Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
7-Day Menu Planner
A week’s worth of quick, healthful meals for budgetminded families
SUNDAY: Make family day special with Mediterranean Steak and Pasta With TomatoOlive Sauce (see recipe) for dinner. Serve the beef entree with green beans, a green salad and whole-grain rolls. Buy an apple pie and serve a small slice with a dab of vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save some pie for Monday and ice cream for Thursday.
MONDAY: Pizza Bake will please the whole family. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook 8 ounces wagon-wheel or other pasta according to package directions; drain. In a 2 ½-quart baking dish, mix pasta, 1 (26-ounce) jar red pasta sauce, 1 (8-ounce) can sliced carrots (rinsed) and 1 (2 ¼-ounce) can sliced ripe olives (rinsed). Cover and bake 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with 1 cup shredded partskim mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve with a chopped lettuce salad. Slice the leftover pie for dessert.
TUESDAY: We didn’t miss the meat with all the flavor in Spaghetti al Limone (see recipe). Add a romaine salad and Italian bread. Pears are your dessert.
WEDNESDAY: Take it easy tonight with Walnut Chicken Salad on red-tipped lettuce. Mix toasted chopped walnuts and a chopped apple with deli chicken salad. Add a dash of curry powder. Serve with bean soup and whole-grain crackers. Munch on oatmeal cookies for dessert.
THURSDAY: Put this Chicken With White Beans and Tomatoes (see recipe) in your “favorites” file and serve it as a low-cost feast. Add a spinach salad and crusty bread. Scoop the leftover ice cream for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough chicken and beans for Friday.
FRIDAY: Turn Thursday’s leftovers into Chicken and Rice. Shred the chicken and mix with the leftover beans and some unsalted chicken broth. Heat and serve it all over brown rice. Garnish with diced avocado. Serve with mixed greens and whole-grain rolls. Finish with sliced strawberries.
Plan ahead: Save enough strawberries for Saturday.
SATURDAY: Scallops With Creamy Pesto is worthy of any guest. Heat 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet on mediumhigh. Add 1 pound sea scallops (patted dry). Cook 4 minutes, turning once, until golden or just barely opaque at centers. Remove to plate; keep warm. Off heat, add 1/ cup refrigerated
3 pesto and 2 tablespoons half-and-half to skillet; stir to blend. Spoon pesto cream sauce onto serving plates; top with scallops. Serve with long-grain and wild rice (from mix), sugar snap peas, a bibb lettuce salad and sourdough bread. Buy a cheesecake and top with leftover strawberries for dessert.
THE RECIPES Mediterranean Steak and Pasta With TomatoOlive Sauce
8 ounces dry fettuccine
4 beef round (sirloin) tip center steaks, cut
¾ inch thick (about 5 to 6 ounces)
1 (26-ounce) jar pasta sauce with olives
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
Heat large nonstick skillet on medium. Place steak in skillet; cook 11 to 13 minutes for medium-rare to medium doneness, turning twice. Do not overcook. Remove from skillet; keep warm. To same skillet, add pasta sauce and oregano; heat thoroughly. Return steaks to skillet; turn to coat with sauce. Place steaks on fettuccine; spoon sauce over all. Sprinkle steaks with cheese to melt.
Garnish with parsley.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 497 calories, 42 g protein, 9 g fat, 58 g carbohydrate, 85 mg cholesterol, 788 mg sodium and 5 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 4
Spaghetti al Limone
1 pound spaghetti
1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt, divided use
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra for drizzling
1 shallot, minced
¼ cup heavy cream
1 ounce parmesan cheese, finely grated, plus extra for serving
2 teaspoons lemon zest
¼ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring often, according to package directions. Reserve 1 ¾ cups cooking water, then drain pasta.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallot and ½ teaspoon salt and cook about 2 minutes or until softened. Stir in cream and ¾ cup reserved pasta water; bring to a simmer and cook 2 minutes. Off heat, add pasta, parmesan, zest, juice, remaining 3 tablespoons oil and pepper; toss to combine. Cover and let pasta stand for 2 minutes, tossing frequently and adjusting consistency of sauce with remaining reserved cooking water as needed. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle individual servings with extra oil and serve, passing extra parmesan separately. (Adapted from “One-Hour Comfort,” America’s Test Kitchen)
Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 419 calories, 11 g protein, 15 g fat, 59 g carbohydrate, 15 mg cholesterol, 254 mg sodium and 2 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 4
Chicken With White Beans and Tomatoes
2 (15.5-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed
1 pint grape tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh thyme, plus leaves for garnish
4 to 8 sprigs fresh oregano, or
1 teaspoon dried
2 cloves garlic, smashed
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon coarse salt, divided use
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided use
8 bone-in skinless chicken thighs, well-trimmed (about
2 ½ to 3 pounds total)
Paprika for garnish
4 slices bacon, halved
Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, toss the beans and tomatoes with thyme sprigs, oregano, garlic, red pepper, 1 tablespoon oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Pat chicken dry with paper towels; place skin side up on top of bean mixture. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper and the paprika. Top each thigh with a half-slice of bacon. Roast 35 to 45 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees. Remove from oven; sprinkle with thyme leaves.
Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 322 calories, 26 g protein, 15 g fat, 18 g carbohydrate, 116 mg cholesterol, 499 mg sodium and 5 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1