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OK, moms and dads. It's the start of the school year for you, too, and that means you've got homework.

No — not the math, English and social studies variety. Yours is the "What'll I pack in the kids' lunchbox tomorrow that they'll eat and is still good for them?" dilemma.

And it can be a dilemma.

You need foods that are nutritious and flavorful, and meet your children's exacting standards.

Yet kids' appetites can range from a whine ("Do I have to eat that?") to a heartfelt moan ("But I'm still hungry . . ."). And their food preferences run the gamut from peanut butter (hold the jelly, please) to steak and broiled shrimp.

What's a parent to do?

We offer you some kid-tested tips, advice from a nutritionist, some recipe ideas and some Internet resource addresses.

Our best advice: They're your kids, and you know their tastes and quirks. Do the best you can, and remember: This, too, shall pass.

Tina Gillette's children — Carlie, 8, Chandler, 11, and Cameron, 13 — offer a unique challenge: how to satisfy well-developed taste buds.

Fortunately, Gillette loves to cook and try new things. And thanks to the family's Asian background — Gillette and her husband, Darrell, are of Japanese descent — she's accustomed to cooking with a wider variety of ingredients and spices.

The three Gillette kids take turkey or roast beef sandwiches — on whole-wheat white bread — to school, possibly bags of chips — always baked — and juice boxes.

But they also take Japanese-style sandwiches resembling sushi in their lunches at least once a month, and sometimes more often. Those are the days when they practically cartwheel out the door, Gillette says.

Made of cooked Calrose rice sprinkled with tamanoi sushino (dried vinegar) and albacore tuna wrapped in musubi nori (dried seaweed), the sandwiches are easy enough for the kids to make.

The kids also like the Japanese sandwiches made with smoked salmon and cream cheese instead of tuna.

With soy sauce for dipping, they make a flavorful lunch. Add some fruit to the lunchbox, and it's a winner.

And how do their friends react when the Gillette kids break out the musubi nori sandwiches?

"Some are really jealous," Cameron says, "and some say, 'Ewwwwww!'

"But they've never tried it," he says with a small shrug, dismissing the critics.

The kids who shared their lunch likes and dislikes with us are — nutritionally speaking — not too far off the mark, said Scottie Misner, a nutrition specialist with the University of Arizona department of nutritional sciences.

Misner holds a doctorate in nutrition and is a registered dietitian.

There's nothing wrong with the foods favored by our panel of kids, Misner said. They're getting protein (meat, cheese, peanut butter); fruit, vegetables, fruit juice; and grains (bread, pretzels, chips, crackers) and milk.

A good lunch doesn't have to be the standard sandwich with sliced tomatoes and lettuce, and pickles on the side, Misner pointed out.

"Lots of kids don't like tomatoes and lettuce, because it can make (the sandwich) soggy," she said, noting that the foods can be packed separately to avoid that.

She has no objection to prepackaged foods, as long as you read the labels and make good choices.

There are small containers of fruit and individual containers of meats and pudding cups, she said.

"Even individual boxes of cereal — the whole-grain ones — can be used as dry snacks," she said.

A good lunch also can include dried fruits — apples, apricots, raisins or craisins (dried cranberries), sunflower seeds, and even pumpkin seeds. Also granola or granola bars.

One problem is that "people do tend to eat the same things," Misner said. And that can lead to boredom, a surefire appetite suppressor.

A good way to get variety into the lunchbox, she suggested, is to use different breads — "zucchini, pumpkin and raisin are good." And she doesn't have a problem with baked chips — "they're much improved" — although "you have to keep in mind that they (like pretzels) have extra salt."

Other good choices: yogurt and cubes of cheese or string cheese, a good way to increase calcium intake.

A rule of thumb for planning interesting and nutritious lunches: Keep it colorful.

Foods that are "red, bright orange, yellow and dark green all have good nutrients," Misner said. Purples — grapes and cranberries — also are good.

And good news, kids. A slice of pizza, even if it's cold, would be fine for lunch, Misner said.

It has bread, tomato sauce, cheese, maybe meat. Add some fruit to that, and it's a good lunch.

"The problem with pizza is when you eat too much," she said.

As with any foods, portion sizes are critical.

Tracey Rowley, who teaches eighth grade at Vail Middle School, has fond memories from the days when she packed lunches for her daughter, Paige, now a sophomore at Salpointe Catholic High School.

"I loved making lunches," she said. "I'm sad I don't get to do it anymore. She always liked the little notes I gave her. And she liked the variety — not the same turkey every day."

She offers these tips:

● Opt for lunchboxes that won't absorb odors and "begin to stink after a month."

● Key words: variety and visually pleasing. Be creative.

● Freeze juice boxes and use them to keep food cool.

● Every once in a while, include a little surprise. (Paige liked the pop-up Lunch Mail notes that Rowley used.)

● Keep the lunches age-appropriate. "Nothing will ruin a kid's reputation faster than a babyish lunch in middle school."

Star reader Michelle Macias offers a variety of lunchbox ideas and tips, all tested and approved by her daughter, Isabel, a first-grader.

(Pick one item from each category for a complete packable lunch)

● Hummus and avocado wrap (tortilla or wrap spread with hummus and avocado slices)

● Bean burrito (tortilla rolled with slightly mashed pinto or black beans)

● Black bean and rice salad (recipe follows)

● Peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich

● Orzo pasta salad (recipe follows)

● Pasta with tomato sauce

● Pasta with olive oil and Parmesan cheese

(With vinaigrette or ranch dressing for dipping)

● Baby carrots

● Sliced red, yellow or orange peppers

● Cherry tomatoes

● Crisp-steamed broccoli

● Berries

● Grapes

● Frozen pineapple chunks

● Sliced fresh apple, pear, orange, kiwi, apricot, plum, watermelon, cantaloupe or mango

● Yogurt

● Whole-wheat mini-bagel with cream cheese

● Homemade muffin (recipe follows)

● Whole grain crackers with peanut butter and banana

● Dried fruit with toasted slivered almonds

● Chocolate milk

● Chocolate-covered raisins

● Cookies

● Leftover dessert

Yield: 4-6 servings

* 2 cups cooked brown rice

* 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

* 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

* 1/2 cup finely diced red pepper

* 1/4 cup minced cilantro

* 1 tablespoon olive oil

* Juice from one lime

* Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients and enjoy.

Yield: 4-6 servings

* 4 cups water

* 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta

* 1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach

* 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes

* 1/2 cup sliced kalamata or black olives

* 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

* 1/2 cup feta or fresh mozzarella cheese (optional)

* 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

* Salt to taste

Bring water to boil and add orzo. Cook 10 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water and drain.

Combine pasta, spinach, tomatoes, olives, beans and cheese (if using) in large bowl.

Whisk together olive oil and lemon juice, and pour the dressing over the pasta mixture. Salt to taste.

* 1 cup all-purpose flour

* 1 cup whole wheat flour

* 1 teaspoon baking soda

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed (optional)

* 1 tablespoon wheat germ (optional)

* 1/2 cup sugar

* 1/4 cup butter, softened

* 2 large eggs

* 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)

* 1/3 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 1/2 cup chocolate chips

* 1/2 cup toasted (or not) walnuts, almonds, pecans or hazelnuts (optional)

* Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine flours, baking soda, salt, ground flaxseed (if using), and wheat germ (if using). Stir with a whisk. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer on medium speed until well-mixed.

Add eggs to sugar mixture and beat well.

Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended.

Add flour mixture; beat at low speed until just moistened.

Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using) by hand until just mixed in.

Spoon batter evenly into muffin pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center.

Cool on wire rack.

Extra muffins may be frozen until needed.