Shaun, there are several things on that list that The Picky One would eat and The Little Gourmet would go nuts for - thanks for the ideas! Terri - I will also be making your Pizza Rolls they look fantastic and I am going to make it even easier on myself and pick up a ready made pizza dough at our local pizza shop. Here is another list from a few years ago where I have found inspiration. It is similar to Grainlady's link, but there are a few differences. 14 Fresh Brown Bag Lunch Ideas Pasta Lover's Lunch Salad. Pack a cold pasta salad and a plastic fork, and your pasta lover will love you, too! Make your salad with lean meat or low-fat cheese (so it has some protein), lots of vegetables to boost fiber and nutrition, and use a whole-grain blend pasta, like Barilla Plus. Then just drizzle some light vinaigrette over the top and toss. Pita Pocket Sandwich. Pack your whole-grain pita pocket with chicken Caesar salad, or any other lean meat or cheese filler mixed with vegetables and dark green lettuce. The Fruit and Cheese Plate Special. Make crispy cracker sandwiches with whole-wheat crackers, slices of assorted cheese, and lean meats. Don't forget the fruit, which goes nicely with the cheese and adds fiber and nutrition. Peanut Butter Fun Pack. Pack 1/8 cup of natural-style peanut butter, along with a plastic knife or spoon, wheat crackers, and celery sticks, and you have a peanut butter fun pack! Bagel With Cream Cheese, Please. Bagels are a wonderful foundation for hardy sandwiches that stand up to being in a backpack or locker all morning. You can toast a bagel in the morning and simply spread some light cream cheese in the middle. Or make a bagel sandwich with, say, a little light cream cheese, some turkey, and cranberry sauce, then top it off with alfalfa sprouts or Romaine lettuce. Carry a Cobb Salad. Plastic containers can hold the makings of a delicious salad lunch. Fill it with chopped green lettuce, chopped hard-boiled egg, light cheese, and/or lean ham. You can buy packets of light dressing, or just use extra packets of light salad dressing left over from your last trip to the fast-food chain. It's a Wrap! Wraps are a nice change of pace from the usual sandwich. Use one of the new higher-fiber tortillas, like the multigrain flour tortillas available in most supermarkets. Then fill 'er up with chicken Caesar salad or assorted lean meats, cheese, tomato, sliced onion, shredded Romaine lettuce, and light dressing. Just roll it up and wrap in foil. Noodle Soup Cups. Many schools offer a hot water dispenser so kids can add hot water to packaged noodle soup cups. Some brands are higher in sodium and fat, and lower in fiber than others. Check out the options in stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. Veggie Sushi. Not all kids will go for this one, but there are some out there who really like seaweed-wrapped sushi rolls. You can now buy pre-made sushi at many supermarkets, too. Choosing the veggie-filled sushi means there's no chance the sushi will get a little "fishy" while it's in your kid's backpack. Toss Some Taco Salad. If taco salad is a favorite, you can pack the meat mixture tossed with the shredded cheese, tomatoes, and chopped Romaine lettuce in a plastic container. At lunchtime, your child can add crunchy, reduced-fat tortilla chips and a little light dressing. Fried Rice Can Be Fun. When made with eggs or chopped lean ham and lots of veggies, cold fried rice can be a satisfying noontime treat. Make your own, or plan on leftovers the night before if you're ordering from a restaurant. Talk About Taquitos. I started doing this last year, and it seems to have stuck with my girls. I pop some Bean and Cheese frozen Taquitos from Whole Foods into my toaster oven in the morning, then let them cool. Then, I wrap them in foil and make sure they stay cool by packing a frozen juice box or small water bottle. By noon, they are cold, fun finger food. BBQ Chicken Sandwich. Your child can assemble a yummy BBQ grilled chicken sandwich fresh at lunchtime. Just pack a grilled, boneless, skinless chicken breast (you can make it in your indoor grill the night before) with some lettuce and sliced tomato in one baggie, and a whole-wheat bun in another. Add a packet of BBQ sauce to the lunch bag, and it's good to go. Meal Muffins. Certain types of muffins work as a lunch entr. If you bake them over the weekend and keep them in the freezer, you just have to pull one or two out in the morning. By lunch, they are nicely chilled and ready to eat. Try ham and cheese muffins, Mexican Cornbread muffins, or quiche muffins (quiche filling, baked with or without crust in a muffin pan).

