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
You'll have more time with the family when you prepare your own baked turkey breast. Serve it with Green Rice (see recipe). Steamed fresh carrots sprinkled with chopped fresh dill and tossed with a little margarine or butter make a colorful side dish. Strawberry-Pineapple Compote is summertime-friendly. In a large bowl, stir together 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Just before serving, toss syrup mixture with 2 cups each strawberry halves and fresh pineapple chunks. Spoon into stemmed dessert dishes and garnish with fresh mint sprigs if desired.
Plan ahead: Save enough turkey and half the rice for Monday.
Monday/Leftovers
No need to heat the kitchen tonight with Turkey Waldorf Salad (see recipe). Serve with leftover rice and store-bought poppy-seed muffins.
Plan ahead: save half the turkey salad for Tuesday.
Tuesday/Budget
You'll save money on groceries and on your air-conditioning bill with tonight's no-cook, cool meal of stuffed pitas. Halve whole-wheat pitas, line with a lettuce leaf and stuff with leftover Turkey Waldorf Salad. Serve with store-bought potato salad and sliced tomatoes. Fresh cantaloupe slices with fat-free vanilla ice cream make an easy dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Friday.
Wednesday/Kids
The kids will wash their hands early when you serve them Kid-chiladas (see recipe). Accompany the Tex-Mex feast with rice and store-bought guacamole on shredded lettuce. Popsicles are a good-and-slurpy dessert.
Plan ahead: Cook extra rice for Friday.
Thursday/Meatless
Try this summertime favorite -- Penne Pasta With Ricotta and Tomatoes (see recipe). Serve this simple pasta combo with mixed greens and Italian bread. Add cookies for a quick dessert.
Friday/Express
You can make your own fast food with Spicy Lentil Soup over leftover rice. In a large saucepan, combine 2 (19-ounce) cans lentil soup and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and simmer. In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon paprika and / teaspoon cayenne pepper over low heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Ladle soup over left- over rice and drizzle spiced oil on top.
Serve with a green salad and crusty bread. Serve leftover ice cream with store-bought hot fudge sauce for dessert.
Saturday/Entertaining
Tilapia With Honey Lemon will please any guest (see recipe). Serve the mild fish with your own rosemary-roasted red potatoes and fresh sugar snap peas.
For dessert, spoon vanilla almond sauce over slices of store-bought angel food cake. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar and stir to blend. Bring to a boil, stirring. Continue to boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat; add 2 teaspoons almond extract and 1 tablespoon butter. Stir until butter is melted. Spoon over cake and top each slice with 1 tablespoon toasted sliced almonds.
Shopping List
What you'll need for this week's menus (consult recipes for exact amounts)
Sunday
turkey breast to bake
long-grain brown rice
vegetable broth
bay leaves
fresh spinach
flat-leaf parsley
scallions
fresh basil
fresh tarragon
whole or ground nutmeg
fresh carrots
fresh dill
margarine or butter
maple syrup
balsamic vinegar
pure vanilla extract
fresh strawberries
fresh pineapple
fresh mint, if desired
Monday
Red Delicious apples
celery
walnuts
scallions
plain fat-free yogurt
low-fat mayonnaise
frozen apple juice concentrate
salt
salad greens
poppy-seed muffins
Tuesday
whole-wheat pita bread
lettuce
potato salad
tomatoes
cantaloupe to slice
fat-free vanilla ice cream
Wednesday
cooking spray
lean ground beef
onion
reduced-fat cottage cheese
canned diced tomatoes and green chilies
canned tomato sauce
flour tortillas
reduced-fat shredded Mexican-blend cheese
rice
guacamole
lettuce
Popsicles
Thursday
penne pasta
canned whole plum tomatoes
fresh basil
garlic
part-skim ricotta cheese
Parmesan cheese
salad greens
Italian bread
cookies
Friday
canned lentil soup
lemon
olive oil
paprika
cayenne pepper
salad greens
crusty bread
hot fudge sauce
Saturday
tilapia fillets
salt
pepper
lemon
Dijon mustard
white-wine vinegar
honey
fresh tarragon
parsley
ingredients for rosemary-roasted red potatoes
fresh sugar snap peas
angel food cake
cornstarch
dark-brown sugar
almond extract
butter
sliced almonds
Green Rice (Sunday)
Makes 8 servings
Preparation time: 15 to 20 minutes
Cooking time: about 35 minutes
2 cups long-grain brown rice
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
4 cups packed fresh spinach, shredded
2 cups chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
In a large saucepan, bring rice, broth and bay leaves to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 35 minutes or until rice is tender. Discard bay leaves. Fold in spinach, parsley, scallions, basil, tarragon and nutmeg. (Adapted from Woman's Day magazine.)
