7-Day Menu Planner
A week’s worth of quick, healthful meals for budgetminded families
SUSAN NICHOLSON SUNDAY: Gather the family and splurge for a juicy Leg of Lamb (see recipe). Serve it with Seasoned Couscous: Prepare 1 cup couscous according to package directions. Add 1/3 cup cider vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup fresh parsley, fresh mint to taste and 1 to 2 teaspoons minced garlic. Stir in some chopped tomato and peeled and seeded chopped cucumber. Toss and serve. Add stir-fried kale and flatbread. Buy a peach crisp for dessert.
Tip: Stir-fry the kale as you would stir-fry spinach, or just steam it.
Plan ahead: Save enough lamb and crisp for Monday.
MONDAY: Use the leftover lamb in Tex-Mex Lamb Enchiladas: Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a nonstick skillet, cook 1 clove minced garlic, ½ cup chopped green bell pepper and ¼ cup chopped celery for 5 minutes or until softened. Add 2 cups chopped cooked (leftover) lamb and cook 3 minutes or until hot. Soften 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas according to package directions. Spoon lamb mixture into center of tortillas and roll. Place seam side down in a 7-by-11-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with 2 cups salsa. Cover tightly with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Uncover and top with ½ cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese and bake 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Garnish with reduced-fat sour cream and sliced green onions. Serve with brown rice and sliced avocados. Warm the leftover crisp for dessert.
Plan ahead: Cook enough rice for Tuesday.
TUESDAY: Warm up with a big bowl of Vegetable Bean Chili (see recipe) tonight. Serve the chili over leftover rice. Garnish with chopped jalapeno peppers. Add crisp mixed greens and cheese toast. Fresh pineapple chunks topped with shredded coconut make a good dessert. Plan ahead: Save enough coconut for Thursday.
WEDNESDAY: Count the savings when you serve Orzo Pilaf for dinner: Cook
1 ¼ cups (about 8 ounces) orzo according to package directions. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet on medium. Add ½ cup chopped onion, 2 cloves garlic (minced), 2 teaspoons peeled, finely chopped fresh ginger; cook 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in 1 (10-ounce) package frozen tiny green peas (thawed), ¼ teaspoon coarse salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper and ½ cup unsalted chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Stir in cooked orzo; reduce heat to medium-low and cook 3 minutes or until heated through. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and ½ cup packed chopped fresh mint leaves; toss and serve. Add a bibb lettuce salad and whole-grain rolls. Chocolate ice cream is an easy dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Thursday. THURSDAY: Let the kids have fun with Wienerwiches: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Toast 4 split whole-grain hamburger buns 3 to 4 minutes in the oven. Form 4 hot dogs into circles by partially slicing through hot dogs every ½ inch. Secure ends of circles with wooden picks. Boil 2 to 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Meanwhile, heat ½ cup canned baked beans. Place hot dogs on buns, remove picks and spoon beans into center of dogs. Smear with mustard if desired and add top buns. Serve with deli carrot raisin salad and baked fries (from frozen). Leftover chocolate ice cream sprinkled with leftover coconut is good for dessert. Plan ahead: Buy enough carrot salad for Friday.
FRIDAY: Make Artichoke, Feta Cheese and Tomato Sandwiches for a quick meal. Cut focaccia bread into sandwich-sized pieces. Top with sliced marinated artichokes, sliced tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese and lettuce. Serve with leftover carrot salad. Pears are your dessert.
SATURDAY: Invite guests for easy Soy Roast Chicken. (see recipe). Serve over white rice and add green beans on the side. Add a mixed green salad and whole-grain rolls. Buy fruit tarts for dessert.
THE RECIPES Leg of Lamb
1 (4- to 5-pound) welltrimmed, bone-in leg of lamb
3 cloves garlic, sliced Olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried thyme Coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make short deep slits all over the lamb and fill with garlic slices. Rub lamb with oil and sprinkle with oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Place on rack in shallow roasting pan. Roast 1 hour. Add ¾ cup water to pan and roast another 15 to 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees for medium-rare.
Transfer to serving platter, tent with foil and let stand 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, de-fat pan juices. Discard fat and reheat juices. Carve roast and serve with pan juices.
Makes 10 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 165 calories, 26 g protein, 6 g fat, 1 g carbohydrate, 80 mg cholesterol, 77 mg sodium and no fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 0
Vegetable Bean Chili
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 to 4 tablespoons chili
seasoning
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped 1 medium yellow squash, chopped
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground red (cayenne) pepper
1 (14 ½-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, with liquid
1 (11-ounce) can corn with peppers and onions, drained 3 cups cooked black beans
¼ teaspoon coarse salt Sour cream for garnish
Shredded cheddar cheese for garnish
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium. Add onion, garlic and chili seasoning; cook 5 minutes or until onions are softened. Add red and green peppers; cook 7 minutes until all vegetables are softened. Add both squashes, oregano and cayenne pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add tomatoes; cook 10 minutes. Stir in corn, beans and salt; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Makes 8 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving (without garnishes) contains approximately 182 calories, 9 g protein, 3 g fat, 32 g carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 331 mg sodium and 9 g fiber. Carbohydrate choices: 2
Soy Roast Chicken
1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds)
Salt
¼ cup sweet chili sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons sesame seeds ¼ cup soy sauce
3 green onion tops, sliced into rings
Remove giblets from chicken and pat dry; sprinkle lightly with coarse salt and let stand for 30 minutes while the oven heats.
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken on a sheet pan, baking dish or cast-iron skillet. Combine chili sauce, garlic and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to dab soy sauce all over chicken. (Try to get as much sauce as you can on the chicken; some will run off.) Roast 30 minutes. Brush with half the sweet chili mixture. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees; roast for 15 minutes. Brush with the rest of the sweet chili mixture; roast 15 minutes more or until thermometer registers 165 degrees in thigh, not touching the bone. Let chicken stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with green onions. (Adapted from “Cooking Smarter,” Jeremy Scheck, Harvest Publishing)
Makes 4 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 290 calories, 47 g protein, 7 g fat, 5 g carbohydrate, 150 mg cholesterol, 440 mg sodium and no fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: ½