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Chile-Rubbed Pork Chops With Pineapple Salsa
Chile-Rubbed Pork Chops With Pineapple Salsa

SUNDAY: This Pot Roast (see recipe) reminds me of the one that my mother used to make. Serve it with a spinach salad and whole-grain rolls. Slice angel food cake, top it with blueberries and add a dollop of whipped cream for an easy dessert.

Plan ahead: Save enough roast, vegetables and blueberries for Monday; save enough cake for Tuesday.

MONDAY: Make Vegetable Beef Soup with Sunday's leftovers by chopping 2 cups beef and all of the vegetables. To soup pot, add the beef, vegetables, 5 to 6 cups beef broth, 1 cup frozen succotash, 1 cup cooked rice, 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano and 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper. Serve with deli coleslaw and crusty rolls. For dessert, enjoy the leftover blueberries.

TUESDAY: The kids will come running for these Chicken Fingers (see recipe). Serve with steak fries, baby carrots with dip, and soft bread sticks. Drizzle the leftover cake with strawberry sauce for dessert.

Plan ahead: Prepare the lentils and the rice for Wednesday. Save enough strawberry sauce for Saturday.

WEDNESDAY: Skip meat and enjoy Lentil and Wild Rice Soup. Rinse and sort 1/2 cup lentils and combine with 3 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 1 hour. Rinse and drain. Cook 1 (6-ounce) package long-grain and wild rice blend according to package directions. To the rice, add the cooked lentils, 3 cups vegetable broth, 1 (10-ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables and 1 cup milk. Heat on medium and then ladle into bowls. Garnish with cheddar cheese. Serve with a sandwich (smoked mozzarella, Boston lettuce and mango chutney sourdough bread is good) and cucumber spears. For dessert, pears are easy.

THURSDAY: Even a Frenchman would be impressed with Faux Cassoulet. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a 3-quart casserole dish, mix 1 (15- to 19-ounce) can black beans (rinsed), 1 (15- to 19-ounce) can white beans (rinsed) and 1 (15- to 19-ounce) can dark red kidney beans (rinsed), 1 (14-ounce) package kielbasa (diagonally sliced into 1-inch pieces), 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce, 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrots, 2 small onions (thinly sliced and separated into rings), 1/2 cup beef broth, 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar, 11/2 teaspoons dried thyme and 2 cloves minced garlic. Cover and bake about 1 hour or until hot and bubbly and carrots are tender. Serve the hearty bean and sausage combo with mixed greens and a baguette. Sprinkle peaches with nutmeg for dessert.

FRIDAY: Tonight, take it easy and let a whole meal frozen dinner (such as Skillet Sensations or another brand) come to the rescue. I added extra fresh broccoli florets to the meal, a packaged salad and garlic bread. How about a scoop of chocolate ice cream for dessert?

Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Saturday.

SATURDAY: Invite guests for Chile-Rubbed Pork Chops With Pineapple Salsa (see recipe). Serve with rice, grilled zucchini and sourdough bread. For dessert, drizzle strawberry sauce over leftover ice cream.

THE RECIPES

Pot Roast

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup water

1 (1-ounce) envelope onion soup mix (from 2-ounce package)

1 (3- to 3 1/2-pound) boneless beef chuck roast

6 to 8 small whole red potatoes

1 medium onion, cut into quarters

1 (16-ounce) package baby carrots

Chopped parsley for garnish

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Shake flour into large oven cooking bag; place bag in 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Add water and soup mix to bag; squeeze bag to blend sauce. Add beef to bag. Turn to coat beef with sauce. Place potatoes, onion and carrots in bag around beef. Close bag with nylon tie; cut six 1/2-inch slits in top. Bake 21/2 to 3 hours or until beef and vegetables are tender. Let stand 5 minutes. Remove from bag; carve meat across grain and serve with vegetables. Garnish with parsley.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Nutrition information: Each of 10 servings contains approximately 234 calories, 28 g protein, 6 g fat, 17 g carbohydrate, 52 mg cholesterol, 234 mg sodium and 2 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 1.

Chicken Fingers

2/3 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 pound chicken tenders

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 tablespoon melted butter

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil.

In a resealable plastic bag, combine bread crumbs, parmesan, garlic powder, salt and paprika. Dip half the chicken into egg; place in bag, seal and shake to coat. Place chicken on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken. Drizzle butter over chicken and coat with cooking spray. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, turning once, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 251 calories, 31 g protein, 10 g fat, 8 g carbohydrate, 136 mg cholesterol, 463 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 1/2.

Chile-Rubbed Pork Chops With Pineapple Salsa

1 tablespoon chile powder

1 1/2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

4 boneless pork loin chops, 3/4-inch thick, trimmed

3 slices fresh pineapple or 1 (8-ounce) can sliced pineapple, drained

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, halved lengthwise, seeds removed

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Heat grill to medium-high; lightly oil grate.

In a bowl, combine chile powder, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Rub on both sides of pork. Grill pork 3 to 4 minutes per side or until internal temperature is 145 degrees.

Grill pineapple 2 to 3 minutes per side or until lightly charred. Remove chops from grill; let stand 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, dice grilled pineapple and finely dice jalapeno. In a bowl, combine pineapple, pepper and lime juice. Serve salsa with chops.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 236 calories, 28 g protein, 8 g fat, 13 g carbohydrate, 86 mg cholesterol, 333 mg sodium and 2 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 1.

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

[email protected]

Food on 03/04/2015

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