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
For a memorable family meal, serve Grilled Spiced Lamb (see recipe). Accompany the flavorful lamb with couscous. Marinated Vegetables are an easy side dish (see recipe). Add sourdough rolls. For dessert, blueberries with cream is summer-light. Place 1/2 cup fresh blueberries in a stemmed glass. Pour 1 tablespoon orange-flavored liqueur (or orange juice) over each. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream. Sprinkle with brown sugar and serve.
Plan ahead: Make 2 cups extra couscous; save 2 servings of vegetables and enough lamb for Monday.
Tip: Ask your butcher to bone a 4-pound lamb leg shank half and slit meat lengthwise to spread open like a thick steak. Remove visible fat.
Monday/Heat and Eat
Serve lamb sandwiches on whole-wheat toast with lettuce and store-bought pesto for an easy meal. Make vegetable couscous by combining leftovers from Sunday. Moisten with a little fat-free chicken broth if necessary. For dessert, fat-free strawberry ice cream makes a sweet ending.
Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Tuesday.
Tuesday/Express
Pass go, and proceed to your grocery store's refrigerated section and pick up two packages of four-cheese ravioli (look for a light version). Pick up a jar of marinara sauce to go with it. Get some Parmesan cheese to grate over the combo. Slide on over to produce for a packaged salad and to the bakery for breadsticks and sugar cookies. Dessert? Look in your freezer for leftover fat-free strawberry ice cream to go with the sugar cookies.
Wednesday/Budget
You can tighten your purse strings when you serve a low-cost meal of baked beans with sausage for a low-cost meal. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a 2-quart casserole, combine 1 (28-ounce) can baked beans, 2 tablespoons each of molasses and cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; mix well. Stir in 1/2 pound sliced, low-fat sausage. Bake 20 minutes or until hot. Serve with refrigerated sauerkraut (rinse well) and applesauce. Add rye bread.
Thursday/Kids
Big kids, small kids, all the kids around will like Chickpea Burgers (see recipe) on toasted hamburger rolls. Serve these substantial burgers with tomato and avocado slices and salsa. Toss red potatoes in parsley and a little butter or margarine to accompany the burgers. For dessert, brownies from a mix are kid-friendly.
Plan ahead: Save enough brownies for Friday.
Tip: Tahini is a thick paste made of ground sesame seeds.
Friday/Meatless
No one will care about meat when you serve Fettuccine With Creamy Tomato Sauce (see recipe). Serve with green beans and garlic bread. Top leftover brownies with light whipped cream for a delicious dessert.
Saturday/Entertaining
We impressed our guests with Steamed Sea Bass with an oriental-style sauce (see recipe), thanks to a creation by Matt Sandtak, the chef at Atlanta's Arugula restaurant. Matt recommends serving the fish with basmati rice, an aromatic rice. We added sugar snap peas and crusty bread.
Caramelized peaches make a perfect finish to a light meal. Heat broiler. Peel, pit and halve 2 ripe peaches lengthwise. Arrange, cut- side up, in a small baking dish. Sprinkle hollowed centers with 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine cut into bits. Broil 4 inches from heat 6 to 8 minutes or until sugar caramelizes. Top each peach with a dollop of reduced-fat sour cream.
Tip: Look for fish sauce and hoisin sauce in Asian-food markets or in the Asian-food section of large grocery stores.
Shopping List
What you'll need for this week's menus (consult recipes for exact amounts)
Sunday
plain low-fat yogurt
garlic
fresh ginger
ground coriander
ground cumin
lemon
salt
cayenne pepper
butterflied lamb leg
couscous
tomatoes
fresh zucchini
fresh mushrooms
parsley
reduced-fat Italian dressing
lettuce
sourdough rolls
fresh blueberries
orange-flavored liqueur or orange juice
reduced-fat sour cream
brown sugar
Monday
whole-wheat bread
lettuce
pesto
fat-free chicken broth
fat-free strawberry ice cream
Tuesday
ravioli
marinara sauce
Parmesan cheese
packaged salad
breadsticks
sugar cookies
Wednesday
canned baked beans
molasses
cider vinegar
Dijon mustard
low-fat sausage
refrigerated sauerkraut
applesauce
rye bread
Thursday
canned chickpeas
tahini
fresh rosemary
eggs
scallions
cilantro
Spanish onion
toasted bread crumbs
olive oil
hamburger rolls
tomato
avocado
salsa
red potatoes
parsley
butter or margarine
brownie mix
Friday
olive oil
red onion
garlic
canned tomatoes in puree
parsley
dried oregano
pepper
salt
mild goat cheese
fresh spinach fettuccine or other fettuccine
green beans
garlic bread
light whipped cream
Saturday
fresh ginger
garlic
soy sauce
fish sauce
lemon
lime
orange juice
rice vinegar
sugar
scallions
hoisin sauce
sea bass fillets
basmati rice
sugar snap peas
crusty bread
fresh peaches
brown sugar
butter or margarine
reduced-fat sour cream
Grilled Spiced Lamb (Sunday)
Makes 10 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Marinating time: 1 to 2 hours
Cooking time: 25 to 35 minutes
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon each: ground coriander and cumin
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3-pound boneless, well-trimmed butterflied lamb leg (from 4-pound lamb leg shank)
In blender, combine all ingredients except lamb; blend until smooth. Pour mixture into resealable plastic bag; add lamb, turning to coat. Seal bag, pressing out excess air. Place on plate; refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, turning occasionally. (Do not marinate more than 2 hours or the texture of the meat will change.) Remove lamb from bag; reserve marinade.
