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
Prepare your own best pork loin roast for the family. Serve Alpine Potatoes (see recipe) and steamed green beans sprinkled with toasted sliced almonds to accompany the roast. Add baked apples and dinner rolls.
Plan ahead: Prepare enough baked apples and save leftover pork and potatoes for Monday.
Monday/Heat and Eat
Make sliced pork sandwiches with honey-mustard sauce on dense white bread. Heat the leftover potatoes and add a fresh spinach salad. Warm the leftover apples in the microwave and top them with fat-free vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle a few chopped pecans over the apple-ice cream combo for a delicious dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Tuesday.
Tuesday/Kids
Call in the kids for Nacho Night and they'll come running (see recipe). Serve canned pinto beans alongside the nachos. For dessert, top leftover fat-free vanilla ice cream with butterscotch sauce.
Wednesday/Express
Pick up a packaged pasta sauce and make Pasta Primavera for a quick meal (see recipe). Serve with a packaged green salad and bread sticks. For dessert, frozen golden layer cake or other cake will hit the spot.
Plan ahead: Save enough cake for Thursday.
Thursday/Budget
Beans are always a good way to stretch a dollar, and this Black Bean Soup (see recipe) is a tasty way as well. Spoon the soup over brown rice for a nutrition-packed meal. Serve a big mixed green salad on the side and crusty bread. Leftover cake gives a sweet finish. Tip: The soup improves with age.
Friday/Meatless
When you serve flavorful Potatoes and Broccoli au Gratin (see recipe), no one will care if you serve meat or not. On the side, a sliced tomato salad is easy. You'll want multigrain rolls to go with the meal. For dessert, fresh fruit and chocolate chip cookies were made for each other.
Saturday/Entertaining
No guest will be able to resist Oregon-Greek Pasta. Flavor a Greek-inspired pasta with hazelnuts grown in Oregon (nearly all hazelnuts sold in this country are from Oregon). Cook 8 ounces penne pasta according to directions; drain and place in a large serving bowl. In a large, nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil. Over medium heat, saute 1 clove minced garlic until soft about 1 minute. Add 1 thinly sliced red bell pepper and cook 2 minutes. Add 1 large peeled, seeded and diced tomato and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in 2 ounces goat cheese to make a creamy sauce. Toss with pasta, 1/4 cup toasted, coarsely chopped hazelnuts, 1/2 cup water-packed, quartered artichoke hearts, 1/4 cup kalamata olives (rinsed and drained) and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste. (Adapted from "Hazelnuts and More," Lucy Gerspacher; Graphic Arts Center Publishing, 1995, $19.95.)
Serve with a romaine lettuce salad and crusty bread. For dessert, spoon sliced strawberries over sliced fat-free pound cake. Top with a little light whipped cream.
Tip: Toast hazelnuts in the microwave on high (100 percent power) about 1 to 2 minutes.
Shopping List
What you'll need for this week's menus (consult recipes for exact amounts)
Sunday
pork loin roast
cooking spray
red potatoes
salt
onion
margarine or butter
flour
black pepper
reduced-sodium chicken broth
spicy brown mustard
prepared horseradish
dry bread crumbs
green beans
almonds
ingredients for making baked apples
dinner rolls
Monday
honey-mustard sauce
dense white bread
fresh spinach
fat-free vanilla ice cream
pecans
Tuesday
canned turkey chili
shredded carrots
baked corn chips
salsa
shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
sliced jalapeno peppers
canned pinto beans
butterscotch sauce
Wednesday
rotini (twists) pasta
cooking spray
fresh or frozen vegetables (broccoli, mushrooms, red pepper, onion)
skim milk
packaged pasta sauce
Parmesan cheese
packaged green salad
bread sticks
frozen golden layer cake or other cake
Thursday
garlic
olive oil
onion
reduced-sodium chicken broth
canned stewed tomatoes
canned diced tomatoes with green chilies
canned black beans
lemon
fat-free sour cream or yogurt
brown rice
salad greens
crusty bread
Friday
cooking spray
baking potatoes
fresh broccoli
onion
part-skim ricotta cheese
fresh or dried dill
salt
ground red pepper
fat-free sour cream
shredded reduced-fat, sharp Cheddar cheese
tomatoes
lettuce
multigrain rolls
fresh fruit
chocolate chip
cookies
Saturday
penne pasta
cooking spray
olive oil
garlic
red bell pepper
tomato
goat cheese
hazelnuts
water-packed artichoke hearts
kalamata olives
fresh basil
lemon
olive oil
black pepper
romaine lettuce
crusty bread
strawberries
fat-free pound cake
light whipped cream
Alpine Potatoes (Sunday)
Makes 8 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 45 to 50 minutes
cooking spray
2 pounds scrubbed red potatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium chopped onion
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 2-quart shallow baking dish with cooking spray. In a large saucepan, cook potatoes in boiling salted water about 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool. In the same pan over medium heat, saute onion in margarine or butter about 8 to 10 minutes or until softened and golden. Stir in flour and pepper, then broth. Stirring, bring to a boil and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Whisk in mustard and horseradish. Slice potatoes 1/2-inch thick. Layer in baking dish. Cover with sauce and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. (Adapted from "Potatoes," American Cooking Guild, 1994, $3.95.)
