SUNDAY: The family always welcomes a Beef Roast for dinner. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine 3 cloves garlic (minced) and 1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper; press onto a 4-pound round tip beef roast. Place roast on rack in shallow roasting pan. Roast 2 to 2 1/2 hours for medium doneness (145 degrees to 160 degrees internal temperature). Let stand about 10 minutes and slice. Serve it with oven-browned potatoes. Alongside, add glazed carrots (toss cooked carrots with peach preserves), a spinach salad and dinner rolls. For dessert, buy a berry cobbler and top it with vanilla ice cream.
Plan ahead: Save enough roast and cobbler for Monday. Save enough ice cream for Tuesday.
MONDAY: Use the beef leftovers for Chef's Salad. Cut beef and cheddar cheese into thin strips. Arrange beef and cheese on lettuce-lined plates along with tomato wedges, canned chickpeas (rinsed), sliced hard-cooked egg and pickled beets from a jar. Top with your favorite salad dressing. Add whole-grain rolls. For dessert, enjoy the leftover cobbler with whipped cream.
TUESDAY: Watch the kids smile when you serve them Honey-Brushed Chicken. In a large bowl, combine 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon paprika. Add 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs; toss to coat. Place chicken on broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Brown chicken 5 minutes on each side. Combine 6 tablespoons honey and 2 teaspoons cider vinegar in a small bowl; mix well. Remove chicken from oven; brush with 1/4 cup honey mixture. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven and turn; brush with remaining mixture. Broil 1 more minute or until internal temperature is 165 degrees. Serve with mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables (from frozen) and soft rolls. Top leftover ice cream with chocolate sprinkles for dessert.
WEDNESDAY: Greek Salad Pitas (see recipe) are a great no-meat meal. Serve the pitas with baked sweet potato chips. For dessert, peaches are simple.
THURSDAY: For a quick meal tonight, Three-Cheese No-Bake Ziti is hard to beat. Cook 12 ounces ziti pasta according to package directions; drain and return to pot. Add 2 cups marinara sauce; cook over low heat until hot. Spoon into serving bowls; top with dollops of ricotta, shredded mozzarella and freshly grated parmesan. Serve immediately or microwave briefly to melt cheeses. Serve with a packaged green salad and bread sticks. Tapioca pudding is dessert.
FRIDAY: Poor Man's Beef Stroganoff (see recipe) says it all when it comes to budgeting. Serve it over egg noodles. Add a romaine salad and whole-grain rolls. Grapes are an easy dessert.
SATURDAY: Guests will appreciate the flavors of Honey-Soy Glazed Salmon With Veggies and Oranges (see recipe). Serve it with brown rice tossed with toasted chopped walnuts, fresh broccoli, a bibb lettuce salad and baguettes. For dessert, fruit sorbet and butter cookies go well together.
THE RECIPES
Greek Salad Pitas
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
2/3 cup chopped, peeled cucumber
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup rinsed, roughly chopped kalamata olives
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
4 (6-inch) warmed pitas, halved
1 (8-ounce) container hummus
4 leaves Boston lettuce, halved
2 large ripe tomatoes (about 1 pound total), each cut into 8 slices
2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) crumbled feta cheese
In a medium bowl, whisk the oil with juice, oregano, sugar and salt. Stir in cucumber, bell pepper, olives and onion to make a salad. Spread the inside of each pita with hummus. Top with lettuce leaf, 2 tomato slices and about 1/4 of the cucumber salad; sprinkle with feta.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving (prepared with reduced-fat feta) contains approximately 439 calories, 15 g protein, 21 g fat, 50 g carbohydrate, 8 milligrams cholesterol, 940 mg sodium and 7 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 3 1/2.
Poor Man's Beef Stroganoff
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 pound lean ground beef
4 ounces sliced crimini mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cups unsalted beef broth
1 cup sour cream
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Stir in onion and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add beef, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook 6 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Stir in flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring often. Slowly stir broth into beef mixture; stir in sour cream. Reduce heat to low and simmer 7 to 8 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally; serve warm.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving (prepared with 95 percent lean beef and reduced-fat sour cream) contains approximately 316 calories, 30 g protein, 16 g fat, 13 g carbohydrate, 101 mg cholesterol, 308 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1.
Honey-Soy Glazed Salmon
With Veggies and Oranges
4 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
8 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed
1 small orange, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (5- to 6-ounce) skinless salmon filets
Toasted sesame seeds, if desired
Heat broiler with oven rack 6 inches from the heat.
Whisk together honey, soy sauce, mustard, vinegar and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, combine asparagus, green beans, orange slices, oil, salt and black pepper; toss to coat.
Place salmon on a heavy-duty foil-lined baking sheet; brush with about 2 tablespoons of honey mixture. Spread asparagus mixture around salmon. Broil 4 minutes. Remove from oven and brush salmon with 2 more tablespoons honey mixture. Return to oven; broil 4 minutes. Remove from oven; brush salmon with remaining honey mixture. Return to oven; broil 2 more minutes. Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired, and serve.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 286 calories, 34 g protein, 10 g fat, 16 g carbohydrate, 66 mg cholesterol, 396 mg sodium, 5 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1.
Recipe adapted from One Sheet Eats (Oxmoor House)
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email:
Food on 09/26/2018