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 heat-and-eat 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

Enjoy Grilled Pacific Coast Steak with the family (see recipe). Serve with packaged yellow rice, canned or dried black beans and a sliced avocado salad on dark-green lettuce with fat-free sour cream.

You'll win raves for Chocolate Dream Bars, an easy dessert. Arrange 8 store-bought brownie squares on a platter. Spoon 1 1/2 cups fresh sliced strawberries over the brownies. Top each brownie with light whipped cream and sprinkle each with cocoa powder.

Plan ahead: Save leftover steak and four Dream Bars for Monday.

Monday/Heat and Eat

Make an easy steak stir-fry tonight using leftover sliced steak, frozen stir-fry vegetables and stir-fry sauce. Spoon over rice and add a green salad with a light vinaigrette on the side. You'll want crusty bread and, of course, leftover Dream Bars.

Plan ahead: Prepare enough rice for Tuesday.

Tuesday/Budget

Stretch your budget and never know it with flavorful Turkey Picadillo (see recipe). Serve over leftover rice. For dessert, make your own banana sundae with fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt, fat-free caramel sauce and sliced ripe bananas.

Wednesday/Meatless

Make a meal with Stuffed Spuds. Bake 4 large potatoes. In a large, nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil and saute one 8-ounce package of sliced mushrooms about 5 minutes; set aside. Chop 2 tablespoons fresh parsley. To assemble, split potatoes and sprinkle with toppings evenly divided: 4 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese, the mushrooms, chopped parsley and 4 tablespoons fat-free sour cream.

Add a mixed green salad and crusty bread. For a refreshing finish, make instant lemon pudding with skim milk.

Thursday/Express

Make a delicious Catalina Chicken Salad for an easy meal (see recipe). Serve with sourdough rolls. Make a fresh fruit cup for dessert. What a cool meal!

Friday/Kids

When the kids hear about Taco Biscuits (see recipe), they'll come running. Serve the biscuits with canned fat-free refried beans and a chopped dark-green lettuce salad with cherry tomatoes. Fat-free chocolate ice cream with fresh berries is for kids of all ages.

Saturday/Entertaining

Your guests will be back for seconds of Pork Salad With Melon (see recipe). Serve the salad soon after it is made for the best flavors. Saute mushrooms for a side dish. You'll want crusty rolls. A store-bought Boston cream pie makes an easy dessert.

Shopping List

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

Sunday

pineapple juice

soy sauce

limes

garlic salt

flank steak

packaged yellow rice

canned or dried black beans

avocado

dark-green lettuce

fat-free sour cream

brownies

strawberries

light whipped cream

cocoa powder

Monday

frozen stir-fry vegetables

stir-fry sauce

rice

salad greens

light vinaigrette

crusty bread

Tuesday

ground turkey

lemons

dry white wine

olive oil

onion

green bell pepper

garlic

tomato sauce

golden raisins

pimento-stuffed green olives

capers

Worcestershire sauce

black pepper

rice

fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt

fat-free caramel sauce

bananas

Wednesday

baking potatoes

olive oil

sliced mushrooms

reduced-fat shredded Swiss cheese

parsley

fat-free sour cream

salad greens

crusty bread

instant fat-free lemon pudding

skim milk

Thursday

cooked, sliced chicken breast

reduced-fat Catalina-style dressing

packaged mixed salad greens

deli turkey ham

reduced-fat sliced Swiss cheese

canned potatoes

tomatoes

sourdough rolls

assorted fresh fruit

Friday

ground turkey

lean ground beef

onion

taco seasoning mix

refrigerated biscuits (not buttermilk)

reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese

jalapeno peppers (optional)

canned fat-free refried beans

dark-green lettuce

cherry tomatoes

fat-free frozen chocolate ice cream

fresh berries

Saturday

chili powder

ground ginger

salt

sugar

pork tenderloin

limes

olive oil

cantaloupe

tomato

cucumber

frozen whole-kernel corn

water chestnuts

salad greens

mushrooms

crusty rolls

Boston cream pie

Grilled Pacific Coast Steak (Sunday)

Makes 8 servings

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Marinating time: 3 to 4 hours; cooking time: 15 minutes

3/4 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup each: soy sauce, water and fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 flank steak (1 3/4 pounds)

In a small bowl, combine pineapple juice, soy sauce, water, lime juice and garlic salt. Reserve 1/4 cup mixture for basting later. Place remaining pineapple mixture in a large, resealable plastic bag along with the steak. Seal and refrigerate 3 to 4 hours, turning occasionally. Remove steak and discard marinade. Grill steak over medium-high heat 15 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted into thickest section registers 145 degrees (medium-rare). Turn occasionally during cooking and baste with reserved pineapple mixture. Slice crossgrain and serve.

