7 day menu planner

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

SUNDAY: Keep it simple today and prepare a roast turkey breast. Add canned whole-berry cranberry sauce on the side.

Serve with New Potatoes and Green Beans With Dill Sauce (see recipe). Add a romaine salad and dinner rolls. For dessert, make Peach Shortcake by spooning Nutella on shortcake shells and covering them with sliced peaches.

Garnish with whipped cream.

Plan ahead: Save enough turkey, half the cranberry sauce, enough peaches and enough shortcakes for Monday.

Tip: Look for Nutella, a hazelnut spread, near the peanut butter;

shortcake shells are usually in produce.

MONDAY: Make simple Turkey-Cranberry Wraps for dinner tonight. Heat 6 large tortillas according to package directions. Mix together leftover cranberry sauce, 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard and ½ teaspoon ground ginger. Spread evenly on one side of each tortilla. Top each one with leftover thinly sliced or chopped turkey breast, 3 green onions (sliced), 2 tablespoons toasted pecans and 1 cup shredded lettuce. Roll and serve with plantain chips. Add pickles, olives and celery sticks to munch on. Dessert is leftover shortcake with peaches.

TUESDAY: Save some money tonight and prepare Cajun Beef Skillet (see recipe). Serve with coleslaw and whole-grain rolls.

Pears are for dessert.

WEDNESDAY: You’ll be glad you made Spaghetti With Arugula Pesto for dinner tonight. Cook 12 ounces wholegrain spaghetti according to package directions; reserve ½ cup cooking water. Meanwhile, with the motor running, drop 2 medium cloves garlic in a food processor fitted with the metal blade; process until minced. Stop the machine and add ½ cup toasted pine nuts and 4 cups arugula; process until finely minced. With motor running, add 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a thin stream. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and season with ground black pepper to taste.

Toss sauce with spaghetti;

add enough reserved pasta liquid to make the pasta a little more saucy. Divide among pasta bowls; garnish with 2 cored, seeded and diced plum tomatoes. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan if desired.

(Adapted from Melissa’s 50 Best Plants on the Planet by Cathy Thomas; Chronicle Books, 2013.) Add a spinach salad with hard-cooked egg wedges and Italian bread. Enjoy fresh strawberries for dessert.

Plan ahead: Buy enough strawberries for Thursday.

THURSDAY: Make it quick tonight with Pierogies Picante. In a large pan, heat 1 (16.9-ounce) package frozen potato and onion pierogies in boiling water 5 minutes or until they float; drain. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, cook 1 (15-ounce) can chili with beans and 1 cup salsa or picante sauce on medium-high 4 minutes or until bubbly, stirring. Stir in 1 cup frozen corn; reduce heat to medium. Cook 7 minutes or until hot, stirring. Spoon chili sauce over hot pierogies;

sprinkle with 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Serve with a packaged green salad and whole-grain rolls. Make instant vanilla pudding for dessert. Top with leftover strawberries.

FRIDAY: The kids will appreciate getting to pick out their favorite ready-made pizza for tonight.

Dip raw baby carrots and celery sticks into ranch dressing as an accompaniment. Plums are your dessert.

SATURDAY: Invite guests for Baked Tilapia Florentine. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place 4 (4- to 6-ounce) tilapia filets in a shallow baking dish. Spread 1 (10-ounce) package frozen creamed spinach (thawed) over fish; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until fish is opaque throughout. Serve with Greek Rice-Stuffed Tomatoes (see recipe). Add a Boston lettuce salad and sourdough bread. For dessert, spoon hot fudge sauce over vanilla ice cream.

THE RECIPES New Potatoes and Green

Beans With Dill Sauce 1 extra-large vegetable

bouillon cube 2 tablespoons all-purpose

flour 2 pounds small new potatoes,

quartered ½ pound fresh green beans,

trimmed ½ teaspoon ground black

pepper 1 tablespoon fresh chopped

dill 2 tablespoons fresh lemon

juice

Bring 1 ¾ cups water andbouillon cube to a boil in a large skillet, stirring until cube dissolves; cool slightly.

Whisk flour gradually into ¼ cup water; add to broth and cook over medium-high, whisking constantly, 2 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened. Reduce heat to medium; add potatoes and cook, covered, 15 minutes.

Add beans and cook, covered, 8 minutes or until tender. Stir in pepper, dill and lemon juice.

Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 213 calories, 6 g protein, no fat, 48 g carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 373 mg sodium and 7 g fiber.

Adapted from Southern Living magazine.

Cajun Beef Skillet 8 ounces lean ground beef 1 cup chopped onion 1 (14 ½ -ounce) can crushed

tomatoes 2 ½ cups water 2 teaspoons Cajun spice mix 8 ounces thin spaghetti,

broken into thirds 1 (10-ounce) package frozen

sliced okra

Cook beef and onion in a large skillet on medium until beef is no longer pink and onions are softened; drain. Add tomatoes, water, spice mix to skillet and bring to a boil. Stir in spaghetti. Gently boil 6 minutes uncovered or until liquid has thickened and spaghetti is limp, stirring often. Reduce heat to low, stir in okra, and cook 6 minutes or until liquid is almost absorbed but still saucy.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 381 calories, 22 g protein, 7 g fat, 58 g carbohydrate, 32 mg cholesterol, 213 mg sodium and 5 g fiber.

Greek Rice-Stuffed Tomatoes 8 large tomatoes 3 cups cooked rice ½ cup minced red onion ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese ½ cup chopped parsley 1 teaspoon coarse salt 3 tablespoons olive oil

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Slice off tops of tomatoes and remove a very thin slice on bottom (for stability). Scoop out insides of tomatoes and discard. Turn tomatoes over on paper towels to drain. In a large bowl, combine rice, onion, feta, parsley and salt; mix well.

Divide rice mixture evenly and fill tomatoes, drizzle with the oil, and place in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through.

Makes 8 tomatoes.

Nutrition information: Each tomato prepared with reduced fat cheese contains approximately 181 calories, 6 g protein, 7 g fat, 25 g carbohydrate, 5 mg cholesterol, 437 mg sodium and 2 g fiber.

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

[email protected]

Food, Pages 33 on 05/15/2013