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/Meatless

Take advantage of the summer's abundance with Mexican-Style Stuffed Zucchini (see recipe). Carry on the fresh-from-the garden theme with corn on the cob. Stay cool with crunchy jicama and sliced avocado salad on leaf lettuce. For dessert, make your own peach cobbler or purchase one.

Plan ahead: Save leftover cobbler for Wednesday.

Monday/Family

Treat the family to your own grilled chicken breast halves. Start the meal with cool Gazpacho (see recipe). Make or buy coleslaw and broccoli salad. Add crusty bread. Sara Lee's chocolate-banana layer cake makes a sweet finish.

Plan ahead: Grill two extra chicken breast halves and save leftover cake for Tuesday.

Tip: Discard chicken skin to cut fat and calories.

Tuesday/Heat and Eat

Take advantage of leftover grilled chicken with easy Chicken-Broccoli Divan (see recipe). Serve with quick rice and bread. You must have some leftover cake hidden somewhere!

Tip: Substitute 1 (16-ounce) package frozen broccoli florets for fresh broccoli if desired.

Wednesday/Kids

Introduce the kids to the islands with Jamaican Salsa Burgers on toasted whole-wheat hamburger buns (see recipe). Serve with oven fries. Warmed leftover cobbler with fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt is true comfort food.

Plan ahead: Save leftover frozen yogurt for Thursday and Saturday. Buy enough hamburger buns for Friday.

Thursday/Budget

Rice is always a budget-stretcher, and with Spanish Rice no one will know your secret. In a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook 3/4 pound lean ground beef, 1 medium chopped onion and 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper until beef is no longer pink and vegetables are softened, or about 5 minutes. Drain well. Stir in 1 cup long-grain rice, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper, 1 cup salsa and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Serve with a green salad and crusty bread. Finish with fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt and strawberry sauce.

Plan ahead: Save leftover strawberry sauce for Saturday.

Friday/Express

Dinner will be on the table fast with lemon pepper chicken club sandwiches. Purchase a lemon-pepper rotisserie chicken. Remove drumsticks, wings and thighs and freeze for later use. Slice breast meat and four whole-wheat hamburger buns. Spread buns with honey-mustard sauce. Divide and arrange breast meat (discard skin) and 1/2 pound deli coleslaw on bottom of buns. Top with lettuce leaves and cover with top halves of buns. Secure with a toothpick and cut in half. Accompany the sandwiches with deli red potato salad.

Saturday/Entertaining

Maybe you're not in Rome, but Italian Beef Salad (see recipe) is bursting with Italian character and flavor. Serve with a salad of mixed greens and a light vinaigrette. For dessert, a strawberry sundae is easy when you use leftover fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt and strawberry sauce along with fresh strawberries. Don't forget to top it off with light whipped cream.

Shopping List

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

Sunday

zucchini

long-grain rice

scallions

salt

canned black beans

mild or medium-hot salsa

tomato sauce

cilantro

jalapeno jack or Monterey Jack cheese

corn on the cob

jicama

avocado

leaf lettuce

prepared peach cobbler or ingredients to make one

Monday

uncooked chicken breast halves

red or sweet onion

tomato

cucumber

yellow, red or green bell pepper

tomato juice

red wine vinegar

salt

black pepper

fresh basil

prepared coleslaw and broccoli salad or ingredients to make them

crusty bread

Sara Lee chocolate-banana layer cake

Tuesday

fresh broccoli florets

reduced-fat condensed cream of chicken soup

skim milk

black pepper

shredded, reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese

cherry tomatoes

quick rice

bread

Wednesday

frozen vegetable burgers

apricot spreadable fruit

crushed pineapple

Dijon mustard

whole-wheat hamburger buns

red bell pepper

horseradish

frozen oven fries

fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt

Thursday

lean ground beef

onion

green bell pepper

long-grain rice

chili powder

salt

pepper

salsa

salad greens

crusty bread

strawberry sauce

Friday

lemon pepper rotisserie chicken

honey-mustard sauce

deli coleslaw

lettuce

deli red potato salad

Saturday

penne pasta

frozen Italian green beans

olive oil

well-trimmed sirloin

onion

garlic

carrot

plum tomatoes

fresh basil

balsamic vinegar

salt

Parmesan cheese

salad greens

light vinaigrette

fresh strawberries

light whipped cream

Mexican-Style Stuffed Zucchini (Sunday)

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: about 50 minutes

4 (8-ounce) zucchini, halved lengthwise

1/2 cup long-grain rice

4 thinly sliced scallions

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained

2/3 cup mild or medium-hot salsa

1 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 cup shredded jalapeno jack or Monterey Jack cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. With a paring knife, cut flesh from the zucchini halves, leaving 1/4-inch shell. Discard flesh. Remove a thin slice from bottom side of each zucchini half so that it will sit flat.

