The last few times we have flown, I have made sandwiches the night before and frozen them. By the time we're ready to eat, they're thawed. We've never been questioned about the food we carry on. We just buy drinks after security. We've also packed blue ice packs in our checked baggage to use for picnics later.

That's a great idea about letting the kids pick out their snacks themselves. If I have time to get them to the store before we go I will definitely do that. Oh, they are four and six years old. The six year old in particular is getting quite like a big kid and likes what big kids like. The four year old has her baby moments. The problem with counting on the snack packs is I've heard that sometimes they run out! Ack, can you imagine not having food with kids when a flight runs right across lunch time? Disaster!

I don't know about a PB sandwich, but I had a half-eaten jar of Skippy confiscated at the Lihue airport a couple of months ago. They said it was a "liquid."

Ssndwiches are fine to bring on.

Also, we bought those snack boxes United sells and thought they were quite good. I had one with hummus, pita chips, a little can of tuna salad made with oil and lemon, crackers, gouda cheese, raisins, toblerone chocolate... It was $5 and quite filling. Plus everything is individually wrapped so you can save some if you want. I much preferred it to the airline food they used to serve!

I had a block of Irish cheddar cheese, 3 apples, a box of crackers, 5 large texas shaped peanut brittle patties, 2 starbucks biscotti, a box of tea bags, a box of sweet and low. All leftovers from a week in Boston. I did not want to throw the stuff away, so I just shoved it in a bag to carry on.
The TSA has never hassled me about food and I almost always carry a couple of sliced apples, sliced cheddar and chicken salad. I have never even had them take a second look at it, no matter how much I take.

PS... I carried all that food in a carry on bag BOS to DFW, yesterday.