Each day of the week offers a menu aimed at a different aspect of meal planning. There's a family meal, a kids' menu aimed at younger tastes, a meal that recycles leftovers, a budget meal that employs a cost-cutting strategy, a meatless or "less meat" 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.

Sunday/Family

Stay cool in the lazy, hazy days of summer with Chicken Salad With Raspberries. Serve with a broth-based canned soup if you like, and add sourdough rolls. Chocolate layer cake is a fine dessert. Make your own or buy one from the store.

Plan ahead: Save four cooked chicken breast halves and some of the cake for Monday.

Monday/Sandwiches

Take it easy tonight and make Blondie sandwiches for dinner. Spread whole-wheat bread with low-fat mayonnaise and grainy mustard. Stack each sandwich, Dagwood-style, with shredded leftover chicken, 1 slice cooked bacon, romaine leaf, tomato slices, minced scallions and whatever else looks good from the refrigerator. Frozen oven fries sprinkled with a little paprika are an easy accompaniment. Where did Blondie hide the leftover cake? Dagwood?!

Tuesday/Budget

Western Beans (see recipe) won't put a big dent in your food budget. Serve over brown rice for a vitamin boost. You'll want green salad and corn muffins for a complete meal.

Wednesday/Kids

Every kid will like pita dogs.

Cut fat-free hot dogs into bite-size pieces and heat. Stuff into whole-wheat pitas; add relish and mustard. Make your own carrot and raisin salad. Finish this easy meal with fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt with fat-free fudge sauce.

Plan ahead: Shred an extra cup of carrots for Thursday.

Thursday/Meatless

Pasta Primavera (see recipe) is always popular. Serve with multigrain rolls. For dessert, make your own lemon pudding or make from a package. Use skim milk and garnish with a dollop of light whipped cream.

Plan ahead: Save half the pasta primavera for Friday.

Friday/Express

Tonight's pasta with diced ham and cheese is easy because all you do is dice 1/2 pound cooked ham from the deli and mix with 1 cup of shredded, reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese and Thursday's leftover pasta. Add sliced black olives if you like. If you want something hot, canned soup is easy. Add bread sticks. Serve water-melon and cantaloupe chunks for a light dessert.

Saturday/Entertaining

Your guests will arrive early for Grilled Halibut and Vegetables (see recipe). Serve with orzo pasta tossed with chopped parsley and a little Parmesan. Strawberry Spinach Salad is a delicious accompaniment (see recipe). You'll want crusty bread to complete this festive summer meal.

Shopping List

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

Sunday

shallots

raspberry vinegar

fresh thyme

Dijon mustard

salt

ground pepper

olive oil

uncooked chicken breast halves

mesclun or other salad greens

fresh raspberries

broth-based canned soup

sourdough rolls

store-bought chocolate layer cake or ingredients to make your own

Monday

whole-wheat bread

low-fat mayonnaise

grainy mustard

bacon

romaine lettuce

fresh tomatoes

scallions

frozen oven fries

paprika

Tuesday

cooking spray

vegetable oil

onion

celery

canned pinto beans

salt

tomato sauce

hot pepper sauce

brown rice

salad greens

store-bought corn muffins or ingredients to make your own

Wednesday

fat-free hot dogs

whole-wheat pita bread

relish

mustard

ingredients for carrot and raisin salad

fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt

fat-free fudge sauce

Thursday

spaghettini

fresh asparagus

fresh broccoli

fresh mushrooms

red, yellow or orange bell peppers

fresh chives

salt

black pepper

fat-free sour cream

fresh carrots

Parmesan cheese

multigrain rolls

ingredients for your own or packaged lemon pudding

light whipped cream

Friday

cooked ham

shredded, reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese

black olives

canned soup

bread sticks

watermelon and

cantaloupe chunks

Saturday

halibut steaks or fillet

red and green bell peppers

yellow crookneck squash

zucchini

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

garlic

fresh thyme

oregano

parsley

orzo

Parmesan cheese

fresh spinach

fresh strawberries

red onion

honey-mustard dressing

crusty bread

Chicken Salad With Raspberries

(Sunday)

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 to 14 minutes

2 minced shallots

1 1/2 tablespoons raspberry

vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 (4- or 5-ounce) boneless,

skinless chicken breast halves, divided

10 cups mesclun or other mixed salad greens

1 cup fresh raspberries, divided

In a small bowl, whisk together shallots, vinegar, thyme, mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Slowly whisk in oil. Place 4 chicken breasts in a flat container and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette, turning to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator about 1 hour; turn occasionally. (Cover and refrigerate the other 4 breasts until grilling time.) Remove chicken, discard marinade.

