7-DAY MENU PLANNER
Sunday (Family)
Buy a HAM to bake for the family, and accompany it with this RICE, ZUCCHINI AND CORN CASSEROLE (see recipe). Add a ROMAINE SALAD and WHOLE-GRAIN BREAD. Make or buy an APPLE PIE for dessert and top it with VANILLA ICE CREAM.
Plan ahead: Save enough ham for Monday, enough pie for Tuesday and some ice cream for Saturday.
Shopping list: ham to bake, canola oil, zucchini, onion, eggs, brown rice, canned corn, canned chopped green chiles, 50% light cheddar cheese, crumbled queso fresco cheese or crumbled Greek feta cheese, romaine, whole-grain bread, apple pie, vanilla ice cream.
Monday (Budget)
Be money-wise and prepare CHICKEN CORDON BLEU BAKE (see recipe) for a low-cost entree. Serve it with MIXED GREENS and SOURDOUGH BREAD. For dessert, FRESH PINEAPPLE is light.
Plan ahead: Save enough chicken bake for Tuesday.
Shopping list: red potatoes, canned condensed less-sodium less-fat cream of chicken soup, 1% milk, chicken breast tenders or strips, fresh broccoli florets, Swiss cheese, fresh parsley, garlic, mixed greens, sourdough bread, fresh pineapple.
Tuesday (Heat and Eat)
Heat the leftover CHICKEN BAKE, and dinner is ready in no time. Add GREEN BEANS and WHOLE-GRAIN ROLLS to round out the meal. A slice of leftover PIE would be good for dessert.
Shopping list: green beans, whole-grain rolls.
Wednesday (Meatless)
I’m always looking for an easy recipe for risotto, and this microwave recipe for TOMATO-BASIL RISOTTO (see recipe) caught my attention. Serve it with a SPINACH SALAD with hard-boiled EGG
WEDGES and RED BELL PEPPER RINGS. Add CHEESE TOAST. For an easy dessert, try ORANGE SECTIONS.
Shopping list: unsalted vegetable broth, dry white wine, fresh basil, olive oil, shallot, arborio rice, tomatoes, coarse salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, fresh spinach, eggs, red bell pepper, cheese and bread for cheese toast, oranges.
Thursday (Express)
You can have a quick dinner with ASIAN SAUCE OVER PENNE PASTA. Cook a 16-ounce package of frozen Asian vegetables according to directions. Stir in 1 cup bottled peanut stir-fry sauce; spoon over cooked penne pasta. Serve with a packaged GREEN SALAD and BREAD STICKS. KIWIS are good for dessert.
Shopping list: packaged frozen Asian vegetables, bottled peanut stir-fry sauce, penne pasta, packaged green salad, bread sticks, kiwis.
Friday (Kids)
Have fun with the kids by making a SLOPPY HOT DOG night. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a skillet on medium. Cook ½ cup chopped yellow bell pepper for 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in ½ cup barbecue sauce, 1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce and 1 pound lowest-fat lowest-sodium hot dogs (cut into ¼-inch pieces). Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon into 8 split whole-grain hot dog buns.
Serve with CARROT and CELERY STICKS. Add a MIXED BERRY SMOOTHIE. Combine 1 pint raspberry sorbet, ¾ cup raspberries, ¾ cup blackberries, ½ cup blueberries and 2 cups 1% milk in a blender. Puree until smooth, strain seeds and serve.
Tip: Use fresh or frozen berries — no need to thaw.
Shopping list: canola oil, yellow bell pepper, barbecue sauce, no-salt-added tomato sauce, lowest-fat lowest-sodium hot dogs, whole-grain hot dog buns, carrots, celery, raspberry sorbet, fresh or frozen raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, 1% milk.
Saturday (Easy Entertaining)
Make it a casual entertaining evening with WESTERN BURGERS on the menu. In a large bowl, combine 1 pound ground beef (93% lean or leaner), 1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and minced), 2 teaspoons minced onion, 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Lightly shape into four ½-inch-thick patties. Place patties on grill over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, turning occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees (7-9 minutes on medium preheated gas grill). Place each burger on a large lettuce leaf. Evenly top with onion, tomato, and avocado. Wrap lettuce around burgers.
On the side, add DILLY POTATO SALAD. Cook 1½pounds quartered red potatoes in boiling water 5 to 6 minutes. Cut ¼ pound fresh green beans into 1-inch pieces; add to potatoes. Cook 2 minutes more; drain. In a large bowl, toss potatoes and beans, 1 (2-ounce) can sliced black olives (drained), ¼ cup thinly sliced celery and ¼ cup chopped onion. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon less-sodium seasoned salt, ¼ cup fresh chopped dill and 1 teaspoon ground mustard. Add to vegetables; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours; toss again before serving.
