Sunday: Family
For the family-day feast, HAM WITH APPLE RAISIN SAUCE is perfect.
Serve it with ROASTED SWEET POTATOES. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Peel 3 (8-ounce) sweet potatoes; cut into 8 wedges and halve crosswise. Toss with a little olive oil; season with coarse salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes, turn once and bake until brown and tender.
Serve with BAKED VIDALIA ONIONS. Trim tops and bottoms, leaving enough of the roots to hold onions together; cut an "X" in center of tops. Cover and microwave on high (100 percent power), 6 minutes per pound. Let stand 3 minutes. Drizzle with butter and serve.
Add DINNER ROLLS. For dessert, top ANGEL FOOD CAKE with PINEAPPLE SHERBET.
Plan
Save enough cake for Monday.
Shopping List
flour, apple, apple juice, raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon, boneless fully cooked ham, whole cloves, sweet potatoes to roast, olive oil, coarse salt, pepper, Vidalia onions, butter, dinner rolls, angel food cake, pineapple sherbet.
HAM WITH APPLE RAISIN SAUCE
Servings: Makes 8 to 12 servings
Prep time: less than 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2- to 3-pound boneless, fully cooked ham
- Whole cloves for garnish, if desired
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Shake flour into a 14-by-20-inch oven bag (such as Reynolds); place bag in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add apple, apple juice, raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon to the bag. Squeeze bag to blend in flour. Lightly score surface of ham in a diamond pattern; garnish with cloves if desired. Place ham in bag (trim open end of bag if too large). Close bag with nylon tie; cut 6 (1/2-inch) slits in top. Bake about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 140 degrees. Stir sauce before serving.
Per serving: 191 calories, 27 grams protein, 4 grams fat (17 percent calories from fat), 1.1 grams saturated fat, 13 grams carbohydrate, 69 milligrams cholesterol, 962 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.
Monday: Family/Memorial Day
Celebrate Memorial Day and start the official grilling season with your own GRILLED STEAK. CORN-ON-THE-COB and deli COLESLAW will make this a "here comes summer" meal.
For dessert, top the leftover CAKE with BLUEBERRIES AND STRAWBERRIES for a red-white-and-blue kind of day.
Plan
Save enough coleslaw for Tuesday.
Shopping List
steaks to grill, corn-on-the-cob, deli coleslaw, blueberries, strawberries.
Tuesday: Express
Buy refrigerated or frozen SALMON PATTIES (follow the package directions) for a quick meal. Garnish with low-fat TARTAR SAUCE. Serve with frozen OVEN FRIES, leftover COLESLAW and WHOLE-GRAIN ROLLS alongside. For dessert, scoop fat-free STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM.
Plan
Save enough ice cream for Friday.
Shopping List
refrigerated or frozen salmon patties, low-fat tartar sauce, frozen oven fries, whole-grain rolls, fat-free strawberry ice cream.
Wednesday: Budget
"Low price, high flavor" is a good way to describe SPINACH AND BLACK-EYED PEA SALAD. Cook 4 strips of bacon until crisp; crumble. Combine 1 pound fresh spinach leaves, 2 (15-ounce) cans rinsed black-eyed peas, 2 medium tomatoes (cut into wedges) and 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion; toss with 1/4 cup vinaigrette dressing. Sprinkle with the bacon.
Serve with deli SOUP. Make CORNBREAD from a mix. For dessert, PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES add some interest.
Shopping List
bacon, fresh spinach, canned black-eyed peas, tomatoes, red onion, vinaigrette dressing, any deli soup, cornbread mix, peanut butter cookies.
Thursday: Meatless
Enjoy WHOLE-WHEAT FUSILLI WITH SPICY ESCAROLE, TOMATOES AND OLIVES. Add GARLIC BREAD. For dessert, PEAR HALVES garnished with low-fat ricotta cheese is simple.
Shopping List
escarole, garlic, crushed red pepper, extra-virgin olive oil, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives or other imported olives, whole-wheat fusilli, pecorino-Romano cheese, garlic bread, pear halves, low-fat ricotta cheese.