Grill lamb 15 minutes over medium heat; turn once. Brush both sides with reserved marinade and cook 10 to 20 minutes for medium-rare or until desired doneness, turning occasionally. Thickness of butterflied lamb will vary throughout; cut off sections as they are done. (Adapted from "Good Housekeeping Best Recipes 1999," Time Inc. Home Entertainment, $24.95.)
Per serving: 176 calories, 27 grams protein, 6 grams fat (34 percent calories from fat), 3 grams saturated fat, 2 grams carbohydrate, 80 milligrams cholesterol, 302 milligrams sodium, no fiber.
Marinated Vegetables (Sunday)
Makes 6 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Marinating time: 6 to 8 hours
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 (8-ounce) bottle reduced-fat Italian dressing
8 cups torn lettuce
In an 8-by-8 inch baking dish, combine tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, parsley and Italian dressing. Toss to coat; cover and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours. Drain, reserving dressing.
Arrange vegetables on a serving platter covered with lettuce; serve reserved dressing on side.
Per serving: 74 calories, 2 grams protein, 4 grams fat (48 percent calories from fat), 0.6 grams saturated fat, 8 grams carbohydrate, 2 milligrams cholesterol, 329 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
Chickpea Burgers (Thursday)
Makes 6 servings
Preparation time: about 5 minutes
Cooking time: less than 15 minutes
3 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, coarsely chopped
1 whole egg
4 egg whites
2 chopped scallions
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 medium Spanish onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups toasted bread crumbs
2 teaspoons olive oil
In a food processor, combine chickpeas, tahini, rosemary, egg, egg whites and scallions; process until completely mixed. Transfer to a large bowl and add cilantro, onion and bread crumbs. Form into 6 patties. Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil. Add patties one at a time, allowing about 30 seconds between additions, and cook until they are well-browned, about 4 or 5 minutes per side. Serve immediately. (Adapted from "The Figs Table," Todd English and Sally Sampson, 1998, Simon and Schuster, $25.)
Per serving: 335 calories, 14 grams protein, 9 grams fat (24 percent calories from fat), 1.5 grams saturated fat, 50 grams carbohydrate, 35 milligrams cholesterol, 646 milligrams sodium, 7 grams fiber.
Fettuccine With Creamy Tomato Sauce (Friday)
Makes 6 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: about 10 minutes plus time to cook the pasta
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 (14 1/2 -ounce) cans diced tomatoes in puree
4 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
1/4 teaspoon each: dried oregano and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (4-ounce) package mild goat cheese, softened
2 (9-ounce) packages fresh spinach fettuccine or other fettuccine
In a large, nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat; add onion and garlic and cook 5 minutes or until onion is softened.
Add tomatoes, parsley, oreg-ano, pepper and salt and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cheese to sauce and cook, stirring until cheese melts. While cheese is melting, cook fettuccine according to directions; drain. Toss pasta with tomato sauce; transfer to serving dish and serve immediately.
Per serving: 347 calories, 15 grams protein, 8 grams fat (21 percent calories from fat), 4 grams saturated fat, 55 grams carbohydrate, 15 milligrams cholesterol, 883 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.
Matt Sandtak's Steamed Sea Bass (Saturday)
Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: less than 15 minutes
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
juice of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lime
2 tablespoons each: orange juice, rice vinegar and sugar
2 chopped scallions
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
4 (6-ounce) sea bass fillets
Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, all ingredients except fish. Mix well. Ladle half the mixture into a 7-by-11-inch baking dish. Place fillets in a single layer on sauce. Ladle remaining sauce over fillets. Cover with foil and bake 10 to 12 minutes or until fish is opaque. Serve immediately.
Per serving: 197 calories, 33 grams protein, 4 grams fat (16 percent calories from fat), 0.9 grams saturated fat, 7 grams carbohydrate, 70 milligrams cholesterol, 1,215 milligrams sodium, no fiber.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by e-mail: menuplanner @mindspring.com.
Pub Date: 06/27/99