Meals that keep on giving, via leftovers

It seems like you've just finished washing the dinner dishes when you have to start packing lunch boxes. Does food prep ever end?

If you want to lighten your load as school begins, be a little creative when preparing dinner so you cleverly end up with lunchables for the next day.

Some foods are better suited for repurposing than others. Thinly sliced leftover steak is a treat on a sandwich. But when the lunch box is opened on Tuesday at noon, Monday night's salmon fillet won't have the same tantalizing aroma that it had when it first came off the grill.

Skip foods that need to be reheated, unless your child's lunchroom has a microwave oven, sticking to dishes that are good at room temperature. In general, leftover pasta is better the next day than rice, which will dry out overnight in the refrigerator. But not all pasta leftovers are created equal. Pasta with a tomato- or olive oil-based sauce will stay moist; pasta with cheese will congeal as it cools.

If your kids balk at eating the same thing for lunch that they ate for dinner, try disguising your leftovers. Stuff chicken into a pita pocket with salad greens and pack Caesar dressing on the side. Layer sliced brisket with spreadable cheese on a crusty roll.