7-Day Menu Planner
A week’s worth of quick, healthful meals for budgetminded families
SUSAN NICHOLSON
SUNDAY: Prepare PecanCrusted Pork Tenderloin for the family (see recipe). Serve with your own roasted potato wedges, fresh green beans and a red-tipped lettuce salad. Add a baguette. For dessert, top angel food cake with blueberries. Plan ahead: Prepare an extra (plain) pork tenderloin, and save some cake for Monday. MONDAY: Use the leftovers to make Pork-Potato Hash: Cook 1 medium onion (chopped) and 1 medium red bell pepper (chopped) in a little olive oil until softened. Add 3 cups mashed potatoes, 2 cups chopped cooked (leftover) pork and 1 cup frozen (thawed) tiny green peas. Cook, stirring often, until browned. Serve with sour cream. Add a green salad and whole-grain bread. Spoon a dab of vanilla ice cream over leftover cake for dessert.
Tip: I’ve been using refrigerated prepared plain mashed potatoes lately, and they are quite good. There are a variety of brands. I choose the ones with the lowest calories and sodium.
Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Saturday. TUESDAY: This Brunswick Stew With Smoked Paprika (see recipe) is one of the best I’ve had in a long time, and it’s economical, too. Serve the onedish meal with mixed greens and crusty rolls. Pears are dessert.
WEDNESDAY: Here come the kids for Upside-Down Pizza (see recipe). Serve with carrot sticks. They’ll love Rice Pudding for dessert: Add milk, raisins, a little sugar and a dash of pure vanilla extract to cooked rice. Simmer until thickened. Drizzle with a little honey. THURSDAY: Skip meat tonight and enjoy Pasta With Tomatoes and Arugula. Cook 8 ounces pasta shells according to package directions. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium. Add cup plain breadcrumbs; cook 5 minutes or until toasted, stirring often. Remove to a small bowl; stir in 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese. In the same skillet, heat 2 more tablespoons oil on medium. Add 2 cups grape tomatoes and 2 teaspoons minced garlic; cook until the tomatoes start to burst. Add 1 (5-ounce) package fresh arugula, coarse salt and pepper to taste. Cook 1 minute until arugula begins to wilt. Toss with hot pasta; sprinkle each serving with breadcrumbs. Serve with a spinach salad with hard-cooked egg slices and whole-grain rolls. Dessert is chocolate ice cream drizzled with strawberry sauce.
Plan ahead: Save enough strawberry sauce for Saturday. FRIDAY: Chicken With Orzo is a fast meal. In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup mayonnaise and 1 (0.87-ounce) packet onion gravy mix. Lay 6 chicken breast cutlets (about
1 ½ pounds) on wax paper; coat one side of each cutlet with mayonnaise mixture. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet on medium. Place chicken in skillet, coated side down. Spread remaining mixture on chicken. Cook cutlets 1 minute on each side or until chicken begins to brown. Stir in 1 ½ cups water, 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles and 8 ounces orzo; blend well. Cover and cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally or until most of the liquid is absorbed and orzo is tender. Serve immediately with a packaged green salad and Italian bread. Finish with chunky applesauce. SATURDAY: Invite guests for your own Grilled Grouper (or other fish) tonight. Alongside, add Boiled Red Potatoes With Parsley and Butter. On the side, add a Tomato Corn Salad: Combine 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro and 1 pint grape tomatoes (halved) with juice of ½ lemon. Add 1 (10-ounce)
package frozen corn (thawed), ¼ cup Italian dressing and 1 tablespoon green pepper sauce; toss to coat. Chill 10 minutes and serve. Add crusty bread. For dessert, spoon leftover strawberry sauce over leftover ice cream and add a dollop of whipped cream.
THE RECIPES Pecan-Crusted Pork Tenderloin
1 (1 ½-pound) pork tenderloin Coarse salt and ground black
pepper to taste
½ cup light brown sugar,
divided use
2 tablespoons less-sodium soy
sauce, divided use 2 teaspoons minced garlic ½ cup pecan pieces
¼ cup pineapple juice 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and minced garlic. Spread mixture over top of pork. Press chopped pecans into brown sugar mixture on pork. Bake, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, combine remaining sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice and mustard. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Slice pork, spoon sauce over top and serve.
Makes 6 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 272 calories, 24 g protein, 10 g fat, 22 g carbohydrate, 61 mg cholesterol, 348 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1 ½
Brunswick Stew With Smoked Paprika
2 cups cubed Yukon gold
potatoes (¾ inch)
2 cups thinly sliced onion 2 cups frozen corn, thawed 1 cup frozen baby lima beans,
thawed
½ cup tomato sauce 2 (14-ounce) cans unsalted
chicken broth
2 slices bacon, cut crosswise
into ½-inch pieces
3 cups shredded cooked
chicken breast (see note) ½ teaspoon smoked paprika ½ teaspoon coarse salt ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
In a Dutch oven on mediumhigh, combine potatoes, onion, corn, lima beans, tomato sauce, broth and bacon; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in chicken, paprika, salt and pepper; simmer 15 minutes. Serve warm.
Note: Use a rotisserie chicken if desired.
Makes 6 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 320 calories, 28 g protein, 7 g fat, 34 g carbohydrate, 66 mg cholesterol, 519 mg sodium and 5 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 2
Upside-Down Pizza
2 cups favorite vegetable pizza toppings (such as sliced mushrooms, bell peppers and red onion)
1 pound lean ground beef 1 pound ground turkey
1 cup chopped onion 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce ½ teaspoon garlic powder 1 (1.25-ounce) package Italian-style spaghetti sauce mix
1 cup shredded part-skim
mozzarella cheese 1 (12-ounce) package refrigerated pizza crust
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large nonstick skillet, cook pizza toppings 3 to 4 minutes on medium-high or until softened. Spoon into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and spread evenly; set aside.
To the skillet used for the vegetables, add ground meats and onion; cook 8 to 10 minutes or until no longer pink; drain well. Stir in tomato sauce, garlic powder and spaghetti sauce mix. Bring to a boil; simmer 5 to 6 minutes. Spoon mixture over vegetables in baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Gently lay crust over top of cheese. Bake 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Slice and serve. Makes 8 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 324 calories, 31 g protein, 10 g fat, 27 g carbohydrate, 71 mg cholesterol, 1,006 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 2