Well, unfortunately, I am now behind on the menu plan due to the fact that my family and I had to evacuate for Hurricane Irma a couple of weeks ago. We came home to some major damage (the house was OK) that took many phone calls to the insurance company. Then, well, life happened. It’s really hard to catch up once you’re behind. It was a trying and stressful time and I’m happy to be getting back to a normal routine. So, with no further ado, on to the Week 6 menu plan.
As the weather starts to get cooler, as it has in some parts of the United States, hearty lunches are in order. What’s great about this crockpot cheeseburger casserole from Dizzy Busy and Hungry is you can make it on a Sunday without worrying about taking up precious oven space. Heat it up before packing it in a thermos for the lunchbox. This is a dish you will want to pack in your own lunch. Filling and hearty with pasta, vegetables and protein.
If you’ve seen previous menu plans you know I like to include a nice snack in the lunchbox. My mini apple muffins with oatmeal streusel topping were a hit here. The powered sugar glaze is optional but puts them over the top. A couple tucked in to lunch makes for a sweet treat as well as a yummy snack. There are nuts in these muffins but they can be omitted if there are allergy concerns. They are also perfect served with a main dish salad.
Which brings me to a fresh and fun fall dinner salad, that also works for lunch, from Cooking with Carlee. This salad has greens, fruit in the form of fall apples and chicken as the protein. You may be wondering how to keep the apples from browning before lunch time. One trick is to toss cut apples with lemon juice. It’s the acid that keeps them from browning when exposed to air. Some feel they can taste the lemon so I’ve actually started using apple juice. Same effect without a strong taste.
This is such a versatile idea from Daily Dish Recipes. Tuna stuffed tomatoes can be made in mini form (think appetizer) with cherry tomatoes for tiny hands or one larger tomato for older kids who have mastered utensils. Actually, depending on your child, you may need to include two larger tomatoes! Not a fan of tuna salad? Swap it out with chicken salad. This is a nice, no bread, alternative for lunch. Plus, who doesn’t love mini food? Easy to handle, easy to pack in the lunch box and fun to eat.
You may have seen that this past week was #AppleWeek. This apple oatmeal cookie from Jolene’s Recipe Journal was a cookie she shared for apple week 2016. Cookies that start with a cake mix are a winner in my book. When you read the recipe, Jolene gives you another option for a variation. I love options because they keep the ideas coming and lunch box items don’t get boring. This recipe makes quite a few and will keep for a few days in an airtight container.
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 
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 strawberry lemonade I included a couple of weeks ago was so popular I went on the search for another beverage to include. 
In my opinion you can’t have a sandwich without chips. Theses 
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 
School is in full swing here. I’m hoping you enjoyed last weeks lunch fare suggestions. This week’s school lunch box menu plan is jam packed with more goodness including sandwiches, salads and a sweet treat that could double as a snack!
Amy’s Cooking Adventures shows us that bagels are not just for breakfast. The 
I don’t know about your kids but mine always love something to go along with their sandwich. They get that from me, I’m sure. Usually it’s chips but sometimes it’s pretzels or Goldfish crackers. 
When kids head back to school it’s usually still blazing hot in many places. It’s nice to have a no-bake treat in your repertoire. 
If you’ve had a crazy week and are feeling the pressure of getting a treat made, try my 
I also live in a family that loves applesauce. It was a frequent staple in my kids lunch and it’s served with just about every meal I make, except pasta. I was so happy to find this homemade 
Welcome to the inaugural post of my weekly School Lunch Box Menu Plan. Where I live school starts in August. I know many places start after Labor Day (lucky you) so some of you may think it’s far too early to start thinking about back to school. But, really, it’s not. If you send your child to school with a homemade lunch every day, by mid year you are probably running out of ideas. You and your child are more than likely bored with the choices and there’s still half a year left. The idea behind my new weekly School Lunch Box Menu Plan is to give you and your child lots and lots of options for everything from snacks to sandwiches to soups (for cooler weather) and sweets. I plan to post the weekly ideas over the weekend so you can shop and plan. As more and more weeks are added there will be more opportunity to mix and match. The plan is a minimum of 5 recipes a week. My hope is to offer variety for all tastes but also include at least one sweet treat, maybe more. Most of all I want to share recipes kids will actually eat. Be sure to subscribe to emails so you don’t miss one weekly post.
In all my years of making lunches for my boys, I’ve found that if the food was fun, they would eat it. This leads to my two next features. The first is 
The next fun feature is for fruit and comes from my blog. I can’t even begin to tell you what a hit these 
The Savory Tooth has a 
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a lunch box staple for many kids. To be totally honest, I was never a PB&J fan but I did love just a peanut butter sandwich. I think I had one just about every day in my childhood lunch box. It was funny when, a few years ago, I reconnected with my childhood best friend on Facebook. One of the first things she asked me was if I still ate peanut butter sandwiches with out the crust. I do! But I leave the crust on now. Because PB&J’s are near and dear to many I love this cookie from Jolene’s Recipe Journal for 
This post contains affiliate links meaning if you purchase through the link I will receive a small commission. When my son was in elementary school he was tired of the run of the mill sandwiches. I was desperate to find something he would enjoy in his lunchbox. Now this is a kid who will eat just about anything and will try just about anything at least once. I thought and thought and it finally came to me – why not make one of my favorite appetizers into a hot lunch for him. I pitched him the idea of mini BBQ meatballs. He was totally game.
