Sunday: Family
Today, serve the family SHEET PAN CHICKEN AND SWEET POTATOES for a flavorful entree. Add MIXED GREENS and BREAD STICKS. Enjoy LEMON SORBET for dessert.
Plan
Save enough chicken, potatoes and vegetables for Monday.
Shopping List
balsamic vinegar, honey, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, coarse salt, crushed red pepper, boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, sweet or Yukon Gold potatoes, package Brussels sprouts, onion, salad greens, bread sticks, lemon sorbet.
SHEET PAN CHICKEN AND SWEET POTATOES
Servings: makes 6 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1 pound sweet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 (10-ounce) package Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
- 1 cup chopped onion
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil. In a small bowl, whisk vinegar, honey, olive oil, Dijon, garlic, salt and red pepper until blended. Place chicken in another bowl and add 3 tablespoons balsamic mixture, tossing until chicken is coated; let stand. In another bowl, combine potatoes, Brussels sprouts and onion and toss with remaining balsamic mixture until evenly coated. Arrange chicken in center of baking sheet. Arrange potato mixture on either side of chicken. Roast 40 minutes or until chicken is 165 degrees and potatoes and vegetables are tender. Transfer to serving platter and drizzle any pan juices over chicken, potatoes and vegetables.
Per serving: 375 calories, 33 grams protein, 11 grams fat (26% calories from fat), 2.3 grams saturated fat, 36 grams carbohydrate, 125 milligrams cholesterol, 421 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.
Monday: Heat and Eat
Make STUFFED PITAS tonight by chopping the leftover chicken and adding it and any leftover vegetables into whole-grain pitas lined with lettuce leaves. Top with sliced cucumber and a dollop of sour cream. Serve with a SPINACH SALAD and WHOLE-GRAIN CRACKERS. Try TAPIOCA PUDDING for dessert.
Shopping List
whole-grain pitas, lettuce, cucumber, sour cream, fresh spinach, whole-grain crackers, tapioca pudding.
Tuesday: Kids
What kid doesn’t like CHICKEN FINGERS? Not this one! Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix 1/2 cup panko crumbs, 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon each dried thyme and dried basil. Coat 1 pound chicken strips in cooking spray, then roll in crumb mixture. Place chicken on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking spray; bake 20 minutes. Serve with frozen OVEN FRIES, CELERY STICKS and DIP, along with SOFT ROLLS. PEACHES are good for dessert.
Shopping List
panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, dried thyme and basil, chicken for cutting into strips, cooking spray, frozen oven fries, celery sticks, dip, soft rolls, peaches.
Wednesday: Meatless
Enjoy the seasonings in VEGETABLE CHILI. In a 4-quart or larger slow cooker, combine 1 medium chopped red onion, 1 medium chopped green bell pepper, 4 cloves minced garlic, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder (yes, cocoa powder), 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 (28-ounce) can undrained no-salt-added or regular fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 1 (15.5-ounce) can each rinsed reduced-sodium black beans and kidney beans, 1 (8-ounce) peeled sweet potato (cut into 1/2-inch slices) and 1 cup water. Cover; cook on low 6 to 7 hours or until potatoes are tender and chili has thickened. Garnish with reduced-fat sour cream and sliced green onions. Serve with a LETTUCE WEDGE and HARD-BOILED EGG SLICES and WHOLE-GRAIN ROLLS. Fresh PINEAPPLE is good for dessert.
Plan
Save enough chili for Friday.
Shopping List
red onion, green bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, unsweetened cocoa powder, cinnamon, no-salt-added or regular fire-roasted diced tomatoes, canned reduced-sodium black beans and kidney beans, sweet potato, reduced-fat sour cream, green onions, lettuce, eggs, whole-grain rolls, fresh pineapple.
Thursday: Budget
Pasta is a low-cost meal and easy to prepare, as is this SPAGHETTI WITH PARSLEY AND CHEESE. Cook 8 ounces whole-grain spaghetti according to directions; drain. Meanwhile, combine 5 minced cloves garlic and 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high for 1 minute. Add the parsley-garlic mixture; stir well to combine with the oil and remove skillet from heat. Add cooked pasta to skillet and toss well to coat. Add 1/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese and coarse salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat. Serve with a ROMAINE SALAD and ITALIAN BREAD. ORANGE SECTIONS are a simple dessert.
Shopping List
spaghetti, garlic, flat-leaf parsley, olive oil, Romano cheese, coarse salt, pepper, Italian bread, oranges.
Friday: Express
Make it quick tonight and heat the leftover CHILI. Serve it over BROWN RICE. Add a packaged GREEN SALAD and CORNBREAD from a mix. Keep dessert easy and serve PEARS.
Shopping List
brown rice, packaged green salad, cornbread mix, pears.
Saturday: Easy Entertaining
Tonight, serve your guests SWEET AND SMOKY “PORK AND BEANS”. Serve the combo with BROCCOLI FLORETS, a RED TIP LETTUCE SALAD and BAGUETTES. For dessert, try this fresh blueberry dessert, BLUEBERRY OATMEAL CRUMBLE BARS.
Shopping List
honey, fish sauce (such as Thai Kitchen), lime, smoked paprika, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, pork tenderloin, bacon, canned no-salt-added petite diced tomatoes, no-salt-added tomato paste, ground ginger, coarse salt, black pepper, canned no-salt-added or regular adzuki or small red beans, green onions, broccoli florets, red tip lettuce, baguettes, fresh or frozen blueberries, white sugar, orange, cornstarch, rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, butter.
SWEET AND SMOKY "PORK AND BEANS"
Servings: makes 6 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: about 25 to 30 minutes for pork (stand 5 minutes); 10 to 13 minutes for beans
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (such as Thai Kitchen)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 (1 1/2-pound) pork tenderloin
- 2 slices diced bacon
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added petite diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 tablespoon no-salt-added tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (15-ounce) can rinsed no-salt-added or regular adzuki (see NOTE) or small red beans
- 2 thinly sliced green onions
Heat oven to 350. In a small bowl, mix honey, fish sauce, lime juice, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and red pepper until well-blended. Brush on pork. Roast 25 to 30 minutes or until internal temperature is 150. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet on medium until crisp. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, remaining paprika and garlic powder, ginger, salt and pepper; cook 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Gently stir in beans. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Slice pork on an angle into thin slices; serve over bean mixture. Garnish with onions. NOTE: If not in your local supermarket, look for adzuki beans in a health food store or at Whole Foods.
Per serving: 292 calories, 30 grams protein, 6 grams fat (20% calories from fat), 2.1 grams saturated fat, 28 grams carbohydrate, 80 milligrams cholesterol, 536 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.
BLUEBERRY OATMEAL CRUMBLE BARS
Servings: makes 18 1-by-2-inch bars
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: less than 25 minutes
- For the filling:
- 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- For crust and topping:
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 3/4 cup flour
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 ounces butter, melted
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In medium pan, stir together all filling ingredients. Bring to boil on medium-high 15 minutes, stirring often to reduce until mixture is thick and berries break down. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together oats, flour, sugar, zest and baking soda; add butter and blend. Reserve 3/4 cup mixture for topping. Transfer remaining mixture to a 9-by-9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Press firmly in bottom to form a crust. Spoon filling in an even layer. Sprinkle with remaining topping. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool before cutting.
Per serving: 172 calories, 2 grams protein, 6 grams fat (30% calories from fat), 3.4 grams saturated fat, 29 grams carbohydrate, 14 milligrams cholesterol, 61 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.