7day menu planner
SUNDAY: Serve the family Honey- Orange Glazed Ham today. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place a 2- to 3- pound fully cooked boneless ham on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast uncovered 30 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 140 degrees. Meanwhile, mix together 1 tablespoon orange juice, ¼ cup honey, ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves. Baste ham with mixture the last 10 minutes of roasting. Let stand 5 minutes; slice and serve. To accompany the family favorite, make your own scalloped potatoes and steamed fresh broccoli. Buy apple cobbler for dessert and top it with whipped cream. Plan ahead: Save enough ham and cobbler for Monday.
MONDAY: Make Fancy-Schmancy Ham and Cheese Sandwiches. In small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise. Spread half of mayonnaise mixture on 4 slices Italian bread. Layer each slice with 1 ½ ounces leftover ham slices and ¼ cup shredded gruyere cheese. Sprinkle with black pepper. Spread remaining mayonnaise mixture over each remaining bread slice. Place bread, mustard sides down, on top of sandwiches. In shallow dish, whisk together 2 whole eggs and ¼ cup milk. Dip both sides of each sandwich in egg mixture. Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray on medium. Add sandwiches; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. ( Adapted from Cooking Light: Dinnertime Survival Guide by Sally Kuzemchak; Oxmoor House, 2014.) Add a romaine salad. Warm the leftover apple cobbler for dessert.
TUESDAY: You can make Tomato Soup With Spinach and Corn in no time. Prepare 2 ( 10- ounce) cans condensed tomato soup according to package directions, using skim milk. Add 1 ( 10- ounce) package frozen ( thawed and squeezed dry) chopped spinach and 1 cup corn kernels. Heat through. Serve with a lettuce wedge and cheese toast. Enjoy strawberry ice cream, topped with chocolate syrup, for dessert. Plan ahead: Save enough chocolate syrup for Thursday. Save enough ice cream for Friday.
WEDNESDAY: This Baked Eggplant and Polenta ( see recipe) was a hit and is going into our permanent collection of recipes. Serve with steamed green beans and an arugula salad with red onion rings. Add whole- grain bread. For dessert, plums are perfect.
THURSDAY: There’s nothing like a good meatloaf to perk up your wallet, and Barbecue Meatloaf ( see recipe) fills the bill. Serve with oven fries and zucchini. Make cornbread. For dessert, enjoy Chocolate Swirl Pudding. Prepare instant vanilla pudding and swirl leftover chocolate syrup over the pudding. Top with whipped cream. Plan ahead: Save enough meatloaf for Friday.
FRIDAY: Show the kids how you can use magic to redesign the leftover meatloaf into Barbecue Tacos. Crumble the leftover meatloaf, heat and spoon into warmed taco shells; top with shredded lettuce and any shredded cheese. Serve with vegetarian baked beans. Leftover strawberry ice cream is a favorite dessert, especially with fresh strawberries on top.
SATURDAY: Any guest would welcome Seasoned Chicken With Artichokes ( see recipe). Serve with linguine tossed with freshly grated parmesan and chopped parsley and a packaged Italian- mix salad and baguettes. For dessert, coconut layer cake is perfect for your guests.
THE RECIPES
Baked Eggplant and Polenta
1 ( 1 ½ - pound) eggplant, peeled and cut lengthwise into 8 slices
1 ( 26- ounce) jar marinara sauce, divided use
8 ounces part- skim shredded mozzarella cheese, divided use
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 ( 17- or 18- ounce) tube ready- to- heat polenta, cut into 20 slices
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Coat both sides of eggplant slices with cooking spray. Place on a baking sheet and bake 20 minutes or until tender.
Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Place 4 slices eggplant in bottom of a 9- by- 13- inch baking dish. Spread with 1 cup marinara sauce; sprinkle with ⅔ cup mozzarella and 1 tablespoon parmesan. Repeat once. Top with polenta slices, remaining sauce and both cheeses. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes or until bubbly and cheese melts. Makes 6 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 235 calories, 14 g protein, 8 g fat, 26 g carbohydrate, 27 mg cholesterol, 599 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1 ½ .
Barbecue Meatloaf
½ cup chopped onion
1 pound ground turkey breast
½ pound lean ground beef
½ cup dry bread crumbs
½ cup PLUS 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, divided use
2 tablespoons less- sodium Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Microwave onion 1 minute on 100 percent power.
Combine cooked onion, turkey, beef, bread crumbs,
½ cup barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic and thyme; mix. Spoon into a 9- by- 4- or 5- inch loaf pan. Brush with remaining barbecue sauce. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 degrees. Drain fat. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Slice and serve. Makes 10 slices. Nutrition information: Each slice contains approximately 157 calories, 14 g protein, 5 g fat, 12 g carbohydrate, 46 mg cholesterol, 216 mg sodium and no fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1.
Seasoned Chicken With Artichokes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 to 1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ cup dry white wine OR unsalted chicken broth
½ cup unsalted chicken broth
1 ( 14- ounce) can water- packed artichoke hearts, quartered and drained
1 ( 19- ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Heat oil in a large skillet on medium- high.
Flatten chicken to an even thickness. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Add chicken to skillet and cook 6 to 8 minutes, turning once. Remove chicken to plate and cover with foil. Pour wine ( if desired) and broth into pan and bring to boil, stirring to loosen any brown particles that may have accumulated on bottom of pan. Boil 4 to 6 minutes to reduce liquid by half. Add artichokes and beans; cover and cook 3 minutes or until heated through. Return chicken with accumulated juices to pan; add pepper. Cover and cook 2 to 4 more minutes or until chicken is 165 degrees. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Makes 4 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 300 calories, 31 g protein, 7 g fat, 24 g carbohydrate, 73 mg cholesterol, 583 mg sodium and 6 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1 ½ .