Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
7day menu planner
A week’s worth of quick, healthful meals for budgetminded families
SUNDAY: Surprise the family with Pork Chops With Corn Salsa. Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in a large skillet on medium. Sprinkle 4 center-cut pork chops (¾-inch thick, visible fat removed) with ½ teaspoon coarse salt. Add chops to skillet and cook, turning once, 6 to 8 minutes or until meat near bone is barely pink or internal temperature is 145 degrees. Remove to platter; tent with foil to keep warm. To skillet, add 1 (11-ounce) can Mexican-style corn with liquid and 1 cup green or red salsa. Cook 2 or 3 minutes on medium or until hot. Spoon over chops; sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve the colorful dish with canned black beans. Alongside, add a sliced avocado-and-grapefruit salad and corn muffins. Baked custard (from mix) is a smooth dessert.
MONDAY: The kids can help prepare Chili Dogs tonight. Heat canned turkey chili with beans and hot dogs in separate pans, or use the microwave. Put hot dogs in toasted whole-grain buns and top with chili. Sprinkle a little shredded cheddar cheese on the top. On the side, munch on carrot and celery sticks and dip. Fresh tropical fruit finishes the meal.
TUESDAY: Make Monte Cristo Sandwiches for a fancier cheese sandwich. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, beat 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites, ½ cup milk and ¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce. Put 2 slices Swiss cheese on each of 4 slices of dense white bread. Spread Dijon mustard on 4 more slices bread. Place bread, mustard side down, on cheese. Dip both sides of sandwiches in egg mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake 15 to 18 minutes, turning once, until cheese melts and both sides are browned. Serve with a lettuce and tomato salad. Pineapple sherbet is good for dessert. Plan ahead: Save enough sherbet for Wednesday. WEDNESDAY: Everyone can have steak on budget night — Salisbury Steak (see recipe), that is. Serve with mashed potatoes (flavored with dill, if desired). Add green peas (from frozen) and whole-grain bread. Leftover sherbet is dessert. THURSDAY: Make your own roast turkey with all the family favorites of dressing, gravy, sweet potatoes and something new for the feast: PecanCrusted Green Bean Casserole (see recipe). If you want something besides cranberry sauce, try Spiced CranberryPear Chutney on the side: In a large saucepan, combine 3 large ripe pears cut into ½-inch pieces, 1 small chopped onion, ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries, ½ cup packed light brown sugar, ¼ cup cider vinegar, 1 fresh jalapeno (seeded and finely chopped), 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice and ¼ teaspoon allspice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until thickened. Stir occasionally. Serve warm or at room temperature. Add dinner rolls. Everyone will want your pumpkin pie for dessert. Plan ahead: Save enough turkey and pie for Friday. Save the rest of the leftovers for future meals.
FRIDAY: Lighten up and use those leftovers for Turkey Noodle Soup. Combine 3 (14-ounce) cans unsalted chicken broth, 1 cup water, 1 cup sliced carrots and 1 cup sliced celery in a large pot. Bring to a boil; add 4 ounces no-yolk extra-wide noodles and boil 6 minutes or until noodles are almost tender. Add ½ cup frozen green peas and boil 1 minute or until noodles and vegetables are tender. Stir in 2 ½ cups large shreds of cooked (leftover) turkey and ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley; heat through. Serve the soup with mixed greens and crackers. Slice the leftover pie for dessert.
Plan ahead: Cook enough noodles for Saturday. SATURDAY: For a change of pace, serve your guests Beef Stroganoff (see recipe). Serve it over leftover noodles and add crusty bread and a romaine salad. Soothe your palate with Lemon Ice for dessert. In a food processor or blender, process 1 (12-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate (thawed), 3 cups ice cubes, 1 cup water and 5 tablespoons sugar until smooth. Pour mixture into a 9-by-13-inch pan and freeze for 45 minutes. Process partially frozen mixture until smooth. Return to pan; freeze 8 hours. Scrape with fork before serving.
THE RECIPES Salisbury Steak
1 pound lean ground beef
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped ¼ cup saltine cracker crumbs 1 egg white, slightly beaten 2 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon prepared
horseradish
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 (12-ounce) jar mushroom gravy
Combine beef, onion, cracker crumbs, egg white, milk, horseradish, salt and pepper; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into 4 oval (½-inch-thick) patties.
Heat large nonstick skillet over medium until hot. Cook patties, turning once, 7 to 8 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 degrees. Remove from skillet and keep warm. Add gravy to skillet; heat through. Serve steaks with gravy.
Makes 4 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 266 calories, 24 g protein, 14 g fat, 10 g carbohydrate, 72 mg cholesterol, 693 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 0.5.
Pecan-Crusted Green Bean Casserole
4 tablespoons unsalted butter,
divided use
1 pound cremini mushrooms,
sliced
½ cup chopped red onions 2 teaspoons chopped fresh
thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced ½ teaspoon coarse salt, plus
more to taste Coarsely ground black pepper
to taste
2 pounds fresh green beans,
rinsed and snapped 3 tablespoons flour
2 ½ cups whole milk
1 cup pecan pieces
½ cup fried onion topping
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large pan on medium-high; add 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the mushrooms and cook for 7 minutes, until the moisture has evaporated and mushrooms are slightly golden in color. Reduce heat to medium and add the onions, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper; cook 5 minutes more. Set aside.
Cook green beans in a large pot of salted boiling water for 3 minutes; drain and transfer to an ice water bath for 3 minutes, then drain again and set aside.
Make the cream sauce by melting 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add flour. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until flour is medium-blond in color. While whisking, add the milk and cook 7 minutes, or until sauce has thickened slightly. Spoon the green beans into a large bowl, cover with the mushroom mixture and pour all the cream sauce on top. Mix well, spoon into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, arrange in one even layer and cover tightly with foil. Bake 25 minutes; remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Cover dish with roughly chopped pecans and fried onions and bake for 10 minutes until the pecans are toasted and the edges of the casserole are bubbling. Serve immediately.
Makes 12 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 188 calories, 5 g protein, 14 g fat, 13 g carbohydrate, 15 mg cholesterol, 130 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1.
Beef Stroganoff With Mushrooms
2 pounds lean beef for stews 2 tablespoons flour
1 small red onion, chopped 8 ounces crimini mushrooms,
sliced
1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of
mushroom soup
¼ cup less-sodium
Worcestershire sauce Coarse salt and pepper to
taste
8 ounces sour cream
12 ounces cooked egg noodles 1 tablespoon chopped fresh
parsley for garnish
To a 4-quart or larger slow cooker, add beef. Sprinkle with flour and toss to coat. Add onion, mushrooms, soup and Worcestershire sauce; season with salt and pepper. Stir, cover and cook on high 4 hours or low 7 hours. Stir in the sour cream and serve over noodles; garnish with parsley. (Adapted from a recipe at food52.com.) Makes 6 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving (prepared with less sodium, less-fat soup, lesssodium Worcestershire sauce and reduced-fat sour cream) contains approximately 568 calories, 40 g protein, 19 g fat, 55 g carbohydrate, 115 mg cholesterol, 427 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 3.5.