Sunday: Family
Make a special family Easter meal and serve a spiral-sliced HAM, your MACARONI SALAD and a SPINACH SALAD with sliced red onion and egg wedges. Add BISCUITS alongside. For dessert, buy an EASTER CAKE.
Plan
Save enough ham and macaroni salad for Monday; save enough cake for Tuesday.
Shopping List
spiral-sliced ham, macaroni salad, fresh spinach, red onion, eggs, biscuits, Easter cake.
Monday: Heat and Eat
Use the leftover ham for HAM SANDWICHES with brie cheese and basil pesto spread on Italian bread. Add leftover MACARONI SALAD and deli COLESLAW on the side. Enjoy fresh PINEAPPLE for dessert.
Shopping List
brie cheese, basil pesto, Italian bread, deli coleslaw, fresh pineapple.
Tuesday: Meatless
Skip meat for ROSEMARY SPAGHETTI WITH ROASTED ASPARAGUS and enjoy a flavor-packed entree. Serve it with MIXED GREENS and GARLIC BREAD. Slice the leftover CAKE for dessert.
Shopping List
asparagus, extra-virgin olive oil, coarse salt, butter, onion, garlic, unsalted vegetable broth, fresh rosemary, spaghetti, Parmesan cheese, mixed greens, garlic bread.
ROSEMARY SPAGHETTI WITH ROASTED ASPARAGUS
Servings: makes 8 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: less than 25 minutes, plus pasta
- 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
- 1 pound uncooked spaghetti
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread asparagus on a rimmed baking pan in a single layer; brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast 7 to 12 minutes or until fork-tender. Shake pan halfway through cooking to redistribute stalks. Cut stalks into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside. In a large deep skillet, melt butter on medium-low. Add onion; cook 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Add broth and chopped rosemary; increase heat to medium-high and reduce liquid by half. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Add pasta to butter mixture. Add cheese and asparagus; gently toss. Garnish each serving with a rosemary sprig and pass additional Parmesan to sprinkle.
Per serving: 291 calories, 10 grams protein, 6 grams fat (19% calories from fat), 2.6 grams saturated fat, 49 grams carbohydrate, 10 milligrams cholesterol, 171 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
Wednesday: Kids
Kids big and little will like the flavor of ITALIAN CHICKEN WITH NOODLES. Serve it with BABY CARROTS and BREAD STICKS. Sprinkle sliced APPLES with CINNAMON SUGAR for dessert.
Shopping List
boneless skinless chicken thighs, dried thyme, dried oregano, unsalted chicken broth, canned no-salt-added or regular diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning, carrots, onion, egg noodles, frozen petite green peas, baby carrots, bread sticks, apples, cinnamon, sugar.
ITALIAN CHICKEN WITH NOODLES
Servings: makes about 9 1/2 cups
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 7 to 8 hours, plus 15 minutes
- 1 1/2 pounds well-trimmed boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 4 or 6 pieces
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 3/4 cups unsalted chicken broth
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added or regular diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning, with liquid
- 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
- 1 large onion, halved and sliced
- 3 cups uncooked egg noodles
- 3/4 cup frozen petite green peas, thawed
Sprinkle chicken with thyme and oregano; set aside. In a 4-quart or larger slow cooker, combine broth, undrained tomatoes, carrots and onion. Place chicken on top of all. Cover; cook on low 7 to 8 hours. Stir in noodles and peas. Cover; cook 15 minutes on high or just until the noodles are tender.
Per cup: 180 calories, 17 grams protein, 3 grams fat (17% calories from fat), 0.8 gram saturated fat, 19 grams carbohydrate, 67 milligrams cholesterol, 128 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
Thursday: Express
Make it a quick meal tonight and put TURKEY KIELBASA with GRAINY MUSTARD, DILL PICKLES, deli GERMAN POTATO SALAD and PICKLED BEETS (from a jar) on the menu. Add RYE BREAD. For dessert, keep it light with PEACHES.
Shopping List
turkey kielbasa, grainy mustard, dill pickles, deli German potato salad, jar pickled beets, rye bread, peaches.
Friday: Budget
This SLOW COOKER CHICKEN CHILI is simple and inexpensive. Wrap the chili in warmed flour tortillas and serve it with LIME WEDGES and a LETTUCE WEDGE. Fresh TROPICAL FRUIT is a refreshing dessert.
Shopping List
boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, reduced-sodium chili seasoning mix, jar salsa, canned shoepeg corn, canned reduced-sodium black beans, shredded 50% light cheddar cheese, reduced-fat sour cream, green onions, cilantro, flour tortillas, limes, lettuce, fresh tropical fruit.
SLOW COOKER CHICKEN CHILI
Servings: makes 6 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 6 to 8 hours on low, or 3 to 4 hours on high
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into chunks
- 1 (1.25-ounce) packet reduced-sodium chili seasoning mix
- 1 (16-ounce) jar salsa
- 1 (14.75-ounce) can shoepeg corn, rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can reduced-sodium black beans, rinsed
- 1 cup shredded 50% light cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Toss chicken and chili seasoning until evenly coated; arrange in a slow cooker. Combine salsa, corn and black beans; pour over chicken. Cook 6 to 8 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high. Top with cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions and chopped cilantro.
Per serving: 398 calories, 45 grams protein, 10 grams fat (24% calories from fat), 4.4 grams saturated fat, 30 grams carbohydrate, 131 milligrams cholesterol, 798 milligrams sodium, 7 grams fiber.
Saturday: Easy Entertaining
Invite friends for colorful COD WITH FENNEL AND OLIVES: Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, combine 1 large thinly sliced fennel bulb and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast 15 minutes. Stir in 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added fire-roasted diced tomatoes with liquid. In the dish, arrange 4 (5-ounce) cod fillets in a single layer. Season with coarse salt and pepper to taste. Top with 1/4 cup seeded Kalamata olives. Spoon fennel mixture over fish. Roast 10 minutes or until fish is opaque throughout.
Serve with BROWN RICE and BROCCOLI for a pretty plate. Add a RED-TIPPED LETTUCE SALAD and WHOLE-GRAIN BREAD. Buy a CARROT CAKE for dessert.
Shopping List
cooking spray, fennel, olive oil, canned no-salt-added fire-roasted diced tomatoes, cod fillets, coarse salt, pepper, Kalamata olives, brown rice, red-tipped lettuce, whole-grain bread, carrot cake.