Sunday: Family
Make family day special and prepare BROILED STEAK WITH CHEESY POLENTA AND PASTA SAUCE. Serve it with SUGAR SNAP PEAS and ITALIAN BREAD. Buy a CHERRY COBBLER for dessert.
Plan
Save enough beef and cobbler for Monday.
Shopping List
yellow cornmeal, coarse salt, shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, no-salt-added or regular red pasta sauce, dried Italian seasoning, garlic, black pepper, boneless beef top-sirloin steak, sugar snap peas, Italian bread, cherry cobbler.
BROILED STEAK WITH CHEESY POLENTA AND PASTA SAUCE
Servings: Makes 6 servings
Prep time: about 10 minutes
Cook time: less than 10 minutes for polenta; standing time: 5 minutes; 16 to 21 minutes for steak
- For the polenta:
- 1 2/3 cups water
- 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 cup no-salt-added or regular red pasta sauce
- For the steak:
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse grind black pepper
- 1 boneless beef top-sirloin steak, cut 1-inch thick (about 1 1/2 pounds)
In a 1-quart baking dish, combine water, cornmeal and salt. Cover and microwave on high (100 percent power) 6 to 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons mozzarella and 2 tablespoons parmesan. Sprinkle top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Microwave, uncovered, on medium (50 percent power) 1 or 2 minutes or until cheeses are melted. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Heat pasta sauce on medium 2 minutes or until hot; set aside.
Meanwhile, combine Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper; press onto steak. Place steak on rack in broiler pan so surface is 3 to 4 inches from heat. Broil 16 to 21 minutes for medium-rare to medium, turning once. Carve steak. Serve with polenta and sauce.
Per serving: 220 calories, 25 grams protein, 6 grams fat (26 percent calories from fat), 2.6 grams saturated fat, 16 grams carbohydrate, 62 milligrams cholesterol, 400 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.
Monday: Heat and Eat
Use Sunday's leftover beef for THAI BEEF SALAD. Whisk together 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons canola oil, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons minced jalapeno pepper, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt. Add thinly sliced leftover steak, 4 cups fresh bean sprouts, 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper, 1 1/2 cups seeded and thinly sliced cucumber and 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves (chopped); toss to mix. Line serving platter with 8 cups lettuce; spoon salad on top and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
Serve with any deli SOUP and CRUSTY ROLLS. For dessert, heat the leftover COBBLER and add a scoop of fat-free VANILLA ICE CREAM on the side.
Shopping List
limes, canola oil, sugar, jalapeno pepper, garlic, coarse salt, fresh bean sprouts, red bell pepper, cucumber, fresh mint, lettuce, peanuts, any deli soup, crusty rolls, fat-free vanilla ice cream.
Tuesday: Meatless
Pretty QUINOA-STUFFED BELL PEPPERS are perfect for a no-meat dinner. Serve with a SPINACH SALAD and EGG WEDGES and WHOLE-GRAIN ROLLS. Stir sliced bananas into BANANA PUDDING for dessert.
Shopping List
quinoa, cooking spray, canola oil, onion, garlic, whole pitted black olives, raisins, walnuts, coarse salt, pepper, bell peppers (red, orange, and green), fresh spinach, eggs, whole-grain rolls, bananas, banana pudding.
QUINOA-STUFFED BELL PEPPERS
Servings: Makes 6 halves
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 50 to 65 minutes, plus quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 cup whole pitted black olives, sliced
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- Coarse salt and pepper to taste
- 3 large bell peppers (1 red, 1 orange, 1 green), halved horizontally
Cook quinoa according to directions. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium. Add onion and garlic; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until softened. Add olives, raisins and walnuts; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Combine mixture with cooked quinoa; add salt and pepper to taste. Divide mixture among pepper halves. Place in a baking dish; cover with foil. Bake 45 to 60 minutes or until peppers are tender. (Adapted from "Whole Body Reboot," Manuel Villacorta; HCI Books, 2014.)
Per half: 278 calories, 8 grams protein, 11 grams fat (33 percent calories from fat), 1.1 grams saturated fat, 40 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 171 milligrams sodium, 6 grams fiber.
