Non-Refrigerated Lunch Items

All you brown baggers out there, I need some ideas. I've always been a "bring lunch with you" kind of person, as my mom always made out lunches for us. I was 13 before I ever went to a school that had actual school lunches. It was such a foreign concept to me and the food looked disgusting (not to mention not healthy).

My kids don't go to school since we homeschool, but we often have to leave the house and are gone over the lunch hour. I prefer to bring our lunch with us, as that saves a great deal of money. And we're getting awfully sick of peanut butter and jelly.

Does anyone have any great ideas for other protein options that don't require refrigeration? Beef jerky isn't good because my kids are usually not interested.

To make things more interesting, I've been bringing cheese and crackers, but you've got to keep the cheese cold enough. Sometimes that is a problem, especially in the warmer months. So I was just wondering if any of you out there in the ether had some good tips to share.