7 day menu planner

Herman Hampton Jr. and Michael Gooseberry

Herman Hampton Jr. and Michael Gooseberry

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

SUNDAY: Take it easy and prepare or buy a smoked turkey breast for family day. Grilled Corn Salad (see recipe) is delicious as a side dish. Add more color and a real summer favorite, sliced tomatoes, to the plate, along with wholegrain rolls on the side. No one can resist Peach Crumble for dessert. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 12 (about 3 pounds) fresh peaches (peeled and sliced) and ¼ cup granulated sugar; spoon into a 3-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine ½ cup flour, 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon nutmeg and 3 tablespoons butter in a medium bowl. With two knives, cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle over peaches.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden.

Plan ahead: Save enough turkey, corn salad, tomatoes and peach crumble for Monday.

MONDAY: Use the leftover turkey and tomatoes for Grilled Turkey, Tomato and Swiss Cheese Sandwiches. Use Swiss cheese and spread Dijon mustard on sliced sourdough bread; coat the bread with cooking spray before grilling.

Serve with leftover corn salad.

Warm the leftover peach crumble for dessert.

TUESDAY: Make dinner simple tonight and buy a fully cooked ham steak. Rub Cajun seasoning blend on both sides before heating, if desired. Serve ham with sweet potato fries and prepared broccoli salad. Make cornbread from a mix. Plums are your dessert.

WEDNESDAY: Make the kids happy with Taco Night. Let them choose their favorite ingredients, such as lean ground beef, shredded cheese, mild salsa, sour cream and diced avocado, to fill the taco shells. Add some rice on the side. Bite into a nectarine for dessert.

THURSDAY: We enjoyed these Bella Burgers for a meatless dinner. Heat grill on medium and coat 4 large portobello mushrooms, 1 large red bell pepper (cut into quarters) and 1 red onion (sliced) on both sides with cooking spray. Grill the vegetables on both sides 4 to 6minutes or until lightly charred and tender. Meanwhile, whisk together 2 tablespoons Italian dressing with 2 tablespoons mayonnaise. Spread wholegrain hamburger buns with dressing mixture and layer with lettuce, tomato, mushroom, peppers and onion. Serve immediately with baked chips.

Scoop vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Saturday.

FRIDAY: Save some money and serve Oven-Fried Pork Chops (see recipe). Add green beans, a crisp lettuce wedge and crusty bread. For dessert, strawberries are good.

SATURDAY: Entertain your friends with lamb chops. Serve with Cannellini Beans With Rosemary (see recipe), fresh asparagus, romaine salad and sourdough rolls. For dessert, a wedge of chilled cantaloupe with a scoop of leftover ice cream is refreshing.

THE RECIPES

Grilled Corn Salad

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

5 ears corn, shucked and rinsed

1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved

½ cup fresh basil, cut into thin strips

¼ cup red onion, diced

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, juice and salt and pepper; set aside.

Soak corn in water 30 minutes.

Heat grill to medium; drain corn and grill 3 to 5 minutes on each side or just until char marks begin to appear. Remove from grill, cool and cut kernels from cob.

In a large bowl, mix corn, tomatoes, basil and onion. Add dressing and toss. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 115 calories, 3 g protein, 6 g fat, 15 g carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 134 mg sodium and 2 g fiber.

Adapted from The Recipe Girl Cookbook by Lori Lange (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013)

Oven-Fried Pork Chops

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup packaged cornbread stuffing mix

4 pork loin chops (about 1 ½ pounds, ½ -inch-thick chops), trimmed

1 (20-ounce) package frozen roasted potato pieces

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

In shallow bowl, beat egg and then stir in milk. Place stuffing mix in a pie plate.

Dip chops into egg mixture; coat both sides with stuffing mix. Arrange chops in a single layer on side of a large rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking spray. On other side of sheet, arrange potatoes, mounding potatoes as necessary. Bake 20 minutes or until pork is 145 degrees and potatoes are browned and crisp; turn and stir once.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 465 calories, 44 g protein, 10 g fat, 44 g carbohydrate, 164 mg cholesterol, 837 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Budget-Friendly Meals edited by Jan Miller and Lisa Kingsley (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.)

Cannellini Beans With Rosemary

2 tablespoons PLUS 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided use

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced

2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed

¼ teaspoon coarse salt to taste

¼ teaspoon pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium; add rosemary and lemon zest; cook and stir 30 seconds. Add garlic; cook and stir 30 seconds. Add beans, stirring carefully to coat in oil.

Squeeze in lemon juice; add the salt and pepper to taste.

Cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes or until beans are hot. Spoon into a warm serving bowl and add additional oil if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 230 calories, 8 g protein, 8 g fat, 31 g carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 526 mg sodium and 8 g fiber.

Adapted from Nigellissima by Nigella Lawson (Clarkson Potter, 2013).

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

[email protected]

Food, Pages 31 on 07/10/2013