7day menu planner

SUNDAY: Make family day special and serve Italian Roast Pork Loin. Pour 1 cup Italian salad dressing into a resealable plastic bag; add 1 (2- to 3-pound) boneless pork loin. Seal and refrigerate overnight. Remove pork; discard dressing marinade. Pat pork dry and sprinkle it with 1 teaspoon garlic pepper. Place in a shallow pan and roast 1 hour at 350 degrees or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with roasted red potatoes, green beans, mixed salad greens and sourdough bread. Make or buy a blueberry cobbler and top with ice cream. Plan ahead: Save enough pork and cobbler for Monday.

MONDAY: Use the leftover pork in Pork and Mushroom Quesadillas (see recipe). Serve with a leaf lettuce salad. Top the leftover cobbler with whipped cream for dessert.

TUESDAY: Let the kids feast on burgers tonight. They might want to add cheese along with their favorite trimmings. Add corn-on-the-cob and baby carrots. Make s’mores in the microwave for dessert.

WEDNESDAY: Make a nomeat night special with Penne With Fresh Tomato-Arugula Sauce (see recipe). Add wholegrain bread. Sprinkle fresh strawberries with sugar for dessert.

THURSDAY: For a festive dinner, try Baked Beans-Tuna Chef Salad. Divide among 4 dinner plates: 1 (12-ounce) bunch romaine, torn into ½-inch pieces. On top, arrange 2 to 4 hard-cooked eggs (cut into 6 pieces each), 2 (5-ounce) cans albacore tuna (drained and flaked), 1 cup halved grape tomatoes, 1 (16-ounce) can vegetarian baked beans (such as Bush’s). Drizzle with 4 tablespoons Italian dressing (or another kind). Serve with crusty bread. Sprinkle fresh peaches with nutmeg for an easy dessert. FRIDAY: Make Garden BLTs for a quick meal. Spread 8 slices whole-grain toast with mayonnaise. For each sandwich, layer 1 slice toast with 2 slices cooked bacon, 2 slices tomatoes, 8 thin slices cucumber, 1 thin slice sweet onion, 1 medium lettuce leaf, and coarse salt and pepper to taste. Top with remaining toast. Cut in half on the diagonal. Serve with hashbrowned potatoes (refrigerated). Fresh blueberries with whipped cream satisfy your sweet tooth. SATURDAY: Extend an invitation to special friends for Arroz Con Pollo (see recipe). Serve it with a red-tip lettuce salad and baguettes. Dessert is meringue cookies and raspberry sorbet.

THE RECIPES Pork and Mushroom Quesadillas

12 ounces cooked (leftover) pork, sliced

¼-inch thick

1 tablespoon PLUS 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided use

6 ounces fresh sliced crimini mushrooms

⅓ cup sliced green onions

4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese

4 (9- to 10-inch) flour tortillas

Stack pork slices and cut crosswise in half, then cut each stack lengthwise into matchsticksize pieces; set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Add mushrooms and onions; stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until softened. Remove from skillet; add pork and stir-fry 1 minute. Remove pork and wipe skillet with paper towels.

To assemble, sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over half of each tortilla. Top each with pork and mushroom mixture. Sprinkle each with another 2 tablespoons cheese. Fold in half, pressing gently. Add 1 teaspoon oil to skillet. Cook quesadillas, 2 at a time, on medium heat 2 to 4 minutes, or until golden and cheese is melted, turning once. Remove quesadillas from skillet; loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining oil and quesadillas. Cut quesadillas into wedges and serve. Makes 4 quesadillas. Nutrition information: Each quesadilla contains approximately 452 calories,

37 g protein, 17 g fat, 37 g carbohydrate, 88 mg cholesterol, 569 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 2½.

Penne With Fresh Tomato-Arugula Sauce

12 ounces penne pasta

1 pound diced tomatoes (about

2 cups)

3 cups arugula, cut into strips

½ cup fresh basil, cut into strips

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano in thin shavings (about 3 ounces) (see note)

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine tomatoes, arugula, basil, oil, vinegar, garlic and salt. Add cooked pasta to bowl and toss. Top with cheese shavings and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Note: To make cheese shavings, pull a vegetable peeler across a wedge of cheese.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 325 calories, 13 g protein, 9 g fat, 47 g carbohydrate, 10 mg cholesterol, 398 mg sodium and 3 g fiber. Carbohydrate choices: 3.

Arroz Con Pollo

1 teaspoon coarse salt

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 pounds bone-in skinless chicken breasts

1½ pounds bone-in skinless chicken thighs

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 red bell pepper, cut into 2-inch strips

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 cup rice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14-ounce) can unsalted chicken broth

¼ teaspoon crushed saffron OR ground turmeric

1½ cups frozen tiny green peas, thawed

¼ cup sliced Spanish olives with pimientos

In a small bowl, mix salt, paprika and pepper. Sprinkle evenly over chicken.

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium. Add chicken; cook

5 to 6 minutes per side or until golden. Remove chicken from skillet. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Add bell pepper and onion; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Stir in rice and garlic. Continue to cook about 1 minute. Stir in broth and saffron. Bring to boil. Return chicken to skillet; cover. Reduce heat to low and cook 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and rice is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in peas; cover. Let stand 5 minutes. Garnish with olives and serve.

Makes 12 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 215 calories, 22 grams protein, 6 grams fat, 16 grams carbohydrate, 80 mg cholesterol, 369 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 1.