7-DAY MENU PLANNER
Sunday (Family)
Make the family happy and serve them GRILLED CHICKEN, your POTATO SALAD and this beautiful CUCUMBER, KALAMATA AND TOMATO SALAD (see recipe). Add CRUSTY ROLLS. Buy a YELLOW LAYER CAKE for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough cake for Monday.
Shopping list: chicken to grill, ingredients for your potato salad, seedless cucumbers, small red and yellow tomatoes, red onion, kalamata olives, olive oil, red wine vinegar, coarse salt, pepper, Greek feta cheese, crusty rolls, yellow layer cake.
Monday (Budget)
How about BARBECUE MEATLOAF (see recipe) for dinner tonight? Serve the comfort food with MASHED POTATOES, GREEN BEANS and WHOLE-GRAIN ROLLS. For dessert, slice the leftover CAKE and top it with BLUEBERRIES.
Plan ahead: Save enough meatloaf for Wednesday.
Shopping list: 93% lean ground beef, dry breadcrumbs, onion, barbecue sauce, prepared mustard, chili powder, garlic powder, coarse salt, pepper, eggs, cooking spray, potatoes to mash, green beans, wholegrain rolls, blueberries.
Tuesday (Kids)
TURKEY-RAISIN PICADILLO SLIDERS (see recipe) have great kid appeal. Serve the little sandwiches with BAKED CHIPS and CELERY STICKS. Try PEACHES for a simple dessert.
Shopping list canola oil, onion, garlic, bay leaves, cumin, chili powder, ground allspice, ground turkey breast, coarse salt, pepper, canned no-salt-added tomato paste, golden raisins, whole-grain slider rolls, baked chips, celery, peaches.
Wednesday (Heat and Eat)
Here comes your favorite part of leftover meatloaf: MEATLOAF SANDWICHES! Use whole-grain bread and slather a little low-fat mayonnaise on it, along with a layer of lettuce. Serve the sandwich with HASH BROWNS and COLESLAW. Slice KIWIS for dessert.
Shopping list: wholegrain bread, low-fat mayonnaise, lettuce, hash browns, coleslaw, kiwis.
Thursday (Meatless)
GNOCCHI WITH TOMATO SAUCE hits the spot for a no-meat dinner. Add 1 (16to 18-ounce) package gnocchi to a pot of boiling water; cook according to directions and remove with slotted spoon when they float to top. Add 1 (6-ounce) package baby spinach to water once gnocchi has been removed. Boil spinach 1 to 2 minutes; remove with slotted spoon; drain. Set aside. Meanwhile, puree 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic. (I used my immersion blender for easy cleanup.) Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium. Add 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper to skillet; cook 1 minute, stirring. Stir tomatoes into skillet. Cook 4 minutes to thicken. Stir cooked gnocchi and spinach into skillet. Divide mixture among 4 bowls; top each with 2 tablespoons shredded partskim mozzarella and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil.
Serve with a GREEN SALAD WITH EGG WEDGES and GARLIC BREAD. How about BANANA PUDDING for dessert?
Shopping list: packaged gnocchi, packaged baby spinach, canned diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic, olive oil, crushed red pepper, shredded part-skim mozzarella, fresh basil, salad greens, eggs, garlic bread, banana pudding.
Friday (Express)
Make a quick meal of THAI BEEF AND NOODLE SALAD. Put 1 (3 ¾-ounce) package cellophane noodles and ¾cup halved snow peas in a large bowl. Pour 4 cups boiling water over all. Let sit 10 minutes or until noodles are tender. Drain; rinse under cold running water and drain again. Shake colander to remove excess water; return to bowl. Combine ¼cup white vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger and ½teaspoon coarse salt in a jar; shake to dissolve sugar. Pour dressing over noodles and snow peas. Add 8 ounces thickly sliced deli roast beef (cut into strips), 1 ½ cups sliced seedless cucumber and ½ cup chopped fresh mint. Garnish with chopped peanuts and serve.
Alongside, add packaged SALAD GREENS and SESAME BREAD STICKS. Enjoy PEARS for dessert.
