The Bariatric Foodie "Play with MY Food" Cooking Contest

So you know how I'm always telling you to "Play with your food"? Well now it's time for you to play with mine!

We're celebrating some important milestones here in the Foodie Nation. Our Facebook Page recently exceeded 5,000 Likes and we've got more than 1,000 Foodies on Twitter (which, considering my egregious Twitter neglect, is quite impressive!).

To celebrate I wanted to do a fun contest with big prizes. So here's how we're gonna celebrate: a cooking contest!

But don't worry, it's SO not complicated. In fact, for many of you it involves something you've probably already done - playing with one of MY recipes!

Here's how it works:

Step One: Choose one or more of the following three popular Bariatric Foodie recipes to remix any way you like. Please note however that it DOES have to be recognizable as having started as the original dish (so no turning taco casserole into a chocolate cake!).

• Taco Casserole (And if you need some inspiration here's how one Foodie has already remixed it!) Be creative! It doesn't have to be taco or even Mexican. Perhaps there's another carb-heavy dish you'd like to transform into a layered casserole. OR perhaps you like the concept of the Taco Casserole but don't want it to be a casserole. My point here is...PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!
• Egg-chilada : Again, play with the recipe! Maybe you again don't want a Mexican theme but a French or Italian. Or perhaps you'd like to make an egg into some other kind of concoction. PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD! 
• Wildcard: Invent OR Remix a protein shake! All wildcard means is that you don't have to base your recipe off of a Bariatric Foodie recipe. But that's where the limitation ends. It does NOT have to be a shake but it DOES have to contain protein powder!!! Again, PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!

Step Two: Starting on July 24 you can submit your entry (a photo + your recipe/remix) to: bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com. You must submit your entry no later than July 31!!!!

Step Three: I've picked an esteemed panel of judges to look over your selections. They'll be judging your recipes on the following criteria:

• Originality
• Does the recipe seem appealing?
• Nutritional value (meaning is it high in protein? are the carbs/fats beneficial)
• Clarity of recipe (is the recipe easy to understand? seem easy enough to make?)

On August 5 we'll let you know the three (3) finalist recipes they are considering for the prize. From there they will choose a winner's dish which they will cook and review for a blog post here on Bariatric Foodie! The winner will be announced on August 9!

So what's the prize? 

Well initially I wanted to give away a "BF Starter Kit" containing all the items I use frequently on the blog that require a special order, but you know what...scrap that! Instead the winner of each recipe category will win a $50 Amazon gift card to use however you like!

Because maybe you don't want sugar-free syrup and Atkins Mix. Maybe you want a new book. Or a blender. Or thingamajigee. So I'm not going to micro-manage YOUR pleasure! 

And if you don't win, take heart. You know I'm always looking out for you! Everyone who submits a recipe will be entered to win a free box of Quest bars in the flavor of their choosing! Plus everyone's recipes will be made into special BF recipe cards, available to the entire Foodie Nation as a free download, with credit to YOU for the recipe.

Let's just review the timeline here for clarity:

• July 25 - July 31: Submit photos + recipe to enter the contest
• August 5: the three finalists in each category will be announced
• August 9: the winner of each category (who will win a $50 Amazon gift card) will be announced.

So...I'm giving you a headstart here. Look at the recipes. Think of some ways to switch it up. And then starting on July 24 PLAY WITH MY FOOD!!!

(By submitting an entry to this contest you are affirming that you have read, understand and agree to the Bariatric Foodie Rules for Promotions & Giveaways. Might be a good idea to glance at them!)