This week's menus

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

Head for the south of France and enjoy Beef Steak Provencal (see recipe). The mashed potatoes you serve on the side aren't French, but the baguettes are. Good ol' American deep-dish peach cobbler (store-bought) makes for an international meal.

Plan ahead: Make 3 extra cups mashed potatoes and save half the steaks and vegetables and enough cobbler for Monday.

Monday/Heat and Eat

Barbecue and Potato Loaf takes advantage of Sunday's leftover meat and potatoes (see recipe). Slice and serve with Sunday's leftover vegetables and deli coleslaw (drain well). Add multigrain rolls. Don't forget to warm the leftover cobbler.

Plan ahead: Cook 1 cup rice (3 cups cooked) for Tuesday.

Tuesday/Meatless

Who would want meat when you serve Ginger Fried Rice (see recipe)? Start the meal with store-bought vegetarian vegetable soup. Make a fresh spinach salad to serve on the side. Add crusty bread and fresh fruit to complete a flavorful meal.

Wednesday/Express

For tonight's quick meal, pick up some frozen gourmet vegetable patties and serve them on toasted whole-wheat buns. Dress them up with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, low-fat mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. (Vegetable burgers need a lot of flavor help at our house, but it's worth the effort to reduce the fat.) Serve with store-bought hash brown potatoes. For dessert, treat yourself to fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt and caramel sauce.

Plan ahead: Save enough frozen yogurt for Friday.

Thursday/Kids

The kids won't be able to resist Drumstick and Bean Bake (see recipe). Substitute any kind of beans for the black beans in the recipe to please the little darlings. Add a chopped lettuce salad. For dessert, help the kids make carrot cake from a box mix. The brand I bought included everything needed except water -- even the pan. Forget the icing (you don't really need it, do you?) and cut the cake in eight portions, not the usual six.

Plan ahead: Save half the cake for Friday.

Friday/Budget

Tonight's meal of Onion Soup is a penny-pincher. In a large, nonstick skillet, saute 4 large (about 6 cups) sliced Vidalia or other sweet onions in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over low heat for 30 minutes. Add 2 (14 1/2 -ounce) cans beef broth and 1 tablespoon sherry; heat 5 to 8 minutes or until hot. A grilled cheese sandwich made with 2 percent-milk cheese slices on dense white bread is an economical addition. Serve with a big mixed green salad. For dessert, combine leftover cake with leftover frozen vanilla yogurt for your own birthday-party dessert.

Saturday/Entertaining

Company's coming, and Herb Baked Chicken Breasts are as easy to fix as they are delicious (see recipe). Serve with couscous. Add frozen baby green peas with pearl onions and dinner rolls. For dessert, pick up a coconut cake from the store.

Shopping List

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

Sunday

garlic

dried basil

pepper

lean beef cube steaks

olive oil

zucchini

canned tomatoes

Parmesan cheese

cooking spray

salt

potatoes to mash

skim milk (for potatoes)

baguettes

deep-dish peach cobbler

Monday

cooking spray

thick barbecue sauce

reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

deli coleslaw

multigrain rolls

Tuesday

vegetable oil

fresh ginger

garlic

fresh snow peas

carrots

mushrooms

green onions

rice

soy sauce

sesame oil

white pepper

vegetarian vegetable soup

fresh spinach

crusty bread

fresh fruit

Wednesday

frozen gourmet vegetable patties

whole-wheat buns

lettuce

tomato

onion

pickles

low-fat mayonnaise

Dijon mustard

hash brown potatoes

fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt

caramel sauce

Thursday

skinless chicken drumsticks

frozen whole- kernel corn

canned barbecued baked beans

canned black beans (or other beans)

onion

canned tomato sauce

baked corn chips

lettuce

carrot-cake mix

Friday

Vidalia or other sweet onions

vegetable oil

canned beef broth

sherry

2 percent-milk cheese slices

dense white bread

salad greens

Saturday

nonfat plain yogurt

skinless, bone-in chicken breasts

fresh herbs (mixture of any: oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil or parsley)

couscous

frozen baby green peas with pearl onions

dinner rolls

coconut cake

Beef Steak Provencal (Sunday)