WHOLE-WHEAT FUSILLI WITH SPICY ESCAROLE, TOMATOES AND OLIVES
Servings: Makes 8 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: about 30 minutes, plus pasta
- 1 1/2 pounds escarole, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives (or other imported olives), chopped
- 1 pound whole-wheat fusilli
- 1/2 cup pecorino-Romano cheese, freshly grated
Cook escarole in boiling water 7 to 9 minutes or until the thick stems are tender. Remove with a slotted spoon. (Reserve the cooking water for the pasta.) In a large nonstick skillet, cook the garlic and red pepper in 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat 5 minutes or until garlic is golden. Stir in tomatoes and olives; cook 10 minutes or until tomatoes are soft. Stir in escarole and cook 5 minutes; add a little water if the sauce seems dry.
Meanwhile, return the reserved escarole cooking water to a boil. Add pasta; cook according to directions; drain. Add the pasta to the sauce and turn heat to high; toss pasta. Add cheese and toss again. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and serve immediately. (Adapted from "The Italian Vegetable Cookbook," Michele Scicolone; Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014.)
Per serving: 322 calories, 11 grams protein, 11 grams fat (29 percent calories from fat), 1.9 grams saturated fat, 49 grams carbohydrate, 3 milligrams cholesterol, 218 milligrams sodium, 10 grams fiber.
Friday: Kids
You don't have to be a kid to enjoy TEX-MEX QUESADILLAS. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray. Place 2 fat-free whole-grain tortillas on each sheet. Combine 1 1/4 cups canned, rinsed, reduced-sodium black beans, 1 cup shredded carrots and 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese. Divide the mixture among the tortillas. Press a second tortilla on top of each quesadilla. Bake 10 minutes or until quesadillas are crisp and lightly browned. Carefully turn and bake 5 more minutes. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Garnish with reduced-fat sour cream and salsa.
Serve with RICE. Add CELERY STICKS to dip into light ranch dressing. Teach the kids how to make their own ICE CREAM SANDWICHES with soft chocolate cookies and leftover ice cream.
Shopping List
cooking spray, fat-free whole-grain tortillas, canned reduced-sodium black beans, carrots, reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, reduced-fat sour cream, salsa, rice, celery sticks, light ranch dressing, soft chocolate cookies.
Saturday: Easy Entertaining
Your guests will enjoy GRILLED CHICKEN WITH COUSCOUS AND PEAS.
Serve the pretty dish with a CUCUMBER AND BEET SALAD. Thinly slice a seeded cucumber. Toss with drained pickled beets and low-fat yogurt to coat. Add SOURDOUGH ROLLS.
For dessert, TROPICAL AMBROSIA is heavenly. In a medium serving bowl, toss together 2 1/2 cups fresh pineapple chunks and 1 tablespoon sugar; let stand 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves; stir occasionally. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut and 1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts.
Shopping List
apricot or peach preserves, coarse-grain or Dijon mustard, ground ginger, garlic-flavored cooking spray, chicken cutlets, coarse salt, pepper, fat-free chicken broth, frozen petite green peas, couscous, slivered almonds, cucumber, pickled beets, low-fat yogurt, sourdough rolls, fresh pineapple chunks, sugar, sweetened flaked coconut, macadamia nuts.
GRILLED CHICKEN WITH COUSCOUS AND PEAS
Servings: Makes 4 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: about 10 minutes; standing time: 5 minutes
- 1/4 cup apricot or peach preserves
- 1 tablespoon coarse-grain or regular Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger, divided
- Garlic-flavored cooking spray
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
- 1 1/2 cups fat-free chicken broth
- 1 cup frozen petite green peas
- 1 cup couscous
- 2 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds
Heat a nonstick skillet or stovetop grill pan on medium-high. Mix preserves, mustard and 1 teaspoon ginger; reserve half. Coat both sides of chicken with cooking spray. Season chicken with salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook chicken 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Brush with glaze; turn and continue cooking 2 to 3 more minutes or until barely pink; brush with more glaze. Remove to plate; cover with foil.
Meanwhile, bring broth, peas, remaining ginger and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to boil; stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with fork. Transfer chicken to plates; spoon glaze over each piece. Serve with couscous. Garnish with almonds.
Per serving: 399 calories, 33 grams protein, 5 grams fat (12 percent calories from fat), 0.9 gram saturated fat, 53 grams carbohydrate, 73 milligrams cholesterol, 705 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.