School's back in session and with it, the question that's got kids all across the country antsy with dread and anticipation: What's for lunch?

If you're lucky enough to live in a district where a school lunch looks and tastes good and your child is willing to buy it, good for you. That's one less thing you have to worry about each morning. But what if your kid's cafeteria doesn't offer as many fresh ingredients as you'd like, or your little one is oh-so-picky? Looks like you're going to have to pack.

I know, I know. Getting kids -- especially older ones -- to schlep a homemade lunch to school is a challenge like no other. But there are some tricks that will help make this daily chore more palatable for all involved. (And no, dear husband, it does not include simply denying them lunch money.) They'll also boost your chances that the meal will actually end up in their tummies instead of being traded for junk or tossed in the trash can.

Every parents knows, for instance, that it's easier to get a child dressed for school if she gets to help pick out her outfit. It's the same with a brown-bag lunch. If you include your child in the planning process, shop together for mutually appealing foods, and involve her in preparing it, she'll feel ownership.

"Children who help select items are likely to remain interested in their selections," notes school principal and author Yvonne Sanders-Butler in her book "Healthy Kids, Smart Kids" (Penguin, $14.95), "and will probably look forward to trying them."

Just as important is to let them pick out their own lunch box because no kid wants to look like a nerd.

School is stressful enough for most kids, so this is probably not the best time to spring something new on them. If you're not regularly eating vegetarian dishes, for example, you don't want to try to sneak a broccoli slaw wrap past them, no matter how delicious it looked on TV or in that new cookbook aimed at families. Believe me, the kids will notice.

But you don't have to be a complete patsy to your child's whims, either. Explain that while you're happy to include something sweet for dessert -- say, a necklace of bite-sized fruit strung together on dental floss or a container of apple sauce or yogurt or maybe even occasionally a small candy bar -- the lunch also has to include a nutritious sandwich or salad along with some dairy.

To make sandwiches more appealing for smaller appetites, make them bite-size or cut them into fun shapes with cookie cutters. For older kids, consider stuffing or spreading the ingredients between something other than bread: bagels, wraps, tortillas, pitas, rice cakes, crackers or even leaves of lettuce. Also, don't forget to pack things that can make sandwiches soggy, such as tomatoes or lettuce, into separate baggies or containers.

Also fun for kids is flattening bread slices with a rolling pin, spreading on the filling (cream cheese with jam or bits of ham are especially tasty), rolling it up and then slicing it into pinwheels.

If your child will eat a vegetable or fruit salad -- many will -- put all the essentials in small sealable plastic food containers to keep them crisp and don't forget a few crunchy croutons, dried fruit or nuts on top. Because kids love to dunk things, you might also consider trading a sandwich for veggies and dip, or apple slices and peanut butter. Or make a fruit sandwich by putting slices of your child's favorite fruit between thin slices of banana or zucchini bread.

Whatever you pack, be sure to keep perishables at the proper temperature with either an insulated lunch box, a gel cold pack or a Thermos (that incidentally doesn't just keep soup and chili warm but also chicken nuggets, pasta and mac and cheese). If your kid is the type who never remembers to bring anything home, freeze a juice box or tube of yogurt. It'll thaw by lunch time and the container can be tossed.

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Grapes are a natural for kebabs, but any firm-fleshed fruit would work just fine.

• 8 ounces roasted deli chicken or turkey, sliced 3/4-inch thick
• 8 8-ounce wooden skewers
• 16 green grapes
• 12 strawberries, cut in half lengthwise

Cut chicken into 3/4-inch cubes. To make kebabs, thread 3 pieces cubed chicken, 2 grapes and 3 strawberry halves onto each skewer in any order. Leave enough space at the bottom so kids can hold the skewers comfortably.

To wrap, lay 2 skewers on a sheet of aluminum foil and fold foil loosely over kebabs.

Makes 8 kebabs.

-- Mealmakeovermoms.com

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This sandwich is so delish, your kids won't even notice they're eating whole wheat.

• 1 tablespoon reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon honey
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
• 2 slices very thin whole-wheat sandwich bread
• 2 medium strawberries, sliced

Combine cream cheese, honey and orange zest in a bowl. Spread cream cheese mixture on bread. Place sliced strawberries on 1 piece of bread, top with the other.

Makes 1 sandwich.

-- Eating Well magazine

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Protein doesn't have to be stuffed between two pieces of bread. This easy-to-make trail mix is a great substitute for peanut butter or meat. (Hint: your kids will think it's party mix.)

• 1/4 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup cashew pieces
• 1/4 cup walnut pieces
• 1/4 cup whole almonds
• 1/4 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts
• 4 cups crispy rice cereal
• 4 cups mini pretzels
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 4 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. In a large bowl, combine pecans, cashews, walnuts, almonds, peanuts, rice cereal and pretzels. Melt butter and add Worcestershire sauce, pour over dry ingredients and mix well. Sprinkle with salt and bake on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Store in airtight bags.

Makes about 9 cups.

-- "Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children" (HarperCollins, $14.95)

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So this isn't very practical for a kid's brown bag. But parents gotta eat lunch, too.

• 1 pound flatiron or sirloin steak
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 4 chiabatta rolls
• 4 tablespoons regular or black chile mayonnaise (recipe follows)
• 2 cups peeled, cored and julienned English cucumber
• 2 tablespoons peeled and julienned fresh ginger
• 1 cup cilantro leaves
• Juice of 1 lime

Season the meat with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add steak and sear for about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the meat against the grain.

Slice rolls in half and scoop out as much bread as possible. Spread mayonnaise on the top halves. Layer sliced meat on the bottom halves and top with a generous amount of cucumber, ginger and cilantro. Drizzle lime juice on top and season with salt. Close sandwich and cut in half and serve.

For black chile mayonnaise

• 2 chipotle chiles
• 1 ancho chile
• 1 cup grapeseed oil
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Roast chilies in a cast-iron skillet over high heat, turning as they char. They will puff up and turn completely black. Remove from heat and cool.

Discard stems as well as seeds from the ancho. Transfer chilies to blender or food processor and grind until fine. Place in a bowl and combine with oil.

In food processor, combine egg yolk, garlic, lime juice, sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons water, and quickly blend. With processor at low to medium speed, slowly add chile oil in a thin and stead stream until fully incorporated. If mixture sticks, stop blender and use spatula to blend together until smooth. Use immediately or store in fridge for 2 to 3 days.

-- " 'wichcraft" by Tom Colicchio (Clarkson Potter, $27.50)