7-Day Menu Planner
A week’s worth of quick, healthful meals for budgetminded families
SUNDAY: Prepare a roast turkey breast for family day. Alongside, add Bulgur Salad With Carrots and Almonds (see recipe), green beans, mixed greens and flatbread. For dessert, enjoy Blueberry Parfaits: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon crushed lemon cookies in each of 8 stemmed glasses. Spoon 1 ½ tablespoons (from a 21-ounce can) blueberry pie filling over cookies. Top with 2 tablespoons light whipped cream; repeat layers. Top with crushed cookies.
Plan ahead: Save enough turkey and some parfaits for Monday.
MONDAY: Make Turkey Salad Sandwiches with the leftover turkey. In medium bowl, mix 1 ½ cups diced leftover turkey, ½ cup diced unpeeled apple, ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 ½ teaspoons curry powder, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 1 medium rib celery (thinly sliced) and 2 tablespoons chopped green onions. Spread on 4 slices whole-grain bread; top each with another slice bread. Cut in half and serve with baked chips and carrot salad. Enjoy the leftover parfaits for dessert.
TUESDAY: How about Ravioli With Garlic Herb Oil for a nomeat meal? Bake 1 (20-ounce) packaged refrigerated fourcheese ravioli according to package directions; drain and return to pot. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 large clove garlic (sliced) and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper. Heat on medium until garlic is light golden; remove from heat. Add garlic oil mixture to pot with ravioli. Add 2 tablespoons minced chives and 2 tablespoons flatleaf parsley to pot; toss to coat. Serve with a spinach salad and Italian bread. Enjoy orange sections for dessert.
WEDNESDAY: If you’re from Virginia or Georgia, you may argue that your own Brunswick Stew (see recipe) is the best. Try this easy recipe and serve it with a lettuce wedge and biscuits. Chunky applesauce sprinkled with cinnamon is good for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough stew for Thursday.
THURSDAY: Heat the leftover stew and serve it over quickcooking brown rice for an easy meal. Add a packaged green salad and whole-grain rolls. Pears are your dessert.
FRIDAY: Celebrate the end of another year and serve Smoked Paprika Lamb Chops With Fresh Grape Sauce (see recipe). Add mashed potatoes, sugar snap peas and a baguette. For a special dessert, make Crepes a la Romanoff: In a blender, combine 2 cups strawberries, 1 cup plain yogurt, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Refrigerate at least one hour or until slightly firm. To assemble: Lay 1 crepe (packaged or from a mix) on each of 4 plates. Divide additional 2 cups halved strawberries and spoon down center of each crepe. Divide and spoon the sauce over strawberries. Fold one side of crepe over filling to cover, then the other side over first one to form a roll with the filling showing at both ends. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Plan ahead: Save enough strawberries for Saturday. Tip: Look for packaged crepes in the produce section or bakery.
SATURDAY: Happy New Year! Respect tradition and bring lots of good luck by serving Black-Eyed Peas With Ham. (These are some of the best ones I’ve ever eaten.) Combine 2 ham hocks (about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pounds total) with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Meanwhile, rinse and pick over 1 pound dry black-eyed peas; place peas in 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Top with ham hocks, 4 cups of the hot ham water, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 2 medium onions cut into thin wedges, 1 (14 ½-ounce) can diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers (with liquid) and black pepper to taste. Cook on low 5 to 7 hours or until peas are soft but not mushy. (I cooked mine 5 hours, and they were perfect, but it depends on your cooker.) Remove ham hocks and trim off the fat. Add meat from hocks back to the stew; mix well. Serve with collard greens and cornbread. Top leftover strawberries with chocolate syrup and light whipped cream for dessert.
THE RECIPES Bulgur Salad With Carrots and Almonds
1 ½ cups medium-grind bulgur
(not cracked wheat) rinsed 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons), divided use
¾ teaspoon coarse salt, divided use 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil ½ teaspoon ground cumin 1/8 teaspoon ground red (cayenne) pepper
4 carrots, peeled and shredded
3 green onions, thinly sliced ½ cup toasted almonds 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro Additional coarse salt and
black pepper to taste
In a large bowl, combine bulgur, 1 cup water, ¼ cup lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover and let sit at room temperature 1 ½ hours or until the grains are softened and liquid is fully absorbed.
In a large bowl, whisk remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, oil, cumin, cayenne pepper and ½ teaspoon salt together. Add bulgur, carrots, green onions, almonds, mint and cilantro and gently toss to combine. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve. (Adapted from “The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook,” America’s Test Kitchen) Makes 6 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 331 calories, 8 g protein, 19 g fat, 36 g carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 289 mg sodium and 8 g fiber. Carbohydrate choices: 2 ½
Brunswick Stew
4 pounds skinless bone-in chicken thighs, welltrimmed
2 cups unsalted chicken broth 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with chiles, with liquid
1 (16-ounce) package frozen
succotash
½ teaspoon ground black
pepper
½ teaspoon coarse salt
Hot pepper sauce to taste
In a 4-quart or larger slow cooker, combine all ingredients and 2 cups water. Cook on low 7 to 8 hours or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender. Remove bones and serve.
Makes 10 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 297 calories, 29 g protein, 9 g fat, 25 g carbohydrate, 138 mg cholesterol, 585 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1 ½
Smoked Paprika Lamb Chops With Fresh Grape Sauce
1 teaspoon smoked or regular
paprika
½ teaspoon ground black
pepper
4 boneless sirloin or other boneless leg lamb chops (about 1 ½ pounds) 1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ cup dry white wine 2 shallots, minced
½ cup unsalted chicken broth ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 ½ cups seedless red and
green grapes
1 tablespoon butter
In a small bowl, combine paprika and pepper. Rub chops with mixture; set aside.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium. Add chops; cook 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare to medium doneness. Transfer to a platter; cover to keep warm. Add wine to skillet, bring to a boil and scrape any browned bits in bottom of pan. Cook until wine is reduced to glaze, about 5 minutes. Add shallots, broth and thyme; cook 4 minutes or until reduced by half. Stir in grapes and butter; swirl to melt butter. Pour sauce over chops and serve.
Makes 4 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 363 calories, 36 g protein, 15 g fat, 13 g carbohydrate, 117 mg cholesterol, 152 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1