Big (or little) Kid lunch ideas

I've spent a lot of time browsing the web for recipe ideas.  I enjoy trying new things and my kids are somewhat difficult to please at lunchtime!  A question I often see posted is new ideas for school lunches.  Here's a few of my more creative ones :)  Originally I had grand plans to make fancy bento boxes! But I have since discovered that I do not have time to be excessively creative on a daily basis.  But I do try to do fun things when I can!

I like to serve regular sandwiches cut into fun shapes according to the season / holiday - christmas tree, snowflake, heart, circle etc.  My older son does not like crust on his bread so cutting with a cookie cutter actually saves me time and I get bonus points! Perfect :)

I also like to make quesadillas and send to school with dipping sauce. Regular cheese or chicken and cheese quesadillas cooked on the stovetop with a little oil and put in the lunchbox cold with a side of salsa are a big favorite with my older daughter.  Another big winner for everyone in my house is pizza quesadillas.  I cheat and make these in the microwave. I just take a low carb tortilla, spread a very thin layer of pizza sauce, add turkey pepperoni and mozzarella cheese, fold in half and microwave for about 30 seconds.  Then I seal the edges, let it cool and cut.  I send with pizza sauce for dipping.  They think this is a fun break from sandwiches.

I send hot foods like soups, leftover spaghetti, ravioli and even chicken nuggets in a thermos.  The kids say the food stays warm (not hot) by lunchtime.  I just put hot water in the thermos while I cook or microwave what I'm putting in there (to a hotter than normal temperature), then dump the water, dry it out and put the hot stuff in there.

Occasionally I send cheese, turkey pepperoni and crackers in their lunch box. I almost always send fresh cut fruit like assorted berries, apples, oranges etc. or in a pinch canned fruit like mandarin oranges, peaches or pineapple.

I try to use plastic containers for the lunches to reduce waste and keep life simple (the less I need to remember to buy, the better. I don't mind throwing it in the dishwasher).  I have a few of the sandwich boxes and the easy lunchbox containers that I use most often. My kindergarten son has no trouble using them.  Below is a link to the lunchbox containers I've been using. I find they fit nicely into a regular kids lunch box (or at least into my kids lunch box) and are convenient.

Best Lunch Box for Work, School, Bento Lunchboxes, Pack Fast: BPA free, single-lid, 3-compartment, bento style food containers, insulated coolers.