Serve with PICKLES, lowfat MAYONNAISE and DIJON
MUSTARD for the burgers, and add some DEVILED EGGS on the side. Make BUTTERSCOTCH SUNDAES for dessert with leftover ice cream and butterscotch topping.
Shopping list: ground beef (93% lean or leaner), jalapeno peppers, onion, fresh cilantro, coarse salt, ground black pepper, largeleaf lettuce, onion, tomatoes, avocado, red potatoes, fresh green beans, canned sliced black olives, celery, white wine vinegar, less-sodium seasoned salt, fresh dill, ground mustard, pickles, low-fat mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, deviled eggs, butterscotch topping.
RICE, ZUCCHINI AND CORN CASSEROLE (SUNDAY)
Servings: makes 8 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: about 1 hour, plus rice
2 teaspoons canola oil 1 pound grated zucchini ½ cup chopped onion 2 eggs
2 egg whites
3 cups cooked brown rice 1 (7-ounce) can corn,
rinsed
2 (4-ounce) cans chopped
green chiles, drained 2 cups shredded 50% light
cheddar cheese 4 ounces crumbled queso
fresco or Greek feta
cheese
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium until hot. Add zucchini and onion; cook, stirring often, 5 minutes or until zucchini is softened. Remove from heat; set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs and egg whites with a fork; stir in cooked rice, corn, chiles, cheeses and zucchini mixture. Mix well. Pour into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve.
Per serving: 254 calories, 16 grams protein, 9 grams fat (31% calories from fat), 4.5 grams saturated fat, 29 grams carbohydrate, 66 milligrams cholesterol, 342 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
Carb count: 2.
CHICKEN CORDON BLEU BAKE (MONDAY)
Servings: makes 8 servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: about 1 hour
1 pound small red potatoes, cut into
1-inch chunks 1 tablespoon water 1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed less-sodium less-fat cream of chicken soup
½ cup 1% milk
1 pound cooked chicken breast tenders or strips, cut into 1-inch pieces 12 ounces fresh broccoli
florets
4 ounces cooked ham, cut
into ½-inch chunks
1 cup shredded Swiss
cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh
parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine potatoes and water in a large bowl; microwave on high for 3 or 4 minutes or until potatoes are tender; drain. In a small bowl, stir together soup and milk until smooth. Add soup mixture, chicken and remaining ingredients to potatoes; mix well. Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, 50 to 55 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees.
Per serving: 223 calories, 24 grams protein, 7 grams fat (29% calories from fat), 3.2 grams saturated fat, 16 grams carbohydrate, 63 milligrams cholesterol, 376 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.
Carb count: 1.
TOMATO-BASIL RISOTTO (WEDNESDAY)
Servings: makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: about 20 minutes
2 (14-ounce) cans unsalted vegetable broth
½ cup dry white wine
¾ cup loosely packed fresh
basil leaves, divided 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium shallot, minced 2 cups arborio rice 3 medium tomatoes
(about 1 ½ pounds) ½ teaspoon coarse salt ¼ teaspoon coarsely
ground pepper
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Heat broth and wine over medium-high until bubbles form around edge of pan. Meanwhile, coarsely chop basil. In a large microwavesafe dish, combine ¼ cup basil, oil and shallot. Cook, uncovered, on high 1 minute or until shallot softens. Add rice and stir to coat. Cook on high 1 minute. Stir broth mixture into rice. Cover and cook on medium (50% power) 15 minutes or until most of liquid is absorbed, stirring once. Meanwhile, chop tomatoes. Stir tomatoes, salt and pepper into rice mixture. Cover and cook on high 3 to 4 minutes or until rice is tender but still firm; stir once. Stir in Parmesan and remaining basil. Serve immediately.
NOTE: To lower sodium, use water instead of broth.
Per serving: 454 calories, 10 grams protein, 6 grams fat (13% calories from fat), 2 grams saturated fat, 83 grams carbohydrate, 9 milligrams cholesterol, 599 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
Carb count: 5.5.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email: susan@7daymenu. com. Follow Susan on Twitter: @7DayMenu. The Menu Planner is also accessible at 7daymenuplanner. com. Read Susan’s blog: makingthemenu.com. And check out Susan’s book! “7-Day Menu Planner for Dummies” is on shelves now. Order yours on Amazon.com today!