7day menu planner

Beef Stir-Fry With Spinach
Beef Stir-Fry With Spinach

Sunday: Lemon Chicken With Rice and Artichokes (see recipe) is perfect for family day. Serve the one-dish meal with a Boston lettuce salad and dinner rolls. Apple turnovers and vanilla ice cream are a family kind of dessert.

Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Saturday.

Monday: Beef Stir-Fry With Spinach (see recipe) is easy on the food budget. Serve it over brown rice, and add a romaine salad and whole-grain rolls. For a light dessert, try pears.

Plan ahead: Prepare enough stir-fry and cook enough rice for Tuesday.

Tuesday: Take advantage of those leftovers for Beef-Stuffed Peppers. Split orange or yellow bell peppers in half lengthwise. Place cut-side down in baking dish. Cover and microwave on 100 percent power for 1 minute per pepper; drain. Meanwhile, chop and combine the stir-fry with the leftover rice, moisten with unsalted beef broth and heat. Stuff peppers with mixture; sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and serve. Add tiny green peas and whole-grain bread. Fresh or canned tropical fruit is a light dessert.

Wednesday: Select any frozen stuffed burritos for a super-easy meal. Garnish the stuffed burritos with sour cream. Serve them with steamed carrots. For dessert, plums are easy.

Thursday: What could make kids happier than to have Cheeseburger Melt for dinner? Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, mix together 1 1/3 cups baking mix (such as Bisquick), 1/4 cup water, 2 eggs and 1 cup (1 1/2 cups total) of shredded cheddar cheese. Spread in dish. Cook 1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey, or mixture of both, in a large skillet on medium-high for 6 minutes or until no longer pink; drain well. Add 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup and 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables; heat 5 minutes or until hot. Spread over batter. Bake 23 to 25 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 1 to 3 more minutes or until cheese melts. Cut into squares and serve. Garnish with salsa if desired. Serve with cherry tomato halves. Fresh pineapple chunks make a good dessert.

Friday: You won't have any leftovers of delicious Spaghettini With Goat Cheese and Fresh Basil. Place cooked whole-wheat spaghettini in a large bowl and add 2 ounces herb-flavored goat cheese cut into small pieces, 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; stir until well-blended. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Add 2 teaspoons minced garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add 2 cups halved grape tomatoes; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 2/3 cup unsalted vegetable broth; cook 1 minute. Add tomato mixture to pasta mixture; toss gently to combine. Serve with mixed greens and garlic bread. Make instant pistachio pudding for dessert.

Saturday: We're putting Herb-Baked Tilapia (see recipe) on our favorites list. Serve it with refrigerated hash-browned potatoes, green beans, a bibb lettuce salad and crusty bread. An easy dessert is leftover ice cream with strawberry sauce.

The recipes

Lemon Chicken With Rice and Artichokes

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch strips

2 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

3 cups cooked rice

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup unsalted chicken broth, divided use

1 (14-ounce) can water-packed quartered artichokes, drained

2 tablespoons freshly grated romano or parmesan cheese

Heat a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray on medium-high. Add chicken, onion and bell pepper; cook 7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Stir in cooked rice, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and half the broth; cook 2 minutes. Stir in artichokes and remaining broth; cook 1 minute or until heated. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 400 calories, 37 g protein, 5 g fat, 51 g carbohydrate, 92 mg cholesterol, 618 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 3 1/2.

Beef Stir-Fry With Spinach

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoons canola oil, divided use

1 pound boneless sirloin steak, thinly sliced

1 pound packaged spinach

2 yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced

4 green onions, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch and ginger until smooth; set aside.

Heat wok or large skillet over medium-high until a drop of water sizzles in pan. Add 1 teaspoon canola oil; swirl to coat. Add steak and stir-fry 3 minutes or until browned. Transfer to plate.

Microwave spinach on 100 percent power for 2 to 3 minutes or until wilted.

Heat remaining oil in same skillet over medium-high and swirl to coat. Add peppers, onions and garlic; stir-fry 3 minutes or until vegetables soften. Return steak to skillet. Stir soy sauce mixture and add to skillet. Stir-fry until sauce bubbles and thickens, about 1 more minute. Divide spinach among 4 plates; top with steak mixture and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 238 calories, 29 g protein, 8 g fat, 12 g carbohydrate, 58 mg cholesterol, 394 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 1.

Adapted from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016.)

Herb-Baked Tilapia

4 (4- to 6-ounce) tilapia filets

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons minced green onions

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil. Place tilapia on foil.

In a small bowl, combine parmesan, mayonnaise and onions; spread evenly over fish.

In another bowl, combine bread crumbs, basil, oregano, salt and pepper; sprinkle over fish. Coat fish lightly with cooking spray. Bake 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 154 calories, 20 g protein, 4 g fat, 10 g carbohydrate, 48 mg cholesterol, 442 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 1/2.

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

[email protected]

Food on 02/22/2017

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