Sunday: Family
Buy a spiral-sliced HAM for family day and accompany it with deli POTATO SALAD.
Add delicious GREEN BEANS WITH FETA alongside: In a large serving bowl, place 1 pound just-cooked and drained green beans. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons chopped red onion, 1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1 clove minced garlic. Toss to coat. Garnish with 1/2 cup crumbled Greek feta cheese.
Serve the beans warm with WHOLE-GRAIN ROLLS. For dessert, spoon RASPBERRIES over sliced POUND CAKE and garnish the combo with light whipped cream.
Plan
Save enough ham and green beans for Monday; save enough cake for Tuesday.
Shopping List
spiral-sliced ham, deli potato salad, green beans, olive oil, red onion, tarragon vinegar, coarse salt, pepper, garlic, Greek crumbled feta cheese, whole-grain rolls, raspberries, pound cake, light whipped cream.
Monday: Heat and Eat
Use some of the leftover ham for always-popular GRILLED HAM AND CHEESE SANDWICHES on rye bread. Serve with the leftover GREEN BEANS. Keep dessert light with CHUNKY APPLESAUCE.
Plan
Save enough bread for Thursday.
Shopping List
rye bread and cheese for sandwiches, chunky applesauce.
Tuesday: Budget
Instead of a sandwich, try this delicious CHICKEN BLT SALAD. BAKED CHIPS and some SLICED PICKLES are perfect accompaniments. Drizzle CHOCOLATE SAUCE over the leftover CAKE for dessert.
Shopping List
low-fat mayonnaise, Italian bread, bacon, boneless skinless chicken breasts, coarse salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, cherry tomatoes, romaine lettuce hearts, baked chips, sliced pickles, chocolate sauce.
CHICKEN BLT SALAD
Servings: makes 4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: Croutons and chicken
- 3/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise, divided
- 4 (1-inch) slices Italian bread
- 1 pound bacon, chopped
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 romaine lettuce hearts (12 ounces), torn into bite-size pieces
Heat oven to 475 degrees. Spread 1/4 cup mayonnaise over both sides of bread and lay on baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden, flipping halfway through. Let cool 5 minutes; then cut into 1-inch croutons. Meanwhile, cook bacon in 12-inch nonstick skillet on medium-high 5 to 7 minutes or until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper-towel-lined plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat. Pat chicken dry with paper towels; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat fat in skillet on medium-high until just smoking. Cook chicken 4 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until browned on all sides; transfer to plate. Whisk remaining mayonnaise and vinegar together in serving bowl. Add tomatoes, lettuce, croutons, bacon and chicken and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. (Adapted from "The Chicken Bible," American’s Test Kitchen.)
Per serving: 563 calories, 43 grams protein, 27 grams fat (43% calories from fat), 7.4 grams saturated fat, 38 grams carbohydrate, 117 milligrams cholesterol, 1,515 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.
Wednesday: Express
Make TUNA STUFFED TOMATOES with deli tuna salad; spoon it into hollowed ripe tomatoes and garnish with paprika for a pretty entree. Serve it on lettuce and add deli COLESLAW and CRUSTY ROLLS on the side. Sliced MANGOES are an easy dessert.
Shopping List
deli tuna salad, tomatoes, paprika, lettuce, deli coleslaw, crusty rolls, mangoes.
Thursday: Meatless
Try these VEGETARIAN REUBEN SANDWICHES on the leftover rye for a no-meat meal. Garnish the plate with MIXED FRESH FRUIT. Serve with DILL PICKLES and deli (or your own) BROCCOLI SALAD. For dessert, enjoy BLUEBERRIES.
Shopping List
cooking spray, onion, reduced-fat Thousand Island dressing, jar roasted red peppers, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, variety of fresh fruits, dill pickles, deli broccoli salad, blueberries.
VEGETARIAN REUBEN SANDWICHES
Servings: makes 4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 7 to 10 minutes
- 1 cup sliced onion
- 8 slices rye bread
- 1/4 cup reduced-fat Thousand Island dressing
- 8 strips (about 2 inches by 1 inch) roasted red pepper from jar, drained
- 1/2 cup well-rinsed sauerkraut
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray on medium. Add onion; cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. Remove onion from skillet. Spread 4 bread slices with dressing. Top each with 1/4 of the onion, 2 strips pepper, 2 tablespoons sauerkraut and 1 cheese slice. Top with remaining bread slices. Heat same skillet over medium-low heat. In batches, coat outsides of sandwiches with cooking spray and place in skillet. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, turning after 2 minutes until cheese is melted and bread is toasted.
Per serving: 241 calories, 12 grams protein, 4 grams fat (15% calories from fat), 0.5 gram saturated fat, 39 grams carbohydrate, 4 milligrams cholesterol, 820 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.
Friday: Kids
Make PEACHY MUSTARD CHICKEN FINGERS for the kids tonight. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard and 2 teaspoons peach all-fruit spread; stir until blended. Coat 1 pound chicken fingers in mixture; roll coated chicken in 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs. Place on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees.
Serve with frozen OVEN FRIES and CHERRY TOMATOES. A slurpy slice of WATERMELON is a kid-friendly dessert.
Shopping List
low-fat mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, peach all-fruit spread, chicken fingers, panko breadcrumbs, frozen oven fries, cherry tomatoes, watermelon.
Saturday: Easy Entertaining
We enjoyed this GLAZED SALMON, and you and your guests will, too. Serve it with BROWN RICE tossed with toasted walnuts.
Add ROASTED SESAME BALSAMIC ASPARAGUS: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread 2 teaspoons sesame oil in a foil-lined baking pan. Trim 1 pound fresh asparagus and roll in oil. Arrange in a single layer and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds. Roast 10 minutes or until tender-crisp. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons lower-sodium soy sauce and 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Remove asparagus from oven; place on serving platter and drizzle with soy sauce mixture.
Add SOURDOUGH BREAD. For dessert, buy a CHEESECAKE.
Shopping List
honey, lower-sodium soy sauce, limes, Dijon mustard, salmon fillets, brown rice, walnuts, sesame oil, fresh asparagus, toasted sesame seeds, balsamic vinegar, sugar, crushed red pepper, sourdough bread, cheesecake.
GLAZED SALMON
Servings: makes 4 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes; marinating time: 2 hours
Cook time: less than 10 minutes
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
In a small bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce, juice and mustard. Marinate salmon in a large resealable bag in refrigerator 2 hours. Remove salmon; reserve marinade. Coat a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray. Cook salmon, skin side down, 3 minutes. Turn, remove skin and cook 3 to 4 more minutes (according to thickness). Transfer salmon to platter; cover with foil. Add reserved marinade to skillet; boil 1 minute. Add salmon to skillet; heat through. Serve salmon with sauce.
Per serving: 284 calories, 36 grams protein, 8 grams fat (26% calories from fat), 1.4 grams saturated fat, 15 grams carbohydrate, 80 milligrams cholesterol, 398 milligrams sodium, no fiber.