
3. Taste, adding more salt and lemon juice as needed.
4. To serve, place in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
http://www.chow.com/recipes/28598-basic-hummus
5. Healthy 5-Ingredient Granola Bars
Taste servings: 25
Ingredients
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1 cup packed dates, pitted (deglet nour or medjool)*
1/4 cup honey (or substitute maple syrup or agave for vegan option)
1/4 cup creamy salted natural peanut butter or almond butter
1 cup roasted unsalted almonds, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten free for GF eaters)
Instructions
1. Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). They
should form a "dough" like consistency and may roll into a ball.
2. Optional step: Toast your oats in a 350 degree oven for ~15 minutes or until
slightly golden brown. Otherwise, leave them raw.
3. Place oats, almonds and dates in a bowl - set aside.
4. Warm honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour
over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.
5. Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8x8 dish or other small pan lined with
plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily. (A loaf pan might work,
but will yield thicker bars.)
6. Press down until uniformly flattened. Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and
let set in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden.
7. Remove bars from pan and cut into 10 even bars. Store in an airtight container for
up to a few days, or freeze to keep them extra fresh.
Notes
*If your dates don't feel sticky and moist, soak them in water for 10 minutes then drain
before processing. This will ultimately help hold the bars together better.
http://minimalistbaker.com/healthy-5-ingredient-granola-bars/
6. Classic Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Taste servings: 25
Ingredients:
2/3 cup water or milk (milk for a creamier smoothie)
2/3 cup pineapple juice
1 1/3 cup yogurt
3 bananas
4 cups frozen strawberries
Directions
1. Put ingredients in the order they appear into blender
2. Begin pulsing the blender and move to full blending when the majority of chunks are
gone.
3. Pour into cups, garnish with slices of banana and strawberry.
Variations:
If you prefer fresh strawberries, then use them instead. Add about a cup of ice until you
get the consistency you like.
Snack Attack Contest Judging Rubric
Name of Judge: _____________________________________
Date: ______________
Group Members: _________________________________________________________________
Snack: ______________________________
COMMERCIAL: Category and Number of Points Possible
Your
Score
Persuasive (0-5 points):
Commercial was persuasive and made the snack more appealing.
Creativity (0-5 points):
Students created a commercial that was unique and entertaining.
Memorable Name (0-5 points):
The students created a memorable name for their snack, which was clearly
stated.
Clarity (0-5 points):
Commercial was easily understood and clearly communicated the intended
message.
Total (0-20 points)
SNACK RECIPE: Category and Number of Points Possible
Creativity (0-5 points):
Changes to recipe were creative and differed in at least three ways from the
original recipe.
Health Appeal (0-5 points):
Snack increased/ maintained it’s healthiness in the changes made to the recipe.
Snack Appeal (0-5 points):
Snack had qualities that identified it as a “snack food”, such as easy to eat, make,
grab-and-go, or store.
Taste (0-5 points):
Snack tasted good and was enjoyable. I would eat this snack again.
Extra Credit! (0-1 points):
Group used at least one ingredient from the local list in their recipe.
Total (0-20 points [+ 1 extra credit])
Your
Score