Per serving: 163 calories, 21 grams protein, 8 grams fat (44 percent calories from fat), 3.5 grams saturated fat, 1 gram carbohydrate, 51 milligrams cholesterol, 206 milligrams sodium, 0 grams fiber.

Turkey Picadillo (Tuesday)

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Marinating time: 1 hour

Cooking time: about 35 minutes

1 pound ground turkey

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons dry white wine

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup minced onion

1 finely diced small green pepper

3 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, rinsed, drained and sliced in half crosswise

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

freshly ground black pepper

In a medium glass bowl, combine turkey, lemon juice and wine. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Heat oil in a large, covered, nonstick skillet and saute onion, green pepper and garlic over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add turkey and its marinade to skillet. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring constantly until turkey is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, raisins, olives, capers, Worcestershire sauce and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Adapted from "Latin American Cooking Across the U.S.A.," H. Novas and R. Silva, Knopf, 1998, $27.50)

Per serving: 267 calories, 30 grams protein, 4 grams fat (13 percent calories from fat), 0.7 grams saturated fat, 28 grams carbohydrate, 77 milligrams cholesterol, 812 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.

Catalina Chicken Salad (Thursday)

Makes 4 servings

Prep time: under 10 minutes

1 (10-ounce) package of cooked, sliced chicken breast

1/2 cup reduced-fat Catalina-style dressing

1 (10-ounce) package mixed salad greens

4 ounces deli turkey ham, cut into strips

4 ounces sliced, reduced-fat Swiss cheese, cut into strips

1 (15-ounce) can cooked potatoes, drained and sliced

2 tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges each

In a medium bowl, combine chicken and 1/4 cup dressing. Place greens on four chilled dinner plates. Arrange chicken, ham, cheese and potatoes over greens. Garnish with tomato wedges. Drizzle with remaining dressing.

Per serving: 344 calories, 37 grams protein, 9 grams fat (24 percent calories from fat), 3.1 grams saturated fat, 28 grams carbohydrate, 85 milligrams cholesterol, 961 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber

Taco Biscuits (Friday)

Makes 8 biscuits

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: under 35 minutes

1/2 pound each: ground turkey and lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 (1 1/2-ounce) package taco seasoning

2 (13-ounce) packages large refrigerated biscuits (not buttermilk)

4 ounces reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons seeded jalapeno peppers (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large, nonstick skillet, cook turkey, beef and onion until meat is no longer pink and onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Drain well. Add taco mix and prepare according to package directions. Cool slightly.

On a foil-lined baking sheet, flatten 1 package of the biscuits into 4-inch circles. Spoon 1/4 cup meat mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese onto each. (For spicier flavor, add jalapenos.) Flatten remaining package biscuits; place on top and pinch edges together to seal. Bake 15 minutes or until browned.

Per serving: 430 calories, 24 grams protein, 19 grams fat (40 percent calories from fat), 6.5 grams saturated fat, 40 grams carbohydrate, 40 milligrams cholesterol, 1,275 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.

Pork Salad With Melon (Saturday)

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

3/4 teaspoon each: ground ginger, salt and sugar

3/4 pound well-trimmed pork tenderloin

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cantaloupe, seeded, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 tomato, cut into 8 wedges

1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced

1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed

1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts, canned and drained

4 cups mixed salad greens, torn

Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the sugar. Place pork on rack in roasting pan and rub 1 teaspoon of spice mixture into it. Roast about 25 minutes or until internal temperature is 155 degrees. Remove from oven, cover and let stand 10 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices; reserve collected juices on plate.

In a large bowl, combine pork juice, lime juice, oil and remaining spice mixture, remaining salt and 2 tablespoons water. Add pork, cantaloupe, tomato, cucumber, corn, water chestnuts and greens. Toss well to combine. Divide among 4 plates and serve warm or at room temperature. (Adapted from "Great Taste, Low-Fat Main-Dish Salads," TimeLife, 1997, $14.95.)

Per serving: 239 calories, 22 grams protein, 8 grams fat (27 percent calories from fat), 1.7 grams saturated fat, 24 grams carbohydrate, 50 milligrams cholesterol, 509 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.

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

Pub Date: 9/06/98