Sunday: Family
Take it easy and prepare a SMOKED TURKEY BREAST for family day. Alongside, SUMMER GREEN BEAN AND CORN SALAD is delicious. Add more color to the plate with a real summer favorite, SLICED TOMATOES AND FRESH BASIL, and some WHOLE-GRAIN ROLLS.
No one will be able to resist PEACH CRUMBLE for dessert: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and slice 12 peaches (about 3 pounds) and combine with 1/4 cup white sugar; spoon into a 3-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine 1/2 cup flour, 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and 3 tablespoons cold butter in a medium bowl. With 2 knives, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse bread crumbs; scatter over peaches. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden; serve warm.
Plan
Save enough turkey, tomatoes and crumble for Monday.
Shopping List
smoked turkey breast, coarse salt, fresh green beans, Thai fish sauce, limes, honey, extra-virgin olive oil, corn-on-the-cob, tomatoes, fresh basil, whole-grain rolls, fresh peaches, white sugar, cooking spray, flour, light brown sugar, nutmeg, butter.
SUMMER GREEN BEAN AND CORN SALAD
Servings: makes 6 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes; cooling time: 30 minutes
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
- 1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- Zest of 2 limes
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 large ears)
In a 3-quart saucepan, bring 2 quarts water and the salt to a boil. Add beans; cook 5 minutes. Drain and place beans in a large bowl of ice water. Drain again and place beans in refrigerator to cool for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, juice, zest and honey. Slowly drizzle the oil into the dressing while constantly whisking, until dressing is emulsified. Add the corn kernels to the beans. Pour dressing over salad, toss and serve. (Adapted from "My Two Souths" by Asha Gomez, Running Press.)
Per serving: 203 calories, 4 grams protein, 10 grams fat (41 percent calories from fat), 1.4 grams saturated fat, 28 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 814 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.
Monday: Heat and Eat
Use the leftover turkey and tomatoes for GRILLED TURKEY, TOMATO AND SWISS CHEESE SANDWICHES. Make the sandwiches with sliced sourdough bread and Dijon mustard. Spritz sandwiches with cooking spray and grill until bread is golden and cheese is melted. Add POTATO SALAD. Warm the leftover CRUMBLE for dessert.
Shopping List
Swiss cheese, sourdough bread, Dijon mustard, cooking spray, potato salad.
Tuesday: Express
Make dinner quick tonight and serve precooked smoked HAM STEAKS. Rub a Cajun seasoning blend on both sides before heating, if desired. Serve with SWEET POTATO FRIES (from frozen) and deli BROCCOLI SALAD. Make CORNBREAD from a mix. FRESH APRICOTS are your dessert.
Shopping List
precooked smoked ham steaks, Cajun seasoning blend, frozen sweet potato fries, deli broccoli salad, cornbread mix, fresh apricots.
Wednesday: Kids
Call the kids for HONEY-MUSTARD CHICKEN FINGERS. Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard and 2 tablespoons honey. Reserve half for dipping. Add 1 pound chicken strips to remaining half mixture; stir to coat. Roll strips in 1 cup crushed corn flakes. Bake 12 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Serve with reserved honey-mustard sauce. Add BAKED BEANS, CARROT STICKS and SOFT ROLLS. Bite into a NECTARINE for dessert.
Shopping List
low-fat mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, honey, chicken strips, corn flakes, baked beans, carrots, soft rolls, nectarines.
Thursday: Meatless
We enjoyed these BELLA BURGERS for a meatless dinner. Heat grill to medium-high and coat both sides of 4 large portabella mushrooms, 1 large red bell pepper cut into quarters and 1 sliced red onion with cooking spray. Grill the vegetables on both sides, about 4 to 6 minutes or until lightly charred and tender. Meanwhile, whisk together 2 tablespoons reduced-fat Italian dressing with 2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise. Spread hamburger buns with dressing mixture. On bottom bun, layer lettuce, tomato, mushroom, peppers and onion. Cover with top bun. Serve immediately with STEAK FRIES (from frozen). Scoop VANILLA ICE CREAM for dessert.
