Sunday: Family
Celebrate July Fourth the all-American, family way with (any) GRILLED BURGERS on WHOLE-GRAIN BUNS. Make your own POTATO SALAD and add LETTUCE, TOMATOES, PICKLES, MUSTARD and low-fat MAYONNAISE alongside. For a worthy festive dessert, try RED, WHITE AND BLUE COOKIES.
Plan
Save enough cookies for Monday.
Shopping List
any burgers to grill, whole-grain buns, ingredients for your potato salad, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mustard, low-fat mayonnaise, cooking spray, butter, sugar, flour, pure vanilla extract, red and blue gel food color, clear cake sparkles.
RED, WHITE AND BLUE COOKIES
Prep time: 10 minutes; Freezing time: about 30 minutes
Cook time: 18 minutes; Cooling time: 3 minutes
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Red gel food color
- Blue gel food color
- Clear cake sparkles
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper on rimmed baking sheet. Beat butter and sugar until blended and fluffy. Add flour and vanilla and beat until well combined. Divide the dough into three equal pieces and color one piece red and another piece blue with food color gel. Shape each piece of dough (red, white and blue) into 2 logs, each 8 inches long, 1 1/2 inches wide and about 1/4 inch thick. Place blue dough on flat surface. Top with white dough, then red dough. Roll in waxed paper or parchment paper and freeze 30 minutes or until dough is firm enough to slice. Repeat with remaining refrigerated cookie dough. Slice each chilled cookie dough log into 18 cookies. Arrange on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with cake sparkles. Bake 15 minutes or until bottoms are golden. Cool 3 minutes on baking sheet. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely. Repeat with remaining chilled cookie dough log.
Per serving: 86 calories, 1 gram protein, 5 grams fat (53% calories from fat), 3.3 grams saturated fat, 9 grams carbohydrate, 14 milligrams cholesterol, 45 milligrams sodium, no fiber.
Monday: Express
You can put this CHICKEN AND MELON SALAD together in no time. In a large bowl, combine 3/4 cup red wine vinaigrette and 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice; let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, soak 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion in hot water to cover for 10 minutes; drain and pat dry. To vinaigrette mixture, add onion, 2 romaine lettuce hearts (chopped), an 8- to 12-ounce package grilled chicken breast (chopped), 1 1/2 cups cubed cantaloupe, 1 1/2 cups seeded and cubed watermelon, 2/3 cup crumbled Greek feta cheese and 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil; toss to coat and combine. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds. Serve immediately. Serve with chilled VEGETABLE JUICE and CRACKERS. Enjoy leftover COOKIES for dessert.
Plan
Save enough cantaloupe for Tuesday and enough watermelon for Wednesday.
Shopping List
red wine vinaigrette, lime, red onion, romaine, packaged grilled chicken breast, cantaloupe, watermelon, crumbled Greek feta cheese, fresh basil, slivered almonds, vegetable juice, crackers.
Tuesday: Meatless
We didn't miss meat at all with LINGUINE CAPONATA on the menu. Add a 7.5-ounce can caponata (eggplant appetizer) to no-salt-added or regular marinara sauce. Heat; toss with cooked linguine. Top each serving with a dollop of part-skim ricotta. Serve it with a SPINACH SALAD and GARLIC BREAD. Enjoy some leftover CANTALOUPE for dessert.
Shopping List
canned caponata, no-salt-added or regular marinara sauce, linguine, part-skim ricotta, fresh spinach, garlic bread.
Wednesday: Budget
Save some money with easy, tasty BLACK BEANS AND RICE for dinner. Serve the combo with MIXED GREENS and CORNBREAD from a mix. Leftover WATERMELON is the perfect dessert.
Plan
Save enough black beans and rice for Friday.
Shopping List
brown rice, olive oil, onion, red bell pepper, ham, garlic, cumin, dried oregano, reduced-sodium black beans, red wine vinegar, fresh cilantro, lime, red onion, mixed greens, cornbread mix.
BLACK BEANS AND RICE
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: about 20 minutes plus rice
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium chopped onion
- 1 chopped red bell pepper
- 4 ounces diced ham
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon each cumin and dried oregano
- 2 (15-ounce) cans undrained reduced-sodium black beans
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges and diced red onion for garnish
Cook rice according to directions; set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium. Add onions and bell pepper; cook, stirring 8 minutes or until softened. Add ham; cook 2 minutes or until browned. Add garlic, cumin and oregano; cook, stirring 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in beans and water; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar and cilantro. Serve over rice. Garnish with lime wedges and onion.
Per serving: 348 calories, 18 grams protein, 4 grams fat (10% calories from fat), 0.8 grams saturated fat, 60 grams carbohydrate, 12 milligrams cholesterol, 280 milligrams sodium, 9 grams fiber.
Thursday: Kids
Your little angels won’t be able to resist TURKEY TOSTADAS. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Coat 8 corn tortillas with cooking spray. Bake, turning once, until crisp. Mix 2 cups diced deli turkey and 1/2 cup each reduced-fat sour cream and salsa. Spoon over tortillas and sprinkle with shredded Jack cheese. Heat until cheese is melted. Serve with CORN ON THE COB. Fresh CHERRIES make a great summer dessert.
Shopping List
corn tortillas, cooking spray, deli turkey, reduced-fat sour cream, salsa, shredded Jack cheese, corn on the cob, fresh cherries.
Friday: Heat and Eat
Use the leftover black beans and rice for STUFFED PEPPERS. Use your favorite bell peppers, hollow them, turn upside-down in a baking dish, cover and microwave on high 1 minute per pepper. Stuff them with heated beans and rice (moisten with a little unsalted chicken broth) and top with some crumbled Greek feta cheese. Serve with fresh BROCCOLI SPEARS and WHOLE-GRAIN ROLLS. PLUMS are good for dessert.
Shopping List
any bell peppers, unsalted chicken broth, crumbled Greek feta cheese, fresh broccoli, whole-grain rolls, plums.
Saturday: Easy Entertaining
Invite friends for delicious SPICY SHRIMP ALFREDO. Keep it simple and serve it with a RED LEAF LETTUCE SALAD and ITALIAN BREAD. Dessert is as easy as LIME SORBET.
Shopping List
multigrain spaghetti, frozen petite green peas, canola oil, onion, Cajun seasoning, peeled and cooked medium shrimp, refrigerated reduced-fat Alfredo sauce, red leaf lettuce, Italian bread, lime sorbet.
SPICY SHRIMP ALFREDO
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: less than 15 minutes plus pasta with peas
- 1 pound multigrain spaghetti
- 1 1/2 cups frozen petite green peas, thawed
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 medium chopped onion
- 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, divided
- 1 pound peeled and cooked medium shrimp
- 1 (10-ounce) package refrigerated reduced-fat Alfredo sauce
Cook pasta according to directions; add peas the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and return to pot. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium. Add onion; cook 4 minutes. Stir in 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning; cook 1 minute. Add shrimp; cook 2 minutes. Set aside. Cover and microwave Alfredo sauce and remaining Cajun seasoning 2 minutes on 30% power; stir and cook 2 more minutes or until heated throughout. To pasta in pot, stir in shrimp mixture and Alfredo sauce mixture. Toss to mix and coat. Serve immediately.
Per serving: 352 calories, 26 grams protein, 8 grams fat (19% calories from fat), 2.5 grams saturated fat, 47 grams carbohydrate, 128 milligrams cholesterol, 798 milligrams sodium, 6 grams fiber.