Grill marinated chicken along with the 4 other boneless, skinless breasts 5 to 7 minutes per side or until cooked through. (Wrap and refrigerate the 4 plain cooked breasts. See Monday's menu.)

Place grilled marinated chicken on a plate and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large bowl toss mesclun or other greens with remaining vinaigrette and ] cup raspberries. Transfer to serving plates, top with chicken breast. Garnish with remaining ] cup berries and serve. (Adapted from "Summer-Winter Chicken," L. Longbotham, Morrow, 1997, $15.95)

Per serving: 197 calories, 29 grams protein, 5 grams fat (24 percent calories from fat), 0.9 grams saturated fat, 8 grams

carbohydrate, 66 milligrams cholesterol, 125 milligrams sodium,

5 grams fiber

Western Beans (Tuesday)

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: about 10 minutes

cooking spray

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 medium onion

1 cup sliced celery

2 (16-ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup tomato sauce

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper

sauce

1/2 cup water

In a large, nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, heat oil and cook onion and celery until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in beans, salt, tomato sauce, hot pepper sauce and water and heat through. Serve over brown rice.

Per serving: 196 calories, 10 grams protein, 5 grams fat (22 percent calories from fat), 0.3 grams saturated fat, 30 grams carbohydrate, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 843 milligrams sodium, 10 grams fiber

Strawberry-Spinach Salad (Saturday)

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes

4 cups spinach leaves, torn into bite-size pieces

1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed and halved

1 small, thinly sliced red onion, separated into rings

1/2 cup prepared honey-mustard dressing

Line four serving plates with spinach. Divide and arrange strawberries and onion rings on each plate. Drizzle each salad with 2 tablespoons dressing.

Per serving: 184 calories, 2 grams protein, 15 grams fat (75 percent calories from fat), 2 grams saturated fat, 10 grams carbohydrate, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 265 milligrams sodium,

3 grams fiber

Grilled Halibut With Vegetables

(Saturday)

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Marinating time: 2 hours

Cooking time: about 14 minutes

4 (5-ounce) halibut steaks or

fillets

2 each: quartered red and green bell peppers

2 medium yellow crookneck squash, halved lengthwise

2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise

2 tablespoons each: olive oil,

balsamic vinegar and water

2 minced garlic cloves

1 tablespoon each: chopped fresh thyme, oregano and

parsley

sprigs of thyme and oregano for garnish

Place fish, bell peppers and yellow and zucchini squash in an 11-by-7-inch baking dish. In a small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, water, garlic, thyme, oregano and parsley. Pour over fish and vegetables; cover and marinate in the refrigerator about 2 hours.

Prepare grill. Remove vegetables and fish from marinade; discard marinade. Grill vegetables about 3 minutes on each side. Place fish on grill. Cook vegetables and fish about 8 minutes, turning fish once. Cook until fish is opaque and vegetables are tender. Serve fish and vegetables garnished with sprigs of thyme and oregano.

Per serving: 238 calories, 33 grams protein, 5 grams fat (18 percent calories from fat), 1.1 grams saturated fat, 17 grams carbohydrate, 45 milligrams cholesterol, 86 milligrams sodium,

6 grams fiber

Pasta Primavera (Thursday)

Makes 8 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 10 to 14 minutes plus time to cook the pasta

1 pound spaghettini

1 pound fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups fresh broccoli florets

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, halved

1/2 large red, yellow or orange bell pepper, cut into strips

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup fat-free sour cream

1 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Cook spaghettini according to directions; drain. Microwave asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms and bell pepper, covered, on high (100 percent power) 10 to 14 minutes or until softened; drain liquid. Toss with chives; season with salt and pepper. Combine sour cream and carrots and toss with cooked spaghettini; arrange on a serving platter. Top with vegetable mixture; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Per serving: 294 calories, 13 grams protein, 2 grams fat (7 percent calories from fat), 0.8 grams saturated fat, 55 grams carbohydrate, 5 milligrams cholesterol, 99 milligrams sodium,

4 grams fiber

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

Tip of the week

When cooking on a grill, arrange the charcoal so that some areas do not have fire under them. If some foods are done more quickly than others, they can be moved here to stay warm while the remainder finish cooking.

- Cooking A to Z

! Pub date: 8/23/98