7 day menu planner
SUNDAY: Make it a relaxed Sunday and buy a meat and cheese platter. Serve the variety of sliced meats and cheeses with coleslaw on the side. Add chips and pickles. Try this Summer Tomato and Onion Salad. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning and ½ teaspoon sugar; mix to dissolve sugar. On a serving platter, layer 1 medium thinly sliced red onion and 1 pound sliced ripe tomatoes. Drizzle with dressing and ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese. Add assorted sandwich breads and condiments. Don’t forget brownies for dessert. Plan ahead: Buy enough coleslaw for Monday and enough brownies for Wednesday.
MONDAY: You won’t overexert yourself on Labor Day if you use your slow cooker for Barbecue Pulled Pork ( see recipe) and serve it on wholegrain hamburger buns. Serve the barbecue with South of the Border Potato Salad ( see recipe), a favorite at our house. Add leftover coleslaw. Celebrate further with Blue Angel Cake. Split 1 ( 14- ounce) angel food cake in half horizontally. Place bottom half on cake plate. Combine ½ cup any fruit jam or jelly and 1 tablespoon orange juice. Microwave on 100 percent power for 45 seconds or until jelly is melted. Fold in 2 cups fresh blueberries. Spread 1 cup frozen whipped topping ( thawed) on bottom layer of cake; spoon about two- thirds of blueberry mixture over topping. Cover with top cake layer. Spread with additional ½ cup whipped topping and spoon remaining blueberry mixture over topping. Garnish with fresh blueberries and fresh mint leaves. Plan ahead: Save enough barbecue, potato salad and cake for Tuesday.
TUESDAY: Use your leftovers for Barbecue Tacos. Heat the leftover pulled pork and spoon into taco shells; top with jalapeno peppers. Serve with leftover potato salad, pickles and add canned baked beans. Slice the leftover cake for dessert.
WEDNESDAY: Forget meat tonight and enjoy Chili- Walnut Egg Puff. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8- by- 8- inch baking dish with cooking spray. Pour 1 cup egg substitute and 1 whole egg into large bowl. Over eggs, sift combined ¼ cup flour and ½ teaspoon baking powder. Whisk together until completely blended. Mix in 1 cup cottage cheese and ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, ½ cup chopped and toasted walnuts and 1 ( 4- ounce) can chopped green chiles. Pour into baking dish. Bake about 35 minutes or until puffy and set, and knife inserted near center comes out clean. Serve with hash- browned potatoes and add a spinach salad
and whole- grain rolls. Sweeten the finish with leftover brownies for dessert.
THURSDAY: Kids will like the flavors of Mexican Chicken Bake ( see recipe). Serve with guacamole on shredded lettuce with sour cream. How about a strawberry ice cream cone for dessert? Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Saturday.
FRIDAY: Hold down the food budget with canned Corned Beef Hash. Serve with hard- cooked egg wedges, carrot salad and rye bread. Fresh nectarines are a juicy dessert.
SATURDAY: Caribbean Spiced Cod With Brown Rice is just as delicious as it is easy. In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter on medium. Add 1 medium diced red bell pepper and 1 ½ teaspoons jerk seasoning; cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in 2 cups quick- cooking brown rice, 2 cups boiling water and ¼ teaspoon coarse salt. Place 4 ( 6- ounce) cod filets on top of rice mixture. Sprinkle cod with
½ teaspoon more jerk seasoning and ¼ teaspoon coarse salt. Reduce heat to medium- low; cover and simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until cod is opaque throughout and rice is tender. Add fresh green beans, a Boston lettuce salad and baguettes. Top leftover ice cream with toasted coconut.
THE RECIPES
Barbecue Pulled Pork
3 pounds pork loin 1 package slow cooker barbecue pulled pork seasoning ( such as McCormick or another brand) ½ cup ketchup ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar ⅓ cup cider vinegar
Cut pork into 3 pieces; place in slow cooker.
In a medium bowl, mix together seasoning, ketchup, sugar and vinegar until blended. Pour over pork. Cover and cook 6 hours on low. Remove pork from slow cooker; shred with 2 forks and return to cooker; mix well with sauce and serve. Makes 10 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 250 calories, 26 g protein, 7 g fat, 18 g carbohydrate, 68 mg cholesterol, 633 mg sodium and no fiber.
Carbohydrate count: 1.
South of the Border Potato Salad
2 pounds small red potatoes, halved or quartered 3 tablespoons olive oil ¼ cup cider vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar 1 ½ teaspoons chile powder 1 teaspoon seasoned salt ⅛ teaspoon hot sauce or to taste 1 ( 8 ¾ - ounce) can shoe- peg corn, rinsed 1 medium carrot, shredded ½ cup chopped red bell pepper ½ cup sliced black olives 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Cook potatoes in boiling water 10 minutes or until tender; drain and place in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, sugar, chile powder, seasoned salt and hot sauce. Pour over potatoes; toss gently. Cover with foil. Refrigerate 1 hour. Remove from refrigerator; add corn, carrot, red bell pepper, olives and onion; toss gently. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 186 calories, 3 g protein, 7 g fat, 29 g carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 381 mg sodium and 3 g fiber.
Carbohydrate count: 2.
Mexican Chicken Bake
1 tablespoon canola oil ½ cup minced onion 2 ½ cups cooked shredded chicken breast 1 ( 4- ounce) can chopped
green chiles 1 ( 1.25- ounce) package taco seasoning mix 8 corn tortillas 1 ( 15- ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided use 2 cups mild chunky salsa
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9- by- 13- inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium. Add onion and cook 4 minutes or until softened. Remove from heat; stir in chicken, chilies and seasoning mix. Set aside. Layer half the tortillas in baking dish. Top with chicken mixture, beans and 1 cup cheese. Layer with remaining tortillas. Top with salsa and remaining cheese. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted. Makes 8 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving ( prepared reduced- fat cheese) contains approximately 266 calories, 25 g protein, 9 g fat, 23 g carbohydrate, 52 mg cholesterol, sodium varies and 4 g fiber.
Carbohydrate count: 1 ½ .