Per serving: 150 calories, 4 grams protein, 3 grams fat (20 percent calories from fat), 0.6 grams saturated fat, 26 grams carbohydrate, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 378 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.
Nacho Night (Tuesday)
Makes 8 servings
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: about 5 minutes
1 (16-ounce) can turkey chili
1/2 to 1 cup shredded carrots
1 (16-ounce) package baked corn chips
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
sliced jalapeno peppers for garnish (optional)
In a medium saucepan, combine turkey chili and carrots and cook 5 minutes or until heated. Spread chips on a large platter; top with chili/carrot mixture. Spoon salsa over chili; top with cheese. Garnish with jalapeno peppers if desired.
Per serving: 299 calories, 12 grams protein, 5 grams fat (13 percent calories from fat), 1.2 grams saturated fat, 56 grams carbohydrate, 13 milligrams cholesterol, 684 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.
Pasta Primavera (Wednesday)
Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: under 10 minutes plus time to cook the pasta
8 ounces rotini (twists) pasta
cooking spray
4 cups cut-up fresh or frozen vegetables (broccoli, mushrooms, red pepper, onion)
1 1/3 cups skim milk
1 (1.5-ounce) package pasta sauce mix
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according to directions; drain. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook vegetables about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in milk and pasta sauce mix. Stir constantly; bring to boil. Reduce heat; stirring constantly, simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat. Spoon over pasta; toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Per serving: 328 calories, 14 grams protein, 4 grams fat (12 percent calories from fat), 1.4 grams saturated fat, 57 grams carbohydrate, 9 milligrams cholesterol, 609 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.
Black Bean Soup (Thursday)
Makes 10 cups
Preparation time: less than 10 minutes
Cooking time: less than 45 minutes
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1 medium chopped onion
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (16-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, lightly drained and crushed
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, lightly drained
3 (16-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
fat-free sour cream or yogurt for garnish
In a 1-cup measure, combine oil and garlic and cover. Microwave on high (100 percent power) 45 seconds. Set aside. In a 3- or 4-quart container, combine onions and broth and cover.
Microwave on high 8 to 10 minutes or until onions are softened. Add garlic and oil to broth. Microwave on high 4 to 7 minutes or until hot. Add both canned tomatoes and beans; cover. Microwave on high 10 minutes. Stir and cook on high, uncovered, 15 minutes. Place half the solids of mixture in food processor and puree slightly. Add puree back to soup to thicken. Add lemon juice and serve with fat-free sour cream or yogurt for garnish. (From "Save Your Heart With Susan," Susan Nicholson, R.D., Morrow, 1991, $16.95.)
Per cup: 142 calories, 9 grams protein, 2 grams fat (9 percent calories from fat), 0.1 gram saturated fat, 24 grams carbohydrate, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 806 milligrams sodium, 8 grams fiber.
Potatoes and Broccoli au Gratin (Friday)
Makes 6 cups
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: less than 1 hour
cooking spray
2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and halved
1 cup chopped fresh broccoli
1/2 cup each: chopped onions and part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
Z teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup fat-free sour cream
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat, sharp Cheddar cheese (3 ounces)
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 7-by-11-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cook potatoes in boiling water 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain over a bowl and reserve 1 cup cooking liquid. Return potatoes and liquid to pan; mash with potato masher until slightly chunky. Add broccoli, onion, ricotta cheese, dill, salt, red pepper and sour cream to pan and stir well. Spoon mixture in baking dish and bake 35 minutes. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese; bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts. (Adapted from Cooking Light magazine.)
Per cup: 244 calories, 13 grams protein, 4 grams fat (16 percent calories from fat), 2.8 grams saturated fat, 38 grams carbohydrate, 20 milligrams cholesterol, 378 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by e-mail at: menuplanneindspring.com
Pub Date: 11/08/98