A soft tortilla spread thin with cream cheese, layered with halal deli turkey and mild cheese, rolled tight and cut into six spirals. The full recipe, for 1, 3 or 5 lunches, is in the card above.

Picky tip Leave the roll whole for kids who distrust spirals.

Mash 2 chopped hard-boiled eggs with 1 tbsp mayonnaise, a pinch of salt and, if welcome, ¼ tsp yellow mustard. Spread on 2 slices of soft bread and trim the crusts. Keeps 3 days chilled.

Picky tip Pack it in a cup with crackers for scooping instead.

Fill half a small pita with 1 tbsp cream cheese and thin cucumber slices, or with 2 slices halal deli turkey, 1 tbsp mild hummus and shredded carrot. The pocket keeps everything in place.

Picky tip Wrap it in parchment so it holds its shape.

Scatter ⅓ cup shredded mild cheddar over half an 8-inch tortilla, fold, and cook in a dry pan over medium heat, 2 minutes a side. Cool fully, cut 4 triangles and pack 2 tbsp mild salsa or sour cream.

Picky tip Add 2 tbsp shredded chicken once plain is a sure thing.

Spread 1 tbsp sunflower seed butter and 2 tsp jam on two slices of soft bread, keeping a border clear. Press together, cut with a 3½-inch round cutter and crimp with a fork. Freeze a batch; one thaws by lunch.

Picky tip Nut-free, but label it: seed butter looks like peanut butter.

8 butter crackers, 2 slices halal deli turkey cut into rounds, 1 oz mild cheddar in squares, a handful of grapes and 1 tbsp cream cheese to spread. The homemade take on a store-bought lunch kit.

Picky tip Kids build their own stacks, so they control every bite.

2 mini pitas or 4 round crackers, 2 tbsp pizza sauce in a lidded cup, ¼ cup shredded mozzarella and a few strips of mild bell pepper. Assembled at lunch, the pizzas stay crisp.

Picky tip Mozzarella sticks cut into coins work as well as shredded.

¼ cup plain hummus with dippers in their own sections: 6 pita chips, cucumber coins, 4 thin carrot sticks, a cheese stick and a clementine. Plain hummus beats flavored ones for picky eaters.

Picky tip Hummus contains sesame; whipped cream cheese is the swap.

Dip 1 lb thin halal chicken breast strips in 1 beaten egg, then in ¾ cup fine breadcrumbs with ½ tsp each salt, garlic powder and mild paprika. Bake at 400°F for 15 to 18 minutes, to 165°F. Makes 4 lunches.

Picky tip Pack 3 or 4 cold strips with ketchup; freeze the rest flat.

2 hard-boiled eggs, halved, with a pinch of salt, 1 oz cheese cubes, pretzels and apple slices. Boil a dozen on Sunday: bring to a boil, cover off the heat 12 minutes, then ice water. Unpeeled, they keep a week.

Picky tip Some kids eat only the whites, and that is fine.

Toss ½ cup star pasta or orzo, cooked in salted water, with 2 tsp butter and 1 tbsp grated parmesan. Reheat until steaming in the morning, spoon into the hot jar and add a mini muffin and a clementine.

Picky tip Stir in 1 tbsp hot water before sealing so it stays loose.

Simmer 4 cups halal chicken broth with 1 diced carrot and 1 celery stalk for 10 minutes. Add 1 cup small noodles and 1 cup shredded cooked chicken; cook 6 to 8 minutes. Makes 4 jars; boil each portion before packing.

Picky tip Strain out the vegetables for a broth-and-noodles kid.

Cook 2 cups elbow pasta, drain, and stir in 2 tbsp butter, ½ cup milk and 1½ cups shredded mild cheddar over low heat until creamy. Makes 3 to 4 jars; reheat each with a splash of milk until hot through.

Picky tip Mild white cheddar suits kids who balk at orange.

Mix 1 lb halal ground beef, ¼ cup breadcrumbs, 1 egg and ½ tsp each salt and garlic powder. Roll 24 small meatballs and bake at 400°F for 15 minutes, to 160°F. Heat 5 or 6 a jar in ½ cup tomato sauce.

Picky tip Pack a soft roll so they can be a mini sub.

Toss 1 cup cooked, cooled rotini or bowties with 1 tsp olive oil, ¼ cup diced mild cheddar, 2 tbsp sweet corn and 1 tbsp mild Italian-style dressing. Add olives or tomatoes only if they are favorites. Keeps 3 days.