In a medium saucepan, boil 1 1/3 cups water. Add rice, scallions and salt. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until rice is tender, about 17 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in beans and 1/3 cup salsa. In an 11-by-7-inch baking dish, combine remaining salsa, tomato sauce and cilantro.

Place zucchini shells on top of sauce, spoon rice mixture into shells, cover with foil and bake about 20 minutes or until filling is hot and shells are tender. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake about 1 minute or until cheese is melted. Spoon sauce over stuffed zucchini and serve.

(Adapted from "Great Taste Low Fat Meatless Main Dishes," TimeLife, 1996, $14.95.)

Per serving: 331 calories, 17 grams protein, 10 grams fat (28 percent calories from fat), 6.2 grams saturated fat, 43 grams carbohydrate, 30 milligrams cholesterol, 1,205 milligrams sodium, 9 grams fiber.

Gazpacho (Monday)

Makes 9 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Chilling time: 4 hours

1/4 medium red or sweet onion, finely chopped

1 large tomato, finely chopped

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped

1 medium yellow, red or green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 cup tomato juice

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon each: salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh basil, coarsely chopped

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least four hours.

For a smoother soup, puree half the soup and mix with unblended half.

Per 1/2-cup serving: 19 calories, 1 gram protein, trace fat (7 percent calories from fat), 0 grams saturated fat, 4 grams carbohydrate, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 166 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.

Chicken-Broccoli Divan (Tuesday)

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

4 cups cooked (about 1 pound raw) broccoli florets, drained

2 cooked chicken breast halves, chopped up

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can reduced-fat condensed cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup skim milk

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup shredded, reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese

cherry tomato halves for garnish

Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a 2-quart shallow baking dish arrange broccoli and chicken. In a small bowl, mix soup, milk and pepper and pour over broccoli and chicken. Sprinkle cheese over all. Bake 15 minutes or until hot. Garnish with cherry tomatoes.

Per serving: 176 calories, 22 grams protein, 5 grams fat (24 percent calories from fat), 2.1 grams saturated fat, 13 grams carbohydrate, 48 milligrams cholesterol, 742 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.

Jamaican Salsa Burgers (Wednesday)

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: according to directions on package of vegetable burgers

4 prepared frozen vegetable burgers

1/2 cup apricot spreadable fruit

1/3 cup crushed pineapple, well-drained

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard

4 toasted whole-wheat

hamburger buns

red bell pepper rings (optional)

dash of horseradish (optional)

Cook vegetable burgers according to directions. In a small bowl, combine apricot spreadable fruit, crushed pineapple and mustard and mix well. Place burgers on buns, top with salsa. Garnish with red bell pepper rings and horseradish if desired.

Per serving: 314 calories, 16 grams protein, 3 grams fat (9 percent calories from fat), 0.6 grams saturated fat, 56 grams carbohydrate, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 578 milligrams sodium, 7 grams fiber.

Italian Beef Salad (Saturday)

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: less than 20 minutes

Cooking time: 12 minutes plus time to cook the pasta

8 ounces penne pasta

1 (10-ounce) package frozen

Italian green beans, thawed

4 teaspoons olive oil

3/4 pound well-trimmed sirloin, cut into 2-by-1/4-inch strips

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, finely chopped

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 ounces shaved Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions. Add green beans the last 2 minutes of cooking; drain well. In a large, nonstick skillet, heat oil until hot, but not smoking, over medium heat. Add beef and cook, stirring frequently, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate. Add onion and garlic to pan and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add carrot and cook, stirring frequently, until carrot is softened, about 4 minutes.

Transfer vegetables to a large bowl and add tomatoes, basil, vinegar and salt. Add pasta, green beans and beef to bowl, tossing well to coat. Cool to room temperature, divide evenly among four plates, top with Parmesan and serve.

(Adapted from "Great Taste Low Fat Main-Dish Salads," TimeLife, 1997, $14.95.)

Per serving: 549 calories, 38 grams protein, 17 grams fat (27 percent calories from fat), 5.8 grams saturated fat, 63 grams carbohydrate, 72 milligrams cholesterol, 777 milligrams sodium, 7 grams fiber.

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

Pub Date: 9/13/98