Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
7day menu planner
SUNDAY: Plan ahead and serve Slow-Cooker Rosemary Chicken (see recipe), and you’ll have more time with the family. Serve the complete meal with a spinach salad and crusty bread. Make or buy bread pudding for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save any leftover chicken for Wednesday.
MONDAY: Tomato and Red Pepper Soup (see recipe) is just right for a cold, wintry night. Serve Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwiches alongside: Spread 1 ½ teaspoons mayonnaise on 8 (2-ounce) slices Italian bread. Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium. Place 2 bread slices, mayonnaise side down, in the pan. Top each with 2 slices American cheese and 1 bread slice, mayonnaise side up. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Repeat with remaining bread slices and cheese; serve warm. Make a Sunshine Salad by tossing orange sections with salad greens. Skip dessert tonight.
TUESDAY: My mother knew a thing or two about stretching the food budget, so Stuffed Peppers were on the menu regularly; we still enjoy them. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut 4 green bell peppers in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Cover and microwave peppers, cut side down, for 4 minutes on 100 percent power in a shallow baking dish; drain and turn cut side up. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine ½ pound lean ground beef, ½ pound ground turkey breast, ½ large chopped onion, 1 cup cooked rice, 2 tablespoons ketchup, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon coarse salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper; mix well. Divide and spoon into pepper halves. In a small bowl, combine 1 (14 ½-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, 1 tablespoon ketchup and ½ teaspoon dried oregano. Spoon over peppers. Cover tightly with foil. Bake 35 minutes. Remove cover and continue to bake 10 more minutes or until temperature of meat reaches 165 degrees. Place on platter and spoon juices over top. Serve with baked potatoes and a lettuce wedge salad for a real comfort meal. Add whole-grain rolls. Pears are an easy dessert. Plan ahead: Bake 2 extra potatoes for Wednesday.
WEDNESDAY: Corn and Potato Chowder is great for another cold night. Microwave 1 medium onion (chopped) for 4 minutes on 100 percent power; drain. Meanwhile, cut the leftover baked potatoes into cubes. In a large saucepan, combine leftover chopped chicken, 1 (15-ounce) can cream-style corn, the cooked onion, the cubed baked potatoes, 2/3 cup water and 4 teaspoons chicken-flavor instant bouillon; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and add 3 cups milk and 1 tablespoon butter. In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup milk and ¼ cup flour until smooth. Add to chowder; cook and stir 5 minutes until bubbly and thickened. Serve with a deli carrot salad and bread sticks. Strawberry ice cream is dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Friday.
THURSDAY: Call the kids for Turkey Trot Spaghetti. Cook 8 ounces spaghetti (break strands into 3 pieces) according to package directions. In a large skillet, cook 1 pound ground turkey until no longer pink; drain. Stir in 2 (14-ounce) cans unsalted chicken broth, 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste, ½ teaspoon coarse salt, ½ teaspoon dried oregano and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil; add cooked spaghetti. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring often, or until heated through. Serve with Celery Boats: Cut ribs of celery into 2-inch pieces and stuff with pimento cheese. Add soft rolls. Have some chunky applesauce for dessert.
FRIDAY: Not Your Mother’s Beef Pot Pie speaks for itself. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spoon 1 (40-ounce) can beef stew into a 9-inch pie plate. Place 1 refrigerated pie crust (from a 15-ounce package) over stew. Press crust edges to pie plate and flute. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese. Cut 3 or 4 slits in crust to vent. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until crust is golden and stew is thoroughly heated. Serve with a green salad. Leftover ice cream is an easy dessert. SATURDAY: Treat your guests to Lemony Scallops. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup unsalted chicken broth, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, ½ teaspoon dried basil and ¼ teaspoon black pepper; set aside. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil to medium-high. Add 1 small red onion (cut into thin wedges) and 2 cloves garlic (minced); cook 1 minute. Add ¾ pound sea scallops (cut in half horizontally if large) and cook 4 minutes or until almost completely opaque. Add ½ pound fresh green beans (trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces). Stir the broth mixture and add to skillet. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 4 minutes, or until beans are softened and scallops are cooked through. Continue the scallop theme with Scalloped Potatoes (see recipe), a bibb lettuce salad and crusty rolls. For dessert, make hot fudge sundaes by spooning heated hot fudge sauce over vanilla ice cream.
THE RECIPES Slow-Cooker Rosemary Chicken
6 medium red potatoes, halved
3 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 to 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 (3 to 3 ½-pound) whole chicken
½ to 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
Into a 4- or 5-quart slow cooker, combine potatoes, carrots, onions, salt and pepper; mix well. Tuck rosemary sprigs under breast skin of chicken. Place in cooker. Pour chicken broth over top. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours or on high 3 ½ to 5 hours. (If you cook on high, use 1 cup broth.) Remove vegetables and chicken to a large serving platter. Remove and discard chicken skin and serve.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 328 calories, 39 g protein, 5 g fat, 31 g carbohydrate, 113 mg cholesterol, 432 mg sodium and 6 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 2.
Tomato and Red Pepper Soup
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes
1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained
¼ cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup water Fresh basil, if desired
Process all ingredients except basil in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Transfer mixture to a medium saucepan; cook on medium, stirring often, 8 minutes or until hot. Serve immediately; garnish with basil. (Adapted from Quick-Fix Dinners by the editors of Southern Living, Oxmoor House)
Makes 6 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 60 calories, 2 g protein, 1 g fat, 11 g carbohydrate, 4 mg cholesterol, 679 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1.
Scalloped Potatoes
5 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped
¼ cup PLUS 1 tablespoon flour
2 ½ cups milk
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
½ teaspoon coarse salt, divided
¼ teaspoon white pepper, divided
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons freshly grated Romano or parmesan cheese
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. For sauce, heat butter in a medium saucepan on medium-high, swirling to coat bottom. Add onions and cook 2 or 3 minutes or until softened. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, then whisk in milk. Cook 3 or 4 minutes or until sauce is thickened, stirring constantly. Whisk in parsley, lemon zest, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; remove from heat. Arrange potatoes in baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. Pour sauce over potatoes and sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, 1 ½ hours or until potatoes are soft. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving (prepared with 1 percent milk) contains approximately 288 calories, 8 g protein, 11 g fat, 41 g carbohydrate, 31 mg cholesterol, 316 mg sodium and 5 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 3.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email: susan@7daymenu.com