Food

This frittata keeps your palate guessing with plenty of flavour and textural contrasts. Farro is an ancient grain with Mediterranean roots and a wonderful chewy texture. However, you could also use spelt or wheat berries. Traditionally made from sheeps’ milk and goats’ milk, halloumi is a firm and salty cheese originally hailing from Cyprus. If unavailable, feta can be substituted.

Packed with chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes and pesto, this frittata has a definite pizza vibe. You’ll have extra pesto, so use it in pasta dishes, as a sandwich spread, or even as a garnish for creamy soups. The arugula pesto can be made up to three days in advance.

Sweet potato and kale team up to give this frittata a powerful antioxidant punch. Consider grating sweet potato in order to cook the orange spud in a flash. The frittata is also excellent with grated Gruyere or even soft goat cheese in lieu of Parmesan. If serving with a fiery salsa, omit the red chili flakes.

The ultimate cool-weather beverage gets a lift from soothing chai tea and aromatic ginger in a picnic-perfect hot apple cider.

No picnic is complete without dessert. Gluten-free buckwheat flour adds a floral note to cinnamon-spiked apples in this hand-held, seasonal favourite.

Rethink the traditional picnic sandwich with these crowd-pleasing quesadillas, loaded with fall flavour.

Kale is the ideal base for a packable salad, as it only benefits from being made ahead.

Serves 8

Serves 12

Serves 8

Serves 4

Makes 12 rolls

Makes 10 wraps

Serves 4

Makes 12 rolls

Serves 2

Serves 1

This recipe is for kids of all ages. You can replace the cilantro with a handful of spinach, arugula, or lettuce. To save time, you can buy unsalted, roasted sunflower seeds, but the flavour won’t be as fresh. Extra sunflower butter will keep for up to three months in the fridge.

These roll-ups can be a little messy to eat, so they’re better for teens than young children, but the endless variety of healthy toppings can be customized to make them a sure hit.

This dish is aimed toward older kids. For a gluten-free version, replace pitas with a bed of quinoa. You can buy pickled beets, but choose ones without artificial colours or preservatives added. You can also buy tahini sauce or make your own, along with the yogurt sauce and pickled beets in advance. The beets will taste even better after several days of marinating.

These Japanese onigiri rice triangles can be filled with anything—peanut butter and jelly, leftover chicken, sustainable canned salmon, or fresh fruit. Make in advance and refrigerate overnight. For a recess snack, shape onigiri into 1 1/2 in (4 cm) balls instead of palm-sized triangles. Pack two different kinds for lunch so the flavours are a surprise.

What makes this better than macaroni from a box? Real cheese! Delicious hot, sent to school in a Thermos, you can also send this as a cold macaroni salad. To increase the vegetable content even more, add a cup of broccoli, peas, or diced carrots to the pasta-cooking water five minutes before draining.

Served with warm pita bread, this is a meal in itself. It also makes for a winning dip to serve a crowd when entertaining.

(pictured with Harvest Pecan Pumpkin Hummus, left)