7day menu planner

SUNDAY: Enjoy lots of praise from the family when you present SpinachStuffed Chicken Breasts (see recipe). Serve the chicken with roasted red potatoes, asparagus and mixed greens. Buy bread pudding for dessert. Plan ahead: Save enough bread pudding for Wednesday.

MONDAY: Keep it simple tonight with Grilled Tomato-and-brie Sandwiches. Brush one side of 8 slices of bread ( 1⁄4 inch thick) with olive oil; rub cut side of a halved garlic clove over oil. Spread 1⁄2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard on each of 4 bread slices, oil side down. Top each slice with 1 ounce thinly sliced brie cheese, 1⁄3 cup arugula and 2 tomato slices. Then, top each sandwich with remaining 4 bread slices, oil side up. Place sandwiches on grill coated with cooking spray; grill 2 minutes per side or until lightly toasted and cheese melts. (Adapted from Cooking Light magazine.) Serve with any bean soup. Enjoy pears for dessert.

TUESDAY: The kids will love having their own special Mini Meatloaves tonight. Heat oven to 425 degrees. In small bowl, stir together 1⁄2 cup ketchup and 2 tablespoons brown sugar until mixed; reserve 1⁄4 cup mixture for topping. In large bowl, stir together 11⁄ 2 pounds ground beef, 1⁄2 cup biscuit mix, 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper, 1⁄4 cup minced onion, 1 slightly beaten egg and the remaining ketchup mixture. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Place meat mixture in pan; shape into a 4-by-12-inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise down center and then crosswise into sixths to form 12 loaves. Separate loaves, using a spatula, so no edges are touching. Brush loaves with reserved 1⁄4 cup ketchup/brown sugar mixture. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until internal temperature is 160 degrees. Serve the mini loaves with mashed potatoes and steamed baby carrots. Sliced peaches are an easy dessert.

WEDNESDAY: You’ll have dinner in no time with Quick Paella (see recipe). Serve with packaged greens. Leftover bread pudding is a welcome dessert.

THURSDAY: It’s hard to beat lowcost Brunswick Stew With Smoked Paprika (see recipe) for a tasty meal. Serve it with a lettuce wedge with crumbled gorgonzola cheese and biscuits. Scoop chocolate ice cream for dessert. Plan ahead: Save enough stew for Friday and enough ice cream for Saturday.

FRIDAY: Enjoy the fruits of your earlier labors with the already prepared and ready-to-heat Brunswick Stew. Thin it with broth for soup or leave it as is. Round out your simple meal with a Caesar salad and crackers. For dessert, how about bakery brownies? Plan ahead: Save enough brownies for Saturday.

SATURDAY: Invite friends for your own grilled salmon. Serve with Chipotle Mashed Potatoes. Cover 3 medium potatoes (cut into 1-inch pieces) with water. Boil about 10 minutes or until tender. Drain; shake potatoes over low heat 1 minute to dry. Mash with a potato masher or fork. Mix in 1⁄3 cup milk, 1⁄3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, 1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro. Season with coarse salt and pepper to taste. Add green beans, a bibb lettuce salad and whole-grain rolls. Make Triple Chocolate Sundaes for dessert. Warm leftover brownies, top with leftover chocolate ice cream and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Add a dollop of whipped cream to close the deal.

THE RECIPES Spinach-stuffed Chicken

Breasts

5 teaspoons olive oil, divided use

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup fresh mushrooms, finely chopped

1⁄4 cup dry red wine 2 cups baby spinach, finely chopped

1 1⁄2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided use

4 teaspoons minced kalamata olives

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 1⁄2 ounces Colby-jack cheese, cut into cubes (such as Sargento)

1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 lemon wedges for garnish Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and mushrooms, cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes or until mushrooms release moisture and pan is almost dry. Add wine; cook until most evaporates. Add spinach and

1⁄4 teaspoon Italian seasoning; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Stir in olives. Remove vegetables to a plate. Wipe skillet clean. Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket into the thickest part of each chicken breast. Cut as far as possible, leaving at least 1⁄4 inch from edges. Do not cut all the way through. Spoon 2 heaping teaspoons of the vegetable mixture into pockets, then push cheese into breasts using your fingers. Secure with wooden picks to keep stuffing secure. Sprinkle chicken with the remaining seasoning and pepper.

Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until well browned; turn chicken. Transfer skillet to oven and bake 30 minutes or until chicken (and stuffing) reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove skillet from oven and place chicken on cutting board. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut chicken diagonally. Arrange chicken slices on a serving platter and drizzle pan juices over chicken and serve with lemon wedges.

Makes 4 servings.

Quick Paella

2 tablespoons butter OR margarine

1 1⁄3 cups quick-cooking rice

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 small green bell pepper, finely

chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1⁄2 cups water

2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce

1 (6 1⁄ 2- ounce) can minced clams, drained

4 ounces frozen cooked salad shrimp, thawed Pinch of saffron or ground turmeric Chopped parsley for garnish

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet on medium. Add rice, onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is light brown. Stir in water, tomato sauce, clams, shrimp and saffron. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until rice is tender. Garnish with parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

Brunswick Stew With Smoked Paprika

2 cups ( 3⁄4- inch) cubed Yukon gold potatoes

2 cups thinly sliced onion

2 cups frozen corn

1 cup frozen baby lima beans

1⁄2 cup tomato sauce

2 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth

2 slices bacon, cut into 1⁄2- inch pieces

3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

1⁄2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1⁄2 teaspoon coarse salt

1⁄4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne) In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, combine potatoes, onion, corn, lima beans, tomato sauce, broth and bacon; bring to boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in chicken, paprika, salt and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.