Why haven't I done this all along? Made a big batch of chicken salad or chicken curry salad ahead of time, for a quick-and-easy insert into tortillas/pita pockets for 'lunch this week'?

I sometimes buy the little raisin and nut packets to put in my sons' lunches. But one of my sons wasn't too keen on the combination---the nuts make the raisins taste like nuts, he tells me. But I will eat nuts alone... or raisins alone.

So now I buy mixed nuts... and little boxes of raisins.

And with the separation of the two, I find it easier to reach for either nuts or raisins---when I am putting together a dish. In this case, raisins came out of the box and went into this chicken curry salad. Another mixed-up appearance in lunch; do you think it makes the raisins taste like curry? Here I think the combination is fantastic: it includes sweet bites of apple, carrot and raisins with the crunch of celery and zing of green onions, curry and pepper.

This batch of chicken curry was my lunch too: I just ate it straight... with a fork... right out of the container... while standing with the fridge door open.

And my sons loved it; they always appreciate a little 'sandwich replacement therapy.' I am making this again next week:

Chicken Curry & Raisin Wraps 1 1/4 LB skinless, boneless chicken thighs (cut into 1/2 inch pieces) 2 T olive oil 2 T curry powder S&P 1/4  cup green onions 2 T finely chopped parsley 1/4 cup diced apple 3 T mayonnaise 2 T small dice carrots 2 T small dice celery 1/2 cup raisins S&P

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat (or just a tad hotter); sautee chicken until cooked through. Add curry and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and mix with remaining ingredients (adjust to taste with S&P). Store in fridge, insert into lunches at your convenience.