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
Serve this flavorful Grilled Pork Tenderloin to the family today (see recipe). Serve with your own herb-roasted new potatoes and steamed sugar snap peas. For dessert, toast store-bought fat-free pound cake and top with any kind of berries for your own berry shortcake. Add a dollop of light whipped cream for a finishing touch.
Plan ahead: Save half the pork and the pound cake and prepare enough potatoes for Monday.
Monday/Heat and Eat
Some people might call pork tenderloin sandwiches leftovers, but I call them delicious. Use your favorite dense bread and spread with honey-mustard dressing. For a quick side dish, heat the leftover potatoes and sprinkle with chopped fresh chives. Serve chunky applesauce as an accompaniment. Leftover pound cake with fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt is an easy dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough yogurt for Tuesday.
Tuesday/Express
Make the kids happy with Chicken Chili (see recipe). Serve it over rice and add a green salad. Let the children help you prepare corn-bread muffins from a mix. For dessert, use leftover frozen yogurt with sliced bananas and caramel sauce for a banana sundae.
Plan ahead: Save half the chili, muffins and caramel sauce for Wednesday.
Wednesday/Kids
You'll add savings to your piggy bank when you serve Chili Spuds. Bake 4 (8- to 10-ounce) potatoes. Place one potato on each of 4 plates; slice each one into 8 wedges. Top with heated leftover chili. Serve with a spinach salad and leftover muffins. Instant butterscotch pudding made with skim milk and topped with caramel sauce makes an easy dessert.
Plan ahead: Make enough butterscotch pudding for Thursday.
Thursday/Meatless
Vegetarian burgers may not completely replace the old-fashioned kind, but frozen vegetarian burgers are easy and have little fat, so why not try them? Dress them up on toasted whole-wheat buns and add reduced-fat shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, sliced dill pickles and, of course, Dijon mustard and low-fat mayonnaise. Serve with steak fries and green peas. Leftover butterscotch pudding is awaiting you for dessert.
Friday/Budget
Spaghetti With Marinara Sauce (see recipe) is an always-welcome standard on most dinner tables. Serve with a mixed green salad and crusty bread. Add fresh fruit for dessert to complete a tasty, simple meal.
Tip: Double the sauce recipe and freeze for another time.
Saturday/Entertaining
Your guests are sure to enjoy Grilled Maple-Glazed Salmon Fillets, a quick mock-up of smoked salmon (see recipe). Serve the salmon with Orzo and Pignoli Pilaf (see recipe) and steamed fresh carrots. Add bread. For dessert, alternate flavors of sorbet in parfait or other tall glasses for rainbow parfaits.
Shopping List
What you'll need for this week's menus (consult recipes for exact amounts)
Sunday
pork tenderloin
whole-grain mustard
garlic
dried thyme
black pepper
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
dry red wine
ingredients for
herb-roasted new potatoes
frozen sugar snap peas
fat-free pound cake
berries
light whipped cream
Monday
dense bread
honey-mustard dressing
fresh chives
chunky applesauce
fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt
Tuesday
vegetable oil
scallions
garlic
chili powder
canned Mexican-style tomatoes
fresh yellow and zucchini squash
reduced-sodium chicken broth
pepper
cooked or canned chicken breast
cannellini or other white beans
rice
salad greens
corn-bread mix
bananas
caramel sauce
Wednesday
baking potatoes
spinach-salad ingredients
instant butterscotch pudding
skim milk
Thursday
frozen vegetarian burgers
whole-wheat buns
reduced-fat shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
tomatoes
lettuce
sliced dill pickles
Dijon mustard
low-fat mayonnaise
frozen steak fries
frozen green peas
Friday
spaghetti
cooking spray
olive oil
onion
garlic
canned tomatoes
tomato paste
salt
black pepper
fresh basil
salad greens
crusty bread
fresh fruit
Saturday
maple syrup
orange juice
orange zest
cayenne pepper
salmon fillets
salt
black pepper
olive oil
onion
garlic
orzo (pasta)
basmati or other white rice
pignoli (pine nuts)
fresh carrots
bread
sorbet for parfaits
Grilled Pork Tenderloin (Sunday)
Makes 8 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Marinating time: 1 hour to overnight; cooking time: 12 to 14 minutes; standing time: 3 to 5 minutes
2 pounds pork tenderloin
1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
3 crushed garlic cloves
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons each: olive oil and balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup dry red wine
Remove visible fat from tenderloin, rinse and dry. In a large bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Add pork and coat well. Cover and refrigerate from 1 hour to overnight; turn occasionally. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Heat broiler or grill; cook tenderloin 12 to 14 minutes, turning several times and brushing with marinade. When internal temperature reaches degrees, remove from heat. Let stand, lightly covered, 3 to 5 minutes or until temperature reaches 160 degrees. In a small saucepan, boil any leftover marinade 3 minutes. Slice pork and serve with marinade on the side.
