It's back-to-school time and, if you're already bored with all of the lunch sandwiches you're preparing for your kids, maybe it's time to spice up your own! Seasoning (whether through fresh or dried herbs) is a split-second way to improve your offerings. Steal the special sandwiches for yourself or, if you have a tot with an adventurous palate, let him in on the treats as well.

Italian hero or submarine sandwiches often incorporate spices and flavorful condiments, such as oil and vinegar, as do other ethnic sandwiches. Popular national sandwich chain shops, where customers pick their own accompaniments, also have jumped on the bandwagon. However, there's no reason plain old homemade standbys, such as turkey, ham, chicken, tuna — or even peanut butter and jelly — can't benefit from the same philosophy.

Researchers, for instance, have often named turmeric (an Indian herb in the ginger family) as one of the world's healthiest foods. I recently paired the dried spice in a turkey breast sandwich with garlic, citrus and cumin, as suggested in "8 of the World's Healthiest Spices," a roundup in Eating Well magazine. Although spices can go directly onto your sandwich's protein source, I like to secure them even further and increase the richness of the sandwich by using them as a topping for a base I've slathered on my bread, like reduced-fat mayonnaise, Dijon mustard or fat-free French dressing. All ingredients are to taste.

TALKIN' TURKEY

Spread 2 slices of sourdough bread with reduced-fat mayonnaise, sprinkle generously with dried turmeric, cumin and minced garlic. To 1 slice of bread, add thinly sliced cooked turkey breast, a spritz of fresh lemon juice and arugula and top with second prepared slice of bread.

HAM IT UP

Toast 2 slices of pumpernickel bread. Spread with Dijon mustard and sprinkle with dried dill. Top 1 slice of bread with thin slices of cooked ham, diced sweet gherkin pickles and minced red onion and top with second prepared slice of bread.

DON'T CHICKEN OUT

Split a croissant almost in half, spread with fat-free French dressing, and sprinkle with a dash of cayenne pepper, ground ginger, ground cloves and freshly ground black pepper. Add thinly sliced chicken breast and thinly sliced Roma tomatoes.

REEL IN SOME TUNA

In a bowl, prepare drained, flaked tuna with a dash of extra-virgin olive oil, dried tarragon and a dash of chili powder. Split a pita pocket and line with spinach leaves, add diced red bell pepper and tuna mixture.

PEANUT BUTTER, JELLY...AND PIZZAZZ

In a bowl, mix well peanut butter (or other nut butter) with curry powder and minced crystallized ginger. Toast 2 slices of rye bread. Spread 1 slice of bread with a thin layer of the peanut butter and preferably orange marmalade (or jam or jelly of choice) and top with second prepared slice of bread.

AFTER-WORK GOURMET COOKBOOK SHELF

Vegans sometimes are not only healthier inside, but outside as well. Skin, hair and other body parts might not just get a boost from a nutritious diet, but from treatments that are prepared without any animal products. That's the good news from vegan beauty blogger Sunny Subramanian and Chrystle Fiedler in "The Compassionate Chick's Guide to DIY Beauty." And there's no reason guys who like DIY projects (and glowing skin) might not flock to some of these "125 Recipes for Vegan, Gluten-Free, Cruelty-Free Makeup, Skin and Hair Products" as well. The fun here can range from anything from Flaxseed Hair-Styling Goop, to Rosemary-Mint Anti-Frizz Serum, to Just-Glow-With-It Spinach Smoothie Facial Mask. Bonuses: A number of the recipes, as is, if noted by the authors, or with a few added ingredients they recommend, are delicious and nutritious taste treats, too.

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.