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
Wild Rice and Turkey Salad (see recipe) is one of our favorite family meals in summer. The salad - along with chilled, fresh asparagus spears - makes a complete meal. Squeeze a fresh lemon over the asparagus for extra flavor. Add dinner rolls. For dessert, sorbet and fresh berries carry on the cool, summer theme.
4 Plan ahead: Save the leftover turkey for Monday.
Tip: Use a prepared, smoked turkey breast if desired.
Monday/Leftovers
Continue the cool-food theme with sliced smoked turkey and a Tomato and Artichoke Salad (see recipe). Serve with crusty bread and fresh fruit.
Plan ahead: Save fresh oregano for Friday.
Tuesday/Meatless
Forget about meat and enjoy Ravioli Bake tonight (see recipe). It's flavorful and easy to prepare. Serve the baked pasta dish with a mixed green salad with a light vinaigrette and garlic bread.
Tip: Four cups of any kind of cooked nonmeat ravioli may be substituted.
Wednesday/Express
Stop by the supermarket seafood department or the deli counter for a prepared seafood salad for tonight. Pick up dark-green lettuce and a package of shredded carrots in produce. (Add the carrots to the salad and place the lettuce under the salad.) In the bakery, you'll want bread sticks and an angel food cake. The cake needs fat-free strawberry ice cream.
Now you have a complete meal.
Plan ahead: Save cake and ice cream for Thursday.
Thursday/Kids
Kids love baseballs, basketballs and footballs - so why not meatballs? Tonight's meatballs and spaghetti says "Play ball" to kids.
Cook 12 ounces spaghetti according to directions; drain. In a medium bowl, mix 1 pound extra-lean ground beef, 1 tablespoon minced onion, 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning and 2 egg whites until just combined. Shape into 1- to 1 1/2-inch balls. Heat one 28-ounce jar of spaghetti sauce in a deep skillet over low heat. Add meatballs; cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring once. Spoon over hot spaghetti.
Serve with a red-tip lettuce salad.
For dessert, leftover cake and ice cream cry out for fat-free chocolate sauce.
Friday/Budget
Your family won't call you cheap when you serve Italian garden soup; they'll call themselves lucky.
In a large pot, combine one 14 1/2-ounce can of each of the following: Italian green beans, rinsed and drained; zucchini with Italian-style tomato sauce; peas and carrots, rinsed and drained; diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano; and reduced-sodium chicken broth. Add 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper to taste. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon each chopped fresh oregano and basil and simmer 1 to 2 minutes.
Serve with a green salad and Italian bread. For dessert, try fresh fruit and oatmeal cookies.
Saturday/Entertaining
Entertaining is easy when you serve Grilled Lamb and Feta Burgers With Diced Tomatoes and Cucumber-Dill Sauce (see recipes). Serve the burgers on toasted whole-wheat buns. Buy or make a pasta salad. You'll want a platter of olives, celery and carrot sticks and pickled peppers to munch on. For dessert, make a peach sundae with fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt and fresh sliced peaches. Top with light whipped cream.
Shopping List
What you'll need for this week's menus (consult recipes for exact amounts)
Sunday
wild rice
reduced-sodium chicken broth
sliced almonds
olive oil
lemons
garlic
freshly ground black pepper
smoked turkey breast
seedless red grapes
flat-leaf parsley
scallions
raisins or currants
asparagus
dinner rolls
sorbet
berries
Monday
canned, water-packed artichokes
celery
scallions
fresh oregano
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
Boston lettuce
tomatoes
crusty bread
fruit
Tuesday
spaghetti sauce
frozen cheese ravioli
fat-free small-curd cottage cheese
shredded, reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
salad greens
light vinaigrette
garlic bread
Wednesday
seafood salad
dark-green lettuce
packaged shredded carrots
bread sticks
angel food cake
fat-free strawberry ice cream
Thursday
spaghetti
extra-lean ground beef
onion
Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning
eggs
spaghetti sauce
red-tip leaf lettuce
fat-free chocolate sauce
Friday
one can each: Italian green beans; zucchini with Italian-style tomato sauce; peas and carrots; diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano
reduced-sodium chicken broth
black pepper
fresh oregano
fresh basil
salad greens
Italian bread
fruit
oatmeal cookies
Saturday
frozen chopped spinach
lemon
pepper
egg
lean ground lamb
feta cheese
fresh or dried mint
whole-wheat buns
tomato
cucumber
plain low-fat yogurt
fresh dill
garlic
store-bought pasta
salad or ingredients for making your own
olives
celery
carrots
pickled peppers
fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt
fresh peaches
light whipped cream
Wild Rice and Turkey Salad (Sunday)
Makes 6 cups
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
1 cup rinsed wild rice
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup sliced almonds (see toasting directions)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 minced garlic clove
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups smoked turkey breast, cut into 1-by-1/8-inch slivers
1 cup seedless red grapes
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 thinly sliced scallions
1/4 cup raisins or diced currants
Cook rice, broth and water in microwave in a 2-quart covered container for 5 minutes on high (100 percent power) and 40 minutes on medium (50 percent power); let stand 5 minutes and cool. Spoon into a large bowl; set aside. To toast almonds: Place on a pie plate and microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until light brown.
