A week's worth of quick, healthful meals for budget-minded families.
SUNDAY: Enjoy One-Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta that's bursting with flavor (see recipe). Serve it with green beans and multigrain rolls. For dessert, make it a light one with a scoop of lemon sherbet.
Plan ahead: Save enough sherbet for Monday.
MONDAY: Skip meat tonight and enjoy Southwestern Bean Skillet (see recipe). Serve the easy one-dish meal with a romaine salad and whole-wheat rolls. Leftover sherbet makes a perfect dessert.
TUESDAY: Beef Rotini has kid-delicious written all over it. Cook ¾ pound 95% lean ground beef in a large skillet on medium-high until browned, stirring often. Stir in 1 ¾ cups low-sodium beef broth, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon garlic powder and 1 cup canned diced tomatoes. Stir in 1 ½ cups rotini (corkscrew) pasta. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Uncover; cook 5 more minutes or until pasta is tender. Serve with carrot salad and soft rolls. For a light dessert, try pears.
WEDNESDAY: Whether you're Irish or not, anyone can enjoy Corned Beef and Cabbage. In a 4-quart or larger slow cooker, place 1 (3- to 4-pound) beef brisket. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons brown sugar. Cover with water. Add 6 cloves garlic, 2 bay leaves, 12 whole allspice, ½ teaspoon pepper, 5 red potatoes (halved), 1 cup baby carrots and 2 onions, cut into wedges. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. Uncover, add ½ medium cabbage, cut into wedges. Cover; cook on high 30 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Serve with pickled beets and rye bread. For dessert, chunky applesauce is all you need.
Plan ahead: Save enough cooked brisket, rye bread and pickled beets for Friday.
THURSDAY: Sausage With Polenta is a budget-friendly dish. Slice a 16- to 18-ounce tube of polenta into 12 (½-inch) slices. Coat both sides with cooking spray. Heat a large nonstick skillet. Cook 2 minutes on each side until slightly browned and hot. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (casings removed) and 1 small chopped onion. Cook 3 minutes, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until no longer pink. Stir in 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans (rinsed), 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes and 2 teaspoons dried basil; cook 2 minutes or until sausage is cooked through and mixture is hot. For each serving, spoon one quarter of the sausage mixture over 3 slices polenta. (Adapted from Woman's Day magazine) Serve with coleslaw and Italian bread. Enjoy pineapple chunks for dessert.
FRIDAY: Use those brisket leftovers for Corned Beef Sandwiches on rye bread. Slather grainy mustard on the bread, layer with the corned beef and top with prepared horseradish sauce. Serve with leftover pickled beets and deli German potato salad. How about sliced kiwi for dessert?
SATURDAY: Draw the family near for a casual (and economical) meal of Linguine and Spinach With Gorgonzola Sauce (see recipe). Serve with a packaged Caesar salad and crusty bread. Spoon fresh blueberries (or frozen and thawed) over cheesecake for dessert.
THE RECIPES
One-Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 ¼ pounds
- 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil and oregano
- 8 ounces uncooked mini penne pasta (2 cups)
- ¼ cup dry red wine
- 4 slices fresh mozzarella
- ¼ cup each shredded parmesan and torn fresh basil for garnish
Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Season chicken with parmesan, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt. Cook chicken 6 minutes or until browned on both sides, turning once. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with juices, 1 ¾ cups water, pasta and red wine and bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and pasta is al dente. Top chicken with mozzarella slices. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until mozzarella is melted, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with additional parmesan and top with basil. (Recipe adapted from SwirlsOfFlavor.com)
Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 400 calories, 32 g protein, 11 g fat, 39 g carbohydrate, 73 mg cholesterol, 738 mg sodium and 3 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 3.
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Southwestern Bean Skillet
- 1 cup frozen corn (thawed)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 (15-ounce) can undrained chili beans
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans (rinsed)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ cup chopped tomatoes
In a large nonstick skillet, combine corn, cilantro, salt, bell pepper, onion, chili beans and black beans. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Uncover, simmer 5 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender; stir occasionally. Stir in cheese and tomatoes until cheese is melted.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving (prepared with low-sodium beans and reduced-fat cheese) contains approximately 310 calories, 20 g protein, 6 g fat, 45 g carbohydrate, 15 mg cholesterol, 569 mg sodium and 12 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 3.
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Linguine and Spinach With Gorgonzola Sauce
- 1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated fettuccine
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated skim milk
- ¾ cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese (3 ounces)
- 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (5- or 6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
Cook pasta according to package directions.
While pasta cooks, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with whisk. Increase heat to medium-high; bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; simmer 3 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Combine the sauce, pasta and spinach; toss gently to coat.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 385 calories, 21 g protein, 11 g fat, 50 g carbohydrate, 80 mg cholesterol, 601 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 3.5.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email: [email protected]