Sunday: Family
LEMON CHICKEN WITH RICE AND ARTICHOKES is perfect for family day. Serve the one-dish meal with a BOSTON LETTUCE SALAD and DINNER ROLLS. APPLE TURNOVERS (frozen) and VANILLA ICE CREAM are a family kind of dessert.
Shopping List
cooking spray, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, onion, red bell pepper, rice, lemons, coarse salt, black pepper, unsalted chicken broth, canned water-packed quartered artichokes, Romano or parmesan cheese, Boston lettuce, dinner rolls, frozen apple turnovers, vanilla ice cream.
LEMON CHICKEN WITH RICE AND ARTICHOKES
Servings: makes 4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: less than 15 minutes
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch strips
- 2 1/2 cups chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup unsalted chicken broth, divided
- 1 (14-ounce) can water-packed quartered artichokes, drained
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Romano or parmesan cheese
Heat a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray on medium-high. Add chicken, onion and bell pepper; cook 7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Stir in cooked rice, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and half the broth; cook 2 minutes. Stir in artichokes and remaining broth; cook 1 minute or until heated. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.
Per serving: 400 calories, 37 grams protein, 5 grams fat (11 percent calories from fat), 1.2 grams saturated fat, 51 grams carbohydrate, 92 milligrams cholesterol, 618 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.
Monday: Budget
BEEF STIR-FRY WITH SPINACH is easy on the food budget. Serve it over BROWN RICE, and add a ROMAINE SALAD and WHOLE-GRAIN ROLLS. For a light dessert, try PEARS.
Plan
Prepare enough stir-fry and cook enough rice for Tuesday.
Shopping List
reduced-sodium soy sauce, dark sesame oil, cornstarch, fresh ginger, canola oil, boneless sirloin steak, packaged spinach, yellow bell peppers, green onions, garlic, brown rice, romaine, whole-grain rolls, pears.
BEEF STIR-FRY WITH SPINACH
Servings: makes 4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: less than 15 minutes
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
- 1 pound boneless sirloin steak, thinly sliced
- 1 pound packaged spinach
- 2 yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch and ginger until smooth; set aside. Heat wok or large skillet over medium-high until a drop of water sizzles in pan. Add 1 teaspoon canola oil; swirl to coat. Add steak and stir-fry 3 minutes or until browned. Transfer to plate. Microwave spinach on high (100 percent power) 2 to 3 minutes or until wilted. Heat remaining oil in same skillet over medium-high and swirl to coat. Add peppers, onions and garlic; stir-fry 3 minutes or until vegetables soften. Return steak to skillet. Stir soy sauce mixture and add to skillet. Stir-fry until sauce bubbles and thickens, about 1 more minute. Divide spinach among 4 plates; top with steak mixture and serve. (Adapted from "Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook"; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016.)
Per serving: 238 calories, 29 grams protein, 8 grams fat (32 percent calories from fat), 1.9 grams saturated fat, 12 grams carbohydrate, 58 milligrams cholesterol, 394 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.
Tuesday: Heat and Eat
Take advantage of those leftovers for BEEF-STUFFED PEPPERS. Split orange or yellow bell peppers in half lengthwise. Place cut-side down in baking dish. Cover and microwave on high (100 percent power) 1 minute per pepper; drain.
Meanwhile, combine stir-fry (chopped) with leftover rice, moisten with unsalted beef broth and heat. Stuff peppers with mixture; sprinkle with crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese and serve.
Add tiny GREEN PEAS (frozen) and WHOLE-GRAIN BREAD. Fresh or canned TROPICAL FRUIT is a light dessert.
Shopping List
orange or yellow bell peppers, unsalted beef broth, crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese, frozen tiny green peas, whole-grain bread, fresh or canned tropical fruit.
Wednesday: Express
Select any frozen stuffed BURRITOS for a super–easy meal. Garnish the stuffed burritos with reduced-fat SOUR CREAM. Serve them with STEAMED CARROTS. For dessert, PLUMS are easy, too.
Shopping List
any frozen stuffed burritos, reduced-fat sour cream, carrots, plums.
Thursday: Kids
What could make kids happier than to have CHEESEBURGER MELT for dinner? Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, mix together 1 1/3 cups reduced-fat baking mix (such as Bisquick), 1/4 cup water, 2 eggs and 1 cup (1 1/2 cups total) of shredded 50 percent light cheddar cheese. Spread in dish. Cook 1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey breast, or mixture of both, in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high for 6 minutes or until no longer pink; drain well. Add 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed less-fat, less-sodium cream of mushroom soup and 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables; heat 5 minutes or until hot. Spread over batter. Bake 23 to 25 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 1 to 3 more minutes or until cheese melts. Cut into squares and serve. Garnish with salsa if desired.
Serve with CHERRY TOMATO HALVES. Fresh PINEAPPLE CHUNKS make a good dessert.
Shopping List
cooking spray, reduced-fat baking mix (such as Bisquick), eggs, 50 percent light cheddar cheese, lean ground beef or ground turkey breast (or both), canned condensed less-fat, less-sodium cream of mushroom soup, frozen mixed vegetables, salsa if desired, cherry tomatoes, fresh pineapple.
Friday: Meatless
You won't have any leftovers of delicious SPAGHETTINI WITH GOAT CHEESE AND FRESH BASIL. Place cooked whole-wheat spaghettini in a large bowl and add 2 ounces herb-flavored goat cheese cut into small pieces, 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; stir until well-blended.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add 2 teaspoons minced garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add 2 cups halved grape tomatoes; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 2/3 cup unsalted vegetable broth; cook 1 minute. Add tomato mixture to pasta mixture; toss gently to combine.
Serve with MIXED GREENS and GARLIC BREAD. Make instant PISTACHIO PUDDING (with 1 percent milk) for dessert.
Shopping List
whole-wheat spaghettini, herb-flavored goat cheese, fresh basil, coarse salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic, grape tomatoes, unsalted vegetable broth, mixed salad greens, garlic bread, instant pistachio pudding, 1 percent milk.
Saturday: Easy Entertaining
We're putting HERB-BAKED TILAPIA on our favorites list. Serve it with refrigerated HASH-BROWNED POTATOES, GREEN BEANS, a BIBB LETTUCE SALAD and CRUSTY BREAD. An easy dessert is leftover ICE CREAM with STRAWBERRY SAUCE.
Shopping List
tilapia fillets, parmesan cheese, low-fat mayonnaise, green onions, dry bread crumbs, dried basil, dried oregano, coarse salt, black pepper, cooking spray, refrigerated hash-browned potatoes, green beans, bibb lettuce, crusty bread, strawberry sauce.
HERB-BAKED TILAPIA
Servings: makes 4 servings
Prep time: less than 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
- 4 (4- to 6-ounce) tilapia fillets
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons minced green onions
- 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place tilapia on nonstick foil. In a small bowl, combine parmesan, mayonnaise and onions; spread evenly over fish. In another bowl, combine bread crumbs, basil, oregano, salt and pepper; sprinkle over fish. Coat fish lightly with cooking spray. Bake 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.
Per serving: 154 calories, 20 grams protein, 4 grams fat (24 percent calories from fat), 1.2 grams saturated fat, 10 grams carbohydrate, 48 milligrams cholesterol, 442 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.