Per serving: 193 calories, 24 grams protein, 7 grams fat (38 percent calories from fat), 1.8 grams saturated fat, 2 grams carbohydrate, 74 milligrams cholesterol, 418 milligrams sodium, trace fiber.
Chicken Chili (Tuesday)
Makes 8 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: less than 35 minutes
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 cup sliced scallions
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans Mexican-style tomatoes
2 cups diced yellow squash
2 cups diced zucchini squash
3/4 cup reduced-sodium canned chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (or one 12 1/2-ounce can, drained)
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add scallions and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Add chili powder; saute 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, both squashes, broth and pepper; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes.
Stir in chicken and beans; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Per serving: 172 calories, 13 grams protein, 3 grams fat (17 percent calories from fat), 0.7 grams saturated fat, 22 grams carbohydrate, 22 milligrams cholesterol, 421 milligrams sodium, 6 grams fiber.
Spaghetti With Marinara Sauce (Friday)
Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: under 20 minutes for sauce plus time to cook the spaghetti
12 ounces spaghetti
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes (don't drain)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Cook spaghetti according to directions. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; add onion and cook until softened or 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and juice, tomato paste and salt and pepper. Heat to boiling, stir and break up tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Stir in basil. Spoon spaghetti into a large bowl and toss with sauce.
Per serving: 397 calories, 13 grams protein, 4 grams fat (9 percent calories from fat), 0.5 grams saturated fat, 76 grams carbohydrate, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 701 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.
Grilled Maple-Glazed Salmon Fillets (Saturday)
Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Marinating time: up to 6 hours; cooking time: 8 to 10 minutes
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange zest (orange part)
pinch cayenne pepper
4 (5- or 6-ounce) salmon fillets, pin bones removed
cooking spray
salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a shallow baking dish, mix together syrup, orange juice, zest and cayenne. Place fish flesh-side down in mixture and marinate in refrigerator up to 6 hours. Heat grill to medium high and coat with cooking spray. Remove fish from marinade and let excess moisture drip off. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Grill until opaque, 4 to 5 minutes or each side. (Adapted from Simply Seafood magazine.)
Per serving: 232 calories, 29 grams protein, 9 grams fat (37 percent calories from fat), 1.4 grams saturated fat, 7 grams carbohydrate, 80 milligrams cholesterol, 64 milligrams sodium, 0 grams fiber.
Orzo and Pignoli Pilaf (Saturday)
Makes 6 servings
Preparation time: less than 10 minutes
Cooking time: about 25 minutes; standing time: 5 minutes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup orzo (pasta)
3/4 cup basmati or other white rice
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons pignoli (pine nuts)
Heat oil in a large, wide saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute over low heat, stirring until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and saute 1 minute. Add orzo and rice and saute, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Add water and salt and heat to boiling, stirring. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Let stand, uncovered, off the heat for 5 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, toast pignoli in a small skillet over low heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add pignoli to rice mixture and toss to blend. (Adapted from "Rice, the Amazing Grain," by Marie Simmons, Henry Holt, 1993, $14.95.)
Per serving: 176 calories, 4 grams protein, 4 grams fat (21 percent calories from fat), 0.6 grams saturated fat, 30 grams carbohydrate, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 196 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author an registered dietitian. She can be reached by e-mail: menuplanneindspring.com.
Pub Date: 12/06/98