Per serving: 198 calories, 6 grams protein, 2 grams fat (7 percent calories from fat), 0.3 grams saturated fat, 39 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 279 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
Turkey Waldorf Salad (Monday)
Makes 8 servings
Preparation time: less than 20 minutes
4 diced Red Delicious apples
4 ribs celery, sliced
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
3 sliced scallions
4 cups chopped cooked turkey
1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
3 tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 cups salad greens
In a large bowl, combine apples, celery, walnuts, scallions and turkey. Toss to mix. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, mayonnaise, apple juice concentrate and salt; mix well. Pour over turkey mixture and toss to coat. Place greens on a large serving platter; spoon turkey over greens.
Per serving: 300 calories, 25 grams protein, 11 grams fat (31 percent calories from fat), 1.7 grams saturated fat, 28 grams carbohydrate, 54 milligrams cholesterol, 532 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.
Kidchiladas (Wednesday)
Makes 10 kidchiladas
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: less than 30 minutes
cooking spray
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup reduced-fat cottage cheese
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies (don't drain liquid)
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
10 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 cup reduced-fat shredded Mexican-cheese blend
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13 baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. In a large, nonstick skillet over high heat, cook beef and onion 6 to 7 minutes or until beef is no longer pink; drain well. Return mixture to skillet; stir in cottage cheese; set aside. In a food processor, process diced tomatoes, chilies and tomato sauce until smooth. Spoon beef mixture down center of each tortilla; top each with 2 tablespoons tomato mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese. Roll and place seam-side-down in baking dish. Pour remaining tomato mixture over top; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly.
Per kidchilada: 302 calories, 21 grams protein, 10 grams fat (31 percent calories from fat), 3.7 grams saturated fat, 31 grams carbohydrate, 25 milligrams cholesterol, 681 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.
Penne Pasta With Ricotta and Tomatoes (Thursday)
Makes 6 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: less than 10 minutes, plus time to cook the pasta
12 ounces penne pasta
1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes (don't drain liquid)
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
chopped fresh basil for garnish
Cook pasta according to directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine tomatoes, basil and garlic. Blend on low until tomatoes are completely pureed. Pour mixture into a large saucepan. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Return pasta to cooking pot, add tomato sauce and heat over low heat until sauce is simmering and pasta is coated with sauce. Remove from heat and stir in ricotta and Parmesan until cheese is evenly distributed. Divide among serving plates and top with chopped basil.
Per serving: 314 calories, 15 grams protein, 6 grams fat (16 percent calories from fat), 3 grams saturated fat, 51 grams carbohydrate, 16 milligrams cholesterol, 329 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
Tilapia with Honey Lemon (Saturday)
Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: less than 10 minutes
Cooking time: about 4 minutes
4 (5- or 6-ounce) tilapia fillets
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons each: white-wine vinegar and honey
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Wash fish and pat dry. Place in a flat baking dish, tucking thin ends under for even cooking. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, white-wine vinegar, honey and tarragon. Spoon over tilapia, covering entire surface. Sprinkle with parsley. Cover with plastic wrap and vent the wrap. Microwave 4 minutes on high (100 percent power); stand 30 to 45 seconds or until fish flakes with a fork.
Per serving: 155 calories, 27 grams protein, 3 grams fat (16 percent calories from fat), 0.4 grams saturated fat, 4 grams carbohydrate, 61 milligrams cholesterol, 204 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: 07/25/99