In a small bowl, make salad dressing by whisking together the oil, lemon juice, garlic and black pepper. Add the turkey, grapes, parsley, scallions, raisins or currants, almonds and dressing to cooked rice. Toss gently to blend. (Adapted from "Rice, the Amazing Grain," Marie Simmons, Holt, 1993, $14.95.)
Per cup: 235 calories, 11 grams protein, 8 grams fat (29 percent calories from fat), 1.1 grams saturated fat, 33 grams carbohydrate, 10 milligrams cholesterol, 359 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
Tomato and Artichoke Salad (Monday)
Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
1 (14-ounce) can water-packed artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup minced scallions
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Boston lettuce leaves
2 large, ripe sliced tomatoes
In a large bowl, combine artichokes, celery, scallions, oregano, balsamic vinegar and oil. Line 4 plates with lettuce; divide tomatoes among the 4 plates. Spoon artichoke mixture over tomatoes. (From "Simple Tasty Side Dishes," F.R. Blenn, American Diabetes Association, 1995, $8.95.)
Per serving: 124 calories, 3 grams protein, 7 grams fat (51 percent calories from fat), 1 gram saturated fat, 13 grams carbohydrate, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 234 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.
Ravioli Bake (Tuesday)
Makes 10 servings
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 to 40 minutes plus time to cook ravioli
1 (28-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (25-ounce) package frozen cheese ravioli
2 cups fat-free small-curd cottage cheese
2 cups shredded, reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Cook ravioli according to package directions. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Layer with half the cooked ravioli, 1 1/4 cups sauce, 1 cup cottage cheese and 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes and serve.
Per serving: 362 calories, 25 grams protein, 11 grams fat (28 percent calories from fat), 5.1 grams saturated fat, 41 grams carbohydrate, 56 milligrams cholesterol, 903 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
Grilled Lamb and Feta Burgers With Diced Tomatoes (Saturday)
Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 lightly beaten egg white
3/4 pound lean ground lamb
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint or 4 teaspoons dried mint flakes
4 whole-wheat buns
1/2 cup diced tomato
Cucumber-Dill Sauce (see recipe at right)
In a medium bowl, combine spinach, lemon juice, pepper and egg white; blend well. Add lamb, cheese and mint; stir well. Divide into four 1/2-inch patties; grill 5 minutes on each side or until done.
Serve on buns with diced tomatoes and Cucumber-Dill Sauce. (Adapted from Cooking Light magazine.)
Per serving: 196 calories, 23 grams protein, 9 grams fat (41 percent calories from fat), 5 grams saturated fat, 6 grams carbohydrate, 71 milligrams cholesterol, 322 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
Cucumber-Dill Sauce (Saturday)
Makes 1/2 cup
Preparation time: 5 minutes
1/4 cup each: diced, seeded, peeled cucumber and plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 small minced garlic clove
In a small bowl, combine cucumber, yogurt, dill and garlic and mix well. (Adapted from Cooking Light magazine.)
Per serving: 11 calories, 1 gram protein, trace fat (16 percent calories from fat), 0.1 gram saturated fat, 1 gram carbohydrate, 1 milligram cholesterol, 11 milligrams sodium, trace fiber.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by e-mail: menuplanneindspring.com.
Pub Date: 8/30/98