7day menu planner
SUNDAY: The family will give their approval to Mediterranean Beef Pot Roast (see recipe). Serve with steamed mixed vegetables. Add a romaine salad and crusty bread. Enjoy cherry cobbler for dessert. Plan ahead: Save enough cobbler for Monday. MONDAY: Buy and heat bratwurst for a fast meal. Smear it with spicy brown mustard. Serve with boiled quartered red potatoes tossed with a little butter and chopped fresh dill and some deli coleslaw. Add rye bread. Heat the leftover cobbler for dessert. TUESDAY: Everyone at our house liked sloppy Joe-style Barbecue Turkey and Beans (see recipe). We served it openface over toasted whole-grain buns. Add oven fries and deli carrot salad. Pears make a good dessert.
Plan ahead: If time permits, assemble tomorrow’s lasagna tonight, cover and refrigerate. WEDNESDAY: Lazy Lasagna works for me! Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine 2 (15-ounce) containers part-skim ricotta cheese, 4 egg whites (beaten), 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese and ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese; mix well. In a 9-by13-inch baking dish, spread 1 cup (of 4 cups) red pasta sauce. Layer 4 (of 12 total) cooked lasagna noodles, 1 cup pasta sauce, and half the cheese mixture. Repeat layers (noodles, sauce, cheese), then add the last 4 noodles and 1 more cup sauce. Cover with non-stick foil; bake 1 hour (70 minutes if assembled ahead and refrigerated). Uncover and sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella and ¼ cup parmesan cheese. Bake 10 more minutes; let stand 10 minutes. Serve with a packaged Italian salad and garlic bread. How about tapioca pudding for dessert?
Plan ahead: Save half the lasagna for Thursday night. THURSDAY: You’ve done the work — now relax and reheat the leftover lasagna for an easy dinner. Serve with a mixed green salad and Italian bread. Add refreshing lemon sherbet for dessert.
FRIDAY: Add some cooked rice to canned tomato soup for your own tomato rice soup. We liked the soup with grilled cheese sandwiches and pickles on the side. Make sundaes by spooning fresh strawberries over chocolate ice cream. Plan ahead: Save enough strawberries for Saturday. SATURDAY: Prepare Rosemary Marinated Lamb Chops (see recipe) and serve with White Bean Salad With Mint and Red Onion. In a medium bowl, mix ½ cup chopped red onion and 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar; let sit for 15 minutes. Add 1 (15-ounce) can white beans (rinsed), ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves, ½ cup chopped red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons capers (rinsed), 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and coarse salt and black pepper to taste. Toss to mix. Alongside, add steamed sliced fresh zucchini and whole-grain rolls. Buy cheesecake and spoon leftover strawberries over it for dessert.
THE RECIPES Mediterranean Beef Pot Roast
1 (2 ½- to 3-pound) boneless
beef shoulder roast
¼ cup flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups water
¼ cup balsamic vinegar 2 small onions, halved and
sliced
4 medium shallots, sliced ¼ cup chopped dates ½ teaspoon coarse salt ½ teaspoon pepper
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat roast with flour. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown roast evenly on both sides (6 to 8 minutes total); remove. Add water and vinegar to pan; cook and stir until brown bits are dissolved. Return roast to pan. Add onions, shallots, dates, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover tightly. Bake 2 ½ to 3 ¼ hours or until roast is fork-tender. Remove roast; keep warm. Cook liquid and vegetables on medium-high to desired consistency for sauce. Carve roast across grain. Serve with sauce.
Makes 8 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 246 calories, 27 g protein, 10 g fat, 13 g carbohydrate, 81 mg cholesterol, 176 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1.
Barbecue Turkey and Beans
2 pounds bone-in skinless
turkey thighs
1 (28-ounce) can baked beans 1 ½ cups chopped onions
1 cup barbecue sauce 1 tablespoon spicy brown or
other mustard
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Place turkey in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker.
In a large bowl, combine beans, onions, barbecue sauce, mustard, cumin and salt; mix well. Pour over turkey. Cook 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. Remove turkey and shred with 2 forks. Discard bones. Return meat to cooker, mix well and serve.
Makes 12 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 174 calories, 12 g protein, 2 g fat, 23 g carbohydrate, 43 mg cholesterol, 662 mg sodium and 3 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1.5.
Rosemary Marinated Lamb Chops
2 teaspoons dried crushed
rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup finely chopped onion ½ cup orange juice
¼ cup dry white wine 3 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil, divided
8 loin lamb chops, cut 1 to 1 ¼
inches thick
Combine rosemary, thyme, pepper, garlic powder and salt; mix well. Add onion, orange juice, wine and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Whisk together and reserve ½ cup for later. Place lamb in resealable plastic bag; add marinade. Turn to coat. Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes. Remove lamb (do not remove onion pieces from chops), blot with paper towel and discard marinade.
Heat remaining oil in a heavy skillet on medium-high. Sear lamb 4 minutes on one side or until well-browned. Turn and cook 4 more minutes or until desired doneness. Add reserved marinade and simmer 2 minutes. Remove lamb to serving platter. Pour marinade over lamb. Serve immediately. Makes 8 lamb chops. Nutrition information: Each chop contains approximately 171 calories, 19 g protein, 9 g fat, 2 g carbohydrate, 58 mg cholesterol, 172 mg sodium and no fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 0.