Seven-Day Menu Planner
9/30 FAMILY SUNDAY
The family always welcomes a
Beef Roast for dinner. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine 3 cloves minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper; press onto a 4-pound round tip beef roast. Place roast on rack in shallow roasting pan. Roast 2 to 2 1/2 hours for medium-rare to medium doneness (145 degrees to 160 degrees internal temperature). Let stand 10 minutes and slice.
Serve it with oven-browned
potatoes. Alongside, add glazed carrots (toss cooked carrots with peach preserves), a spinach salad and dinner rolls. For dessert, buy a berry cobbler and top it with vanilla ice cream.
Plan ahead: Save enough roast and cobbler for Monday. Save enough ice cream for Tuesday.
10/1 HEAT-AND-EAT MONDAY
Use the beef leftovers for a
Chef ’s Salad. Cut beef and 50 percent light cheddar cheese into thin strips. Arrange beef and cheese on lettuce-lined plates along with tomato wedges, rinsed canned reduced-sodium chickpeas, hard-cooked egg slices and pickled beets from a jar. Top with your favorite light salad dressing. Add whole-grain rolls.
For dessert, enjoy the leftover
cobbler with light whipped cream.
10/2 KIDS TUESDAY
Watch the kids smile when you serve them Honey-Brushed
Chicken. In a large bowl, combine 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon paprika. Add 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs; toss to coat. Place chicken on broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Brown chicken 5 minutes on each side. Combine 6 tablespoons honey and 2 teaspoons cider vinegar in a small bowl; mix well. Remove chicken from oven; brush with 1/4 cup honey mixture. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven and turn; brush with remaining mixture. Broil 1 more minute or until internal temperature is 165 degrees. Serve with mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables (from frozen) and soft rolls. Top leftover ice cream with chocolate sprinkles for dessert.
10/3 MEATLESS WEDNESDAY
Greek Salad Pitas (see recipe) are a great no-meat meal. Serve the pitas with baked sweet potato chips. For dessert, peaches are simple.
10/4 EXPRESS THURSDAY
For a quick meal tonight,
Three-Cheese No-Bake Ziti is hard to beat. Cook 12 ounces ziti pasta according to directions; drain and return to pot. Add 2 cups marinara sauce; cook over low heat until hot. Spoon into serving bowls; top with dollops of ricotta, shredded mozzarella and freshly grated Parmesan. Serve immediately or microwave briefly to melt cheeses. Serve with a packaged green salad and bread sticks. Tapioca pudding is dessert.
10/5 BUDGET FRIDAY
Poor Man’s Beef Stroganoff (see recipe) says it all when it comes to budgeting. Serve it over no-yolk egg noodles .Adda romaine salad and whole-grain rolls. Red and green grapes are an easy dessert.
10/6 EASY ENTERTAINING SATURDAY
Any guest will appreciate the flavors of Honey-Soy Glazed Salmon With Veggies and Oranges (see recipe). Serve it with brown rice tossed with toasted chopped walnuts, fresh broccoli ,a bibb lettuce salad and baguettes. For dessert, fruit sorbet and butter cookies go well together. Susan Nicholson is an Atlantabased cookbook author and registered dietitian. Reach her at susan@7daymenu.com. Follow Susan on Twitter: @7DayMenu. The Menu Planner is also accessible at 7daymenuplanner.com.