A week’s worth of quick, healthful meals for budget-minded families
SUNDAY: Make the day special and serve Roast Pork Loin With Pine Nut Stuffing (see recipe). Serve the juicy pork roast with aromatic basmati rice. Add a red-tipped lettuce salad and naan. Slice angel food cake for dessert and top it with a dab of strawberry ice cream.
Plan ahead: Save enough pork, rice and cake for Monday. Save enough ice cream for Tuesday.
MONDAY: Slice and warm the leftover pork. Toss cooked tiny green peas (from frozen) with warmed leftover rice and stir in chopped fresh mint. Add whole-grain rolls. Spoon peaches over leftover cake for dessert.
TUESDAY: Start with a few ingredients and end with Chicken-Tabbouleh Toss. You’ll need 2 cups chopped cooked chicken (from a rotisserie chicken or other cooked chicken) and 2 cups prepared tabbouleh from the deli. Toss them both with a sunflower ranch salad kit using half the salad dressing. Serve with crusty rolls. Scoop leftover ice cream for dessert.
Tip: Use your favorite salad kit if you can’t find the sunflower ranch variety.
WEDNESDAY: For an easy budget meal, Italian
White Beans With Chicken has a good flavor. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium. Add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil and 1 clove minced garlic. Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, 1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes (oil-packed, drained), 1/4 cup sliced black olives and 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans (rinsed). Cook, stirring frequently, until hot. Serve with mixed greens and garlic bread. Fresh pears are dessert.
Tip: Press tomatoes between several layers of paper towels to remove excess oil.
THURSDAY: You don’t need meat to fill up when you have Mom’s Lentils (see recipe) adapted from “Cooking Smarter,” by Jeremy Scheck (Harvest Publishing). Serve with mixed greens and sourdough bread. Plums are a simple dessert.
FRIDAY: Ham and Cheese Melt will satisfy kids and adults, too. Spread one side of 8 slices multigrain bread with softened butter. Place 4 slices bread, buttered side down, on griddle. On top of each, layer 1 thin slice provolone cheese, 1 pineapple ring (well-drained and patted dry) and 1 thin slice ham. Add second slices of bread, buttered side up. Cook over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes per side or until bread is toasted and cheese is melted. Serve with oven fries. Dip apple slices in vanilla yogurt for dessert.
SATURDAY: Invite guests for simple and delicious Seared Shrimp With Peas and Yellow Rice (see recipe). Serve with a romaine salad and a baguette. Bread pudding is dessert.
THE RECIPES ROAST PORK LOIN WITH PINE NUT STUFFING
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3/4 cup soft breadcrumbs 1 (15-ounce) can diced pears, drained
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried sage 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1 (4-pound) well-trimmed boneless pork loin roast
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium. Add onion and cook 3 to 5 minutes or until softened. Remove from heat; stir in spinach, breadcrumbs, pears, pine nuts, 1/4 teaspoon salt, sage, pepper and thyme. Set aside.
Cut a pocket lengthwise in roast to 1/2 inch of ends and uncut side. Spoon stuffing into pocket; tie securely with heavy string. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Place on rack in large roasting pan. Bake 2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Remove from oven; cover and let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Makes 15 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 224 calories, 26 g protein, 11 g fat, 6 g carbohydrate, 68 mg cholesterol, 107 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1/2
MOM’S LENTILS
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 carrots, diced
1 shallot, minced
1 head bok choy, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup green or French lentils, washed and drained
2 to 3 cups unsalted vegetable stock (or water)
1/2 teaspoon cumin Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 cups cooked white rice, hot
4 eggs, cooked sunny side up
Heat oil in medium pot over medium heat. Add carrots, shallot, bok choy and garlic; cook 8 minutes or until aromatic. Add lentils and enough stock to fully cover the lentils. Add the cumin and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, 20 minutes or until lentils are soft.
Divide rice among plates, spoon lentils over rice and top with an egg on each plate. Makes 4 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 508 calories, 24 g protein, 13 g fat, 75 g carbohydrate, 186 mg cholesterol, 287 mg sodium and 8 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1/2
SEARED SHRIMP WITH PEAS AND YELLOW RICE
1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined 2 tablespoons butter
1 (12-ounce) package yellow rice mix
3/4 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/4 cup sliced green onion 1 tablespoon lemon juice Lemon slices for garnish Heat half of canola oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add 1/3 of the shrimp; cook 2 minutes or until browned on both sides. Remove shrimp; keep warm. Repeat with remaining shrimp and oil as needed. Add 2 1/2 cups water and butter to the same skillet; bring to a boil. Stir in rice mix; return to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in shrimp, peas, onion and lemon juice until well mixed. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with lemon slices. Makes 4 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 477 calories, 29 g protein, 10 g fat, 70 g carbohydrate, 174 mg cholesterol, 1,306 mg sodium and 2 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 4 1/2