In this article:
Roast Chicken-Filled Pita with Pear & Pecan Cream Cheese
Yogurt-Mint Fruit Salad
Yummy Apple Bars
Sweet Roasted Carrot Soup

Kids and adults will rave about these portable lunchtime treats.

The start of the school year is just around the corner, which means getting back into the morning routine of commandeering the family through breakfast, getting dressed, making lunches and getting out the door in time for the first bell or work.

Preparing lunches I know won't get traded away for a bag of chips can be a culinary feat. For my son, Alex, a picky seventh-grader, I'll roll up turkey and cheese, then round it out with crackers and fruit. Savannah, a third-grader, is more adventuresome: She enjoys the variety of textures and flavors of the chicken pita here, and loves the apple bars we like to make together.

With just a bit of organization, you can keep lunches varied and your mornings under control. For example, make the fruit salad the day before, chill it, and pack it cold along with a sandwich. If you can incorporate just one of these recipes into your lunch box or your children's, it will make the midday meal something to celebrate.

Roast Chicken-Filled Pita
With Pear & Pecan Cream Cheese

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 75 minutes to roast chicken

4 cups roasted chicken pieces, white and dark meat*
8 ounces cream cheese (use 1/3 less fat, if desired)
2 ribs celery, cut in 1/4-inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
2 ripe pears, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsps. fresh thyme, chopped
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted at 350 degrees for 5 minutes
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 (5 1/2-inch) pitas, cut in half to form pockets
3 large romaine leaves, cut in long julienne strips

* Use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, or roast your own: Rub a 41/2-pound roasting chicken with 1 tsp. olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Roast at 375 degrees about 75 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Let sit at least 10 minutes to allow the chicken to reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees. When cool, remove meat, discarding skin, bones and any visible fat.

Beat the cream cheese in a mixer or food processor until very soft. If using a mixer on low speed, add the celery, pears, garlic, thyme and pecans and mix well. If using a food processor, transfer the cream cheese to a bowl and fold in these ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well. Fold the chicken into the cream cheese mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed. Fill the pita halves with about 1/2 cup of chicken filling and top with some of the romaine. The filling keeps up to 2 days, refrigerated.
Serves: 6 if serving 2 halves, or 12 if serving a single half.
Nutrition per pita half: 259 calories, 16g protein, 11g fat (3.5g saturated), 24g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 670mg sodium.

Yogurt-Mint Fruit Salad

Prep time: 20 minutes
1 cup green or red grapes, washed and cut in half
1 cup honeydew melon, cut in 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/6 of a medium melon)
1 cup cantaloupe, cut in 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/4 of a large melon) 1 cup seasonal berries or other seasonal fruit (peel and cube large fruit, such as pears)
3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsps. fresh mint, chopped
1 tsp. orange juice concentrate, thawed
Grated zest of 1 orange
Pinch of nutmeg

Place the fruit in a large bowl and toss well. Set aside. Combine the yogurt, honey, vanilla, mint, juice concentrate, zest and nutmeg. Toss the dressing with the fruit and mix well. Refrigerate until cold. This will hold in the refrigerator up to 2 days. Because the salad must be served cold, pack in a Thermos jar or a container with a cold pack.

The fruit salad also is great topped with granola, toasted nuts or coconut (pack separately in a small container so the topping stays crisp). Modify the recipe by taking advantage of fruit that is in season or that looks best at the market. This recipe can easily be doubled.
Serves: 4.
Nutrition per serving: 176 calories,
3g protein, 1g fat (0.5g saturated), 41g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 42mg sodium.

Yummy Apple Bars

Prep time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup graham flour*
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup butter (2 sticks), in 1/2-inch pieces
Filling:
5 apples, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch pieces
2 tsps. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Topping:
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), in 1/2-inch pieces

* Graham flour is coarsely ground whole-wheat flour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor or a mixer with a paddle blade, pulse the flours, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until combined. With the motor running, add 1 cup butter and process until a dough forms. Press the dough into a well-greased 9-by-13-inch pan. Bake for about 10 minutes, just until the dough sets. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Lower heat to 350 degrees.
To make the filling, combine the sugar, flour, vanilla and spices in a small bowl. Toss the mixture with the apples until the apples are evenly coated. Spread evenly over the cooled crust.

To make the topping, place the butter, sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl or mixer, and mix just until the topping barely comes together. Crumble the topping over the apple mixture, and bake in a 350-degree oven for about 40 minutes or until the apples are tender and the topping is brown.

Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into 2-by-2-inch bars.

Serves: 24 bars.
Nutrition per bar: 218 calories, 12g fat (7g saturated), 2g protein, 2g fiber,
26g carbohydrates, 50mg sodium.

About the author: Caprial Pence, the host of a popular cooking show on PBS, runs Caprial's Bistro in Portland, Ore., with husband John Pence. Her fifth cookbook is Caprial Cooks for Friends (Ten Speed Press, $27.95).

Sweet Roasted Carrot Soup
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes

1 Tb. vegetable oil
1 large onion, cut in 1/2-inch dice (1 generous cup)
6 large carrots (about 1 pound), cut in 1/2-inch dice
1 1/2 cup apple juice or cider (or substitute 1 cup dry sherry plus 1/2 cup mirin wine for adult tastes)*
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsps. chopped fresh ginger root
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock or broth
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Sour cream, for garnish (optional)

* Mirin wine (sweet cooking wine made of sake, sweet rice and rice malt) can be found in Asian markets and some grocery stores.

Place oil in a large sauce pan or stock pot and heat until smoking hot. Add onions and carrots, immediately reduce the heat to medium, and let the vegetables sit for about 3-5 minutes before stirring. Stir when brown, then let them sit again for about another 3-5 minutes .

Cook the carrots and onions until the onions are golden brown about 15 minutes total. Add the apple juice or cider ( or the sherry and mirin) and cook until about 1/2 cup of liquid remains. Add garlic, ginger and stock and cook until the carrots are very tender, depending on the size of the carrot, about 10 minutes. Add the cream and cinnamon and simmer for about 15 minutes.

With a hand blender purée the soup until smooth . Or transfer soup in small batches to a blender or food processor, and puree until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. This soup can be served hot or cold depending on the weather. I like to garnish with a spoonful of sour cream on top of the soup (pack in separate small container with a cold-pack if you are sending in lunchbox). Makes about 5 1/2 cups.

Caramelizing or roasting the carrots and onions in the beginning of the soup making process will really bring out the sweet flavors. Make a double batch of the soup and freeze half for a later date when you donŐt have as much time.

Serves: 4
Nutrition per serving: 342 calories, 5g protein, 22g fat (11g saturated), 33g carbohydrates, 6g fiber, 1,073mg sodium.

Photo Credit: BRIAN LEATART for USA WEEKEND