Advertisement Gather the family for Malaysian Chicken on Fresh Greens (see recipe). Serve with roasted red potatoes and your own gazpacho, fresh green beans and baguettes. For dessert, peach pie is right in season and is especially good when topped with fat-free vanilla ice cream.
PLAN AHEAD: Grill extra chicken and save some potatoes and pie for Monday.
SHOPPING LIST: unseasoned rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, reduced-sodium soy sauce, peanut butter, ground ginger, garlic powder, red pepper, chicken breasts for grilling, salad greens, shredded carrots, alfalfa or bean sprouts, radishes, red potatoes, gazpacho, fresh green beans, baguettes, peach pie, fat-free vanilla ice cream.
Heat and Eat Monday
Dinner couldn’t be easier than enjoying the leftover grilled chicken along with the leftover potatoes. Add a spinach salad with red onion rings and multigrain bread. Slice leftover pie for dessert.
SHOPPING LIST: fresh spinach, red onion, multigrain bread.
Express Tuesday
For a quick meal, make sausage and pepper subs. Split any sausage and cook it in a hot nonstick skillet on medium. To skillet, add a little canola oil and cook sliced green bell peppers and sliced onions until softened. Spoon onto a split sub bun and top with heated marinara sauce. Serve with baked chips. Nectarines make a good dessert.
SHOPPING LIST: any sausage, canola oil, green bell peppers, onions, sub buns, marinara sauce, baked chips, nectarines.
Meatless Wednesday
Skip meat for a simple meal of lentil soup topped with a dollop of fat-free sour cream. Alongside, make grilled cheese, avocado and tomato sandwiches. Fresh strawberries are an easy, vitamin C-packed dessert.
SHOPPING LIST: lentil soup, fat-free sour cream, cheese, avocado, tomatoes, bread, fresh strawberries.
Kids Thursday
I wasn’t a kid when I lived in Texas, but I sure loved Chicken Fried Steak (see recipe), a Texas staple for adults and kids. You’ll like this lightened version of the old standard. Buy or make gravy and add mashed potatoes, green beans and soft rolls on the side. Slice kiwifruit for dessert.
SHOPPING LIST: cubed steaks, salt, pepper, flour, egg substitute, cracker crumbs, gravy, potatoes to mash, green beans, soft rolls, kiwifruit.
Budget Friday
No doubt about it, there’s probably a better name for this than No-Brainer Chicken (see recipe), but when our Weight Watchers leader, Lisa Gittleman, gave us the recipe, she said it right: “Anyone can make this dish!” Serve it over brown rice and top it with fat-free sour cream. Add a green salad and whole-wheat rolls, and you have dinner. A slice of cantaloupe completes the meal.
SHOPPING LIST: frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts, canned black beans, canned diced tomatoes with green chilies, frozen corn, fresh cilantro, fat-free sour cream, brown rice, salad greens, whole-wheat rolls, cantaloupe.
Entertaining Saturday
Invite guests and prepare your own favorite grilled lamb chop recipe. Top the chops with gremolata. Mix 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons lemon zest (yellow part only) and 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic. Add corn on the cob, mixed greens and sourdough bread.
For dessert, surprise your friends with pina colada pineapple. Sear pineapple slices on the grill quickly (just enough time to get the marks). Add 2 tablespoons dark rum to 1/2 cup caramel topping. Drizzle over a scoop of coconut sorbet placed on top of the pineapple. (Adapted from Woman’s Day magazine.)
SHOPPING LIST: lamb chops, parsley, lemons, garlic, corn-on-the-cob, salad greens, sourdough bread, sliced pineapple, dark rum, caramel topping, coconut sorbet.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by e-mail at menuplanner@mindspring.com.
Malaysian Chicken on Fresh Greens
1/2 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 (4- or 5-ounce) grilled chicken breasts, cut into strips
6 cups mixed salad greens
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup alfalfa or bean sprouts
1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes
In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, oil, soy sauce, peanut butter, ginger, garlic powder and red pepper; mix well. Stir in grilled chicken strips; toss to coat. Refrigerate up to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
To a large bowl, add salad greens, carrots, sprouts and radishes. Toss well. Divide salad mixture among 4 serving plates; top with chicken and add some dressing.
Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 239 calories, 30 grams protein, 11 grams fat (40 percent calories from fat), 1.8 grams saturated fat, 6 grams carbohydrate, 66 milligrams cholesterol, 433 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
Chicken Fried Steak
4 (4-ounce) cubed steaks
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup egg substitute
1 cup coarse cracker crumbs
Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Place flour, egg and cracker crumbs in 3 separate plates. Coat steaks in flour, shaking off excess; dip in egg substitute and coat in cracker crumbs. Lightly coat steaks on each side with cooking spray. Cook steaks, in batches, in a hot nonstick skillet on medium 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden, turning twice. Serve immediately. (Adapted from Southern Living magazine.)
Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 265 calories, 30 grams protein, 6 grams fat (20 percent calories from fat), 1.9 grams saturated fat, 22 grams carbohydrate, 64 milligrams cholesterol, 545 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.
No-Brainer Chicken
1 pound frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts (do not thaw)
2 (15-ounce) cans rinsed black beans
2 (10-ounce) cans drained diced tomatoes with green chilies (see note)
1 cup frozen corn
Fresh chopped cilantro
Fat-free sour cream
In a 3-quart or larger slow cooker, combine chicken, beans, tomatoes and corn. Cover and cook on low 6 hours. Garnish with the cilantro and sour cream.
Makes 4 servings.
Note: I used one can of mild and 1 can of regular tomatoes. Adjust to your taste.
Per serving: 366 calories, 40 grams protein, 4 grams fat (9 percent calories from fat), no saturated fat, 43 grams carbohydrate, 66 milligrams cholesterol, 1,298 milligrams sodium, 14 grams fiber.
