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.
Shopping List
What you'll need for this week's menus (consult recipes for exact amounts)
Sunday
boneless chuck roast
dehydrated onion-mushroom soup mix
dried thyme
potatoes
carrots
salad greens
dinner rolls
jelly roll
Monday
beef broth
pearl barley
frozen mixed vegetables
deli coleslaw or ingredients to make your own
crackers
Tuesday
vegetable oil
cumin seeds
fresh ginger
curry powder
canned chickpeas
canned chopped tomatoes
honey
salt
pepper
couscous
cilantro
acorn squash
brown sugar
salad greens
pita bread
cookies
Wednesday
cooked roast chicken
frozen broccoli casserole
packaged salad greens
fresh fruit
Thursday
French bread loaf dough
pizza sauce
packaged pepperoni slices
green bell pepper
shredded reduced-fat mozzarella
carrot and celery sticks
fat-free vanilla ice cream
butterscotch sauce
Friday
vegetable oil
ground turkey breast
onion
garlic
fresh tomatoes
canned pinto beans
taco sauce
chili powder
pepper
ground cumin
salt
taco shells
lettuce
shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
rice
instant vanilla pudding
skim milk
Saturday
fresh tuna
orzo
fresh herbs (any kind)
Parmesan cheese
olive oil
garlic
red pepper flakes
portobello mushrooms
salt
red bell pepper
fresh parsley
fresh thyme
pepper
crusty bread
bananas
cooking spray
Sunday/Family
A Sunday dinner of Beef Pot Roast and Vegetables (see recipe) always reminds me of my mother (it was one of her standards). Add a mixed green salad and dinner rolls. A store-bought jelly roll makes a good dessert.
Plan ahead: Chop 2 cups cooked roast and save enough jelly roll for Monday. If you have leftover vegetables, save them for Monday, too.
Monday/Heat and Eat
Beef, Barley and Vegetable Soup will warm you on a cool fall day. In a Dutch oven, bring 5 cups beef broth and 1 cup water to boil. Add 1/2 cup pearl barley and 4 cups frozen mixed vegetables. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add 2 cups leftover chopped roast and any vegetables left over from Monday; simmer 10 minutes until barley and vegetables are tender. Serve with homemade or deli coleslaw and crackers. Dessert is leftover jelly roll.
Tuesday/Meatless
Gingered Couscous With Chickpeas spells fall (see recipe), es- pecially served with acorn squash. For the squash: Pierce two 1 1/2 -pound acorn squash with fork or sharp knife all the way to center and place in microwave on paper towels. Microwave on high (100 percent power) 12 to 16 minutes (turn over after 8 minutes); let stand 5 minutes. Cut in half and scrape out seeds and membranes. Sprinkle with a little brown sugar. Finish your meal with a green salad and pita bread. If you're still hungry, add a cookie for dessert.
Wednesday/Express
Stop by the market tonight for a cooked roast chicken. Pair it with a broccoli casserole from the market's freezer. I bought a package of creamy broccoli, chicken and cheese with rice. It was $2.99 in my market for a 28-ounce package. Serve it with a packaged green salad and fresh fruit.
Thursday/Budget
While you're secretly saving money on tonight's meal, the family is begging for more of it. That's what happens when you serve Pan Pizza Casserole (see recipe). Add carrot and celery sticks. For dessert, serve fat-free vanilla ice cream with butterscotch sauce.
Plan ahead: Save enough butterscotch sauce for Friday and Saturday and enough ice cream for Saturday.
Friday/Kids
No self-respecting kid could turn down Turkey Tacos (see recipe). Serve them with rice. The children can make instant vanilla pudding with skim milk. For fun, they'll like to swirl leftover butterscotch sauce through the pudding.
Tip: To fill tacos, invert a muffin pan and stand the shells between the cups. Spoon filling into shells. (A 10-year-old gave me this tip.)
Saturday/Entertaining
Invite me over when you prepare your own grilled tuna. I'll arrive early if you add orzo tossed with fresh herbs and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Be prepared when you add Stuffed Portobello Caps to the menu (see recipe); the whole neighborhood will show up. Add crusty bread.
For dessert, butterscotch banana splits will make everyone linger at the table. Heat broiler. Place 6 peeled bananas, halved lengthwise, on baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush with butterscotch sauce; broil 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with leftover frozen fat-free vanilla ice cream and additional butterscotch sauce.
Beef Pot Roast and Vegetables (Sunday)
Makes 8 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: about 3 1/2 hours
1 boneless chuck roast (about 4 pounds)
1 cup water
1 packet dehydrated onion-mushroom soup mix
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, quartered
1 pound fresh carrots, cut into thirds
Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a large pan place roast on a rack and add water, soup mix and thyme. Cover and bake 2 1/2 hours. Add potatoes and carrots. Cover and cook 1 hour or until meat is tender. Remove roast; cover and let stand 10 minutes. (Separate fat from drippings and discard. Make your own gravy using the remaining liquid.) Remove visible fat from roast and slice meat and serve. (Chop 2 cups cooked meat for Monday's meal; refrigerate.)
Per serving: 388 calories, 36 grams protein, 16 grams fat (37 percent calories from fat), 6.1 grams saturated fat, 24 grams carbohydrate, 114 milligrams cholesterol, 538 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.
Pan Pizza Casserole (Thursday)
Makes 12 squares
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
1 (11-ounce) package French bread loaf dough
1 (8-ounce) jar pizza sauce
1 (8-ounce) package sliced pepperoni
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Unroll bread dough into a 9x13-inch baking dish; spread dough and cover bottom of dish. Spoon pizza sauce over bottom. (Use as much sauce as you prefer; you can use less than entire jar.) Arrange pepperoni over sauce. Scatter peppers over pepperoni. Cover with cheese. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. (Adapted from "Simply Casseroles" by Kim Lila, Surrey Books, 1998.)
Per square: 211 calories, 11 grams protein, 12 grams fat (54 percent calories from fat), 5.4 grams saturated fat, 13 grams carbohydrate, 26 milligrams cholesterol, 699 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.
Turkey Tacos (Friday)
Makes 16 tacos
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: about 10 minutes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground turkey breast
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons taco sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon each: pepper and cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 taco shells
garnishes: shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese and taco sauce
In a large, nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat and cook turkey, onion and garlic 5 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink; drain well. Stir in tomato, beans, taco sauce, chili powder, pepper, cumin and salt and cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Spoon turkey mixture into taco shells and serve with garnishes.
Per taco: 118 calories, 9 grams protein, 5 grams fat (36 percent calories from fat), 0.7 grams saturated fat, 10 grams carbohydrate, 19 milligrams cholesterol, 148 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by e-mail: menuplanner@mindspring.com.
Stuffed Portobello Caps (Saturday)
Makes 6 caps
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 to 15 minutes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crumbled red pepper flakes
6 portobello mushrooms (about 4 inches in diameter)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
parsley sprigs for garnish
In a small skillet over low heat, cook oil and garlic 2 to 4 minutes or until soft and aromatic, not browned. Add red pepper flakes and remove from heat. Clean mushrooms with soft brush. Remove stems flush with cap; reserve stems. Paint the caps sparingly with about half the oil mixture, outside, then inside. Set gill-side up on baking sheet; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Peel reserved stems, cut into fine dice and place in small bowl. Stir in red pepper, parsley and thyme. Add remaining oil mixture, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Let stand until somewhat juicy, about 1 hour, tossing occasionally.
Place oven rack in upper third of oven and heat oven to 450 degrees. Divide stuffing among caps, spreading evenly. Bake until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to warm platter and garnish with parsley. Serve hot.
Per mushroom: 59 calories, 1 gram protein, 5 grams fat (68 percent calories from fat), 0.6 grams saturated fat, 4 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 391 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.
Gingered Couscous With Chickpeas (Tuesday)
Makes 6 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: less than 10 minutes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes with juice
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon each: salt and freshly ground pepper
1 3/4 cups water
1 1/2 cup couscous
1/3 cup cilantro
In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds and stir until the seeds begin to pop, about 1 minute. Add ginger and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add curry powder and stir until it is toasted, about 30 seconds. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, honey, salt, pepper and water; bring to boil. Stir in couscous, remove from heat and cover. Let stand until liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and stir in cilantro.
Per serving: 299 calories, 10 grams protein, 4 grams fat (13 percent calories from fat), 0.3 grams saturated fat, 56 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 313 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.