This month at Citibabes while we’re working up a sweat during our CitiFit events, we will also be working up an appetite! Thank goodness for Anni Daulter, our yummy-mummy nutritionist guru, and her magic bag of recipes that are both healthy and delicious.

With school in session (or beginning very soon), Anni has whipped up some amazing back to school lunch recipes. Her easy approach to colorful cooking (she advocates eating food in “rainbows”) fits perfectly with our approach to fitness: make it simple, make it fun. Bon appétit!

-Tracey Frost Rensky, CEO and Co-founder, Citibabes

For most of us with kids, September means back to school, and that usually means figuring out what is going to be for lunch! The mornings in my house are hectic to say the least. I have 4 kids and 3 of which need lunches made, which means I have to be organized, prepared, and quick. It also doesn’t help that all of my children like different types of foods in their lunches, but preparing good healthy tasty meals for my kids while they are away at school is very important to me. I know my children, and yours too, expend a lot of energy throughout the day and therefore need to have lunches that are filled with rejuvenating foods that give them the energy they need to play and learn throughout the day.

Lunch Leads: Take time to prep anything you can the night before. I like to chop vegetables for a stir fry or whip up a pasta sauce for instance the night before, so I can just quickly make it in the morning. It is also important to make sure to have all of your containers ready to go and your child’s lunch basket, bag or box all set to make sure the morning routine goes smoothly.  There are some great companies that make eco-friendly containers and reusable carriers that I love and recommend including Eco-Ditty, Sanctus Mundo, Life Without Plastic, Eco-Bags, Graze Organics, Kids Konserve, and Laptop Lunches.

Keep a lookout for a new book I am writing on organic lunches for kids, but in the meantime, check out the following recipes to help give your kids lunches a fresh start to a new school year!

Grace’s Daring Sesame Noodle Oodle

This recipe is named after my super daring niece. She gave it her stamp of approval, so you know it’s good! I often serve this dish with an Asian-inspired salad and baked pears for dessert. Feel free to play with the recipe by adding different vegetables. Remember to cut up the noodles for any little toddler who is just getting the hang of chewing.

Makes 4 servings

• 1 package linguine noodles
• 4 tablespoons safflower oil
• 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Juice of 1 1/2 limes
• 5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon liquid amino acids (such as Bragg Liquid Aminos)
• 3 tablespoons agave nectar
• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon wheat germ
• 2 pinches ground red pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh snap peas
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh broccoli
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro

 1. Prepare the noodles according to package directions. Drain and pour the noodles into a serving dish. Set aside.

 2. Combine the safflower oil, vinegar, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, amino acids, agave, sesame oil, chili sauce, wheat germ, and red pepper in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add the snap peas and broccoli. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Pour the sauce and vegetables over the prepared noodles. Mix well.

4. Top the dish with the scallions, sesame seeds, and cilantro. Garnish with an additional lime wedge, if desired. Serve warm with a side of mandarin oranges and a refreshing mint herbal tea.

Tennie’s Spanish Veggie Burger Bites with Flaxseed

Veggie burger bites are a perfect dinner. Kids go crazy for the flavor, and flaxseed provides extra nutrition. This dish is named after my children’s grown-up godfather because he can’t eat enough of these! The burger bites are full of bean protein and dietary fiber. You can serve them anytime of year, but they are great in the summer at barbecues and go well with sweet potato fries. Serve them chopped up for your toddler or on a bun with other fixings for an older child.

Makes 5 servings

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the baking sheets
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• Grated rind of 1 lemon
• Fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) kidney or black
• beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup dried panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon thyme

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with oil.

2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion, garlic, mushrooms, celery, and bell pepper until lightly browned. Add the flaxseed, soy sauce, lemon rind, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes and then remove the mixture from the heat.

3. Mash the beans and tomato paste together with a fork or potato masher in a large bowl. Mix in the onion mixture, egg, bread crumbs, cheeses, cilantro, and thyme.

4. Form small patties with approximately 2 tablespoons of the bean mixture. Place the patties on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until crisp. Flip the patties halfway through cooking.

By Anni Daulter, author of Organically Raised: Conscious Cooking for Babies & Toddlers and founder of Conscious Family Living