We do:

Mon - sun butter/jelly sandwich
Tues - mini bagel w cream cheese
Wed - pasta w/ shredded cheese
Thurs - veg hot dogs or nuggets (sometimes a sandwich again)
Fri - pizza (from school, but I have also sent my own)

They also get a fruit and a snack/treat. If they say they are hungry, I add a cheese stick or yogurt

do your kids like tortellini? We are in a kosher-no meat school and our kids love to take cheese tortellini in a Foogo thermos once per week. One kid like pesto, the other red sauce. Very easy. Couple that with a fruit, a handful of Pirate Booty and milk box and lunch is done.

other favorite "mains" include Dr. Praeter's fishes (room temp is fine for them), fake chicken nuggets, sunbutter/jelly sandwich. I make a veggie baked ziti every few weeks and freeze it into lunch-size portions. I defrost, heat for a couple of minutes and also put into the Foogo thermos. On occasion when we have muffins around I will do a blueberry muffin, blueberry yogurt and blueberries (they love blueberries). My kids would eat sunbutter/jelly sandwiches every day if I let them but I try to limit it to 2x per week so they don't get bored.

Mac and cheese with peas lasts in the Foogo as well. oh and room temp pizza. They like that one too.

Good luck! There were a bunch of lunch forums in the general parenting forum at the start of the school year. Those might help.

other things at room temperature sound awful to me too

Not meant as a insult, but don't you put one of those frozen ice packs in your child's lunch?

DS loves loves loves quesadillas.

Wrap sandwiches also used to be a hit, though he's kind of soured on them lately.

Anonymous wrote:Why do you have to have ideas. It is a school lunch, not a Top Chef competition. Don't stress.

Leftovers
peanut butter & jelly (sunflower, almond, whatever)
chicken nuggets
turkey pepperoni
chicken salad sandwhich or with crackers
fish sticks
fruit
carrots
veggies

Of those my kid would eat only the pb&j. quite frankly, all the other things at room temperature sound awful to me too.

Takes a bit of practice but... cook short grain rice the night before, and make california rolls in the morning, both my kids love them and I like having them for lunch too.

Also frozen cheese tortellini take a few minutes to cook in the morning and my kids always eat them.

Romaine lettuce, ham and cheese for lettuce wrap sandwiches.

I totally get where you are coming from, I HATE making lunch.

Why do you have to have ideas. It is a school lunch, not a Top Chef competition. Don't stress.

Leftovers

peanut butter & jelly (sunflower, almond, whatever)

chicken nuggets

turkey pepperoni

chicken salad sandwhich or with crackers

fish sticks

fruit

carrots

veggies

I did deconstructed sandwiches today, too - squares of bologna and cheese with crackers (but I will have to try that pancake idea!). Other lunches this week will include hot dog, mac & cheese, and perhaps buying one day. I, too, have given up this week! I plan to come back in 2014 refreshed with new and healthier ideas

I give my kids deconstructed sandwiches - squares of do turkey, cheese stick and a pancake cut into quarters in a small Tupperware container and some type of fruit.

As a fall back, I send hard boiled eggs or eggs that I microwave with milk in small glass cups and then cut I to cubes. But my preschool warms up lunches. I include a slice of quartered bread or pancake.

My kids are getting pasta with shredded cheese in a container with Goldfish and applesauce. Done and - they'll eat it!!

That's it. I'm totally and completely out of ideas. Sigh. Four more days to go.