not another lunch

so i know summer is slowly sneaking up on us, and i do mean slowly, could it just please get here already!!! if you are like me you are itching for summer days and no more school, more importantly no more school lunches. as the school year drags on it can be hard to keep kids happy with their lunches and still keep them healthy.
 there are several great blogs out there about real lunches and all kinds of school containers that help with the packing, storing and making the not so boring lunch.  here are a couple of my favorites.
 http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/02/04/school-lunch-roundup-iii/
another great one is https://www.facebook.com/AnotherLunch
i love to browse these all the time to help me come up with new ideas. as my kids have gotten older some of these lunches don't really work for them. i tend to make a more hearty version. so i thought i'd share with you a couple of ideas on what to pack your "big" kids.
these are just a few of my kids favorites.

i am pretty lucky in the fact that for the most part my kids eat the same thing, there are small variables like my daughter prefers v8 juice and my son flavored coconut water or their choices for granola bars might be different but the mains can usually be the same. this is our sushi lunch and we do it every couple of weeks. the kids like it on hot days because it cool, light and satisfying. by the way, sushi doesn't have to break the bank a calif roll or shrimp roll split between the two of them is surprisingly affordable.

just as the sushi is for a hot day, we have favorite warm lunches for cold days. this is chili and corn bread. i always make enough of things like chili, soup and macaroni at dinner time so we have leftovers for lunch. i love these containers from aladdin because they are short and round, so they are easy to fill and perfect for the kids to eat out of.

this is what they look like closed up and they fit great in lunch boxes and do a good job keeping food warm.

this is a chicken club wrap. again leftovers are a life saver, last nights roasted chicken today chicken wrap. and yes, that is a cupcake in there with the healthy fruit and trail mix. the kids love to get home made treats as a surprise every now and then. i mean when your mom is the cupcake lady to all your friends at school you should reap the reward of having them every now and then too!
 we also do great paninis with just about any filling you can imagine. wrapped in foil in an insulated lunch box they stay warm and inviting by lunch. an all time favorite panini for both my kiddos is a ciabatta roll with tomato sauce, mozzarella and meatballs. again, there's the leftovers making my life easier.
now don't get all judgy, judgy on me. not ALL of our lunches look like this. there are plenty of those days when a good old pb&j or some sort of lunch meat sammie is perfectly acceptable. just thought i'd share a few tricks to keep you and your kiddos a little happier these last few long days of school. after all i don't know about you, but  when we hit summer, my kids will be making their own lunches at home while i sit by the pool sunning. ok, so maybe not but i can dream can't i?