Sunday: Family
Make family day special and serve ITALIAN ROAST PORK LOIN. Pour 1 cup Italian salad dressing into a resealable plastic bag; add 1 (2- to 3-pound) boneless pork loin. Seal and refrigerate overnight. Remove pork; discard dressing marinade. Pat pork dry and sprinkle it with 1 teaspoon garlic pepper. Place in a shallow pan and roast 1 hour at 350 degrees or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes before slicing.
Serve with ROASTED RED POTATOES, GREEN BEANS, MIXED SALAD GREENS AND SOURDOUGH BREAD. Make or buy a BLUEBERRY COBBLER and top it with a smidge of VANILLA ICE CREAM.
Plan
Save enough pork and cobbler for Monday.
Shopping List
Italian salad dressing, boneless pork loin, garlic pepper, red potatoes, green beans, mixed salad greens, sourdough bread, homemade or store-bought blueberry cobbler, vanilla ice cream.
Monday: Heat and Eat
Use the leftover pork in PORK AND MUSHROOM QUESADILLAS. Serve with a LEAF LETTUCE SALAD. Top the leftover COBBLER with light whipped cream for dessert.
Shopping List
olive oil, fresh sliced crimini mushrooms, green onions, Swiss cheese, large fat-free flour tortillas, leaf lettuce, light whipped cream.
PORK AND MUSHROOM QUESADILLAS
Servings: makes 4 quesadillas
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: less than 15 minutes
- 12 ounces cooked (leftover) pork, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 6 ounces fresh sliced crimini mushrooms
- 1/3 cup sliced green onions
- 4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
- 4 (9- to 10-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
Stack pork slices and cut crosswise in half, then cut each stack lengthwise into matchstick-size pieces; set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add mushrooms and onions; stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until softened. Remove from skillet; add pork and stir-fry 1 minute. Remove pork and wipe skillet with paper towels.
To assemble, sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over half of each tortilla. Top each with pork and mushroom mixture. Sprinkle each with another 2 tablespoons cheese. Fold in half, pressing gently. Add 1 teaspoon oil to skillet. Cook quesadillas, 2 at a time, on medium heat for 2 to 4 minutes or until golden and cheese is melted, turning once. Remove quesadillas from skillet; loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining oil and quesadillas. Cut quesadillas into wedges and serve.
Per quesadilla: 452 calories, 37 grams protein, 17 grams fat (34 percent calories from fat), 6.8 grams saturated fat, 37 grams carbohydrate, 88 milligrams cholesterol, 569 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.
Tuesday: Kids
Let the kids celebrate with (any) BURGER NIGHT. They might want to add cheese along with their favorite trimmings. How about some CORN-ON-THE-COB and BABY CARROTS, too? Make S'MORES in the microwave for dessert.
Shopping List
kids' favorite burgers and trimmings, buns, any cheese, corn-on-the-cob, baby carrots, marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate bars for s'mores.
Wednesday: Meatless
Make a no-meat night special with PENNE WITH FRESH TOMATO-ARUGULA SAUCE. Add WHOLE-GRAIN BREAD. Sprinkle fresh STRAWBERRIES with powdered sugar for dessert.
Shopping List
penne pasta, tomatoes, arugula, fresh basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, coarse salt, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, whole-grain bread, fresh strawberries, powdered sugar.
PENNE WITH FRESH TOMATO-ARUGULA SAUCE
Servings: makes 6 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: for the pasta
- 12 ounces penne pasta
- 1 pound diced tomatoes (about 2 cups)
- 3 cups arugula, cut into strips
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into strips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano in thin shavings (about 3 ounces) (see Note)
Cook pasta according to directions; drain.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine tomatoes, arugula, basil, oil, vinegar, garlic and salt. Add cooked pasta to bowl and toss. Top with cheese shavings and serve.
Note: To make cheese shavings, pull a vegetable peeler across a wedge of cheese.
Per serving: 325 calories, 13 grams protein, 9 grams fat (26 percent calories from fat), 3.1 grams saturated fat, 47 grams carbohydrate, 10 milligrams cholesterol, 398 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
Thursday: Budget
For a festive dinner, try BAKED BEANS- TUNA CHEF SALAD. Divide among 4 dinner plates: 1 (12-ounce) bunch romaine, torn into 1/2-inch pieces. On top, arrange 2 to 4 hard-cooked eggs (cut into 6 pieces each), 2 (5-ounce) cans drained and flaked albacore tuna, 1 cup halved grape tomatoes, 1 (16-ounce) can reduced-sodium vegetarian baked beans (such as Bush's). Drizzle with 4 tablespoons Italian dressing (or another kind). Serve with CRUSTY BREAD. Sprinkle fresh PEACHES with nutmeg for an easy dessert.
Shopping List
romaine, eggs, canned albacore tuna, grape tomatoes, canned reduced-sodium vegetarian baked beans, Italian dressing (or another kind), crusty bread, fresh peaches, nutmeg.
Friday: Express
Make GARDEN BLTs for a quick meal. Spread 8 slices whole-grain toast with low-fat mayonnaise. For each sandwich, layer 1 slice toast with 2 slices cooked bacon, 2 slices tomatoes, 8 thin slices cucumber, 1 thin slice sweet onion, 1 medium lettuce leaf, and coarse salt and pepper to taste. Top with remaining toast. Cut in half on the diagonal.
Serve with HASH-BROWNED POTATOES (refrigerated). FRESH BLUEBERRIES with light whipped cream satisfy your sweet tooth.
Shopping List
whole-grain bread, low-fat mayonnaise, bacon, tomatoes, cucumber, sweet onion, leaf lettuce, coarse salt, pepper, refrigerated hash-browned potatoes, fresh blueberries, light whipped cream.
Saturday: Easy Entertaining
Extend an invitation to special friends for ARROZ CON POLLO. Serve it with a RED-TIP LETTUCE SALAD and BAGUETTES. A simple dessert of MERINGUE COOKIES and RASPBERRY SORBET is a perfect ending.
Shopping List
coarse salt, paprika, black pepper, bone-in skinless chicken breasts and thighs, canola oil, red bell pepper, onion, rice, garlic, unsalted chicken broth, saffron or turmeric, frozen tiny green peas, Spanish olives with pimentos, red-tip lettuce, baguettes, meringue cookies, raspberry sorbet.
ARROZ CON POLLO
Servings: makes 12 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: less than 45 minutes; standing time: 5 minutes
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 pounds bone-in skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 pounds bone-in skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 2-inch strips
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup rice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (14-ounce) can unsalted chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron or turmeric
- 1 1/2 cups frozen tiny green peas, thawed
- 1/4 cup sliced Spanish olives with pimientos
Mix salt, paprika and pepper. Sprinkle evenly over chicken. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium. Add chicken; cook 5 to 6 minutes per side or until golden. Remove chicken from skillet. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Add bell pepper and onion; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Stir in rice and garlic. Continue to cook about 1 minute. Stir in broth and saffron. Bring to boil. Return chicken to skillet; cover. Reduce heat to low and cook 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and rice is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in peas; cover. Let stand 5 minutes. Garnish with olives and serve.
Per serving: (light meat): 208 calories, 25 grams protein, 4 grams fat (19 percent calories from fat), 0.7 gram saturated fat, 16 grams carbohydrate, 68 milligrams cholesterol, 369 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.
Carb count: 1.
Per serving (dark meat): 222 calories, 20 grams protein, 8 grams fat (32 percent calories from fat), 1.9 grams saturated fat, 16 grams carbohydrate, 102 milligrams cholesterol, 312 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.