They're wraps--tortillas, lahvosh, pita and other flat breads rolled up around fillings that can be as exotic as curried breast of chicken with stewed lentils, or as simple as peanut butter and bananas.

"Wraps are for everyone, whether you're a first-time cook, a working mom in a hurry or a kid fixing an after-school snack," says Lori Lyn Narlock, coauthor with Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening of WRAPS--50 RECIPES FOR AN INTERNATIONAL ARRAY OF HANDHELD MEALS (Chronicle Books, Fall 1997).

When trying wraps at home, keep these tips in mind:

• Instead of layering the ingredients onto the wrap, as stores do, mix all the stuffing ingredients together first. This will make assembly easier.

• Make several wraps ahead of time, then freeze them individually in plastic wrap or a microwave safe container to pop into the microwave on days when time is short.

• If a child is old enough to make a peanut butter sandwich, he is old enough to make a wrap. Keep a variety of stuffings and wraps on hand for quick, nutritious, after-school treats.

• A wrap can be eaten with a fork and knife, or made portable by wrapping it in aluminum foil. Start from one end, peeling the aluminum foil down like a candy bar wrapper.

• After removing a wrap from the oven, let it sit for 10 minutes to make cutting easier.

Tracie Richardson is the author, with Monique Hooker, of COOKING WITH THE SEASONS: A YEAR IN MY KITCHEN, to be published by Henry Holt & Co. this fall.