Peanut butter policies: Some schools across the country have banned peanut products to protect students who have severe allergic reactions, which puts the time-honored PB&J sandwich off limiits. Shipley said some schools in Utah have identified themselves as peanut-free. Others don't serve peanut products on school menus but allow students to bring them in home lunches. Some schools have a designated peanut-free table in the lunchroom.

"But the schools don't report that information to us, and policies can change, so people need to check with their individual school," said Shipley.

Fresh fruit alert: Kids like fruits in bite-size pieces, but banana and apple slices turn brown after being cut open and exposed to air. Micah Bakker, a second-grader at Windridge Elementary in Kaysville, prefers taking a whole banana and peeling it during lunch. Lexi and Kirra Jensen of Arrowhead Elementary said they like grapes or an apple.

Cut it out: You can save money by making your own Lunchables-type kits with cookie cutters, said Megan Kunz of Layton. Use cookie cutter similar in size to your crackers and cut out fun shapes in the meat and cheese.

Soup it up: Heat your child's favorite canned soup and pack it in a thermos. It will stay hot a bit longer if you rinse the thermos with hot water before pouring in the soup.

Think about the drink: Many packaged juice drinks contain lots of sugar and little juice, "and my boys got tired of them really fast," said Julie Bakker. She packs a small water bottle, "or they can just buy milk at school for 30 cents."

Have it your way: Workman said sometimes she sets out all the sandwich-making ingredients and has everyone make their own sandwiches together.

"I find shredding the cheese makes it go further, and the veggies can be tossed into salad for the evening meal if they aren't all used in sandwich prep," Workman said.

Pack it up: The best lunches are inedible if they get smashed. Julie Bakker of Kaysvile said her two sons use hard-sided lunch boxes because "the sandwiches and chips get smashed in a soft lunch bag."

To keep frosted cupcakes from getting messy, Becky Olsen of the Project Domestication Blog in Provo recommends the Cup-A-Cake brand cupcake holder to protect sweet treats. "You can buy them online for $2.99 for a single or $9.99 for a pack of four. I've also found them at Williams-Sonoma."

NUTTY PEAR-CHEESE POCKETS

1 cup chopped firm pears or tart apples
3/4 cup diced aged cheddar cheese (such as Kerrygold)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup lemon yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 whole-wheat pita breads