Each day of the week offers a menu aimed at a different aspect of meal planning. There's a family or holiday meal, usually Sunday, a kids' menu aimed at younger tastes, a heat-and-eat meal that recycles leftovers, a budget meal that employs a cost-cutting strategy, a meatless dish for people who may not be strict vegetarians but are trying to cut down on meat, an express meal that requires little or no preparation, and an entertaining menu that's quick but worthy of company, usually the Saturday meal.

Sunday/Family

Treat the family to Pork Loin Roast With Honey Mustard (see recipe). Serve with mashed sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts. Add dinner rolls. For dessert, peach crisp would be ... peachy. Buy one from a bakery, or find a recipe for one in a cookbook.

Plan ahead: Save half the pork and leftover peach crisp for Monday.

Monday/Heat and Eat

Use Sunday's leftovers and make sliced roast pork sandwiches on dense white bread tonight. Add extra honey mustard sauce and reheat the pork if you like. A few Lay's Wow Snack Chips add some crunch and no fat. Up everybody's vitamin A with carrot-raisin salad. Warm the leftover peach crisp and top with fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt.

Tuesday/Express

We liked the Stockpot Classic Soup flavor we tried, Azteca Chicken and Rice With Cilantro and Jalapenos. All you need to add to the 10-ounce, low-fat refrigerated packages (about $3 each) are 2 3/4 cups water. Not being able to leave things as they are, I added a drained 16-ounce can of garbanzo beans and a 14 1/2-ounce can of Mexican-style crushed tomatoes and juice jazz up the flavor and stretch the amount. The Redmond, Wash.-based company also makes sauces, gravies and chilies. Just add a green salad and crusty bread for a complete meal.

Wednesday/Meatless

Ziti With Minted Summer Squash (see recipe) makes you want to plant a garden with plenty of squash and mint. Serve with escarole salad and garlic bread.

Plan ahead: Save flat-leaf parsley for Thursday.

Tip: If the squash becomes dry during cooking, add 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water.

Thursday/Budget

Serve Atlantan Jan Krug-Fite's Meatloaf tonight (see recipe). Jan can spot a good, economical meatloaf at 50 paces. Serve the meatloaf with baked potatoes and fat-free sour cream. Squeeze a fresh lemon over fresh broccoli spears for a colorful and nutrient-packed side dish. Add dinner rolls.

Plan ahead: Bake 4 extra potatoes and save half the meatloaf for Friday.

Friday/Kids

If your kids like tacos, they should love Mexican-style meatloaf -- reheat leftovers and top with salsa, and, if you like, a sprinkling of grated cheese. Serve with baked potato wedges. Cut leftover baked potatoes into wedges, coat with cooking spray, and sprinkle with chili powder or paprika and bake in a 400-degree oven until hot, about 20 minutes. Serve with carrot and celery sticks. Have cookies and fruit for dessert.

Saturday/Easy Entertaining

For an easy, delicious meal, serve your guests Mongolian Grilled Ginger Lamb Kebabs (see recipe). The light glaze is a simple mixture of ginger, soy and honey. Serve with your own rice pilaf and stir-fry vegetables. For dessert, Summer Fruit in Sweet Wine (see recipe) is a perfect finale.

Shopping List

What you'll need for this week's menus (consult recipes for exact amounts)

Sunday

garlic

fresh rosemary

sage and thyme

salt

pepper

boneless center-cut pork loin roast

honey

Dijon mustard

fresh lemon

(or prepared honey-mustard sauce in place of three previous

ingredients)

sweet potatoes

brussels sprouts

dinner rolls

peach crisp ingredients

Monday

dense white bread

honey mustard sauce

Lay's Wow Snack Chips

carrot raisin salad

fat free frozen vanilla yogurt

Tuesday

packaged Azteca Chicken and Rice with Cilantro and Jalapenos Stock Pot Soup mix or other

canned garbanzo beans

Mexican-style canned tomatoes

green salad

crusty bread

Wednesday

ziti or other short, tubular pasta

extra-virgin olive oil

garlic

scallions

fresh yellow squash

salt

hot pepper flakes

flat-leaf parsley

fresh mint

escarole

light vinaigrette

garlic bread

Thursday

tomato sauce

quick-cooking oatmeal

onions

frozen chopped spinach

flat-leaf parsley

brown sugar

salt

pepper

eggs

lean ground beef

ground turkey

ketchup

prepared mustard

baking potatoes

fresh lemon

fresh broccoli

dinner rolls

Friday

salsa

cooking spray

chili powder or paprika

mixed greens for salad

crusty bread

cookies

fruit

Saturday

soy sauce

rice wine, sake or white wine

honey

Asian (toasted or dark) sesame oil

garlic

fresh ginger

pepper

well-trimmed lamb

rice pilaf ingredients

vegetables to stir fry

cantaloupe

papaya

raspberries

strawberries

dessert wine such as late-harvest Riesling or Gewurztraminer

Pork Loin Roast With Honey and Mustard (Sunday)