Shopping list: cellophane noodles, snow peas, white vinegar, sugar, fresh ginger, coarse salt, deli roast beef, cucumber, fresh mint, peanuts, packaged salad greens, sesame bread sticks, pears.
Saturday (Easy Entertaining)
Invite friends for PARMA-STYLE FLOUNDER. In a small bowl, mix ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, ¼ teaspoon coarse salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Brush one side of 4 (6-ounce) flounder fillets with olive oil; sprinkle each with spice mixture. Wrap a slice of prosciutto around center of each fillet; set aside. In an 8-by-11inch baking dish, arrange 8 tomato slices in a single layer; drizzle with another teaspoon oil. Microwave on high (100% power) 1 minute. Place flounder in a single layer on tomatoes; cover with waxed paper. Microwave on high 3 minutes or until opaque throughout. Remove from microwave; let stand 2 minutes, covered.
Serve with ROASTED RED POTATOES, steamed sliced ZUCCHINI, an ARUGULA SALAD and SOURDOUGH BREAD. For dessert, RASPBERRY SORBET and BUTTER COOKIES are company fare.
SHOPPING LIST: dried rosemary, coarse salt, pepper, flounder fillets, olive oil, prosciutto, tomatoes, red potatoes to roast, zucchini, arugula, sourdough bread, raspberry sorbet, butter cookies.
CUCUMBER, KALAMATA AND TOMATO SALAD (SUNDAY)
Servings: makes 12 (1cup) servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
3 large seedless
cucumbers, chopped
5 small red and yellow
tomatoes, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
into half-moons
1 cup kalamata olives,
pitted and halved
⅓ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon coarse salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
⅓ cup crumbled Greek feta cheese
In a large serving bowl, combine all vegetables. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, salt and pepper; pour over cucumber mixture and toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Top with feta before serving. (Adapted from “Y’all Come Over: Charming Your
Guests With New Recipes, Heirloom Treasures, and
True Southern Hospitality,” Rebecca Lang, Rizzoli International Publications.)
Per serving: 114 calories, 1 gram protein, 10 grams fat (79% calories from fat), 1.5 grams saturated fat, 5 grams carbohydrate, 4 milligrams cholesterol, 311 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.
Carb count: 0.5.
BARBECUE MEATLOAF (MONDAY)
Servings: makes 6 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes to 1 hour
1 ½ pounds 93% lean ground beef
½ cup dry breadcrumbs
½ cup finely chopped onion
⅓ cup barbecue sauce, divided
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 egg whites
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine beef, breadcrumbs, onion, 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce, mustard, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and egg whites. Shape mixture into a 9-by5-inch loaf on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Spread remaining barbecue sauce over top of loaf. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes. Cut into slices.
Per serving: 254 calories, 26 grams protein, 9 grams fat (34% calories from fat), 3.3 grams saturated fat, 15 grams carbohydrate, 64 milligrams cholesterol, 391 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.
Carb count: 1.
TURKEY-RAISIN PICADILLO SLIDERS (TUESDAY)
Servings: makes 8 sliders Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: about 30 minutes
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped 8 cloves garlic, chopped
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1 ¼ pounds ground turkey breast
Coarse salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 (6-ounce) can no-saltadded tomato paste
¾ cup water
½ cup golden raisins 8 whole-grain slider rolls
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil on medium in a Dutch oven. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir 5 minutes or until softened. Add bay leaves, cumin, chili powder and allspice; stir together for 1 to 2 minutes. Add turkey, salt and pepper.
Cook 5 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste, water and raisins; cook 5 minutes to blend flavors. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes or until thickened.
Toast rolls in oven until lightly browned. Remove bay leaves. Spoon turkey mixture onto rolls and serve.
TIP: If too thick, add more water.
Per serving: 237 calories, 21 grams protein, 5 grams fat (18% calories from fat), 0.7-gram saturated fat, 28 grams carbohydrate, 41 milligrams cholesterol, 223 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.
Carb count: 2.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email: susan@7daymenu.com. Follow Susan on Twitter: @7DayMenu. The Menu Planner is also accessible at 7daymenuplanner.com. Read Susan’s blog: makingthemenu.com. And check out Susan’s book! “7-Day Menu Planner for Dummies” is on shelves now. Order yours on Amazon.com today!