Wednesday: Kids
Kids will like the taste of PIZZA DOGS. Cut diagonal slashes in 8 less-sodium, less-fat hot dogs and cook them according to directions.
Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup pizza sauce. Serve the hot dogs on whole-grain buns and top with pizza sauce and shredded 50 percent reduced-fat cheddar cheese. Add BAKED CHIPS and deli CARROT SALAD. Dessert is TROPICAL FRUIT.
Shopping List
less-sodium, less-fat hot dogs, pizza sauce, whole-grain hot dog buns, 50 percent reduced-fat cheddar cheese, baked chips, deli carrot salad, tropical fruit.
Thursday: Budget
I adapted a family recipe for BRUNSWICK STEW to the microwave and never looked back. Serve the Virginia (and Georgia) favorite with a ROMAINE SALAD with red onion rings and BISCUITS. For dessert, PEACHES and OATMEAL COOKIES sound good.
Plan
Save enough cookies for Friday.
Shopping List
frozen succotash, onion, unsalted chicken broth, boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, canned no-salt-added diced tomatoes, sugar, pepper, cayenne pepper, coarse salt, dehydrated white potatoes, romaine, red onion, biscuits, peaches, oatmeal cookies.
BRUNSWICK STEW
Servings: Makes 4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
- 1 (16-ounce) package frozen succotash, thawed
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 (14-ounce) can unsalted chicken broth
- 2 cups cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, coarsely chopped
- 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Coarse salt to taste
- 1/4 cup dehydrated white potatoes
Place succotash in a 3-quart microwave baking dish and cover. Cook on high (100 percent power) 4 minutes, then drain. Put the chopped onion in a 1-cup measure; cover and cook on high 1 minute. Drain and add to the succotash. Add chicken broth, cooked chicken, tomatoes with juice, sugar, black pepper, cayenne pepper and salt; mix well. Cover and cook on high 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. (From now on, you may leave the dish covered for a thinner stew or uncovered for a thicker stew.) Stir in the dehydrated potatoes to thicken and cook on medium (50 percent power) for 10 minutes. Stir once or twice and serve.
Per serving: 341 calories, 29 grams protein, 4 grams fat (9 percent calories from fat), 0.9 gram saturated fat, 49 grams carbohydrate, 60 milligrams cholesterol, 197 milligrams sodium, 7 grams fiber.
Friday: Express
Make MEATBALL SANDWICHES on hoagie rolls for a quick meal. Buy prepared meatballs, top with no-salt-added or regular marinara sauce and add freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve with PEAS AND CARROTS (frozen). Munch on leftover COOKIES for dessert.
Shopping List
hoagie rolls, prepared meatballs, no-salt-added or regular marinara sauce, parmesan cheese, frozen peas and carrots.
Saturday: Easy Entertaining
Your guests will like the flavor of DILL HALIBUT WITH VEGETABLES, and you'll like the simplicity.
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Coat 4 pieces of (12-by-18-inch) foil with cooking spray. Center several lemon slices on each sheet. Place 4 (4- to 6-ounce) pieces halibut fillets on lemons. Sprinkle halibut with coarse salt and pepper. Combine 1/2 medium zucchini and 1/2 medium yellow squash (both cut into thin strips) with 1 medium carrot and 1 medium onion (both cut into thin strips). Divide vegetables and top each fillet with mixture. Sprinkle each portion with 3/4 teaspoon fresh dill or 1/4 teaspoon dried dill.
Bring up foil sides. Double-fold top and ends to seal, leaving room for heat to circulate. Bake 15 to 18 minutes on a cookie sheet. When ready to serve, open packet away from your face to allow steam to escape.
Serve the colorful entree with ROASTED RED POTATOES, MIXED GREENS and WHOLE-GRAIN ROLLS. Buy a CHEESECAKE for dessert.
Shopping List
cooking spray, lemons, halibut fillets, coarse salt, pepper, zucchini squash, yellow squash, carrot, onion, fresh or dried dill, red potatoes, salad greens, whole-grain rolls, cheesecake.