7-day menu planner

One-Pot Mexicali Bowtie Pasta
Courtesy of Gwynn Galvin at SwirlsOfFlavor.com
One-Pot Mexicali Bowtie Pasta Courtesy of Gwynn Galvin at SwirlsOfFlavor.com

A week's worth of quick, healthful meals for budget-minded families

SUNDAY: Present to the family this savory Pork Roast With Apricot Ginger Glaze today. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 2 teaspoons seasoned salt and 1 teaspoon dried thyme. Rub on all sides of a 2-pound boneless pork loin roast. Bake 20 minutes per pound or until internal temperature is 145 degrees. Meanwhile, combine ½ cup apricot preserves, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce and ¾ teaspoon ground ginger. Coat roast with apricot mixture the last 10 minutes of baking. Remove roast from oven and tent with foil; let stand 3 minutes. Slice and serve. To go with the roast, bake sweet potatoes. Slash the tops and drizzle with a mixture of apple juice and cinnamon. Serve with fresh broccoli and make cornbread (from a mix). Scoop lime sherbet for dessert.

Plan ahead: Save enough pork and bake 2 extra sweet potatoes for Monday. Save enough sherbet for Tuesday.

MONDAY: Take advantage of leftovers for Baked Pork With Corn and Sweet Potatoes. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 7-by-11-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine 1 (10 ¾-ounce) can condensed low-fat broccoli cheese soup, 1 (16-ounce) can (rinsed) no-salt-added corn, 1 ½ cups chopped cooked (leftover) pork, 2 diced cooked (leftover) sweet potatoes, ½ cup milk and 2 beaten eggs. Stir until blended; spoon into baking dish. Bake 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with a spinach salad and whole-grain rolls. For dessert, sprinkle chunky applesauce with cinnamon.

TUESDAY: These Oven-Grilled Reubens (see recipe) are easy on the pocketbook and the palate. Serve them with dill pickles and mixed greens. Scoop leftover sherbet for dessert.

WEDNESDAY: Calling all kids for One-Pot Mexicali Bowtie Pasta (see recipe). Munch on carrot and celery sticks on the side. For dessert, pop a few frozen seedless grapes into your mouth. (Rinse and spread halved grapes on a cookie sheet and freeze for 1 hour.) Frozen grapes keep in plastic bags up to two months.

THURSDAY: Make it quick with Crunchy Turkey and Cheese Wraps. Spread mayonnaise onto 4 (8-inch) whole-grain tortillas. Layer lettuce, sliced tomatoes, 3 slices thinly sliced deli turkey and 1 slice cheese down center of each tortilla. Top with baked potato chips. Roll and fold the filled tortilla. Serve with bean soup. Try brownies for dessert.

Plan ahead: Buy enough brownies for Friday.

FRIDAY: Garlicky Tortellini, Spinach and Tomato Soup (see recipe) will be on everyone's favorites list. Serve a romaine salad with sliced eggs and whole-grain rolls alongside. Warm the leftover brownies and top them with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Saturday.

SATURDAY: No need to go to the beach for Hawaiian Flank Steak when you can prepare it for guests at home. Combine 1 (6-ounce) can pineapple juice with 3 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoons chopped green onions and 1 teaspoon garlic powder in a shallow dish. Add 1-pound flank steak; turn to coat. Cover and marinate 15 minutes. Pour marinade into a small pan; grill or broil steak 10 minutes on each side or to desired doneness. Stir 2 teaspoons cornstarch into marinade in pan; bring to a boil for 1 minute. Stir until slightly thick; serve sauce with steak. Accompany the tropical-flavored steak with rice and sugar snap peas. Add sourdough rolls. For dessert, sprinkle toasted coconut over leftover ice cream.

THE RECIPES

Oven-Grilled Reubens

2 cups refrigerated sauerkraut, rinsed and drained

¾ teaspoon caraway seeds

¾ cup Thousand Island dressing

12 slices rye bread (without caraway seeds)

6 (1-ounce) slices Swiss cheese

1 pound shaved corned beef (see note)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix together sauerkraut and caraway seeds.

Spread Thousand Island dressing on one side of each bread slice. To 6 slices, add cheese, sauerkraut mixture and corned beef. Top with remaining 6 slices of bread (dressing side down). Coat a rimmed baking pan with cooking spray and arrange sandwiches on pan. Coat bottom of a second baking pan with spray; put coated side down on sandwiches and press lightly. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Check after 10 minutes.

Makes 6 sandwiches.

Note: To reduce sodium, substitute sliced turkey for corned beef.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 510 calories, 32 g protein, 26 g fat, 41 g carbohydrate, 82 mg cholesterol, 1,731 mg sodium and 5 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 2.5.

One-Pot Mexicali Bowtie Pasta

8 ounces bowtie pasta

1 (16-ounce) jar salsa

3 cups water

1 ½ cups rinsed reduced-sodium black beans

1 (8.5-ounce) can corn, rinsed

4 tablespoons butter

2 to 3 teaspoons chile powder

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese

1 sliced green onion

In a Dutch oven, combine pasta, salsa, water, beans, corn, butter, chile powder, cumin and salt. Bring to a boil on medium high. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente and a brothy sauce has formed. Spoon into bowls; top with shredded cheese and green onion. (Adapted from a recipe by Gwynn Galvin, www.swirlsofflavor.com).

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 600 calories, 21 g protein, 22 g fat, 82 g carbohydrate, 56 mg cholesterol, 993 mg sodium and 8 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 5.5.

Garlicky Tortellini, Spinach and Tomato Soup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 to 8 cloves garlic, chopped

4 cups unsalted vegetable broth

6 to 8 ounces fresh or frozen cheese tortellini

1 (14 ½-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes with liquid

10 ounces fresh spinach, stems removed, coarsely chopped

8 to 10 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish

Melt butter in a Dutch oven on medium high. Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add broth; bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook about 5 minutes for frozen or less if fresh. Add tomatoes, reduce heat to simmer and cook just until pasta is tender. Stir in spinach and basil; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until wilted. Sprinkle with grated cheese before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 251 calories, 9 g protein, 9 g fat, 35 g carbohydrate, 31 mg cholesterol, 461 mg sodium and 4 grams fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 2.5.

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

[email protected]

Food on 12/04/2019

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