Picky tip Cook the pasta just al dente so it is not mushy by noon.

Stir 2 cups cooked rice with 1 cup shredded mild cheddar, 2 beaten eggs and ¼ tsp salt. Press into 12 greased muffin cups and bake at 375°F for 18 to 20 minutes, until set. Three or four make a lunch.

Picky tip Fold in finely chopped broccoli once the plain ones are a hit.

Boil 1 cup refrigerated cheese tortellini (check the filling is cheese only), drain and toss with 1 tsp butter. Pack it cold with 3 tbsp tomato sauce or ranch for dipping, or hot in a preheated jar.

Picky tip Dipping turns pasta into finger food.

In separate compartments: ½ cup cooked rice, ⅓ cup shredded cooked halal chicken, 2 tbsp sweet corn, 2 tbsp shredded mild cheese and 2 tbsp mild salsa. Kids mix what they want, or nothing at all.

Picky tip Add black beans only for kids who already eat them.

¾ cup plain or lightly sweetened Greek-style yogurt with ⅓ cup berries. Pack 3 tbsp nut-free granola or toasted oat cereal apart so it stays crunchy, and a frozen yogurt tube as the cold source.

Picky tip A spoonful of jam on top wins over tart-yogurt skeptics.

Mash 1 small can (2½ to 3 oz) drained light tuna with 1 tbsp mayonnaise, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt. Pack it in a lidded cup with 8 crackers or cucumber rounds for scooping.

Picky tip A teaspoon of sweet relish is the next step on brave days.

Mix ½ cup shredded halal rotisserie or leftover roast chicken with 1 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp finely diced celery or apple and a pinch of salt. Pack it apart from 2 soft slider rolls so nothing goes soggy.

Picky tip Skip the celery and it is just chicken and mayo: normal food.

A mini bagel spread with 1 tbsp cream cheese, a cheese stick, cucumber coins and strawberries. Bagels hold up better than bread in a lunchbox; plain and cinnamon-raisin are the usual picky favorites.

Picky tip Pack the cream cheese in a cup if spreading it is half the fun.

Spread an 8-inch tortilla with 1½ tbsp sunflower seed butter, lay a peeled banana along one edge, roll up and slice into 6 rounds. Add a cheese stick so lunch is not all sweet.

Picky tip Make it in the morning; banana browns overnight.

Sandwich 6 silver-dollar pancakes in pairs with 1 tsp cream cheese and sliced strawberries. Add a hard-boiled egg or cheese stick and a small cup of maple syrup for dipping. Pancakes freeze well in batches.

Picky tip On breakfast-for-lunch days, make-ahead freezer breakfast burritos reheat in minutes.

Two banana or pumpkin mini muffins, 1 oz cheese cubes, a handful of grapes and a yogurt tube. Bake 24 mini muffins on Sunday and freeze them; one taken out at breakfast has thawed by lunch.

Picky tip Mini muffins feel like a treat and pack flat.

Stir ½ cup plain yogurt with 1 tsp honey and a pinch of cinnamon. Pack it with apple slices, strawberries, banana coins and 4 graham crackers; toss the apple in 1 tsp lemon juice so it stays white.

Picky tip Bright fruit in separate sections looks like a treat tray.

With wet, lightly salted hands, shape ⅓ cup warm short-grain rice around 1 tsp tuna-mayo or flaked cooked salmon. Wrap a strip of seasoned seaweed on at lunch, or skip it. Two or three make a lunch.

Picky tip Plain salted rice balls with no filling are a fine start.

Scramble 1 egg in 1 tsp oil, add 1 cup cold cooked rice, ¼ cup peas and carrots and 1 tsp halal-certified soy sauce, and stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes. Pack it hot in a preheated jar, or cold with an ice pack.

Picky tip Leave out the peas and it is just egg and rice.

Cook ½ lb diced halal chicken thighs in 1 tsp oil to 165°F, add 1 tbsp halal-certified soy sauce, 1 tbsp honey and ½ tsp grated garlic and simmer 1 minute to glaze. Serve over rice. Makes 2 lunches.

Picky tip Pack the glaze on the side for a plain-chicken kid.

Steam or pan-fry 5 or 6 frozen halal chicken or vegetable dumplings by the package directions until hot through and pack them in a preheated jar, with a dip of 1 tsp halal-certified soy sauce, 1 tsp water and a pinch of sugar.

Picky tip Cut one open at home first; a known filling is half the battle.