With Labor Day here, most everywhere in the country will be back to school this week. I hear in the northeast that there is even a chill in the air. Not so here, we are sweltering in the south but we plug on to school. For the week 5 menu plan there’s lots more variety but it requires a bit of Sunday planning and preparing.

Sandwiches are a staple in many lunch boxes around the country. This week, rather than offer a sandwich, I though a nice, homemade loaf of bread would be a fun idea. This nice sandwich bread from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks is a wheat bread with a touch of honey. Tuna salad, chicken salad or a deli sandwich would all be delicious choices for this bread. With the cost of a loaf of bread it would be far more economical to make it.

Because getting out the door on school days is a priority, and you don’t want to spend all weekend preparing items for lunches, this egg salad from Daily Dish Recipes will whip up quickly. The title alone tells you it will be a breeze to make, the best, easiest, quickest, most flavorful ultimate egg salad recipe on the planet. Who doesn’t want a sandwich like that in their lunch? What I love about this recipe is how you can customize it. There are many suggestions in the post. Pair this with the sandwich bread above for a winning combination.

The strawberry lemonade I included a couple of weeks ago was so popular I went on the search for another beverage to include. Homemade apple juice from Feeding Big is much easier to make than you think. Plus with apple season upon us, they are in abundance in super markets right now, making it the perfect time to whip up a batch for a week of lunches. There are so many health benefits to making it yourself too. Check the post to read all about them.

In my opinion you can’t have a sandwich without chips. Theses Saratoga chips, or homemade chips, from Palatable Pastime can be spiced up in different ways. Season with sea salt for a traditional chip or mix it up by using some cayenne and garlic. If that’s too spicy for your taste buds, find a mixture that’s right for you.

If you’ve been reading my lunch box menu plans for the last few weeks, you know I love to bake and to include a treat with lunch. It’s difficult to put a frosted cupcake into a lunch so my mini peanut butter filled brownie cupcakes are a good choice. Because they are mini, you can add two for an extra special treat.