Plan
Save enough ice cream for Saturday.
Shopping List
portabella mushrooms, red bell pepper, red onion, cooking spray, reduced-fat Italian dressing, low-fat mayonnaise, hamburger buns, lettuce, tomatoes, frozen steak fries, vanilla ice cream.
Friday: Wild Card
PEANUT AND ROASTED TOMATO BRAISED CHICKEN opens the global pantry to a delicious twist on a Zimbabwean classic. We ate the African-inspired dish over BROWN RICE and added a crisp LETTUCE WEDGE and BAGUETTES. For dessert, enjoy FRESH PLUMS.
Shopping List
olive oil, boneless skinless chicken thighs, yellow or white onion, green bell peppers, garlic, ground ginger, coarse salt, cayenne pepper, unsalted creamy peanut butter, canned diced fire-roasted tomatoes, fresh spinach, chopped peanuts, brown rice, lettuce, baguettes, fresh plums.
PEANUT AND ROASTED TOMATO BRAISED CHICKEN
Servings: makes 4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: about 30 minutes
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 large yellow or white onion, chopped
- 2 large green bell peppers, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted creamy peanut butter
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
- 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced fresh spinach (chiffonade)
- Chopped peanuts for garnish
Add 1 teaspoon oil to a Dutch oven on medium heat. Add chicken; cook 1 1/2 minutes; toss and cook 1 1/2 more minutes. Remove chicken to plate and cover to keep warm; set aside. Pour remaining oil into pan; add onion, peppers and garlic. Cook 4 to 6 minutes, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium-low; add ginger, salt and cayenne pepper and stir. Add peanut butter; stir to combine and cook 30 seconds. Add tomatoes; bring to a boil, then add chicken and accumulated liquid back to pan. Bring to a boil again; reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes until internal temperature is 165 degrees and sauce is reduced and thickened. Spoon into 4 bowls; garnish with spinach and peanuts. (Adapted from Food and Nutrition magazine, Celestina Brunetti, RDN.)
Per serving: 315 calories, 26 grams protein, 13 grams fat (35 percent calories from fat), 3 grams saturated fat, 28 grams carbohydrate, 106 milligrams cholesterol, 709 milligrams sodium, 7 grams fiber.
Saturday: Easy Entertaining
Entertain your friends with your own LAMB CHOPS served over COUSCOUS. Use your microwave and prepare CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN. Add SOURDOUGH ROLLS. For dessert, a wedge of chilled CANTALOUPE with a scoop of leftover ICE CREAM is refreshing.
Shopping List
ingredients for lamb chops, couscous, whole cauliflower, butter, flour, white pepper, ground mustard, coarse salt, black pepper, 2 percent milk, 50 percent reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, paprika, sourdough rolls, cantaloupe.
CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN
Servings: makes 6 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: about 10 minutes; standing time: 5 minutes
- 1 medium (about 1 pound) whole cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
- Coarse salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup 2 percent milk
- 1 cup 50 percent reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- Paprika for garnish
Remove outer leaves and trim stem next to cauliflower. Wash; place in a 9-inch pie plate. Cover with wax paper; microwave on high (100 percent power) 6 to 8 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter (covered) 1 minute on high in a large microwavable bow. Blend in flour and seasonings. Stir in milk; cover and microwave on high 2 to 3 minutes, or until thickened, stirring every minute. Add cheese; stir to blend. Place cauliflower on serving plate; pour sauce over top and garnish with paprika. Serve immediately. (Adapted from "Simply Scrumptious Microwaving" by Lorela Wilkins and Rosemary Stancil, Random House.)
Per serving: 136 calories, 9 grams protein, 8 grams fat (49 percent calories from fat), 5 grams saturated fat, 10 grams carbohydrate, 23 milligrams cholesterol, 196 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.