First Lady Michelle Obama to Be Featured on August 2011 Cover of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

DES MOINES, Iowa and NEW YORK, July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Better Homes and Gardens announced today that First Lady Michelle Obama will be the cover subject for its August issue, as well as the focus of a feature article on healthy eating for children. The August issue is available on newsstands beginning July 19, 2011.

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Reaching close to 40 million readers every month, Better Homes and Gardens is the largest-selling consumer magazine in the country. Through its nearly 90-year history, the magazine has shared ideas for raising healthy families, nutritious eating and home-grown foods.

The August cover story continues this conversation about the benefits of good eating and the importance of raising healthy families, key elements of the First Lady's Let's Move! campaign. To provide more support for families, Better Homes and Gardens has created a "Veggie Love" kid's cookbook app for the iPad and iPhone, as well as a free downloadable cookbook for kids available at BHG.com.

"Michelle Obama has provided inspiration and help to moms across the country, and we want keep the conversation going about this important national cause," says Editor-in-chief Gayle Butler. "Her visionary decision to create a White House garden as a teaching platform is a perfect complement to the magazine's recent focus on edible gardening to produce healthy, home-grown foods."  

In May 2011, the magazine joined the First Lady in Washington, where they co-hosted a picnic for area fifth-graders that featured kid-friendly dishes inspired by vegetables grown in the White House Garden. The in-book feature includes an extensive interview with Mrs. Obama as well as a vibrant photo spread of the day.

"The First Lady is honored to be the first person in decades to appear on the cover of such a beloved magazine," said Kristina Schake, the First Lady's Communications Director.  "She is thrilled to share the story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Let's Move! with the millions of Americans who read Better Homes and Gardens.  Through the garden tips and healthy recipes, it's a story that demonstrates that the tools for a healthier future are fun, easy and delicious."

To accompany the August cover story, Better Homes and Gardens has created a variety of online tools to help readers incorporate healthy eating habits into their home, including:

• The new Veggie Love Cookbook app for the iPad, which features 50+ family-pleasing, vegetable-centric recipes. It's available now for 99 cents in the iTunes store and will be on the iPhone later this summer.
• A free vegetable garden plan inspired by the White House vegetable garden, which includes plans for a spring garden as well as one for summer planting. Available at www.bhg.com/whitehouse.
• A downloadable recipe booklet for children, as well as downloadable patterns and instructions for hosting your own tasting picnic for kids. Available at www.bhg.com/whitehouse.

About Better Homes and Gardens

Reaching nearly 40 million readers every month, the Better Homes and Gardens brand extends across the web, tablet, mobile, broadcast, broadband and numerous licensed products, serving and connecting women who are passionate about their homes and the lives they create there. A Meredith publication, Better Homes and Gardens inspires women to dream and gives them the confidence to move from dreaming to doing.  For more information, please visit www.bhg.com.

SOURCE Meredith Corporation