Makes 8 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: under 20 minutes

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon pepper

8 lean beef cube steaks (about 4 ounces each)

4 teaspoons olive oil

8 small zucchini, thinly sliced

1 (14 1/2 -ounce) can tomatoes, chopped and drained

1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese

cooking spray

1 teaspoon salt

In a small bowl, combine garlic, basil and pepper; divide in half. Press half of mixture evenly into both sides of steaks. Set steaks aside. In a large, nonstick skillet, heat oil and remaining seasoning mixture over medium heat. Add zucchini in a couple of batches. Cook, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Add tomatoes and cook 1 minute. Remove vegetables to warm platter; sprinkle with cheese and keep warm. Wipe skillet; coat with cooking spray. Increase heat to medium-high; cook steaks in two batches 3 to 4 minutes, turning once. Season with salt. Serve with vegetables.

Per serving: 243 calories, 30 grams protein, 11 grams fat (40 percent calories from fat), 3.3 grams saturated fat, 6 grams carbohydrate, 82 milligrams cholesterol, 617 mgs sodium, 2 grams fiber.

Barbecue and Potato Loaf (Monday)

Makes 6 servings

Preparation time: less than

10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 to 30 minutes

cooking spray

3 cups cooked mashed potatoes, divided

4 cooked lean cube steaks, chopped

1/2 cup thick barbecue sauce

1/4 cup reduced fat Cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8x4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Spread 1 1/2 cups potatoes in bottom of pan. In a small bowl, combine steaks with barbecue sauce. Spoon evenly over potatoes. Spread remaining 1 1/2 cups potatoes over meat, pressing gently. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Invert onto serving platter; sprinkle with cheese. Slice and serve.

Per serving: 259 calories, 23 grams protein, 8 grams fat (28 percent calories from fat), 3.1 grams saturated fat, 22 grams carbohydrate, 59 milligrams cholesterol, 837 mgs sodium, trace fiber.

Ginger Fried Rice (Tuesday)

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: less than

10 minutes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup fresh snow peas, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup sliced green onions

3 cups chilled cooked rice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

Place wok or wide skillet over high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides. Add ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add peas, carrots, mushrooms and onions; stir 1 minute. Add rice; stir to separate grains. Mix well. Stir in soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper; cook until thoroughly heated.

Per serving: 223 calories, 5 grams protein, 5 grams fat (21 percent calories from fat), 0.5 grams saturated fat, 39 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 468 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.

Drumstick and Bean Bale (Thursday)

Makes 10 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 1 1/4 hours

12 skinless chicken drumsticks

2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed

2 (16-ounce) cans barbecued baked beans

2 (16-ounce) cans black beans (or another kind), rinsed and drained

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups baked corn chips, crushed

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a 3-quart baking dish, combine drumsticks, corn, beans, onions and tomato sauce; mix well. Cover and bake 1 hour. Uncover, sprinkle with chips and bake 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Per serving: 317 calories, 26 grams protein, 5 grams fat (14 percent calories from fat), 1 gram saturated fat, 45 grams carbohydrate, 59 milligrams cholesterol, 670 milligrams sodium, 9 grams fiber.

Herb Baked Chicken Breasts (Saturday)

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 40 to 45 minutes

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt

4 skinless, bone-in chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)

1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs mixture of any: oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil or parsley)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon yogurt into pie plate; dip chicken in yogurt. Then roll in herbs. Bake in a dish 40 to 45 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.

Per serving: 188 calories, 34 grams protein, 4 grams fat (19 percent calories from fat), 1.1 grams saturated fat, 2 grams carbohydrate, 91 milligrams cholesterol, 94 milligrams sodium, no fiber.

Pub Date: 04/25/99