Makes 8 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

1 minced garlic clove

1 teaspoon each minced fresh rosemary, sage and thyme

salt and freshly ground black pepper

4-pound boneless, well-trimmed, center-cut pork loin, patted dry

1/2 cup honey

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Heat oven to 450 degrees. In small bowl, combine garlic, rosemary, sage and thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Rub mixture all over pork. Place pork in roasting pan and roast 20 minutes, or until browned. While meat browns, combine honey, mustard and lemon juice in a small bowl (or use a prepared honey-mustard sauce).

Lower oven to 325, brush pork with honey-mustard sauce and continue roasting and basting for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until meat thermometer registers 155 degrees. Remove, cover loosely with foil about 10 minutes, slice and serve. (Adapted from "Reasons to Roast," by G. Downard and E. Righter, Houghton Mifflin, 1997, $15).

Ziti With Minted Summer Squash (Wednesday)

Makes 6 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: about 20 minutes plus time to cook the pasta

1 pound ziti or other short, tubular pasta

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 large, peeled, smashed garlic cloves

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions (white part only)

2 pounds diced yellow squash (4 medium)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint

Cook pasta according to directions. In a large, nonstick skillet, heat oil and saute garlic until well-browned; discard garlic. Add scallions and cook until softened, not browned. Add squash, salt, hot pepper flakes. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until squash is completely softened, about 15 minutes. Combine with pasta and toss with parsley and mint. (Adapted from "We Called It Macaroni," by Nancy Barr, Knopf, 1996, $18.)

Jan Krug-Fite's Favorite Meatloaf (Thursday)

Makes 8 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes; standing, 10 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

1 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal

1/2 cup minced onions

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons brown sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

3 egg whites

1 pound each lean ground beef and ground turkey

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine tomato sauce, oatmeal, onions, spinach, parsley, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, salt, pepper and egg whites. Add ground meats and stir until just blended (do not overmix). Shape into a loaf about 8 by 4 inches and place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar, ketchup and prepared mustard and brush over meatloaf. Bake 1 hour 20 minutes. Cover loosely and let stand about 10 minutes before slicing.

Mongolian Grilled Ginger Lamb Kebabs (Saturday)

Makes 6 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes plus marinating time -- 8 hours or overnight

Cooking time: 10 to 14 minutes; standing, 5 minutes

2 tablespoons each soy sauce and water

2 tablespoons rice wine, sake or white wine

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon honey

2 teaspoons Asian (toasted or dark) sesame oil

1 clove minced garlic

3 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 pounds boneless lamb, trimmed of all fat and cut into 1-inch cubes

freshly ground black pepper to taste

bamboo skewers, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, water, rice wine, sake or white wine, honey, oil, garlic and ginger; add lamb. Toss lightly to coat. Cover and marinate 8 hours or overnight in refrigerator; turn occasionally. Thread lamb onto skewers. Grill over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes per side; baste with marinade the last few minutes of cooking. Remove from fire. Discard marinade. Let lamb stand 5 minutes before serving. Add pepper to taste. (Adapted from "Pacific Light Cooking," by Ruth Law, Donald Fine Books, 1998, $27.95.)

Summer Fruits in Sweet Wine (Saturday)

Makes 6 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes; marinating, 8 hours

1/2 small, ripe, seeded cantaloupe

1 firm ripe, peeled, seeded sliced papaya

24 raspberries

24 medium strawberries

1 cup sweet dessert wine, such as late-harvest Riesling or late-harvest Gewurztraminer

Scoop out cantaloupe balls, using a 1-inch melon-baller. Combine cantaloupe, papaya, raspberries and strawberries in a bowl. Add wine and toss gently. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. To serve, arrange fruit in wine goblets. Spoon liquid over fruit. (Adapted from "Pacific Light Cooking," by Ruth Law, Donald Fine Books, 1998, $27.95.)

Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by e-mail: menuplannermindspring.com.

Pub Date: 5/31/98