7day menu planner
A week’s worth of quick, healthful meals for budgetminded families
SUNDAY: Eggs in Bacon-Potato Nests (see recipe) will thrill Mom on Mother’s Day. Garnish the plate with orange wedges and add biscuits and jam to your meal. Mom’ll love your Sugared Strawberries With Yogurt for dessert. Rinse and dry 2 pints of strawberries; do not hull. Place strawberries in serving bowl. Place 2/3 cup vanilla yogurt and 2/3 cup loosely packed light brown sugar in separate bowls. Each person can dip strawberries into yogurt and then into sugar for dessert (no double-dipping, says Mom!).
MONDAY: Make an easy meal of Stuffed Baked Potatoes with Broccoli au Gratin (from frozen) as the stuffing. Add salad greens and whole-grain English muffins. For dessert, make pistachio pudding.
Plan ahead: Bake extra potatoes and cook eggs and green beans for Tuesday.
TUESDAY: Tonight’s Tomato “Sandwich” Nicoise is as colorful as it is easy. Cut 4 slices from each center of 2 large ripe tomatoes. On each of 4 plates, layer a tomato slice, a lettuce leaf, a red onion slice and ½ cup deli tuna salad; top with remaining tomato slices. Arrange ½ cup chilled cooked fresh green beans and 2 hardcooked egg wedges on each plate. Drizzle olive oil over all. Serve with Baked Potato Wedges (cut leftover baked potatoes into wedges, coat with cooking spray and bake at 425 degrees until hot) and add a Baguette. Vanilla ice cream is dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Thursday.
WEDNESDAY: Serving Picadillo (see recipe) over brown rice is an easy way to save some food dollars. Steamed fresh carrots add color to the plate, and whole-grain bread adds fiber. For dessert, pears will work just fine.
Plan ahead: Save enough picadillo for Thursday; cook enough rice for Saturday.
THURSDAY: Make Picadillo Tacos with the leftovers. Just heat the picadillo and spoon into warmed taco shells. Add deli coleslaw on the side. Leftover ice cream with blueberries makes a good dessert.
FRIDAY: Make the kids happy with Sloppy Beef and Beans. Heat a large skillet on medium and cook 1 pound lean ground beef and ½ cup finely chopped carrots 7 minutes or until beef is no longer pink; drain well. Stir in 2 tablespoons sloppy Joe seasoning mix and 1 (20-ounce) can pork and beans. Cook 2 minutes or until heated through. Serve on whole-grain hamburger buns. On the side, add steamed fresh spinach and baked chips. For dessert, have some fun baking slice-and-bake cookies.
SATURDAY: Dazzle your crew by serving them colorful Chicken Cacciatore Revisited (see recipe). Serve the chicken vegetable combo over leftover rice. Alongside, serve fresh broccoli spears, an Italian salad and crusty bread. Lemon meringue pie is a festive dessert.
THE RECIPES Eggs in Bacon-Potato Nests
8 slices partially cooked bacon 2 cups frozen shredded
potatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish
¼ teaspoon coarse salt Ground black pepper
4 ounces shredded sharp
cheddar cheese
4 eggs
Place rack in lower third of oven and heat oven to 400 degrees.
Coat four (6-ounce) ovensafe custard cups or similar ramekins with cooking spray.
Arrange two strips bacon in an “x” pattern in each cup (ends may stick above cup).
Place potatoes in medium bowl and microwave just until thawed, about 1 ½ minutes. Add chives, salt and pepper and toss to combine.
Press one-fourth of potato mixture over bottom and up sides of each bacon-lined cup. Add about 2 tablespoons of cheese to each cup. Break one egg into each cup and top with about 2 more tablespoons cheese. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until egg whites are nearly set (eggs will continue to cook while standing). Remove from oven and let stand for about 5 minutes; run knife around outside of each cup and slip eggs nests onto plates. Sprinkle with additional chives and serve.
Makes 4 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 305 calories, 18 g protein, 17 g fat, 19 g carbohydrate, 224 mg cholesterol, 561 mg sodium and 2 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1.
Picadillo
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon chile powder ¼ teaspoon coarse salt Generous pinch ground
cinnamon
½ pound lean ground beef ½ pound ground turkey breast 1 cup frozen corn
½ cup sliced green olives with
pimento
¼ cup raisins
2 tablespoons tomato paste
In a large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil on medium. Add onion and garlic and cook 5 minutes. Stir in chile powder, salt and cinnamon. Cook and stir 30 seconds. Add beef and turkey; cook 5 minutes or until no longer pink; drain well. Add corn, olives, raisins, tomato paste and 5 tablespoons water; bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute to thicken slightly and serve. Makes 8 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 139 calories, 15 g protein, 5 g fat, 12 g carbohydrate, 27 mg cholesterol, 389 mg sodium and 2 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1.
Chicken Cacciatore Revisited
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces fresh white mushrooms, halved or sliced
1 large green bell pepper, cut
into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped 3 medium cloves garlic, thinly
sliced
2 pounds tomatoes, cut into
1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon coarse salt 1 teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon black pepper Balsamic vinegar to taste
In a large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 minutes or until browned. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, onion and garlic; cook and stir 6 minutes or until mushrooms release liquid. Stir in tomatoes, salt, oregano and black pepper. Cook on low, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes or until tomatoes are heated through. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and serve. Makes 6 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 173 calories, 23 g protein, 4 g fat, 11 g carbohydrate, 61 mg cholesterol, 441 mg sodium and 3 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1. Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email: