7 day menu planner

SUNDAY: The family will give its approval to Pecan-Coated Chicken. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 4 chicken cutlets with a mixture of 3 tablespoons flour and ½ teaspoon EACH coarse salt and pepper; dip cutlets into 2 beaten egg whites.

Next, cover chicken in 1 cup finely chopped pecans. Bake on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray, 12 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Serve with rice and Scalloped Cabbage (see recipe).

Add crusty rolls. Enjoy blueberry cobbler from the bakery for dessert.

Plan ahead: Prepare enough rice and freeze for Friday. Save enough cabbage and cobbler for Monday.

MONDAY: Buy and heat bratwurst for a fast meal. Smear with spicy brown mustard and serve with boiled quartered red potatoes tossed with butter and chopped fresh dill and the leftover Scalloped Cabbage.

Add rye bread. Heat the leftover cobbler for dessert.

TUESDAY: All the “kids” at our house enjoyed this sloppy Joe-like Barbecue Turkey and Beans (see recipe). We served it open-face over toasted wholegrain buns. Add oven fries and delicatessen carrot salad. Pears make a good dessert.

Tip: Adults might want to add sliced jalapeno peppers to their sandwiches.

Plan ahead: If time permits, assemble tomorrow’s lasagna tonight, and cover and refrigerate.

WEDNESDAY: Lazy Lasagna works for me! Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine 2 (15-ounce) containers ricotta cheese, 4 egg whites (beaten), 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese;

mix well. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, quarter and layer 1 cup (of 4 cups total) red pasta sauce, 4 (of 12 total) uncooked lasagna noodles and half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Repeat layers, ending with the remaining 4 noodles and 1 cup sauce.

Cover with nonstick foil; bake 1 hour. Uncover and sprinkle with an additional 1 cup mozzarella and ¼ cup parmesan cheese.

Bake 10 more minutes; let stand 10 minutes. Serve with a packaged Italian salad and garlic bread. How about tapioca pudding for dessert?

Tip: If the lasagna has been refrigerated, add about 10 minutes to the baking time.

Plan ahead: Save half the lasagna for Thursday night.

THURSDAY: You’ve done the work, now relax and reheat the leftover lasagna for an easy dinner. Serve with a packaged green salad and Italian bread.

Add refreshing lemon sherbet for dessert.

Plan ahead: Refrigerate frozen rice to thaw for Friday.

FRIDAY: Buy canned tomato soup and add leftover rice for your own tomato rice soup. We liked the soup with grilled-cheese sandwiches and (any) pickles on the side. Make sundaes by spooning fresh strawberries over chocolate ice cream.

SATURDAY: Prepare Rosemary Marinated Lamb Chops (see recipe) and serve with White Bean Salad With Mint and Red Onion. In a small bowl, mix ½ cup small diced red onion with 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar;

let stand for 15 minutes. In medium bowl, mix the vinegar and onion with 1 (15-ounce) can white beans (rinsed), ½ cup coarsely chopped spearmint or mint leaves, ½ cup finely diced red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons EACH capers (rinsed) and extra virgin olive oil and coarse salt and pepper to taste. Toss to mix. (Adapted from Fine Cooking Cook Fresh edited by Carolyn Mandarano, The Taunton Press, Inc., 2013.) Alongside, add fresh sliced zucchini and whole-grain rolls. Buy fruit tarts for dessert.

THE RECIPES Scalloped Cabbage 2 cups cornflakes cereal,

crushed 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1 (10-ounce) package thinly

shredded cabbage or

coleslaw mix ½ medium sweet onion, thinly

sliced ½ cup milk ½ cup mayonnaise 1 (10 ¾ -ounce) can condensed

cream of celery soup 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat an 11-by-7-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine cereal and butter;

spoon half of mixture into dish.

Top with cabbage and onion.

Mix together milk, mayonnaise and soup; pour over cabbage.

Sprinkle with cheese and remaining cereal mixture. Bake, covered, 50 minutes.

Increase heat to 400 degrees, remove cover and bake 10 minutes or until bubbly.

Makes 8 servings.

Barbecue Turkey and Beans 2 pounds bone-in turkey

thighs, skin removed 1 (28-ounce) can vegetarian

baked beans 1 ½ cups chopped onion 1 cup barbecue sauce 1 tablespoon spicy brown or

other mustard 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon coarse salt Place turkey in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker.

In a medium bowl, combine beans, onion, barbecue sauce, mustard, cumin and salt; mix well. Spoon over turkey. Cook 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high. Remove turkey and shred with 2 forks; discard bones.

Return meat to cooker, mix well and serve.

Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 191 calories, 14 g protein, 3 g fat, 23 g carbohydrate, 34 mg cholesterol, 659 mg sodium and 3 g fiber.

Rosemary Marinated Lamb Chops 2 teaspoons dried crushed

rosemary 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon ground black

pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon coarse salt 1 cup finely chopped yellow

onion ½ cup fresh orange juice ¼ cup dry white wine 3 tablespoons olive oil,

divided use 8 loin lamb chops, 1 to 1 ¼

inches thick (about 3 ½ ounces each)

Combine rosemary, thyme, pepper, garlic powder and salt;

mix well. Add onion, orange juice, wine and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk together and reserve ½ cup mixture for later.

Place lamb in resealable plastic bag; add marinade.

Turn to coat. Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes. Remove lamb (do not remove onion pieces from chops), blot with paper towel and discard marinade.

Heat remaining olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium high.

Sear lamb 4 minutes on one side or until well-browned.

Turn and cook 4 more minutes or until desired doneness.

Add reserved marinade and simmer 2 minutes. Remove lamb to serving platter. Pour cooked marinade over lamb. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 lamb chops.

Nutrition information: Each chop contains approximately 166 calories, 18 g protein, 9 g fat, 2 g carbohydrate, 56 mg cholesterol, 170 mg sodium and no fiber.

Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by e-mail:

[email protected]

Food, Pages 31 on 04/24/2013

Upcoming Events