BY LAUREN CHATTMAN

NEWSDAY

It seems like you've just finished washing the dinner dishes when you have to start packing lunch boxes for school the next day.

Does food prep ever end?

If you want to lighten your load on hectic school nights, make quick and healthy dinners, but also lean toward leftovers in mind when preparing supper, as well. That way, you can cleverly end up with "lunchables" for the next day.

Bear in mind, 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.

The following recipes will yield a dinner for four, and then two or three lunch-box servings for tomorrow.