SUNDAY: For family day, serve Citrus Ginger-Glazed Turkey Tenderloins. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large skillet.
Add 1 ¼ pounds turkey breast tenderloins and cook 5 minutes on medium or until brown on one side. Turn and stir in ¼ cup orange marmalade, ½ teaspoon ground ginger and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until sauce is thickened and turkey is cooked through; stir occasionally. Cut turkey into thin slices and serve with sauce. Add rice and green beans along with dinner rolls to your meal. Buy or make apple cobbler for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough cobbler for Monday.
MONDAY: You won’t miss meat with Polenta With Red Peppers (see recipe) on the menu. Serve the flavor-packed recipe with a spinach salad garnished with thinly sliced red onion and sliced hard-cooked eggs. Add whole-grain rolls. Warm the leftover cobbler for dessert and top it with vanilla ice cream.
Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Thursday.
TUESDAY: Serve grilled-cheese sandwiches and your favorite soup tonight. Add a packaged green salad. For dessert, pears are perfect.
WEDNESDAY: Pile up the savings with this Sea Shell Casserole. Cook 12 ounces medium seashell pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside. In a large skillet, cook 1 pound lean ground beef on medium with 1 tablespoon minced garlic and ½ teaspoon onion powder for 5 minutes or until no longer pink; drain well. Add 3 to 3 ½ cups red pasta sauce and cook 4 minutes. Add cooked pasta and continue to cook 5 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve with a mixed green salad and Italian bread.
For dessert, try sliced peaches.
Plan ahead: Save enough casserole for Friday.
THURSDAY: Let the kids pick their favorite pizza tonight.
Serve it with celery sticks and dip. Top leftover ice cream with chocolate sauce.
Plan ahead: Save enough chocolate sauce for Friday.
FRIDAY: Heat the leftover Sea Shell Casserole for a quick meal. Add a romaine salad and garlic bread on the side. Buy tapioca pudding for dessert and drizzle it with leftover chocolate sauce.
SATURDAY: For your guests, prepare Pork Chops With Dijon Sauce (see recipe). Serve the chops with o’brien potatoes, fresh broccoli spears (drizzle fresh lemon juice over the broccoli), bibb lettuce and baguettes. For dessert, you will understand why Cathy Weichert of Mound, Minn., was a 2013 finalist in the Pillsbury bake-off with her Orange Cardamom Blueberry Crostata (see recipe).
THE RECIPES
Polenta With Red Peppers
3 large red bell peppers
1 (14 ½ -ounce) can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 (16- or 18-ounce) tube ready-to-slice polenta, cut into 12 slices
1 ½ cups shredded fontina cheese
Chopped fresh basil for garnish
Heat broiler.
Cut peppers in half lengthwise; discard cores, seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on foil lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 10 minutes or until blackened. Place in a resealable plastic bag and let stand 15 minutes. Peel peppers and cut into thin strips.
Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees.
Drain tomatoes; reserve juice. Heat a large skillet on medium-low; add tomatoes.
Cook 1 minute. Gradually add tomato liquid; simmer 1 minute. Add pepper strips and cook 5 minutes; remove from heat.
Spread ¼ cup of the sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Arrange polenta slices over sauce; spread remaining pepper sauce over polenta slices.
Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 25 minutes. Garnish with basil if desired.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 300 calories, 14 g protein, 13 g fat, 29 g carbohydrate, 47 mg cholesterol, 642 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light magazine
Pork Chops in Dijon Sauce
4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops (about ¾ -inch thick)
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 ½ cups chicken broth OR dry white wine
1/3 cup honey
¼ cup Dijon mustard
Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add pork chops; cook 3 minutes per side or until browned. Remove pork chops from skillet; cover to keep warm. To skillet, add broth or wine, honey and mustard; bring to boil and cook 3 minutes. Add reserved pork; reduce heat and simmer 12 minutes, turning after 6 minutes. Serve pork with sauce.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 345 calories, 33 g protein, 12 g fat, 26 g carbohydrate, 100 mg cholesterol, 817 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Orange Cardamom Blueberry Crostata
1 refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on package
½ cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and drained
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon coarse white sugar OR regular white sugar
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Line a 15-by-10-inch rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. Unroll pie crust in pan.
In a medium bowl, mix marmalade, flour and cardamom. Carefully fold in berries. Spoon mixture over crust to within 2 inches of edge.
Fold edge of crust over filling, pleating crust as necessary.
In small bowl, beat egg yolk with 2 tablespoons water.
Lightly brush crust edge with egg mixture; sprinkle with sugar. Bake 17 to 23 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 200 calories, 2 g protein, 8 g fat, 34 g carbohydrate, 26 mg cholesterol, 151 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Recipe adapted from Pillsbury Bake-Off 100 Winning Recipes, 2013
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email: [email protected]
Food, Pages 40 on 01/01/2014