We're a few weeks into the school year and, by now, making school lunches has become a chore.  It's tough to get beyond the sandwich, fruit, cookie, and juice box.  The options that are available commercially (including the deli meats typically used in sandwiches) are full of fat, sodium, preservatives, corn syrup, and other chemicals.  But what are the other options?

A school lunch needs to be fast and easy to assemble, able to withstand lack of refrigerations for several hours, and not likely to get soggy.  A thermal bag with a cold pack or a thermos for hot things will expand your option, so they may well be worth the investment.

With a thermos, you can pack soups or simple pastas (a great way to get rid of leftovers).  Another fun thing to do is to pack things that need to be dipped or assembled, making lunch an art project. For example, hummus and pita triangles, a simple chicken salad (made with leftover chicken from a previous night's dinner) that can be scooped onto whole wheat crackers, small veggies that can be dipped (mix a smidge of powdered ranch dressing mix with nonfat plain yogurt is a more healthful option), pieces of fruit that can be dipped in a mixture of yogurt and jam.

What are your best ideas?