Lunch Lessons

For years I tried to understand: Why, oh why, was I sent to elementary school with the world’s worst lunches?

There were thick, plain, soggy sandwiches of avocado or egg salad or cream cheese and grape jelly--always cut on the diagonal, making them hard to hold. Sliced pears grew brown and mushy, plastic juice bottles always leaked and canned fruit cocktail appeared almost daily in a reused margarine tub. Everything was protein-rich, healthy and absolutely unappealing.

On aesthetics alone, I couldn’t trade with the other kids. No way. They savored their homemade PB&J; sandwiches, and the pizzas, fish sticks and nachos from the school cafeteria. I longed for their lunches, no matter that I carried my beloved Holly Hobbie lunch box or, later, paper lunch bags decorated with funny cartoon drawings by my dad. They didn’t contain the “right” goods: no Twinkies, Fruit Roll-Ups or--gasp!--chips.

Today I recognize the nutritional value of the school lunches I struggled to eat, and the fickleness of kids’ tastes. It’s a challenge packing a lunch they’ll like day after day, despite myriad cookbook suggestions and the seemingly endless array of prepackaged options--such as Lunchables--on supermarket shelves.

Now I know that the trick is to try variations on a theme. My dream school lunch would have been a “wrap,” a sandwich of any flavor combination rolled in a large tortilla. Ten-inch flour tortillas work best, and some come seasoned. Sun-dried tomato tortillas have a reddish hue, and the spinach variety is green-tinged--the colors adding a fun factor.

As for the fillings, go for versatility: A shredded chicken/cheddar/lettuce/avocado wrap one day can become a smoked turkey/provolone/sweet relish wrap the next. The spreads may change daily as well--from simple mustard, salsa or salad dressing to more adventurous pesto, aioli or hummus. The result is a fresh-tasting, non-boring and--shhhh, don’t tell--good-for-you meal that spans several essential food groups.

Parents have long been familiar with this all-in-one lunchtime concept. Early children’s cookbooks emphasized using a variety of sandwich fillings and alternating ingredients as needed. These small-sized books were designed to fit in the hands of young cooks, who would help mother in the kitchen and learn by her example.

In the 1916 edition of “When Mother Lets Us Cook,” by Constance Johnson, a page titled “School Sandwiches” offers a few helpful tips: “Various fillings can be used; any kind of cold meat, chopped up fine, cheese, jam, jelly, or slices of hard boiled egg.” Then there’s a 1920 account with no fewer than 36 options for fillings. Although some of the suggested combinations seem out of touch for today’s kids (caviar, lemon juice, grated onion and paprika), others do not (chopped ham and sweet relish). There also are ideas for mixtures that include (not necessarily together) olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, oranges, nuts and bacon.

Similarly with a wrap, experiment with the fillings--and let the kids help choose them. Chances are, they’ll make their own dream lunch come true.

Smoked Turkey Wrap

Makes 1 serving

1 10-inch-diameter flour tortilla (plain or flavored)

1 tablespoon Caesar dressing

1 romaine lettuce leaf, stem removed

1 ounce thinly sliced smoked turkey

4 thin slices Roma tomato

2 thin slices Monterey Jack or Swiss cheese, or 1/4 cup shredded cheddar

2 thin slices avocado

Heat the tortilla in the microwave oven for 5 seconds to soften it slightly (this will aid in rolling). Spread the tortilla with Caesar dressing to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Place the lettuce horizontally in the middle of the tortilla. Arrange the smoked turkey, tomato, cheese and avocado on top of the lettuce. Fold in the left and right sides 1 to 1 1/2 inches toward the middle. Starting at the bottom, tightly roll up the tortilla. Cut in half and seal in plastic wrap.