Here's the recipe. It's from an old KC Restaurant, Stephenson's that no longer is open (after more than 50 years in business) STEPHENSON'S GREEN RICE CASSEROLE Ingredients 3 cups cooked white rice 1 cup finely chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley 3/4 cup cheddar cheese shredded 1/3 cup chopped white onion 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 clove garlic, minced 2 eggs, beaten 1 14 1/2-ounce can evap milk (they now come in 12 oz. size) 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon 1/8 teaspoon paprika (for garnish) Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 inch square baking dish In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked rice, parsley, cheese, onion, bell pepper and garlic. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Then whisk in milk, oil, salt, seasoned salt, black pepper, lemon juice and zest. Add to the rice mixture and toss until well mixed. Transfer to the baking dish, sprinkle top with paprika, and bake for 45 minutes, or until it's bubbly and as firm as a soft custard.

I will sometimes pack lunch for SO. Not often,but when I do he likes tuna or chicken salad with crackers. If I ride in the truck with him I'll do a homemade version of lunchables. Easy for us to eat,no heating necessary. I like eating like that. Cold meats,cheeses,olives,nuts,hard boiled eggs or devilled eggs,chips or veggies with dip, lots of finger foods. Always something sweet. I like those Jif to go cups too. My mom use to pack my lunch for kindergarten. I remember how she would pack a little container of cherry pie filling for me. (Don't judge,it made my day. I HATED school from my first day to my last. The pie filling made it bearable) I didnt like sandwiches because the bread was always soggy so she would pack the bread and meat separately for me to put together myself. My favorite food to make ahead and eat cold is homemade pizza . Best. Breakfast. (or lunch) Ever. I have never liked pasta salad but if your kiddos do then that might work. My nephews like cold leftover quesadillas in their lunches. (Of course,they also like cold mashed potato sandwiches so.....) Another siblings kids like when she makes "roly polys",which are basically sandwiches is. She takes some sort of Arabic or Lebanese flatbread,I forget what it's called, puts whatever the kids want on them,rolls them up and cuts them into pieces so they look like sushi. One of her kids likes turkey,avocado,shredded carrots and hummus,the other likes ham,cheese,lettuce,pickles and mustard. The filling possibilties are endless. You could do them with tortillas too I guess. My mom was a terrible cook and did not like to cook at all and still packed my lunches until I started eating the school lunch. I love to cook,and believe I am quite good at it. As my mother did not enjoy cooking, all 6 of her kids were self taught cooks,and we are all good cooks. But,as we were all BUSY,with school,sports,clubs,the required volunteer work for school,plus the fact we all started working at age 15,and most of us had some sort of racket before then to make money(I shampooed carpets and cut grass around the neighborhood) my mother was happy to help. In the summer,we were on our own for breakfast and lunch everyday. Seriously. Cherry pie filling.

I wonder if you set it into some hot tap water for a couple minutes to see if it will release placed upside down. Then into another safer tin. Then no worries. Years ago I froze some leftover thanksgiving stuffing in a pyrex to have a few weeks later with a roast chicken dinner or some similar meal. Just never did that again. Way before the internet but we knew about thermal shock. Did it without thinking. Fast forward to last summer. I put a favorite cast iron on a cheap coil single electric burner for cornbread in the workshop used for things like linseed oil for woodworking, etc. Never used for cooking but it was rainy and a chilly day. Cold cast iron, hot coils. Cracked immediately. (it was on low and not red hot) yet obviously too hot. Soggy pie is better than no pie if it cracks.