Advertisement The family will welcome Pork and Supersweet Corn (see recipe) for a flavorful meal. Serve the savory combo with a romaine salad and multigrain rolls. For dessert, buy a carrot cake and skip most of the icing.
PLAN AHEAD: Save some cake for Monday.
SHOPPING LIST: corn-on-the-cob, zucchini, red bell peppers, olive oil, cumin, salt, black pepper, pork tenderloin, romaine, multigrain rolls, carrot cake.
Budget Monday
For a low-cost meal, make a BLT Pizza. Top a ready-to-bake pizza crust with 2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey, 2 medium sliced green onions, 4 slices cooked, crumbled bacon, 1 cup chopped tomato and
1 cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese. Bake according to the directions on pizza crust package until cheese melts. Remove from oven; top with shredded lettuce. Slice and serve. Enjoy the leftover cake for dessert.
SHOPPING LIST: ready-to-bake pizza crust, chicken or turkey for pizza, green onions, bacon, tomatoes, Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, lettuce.
Meatless Tuesday
You won’t care about meat when you have Bow-tie Pasta with Spinach and Mushrooms (see recipe) for dinner. Add a mixed green salad on the side along with garlic bread. For dessert, slices of juicy honeydew melon are refreshing.
PLAN AHEAD: Prepare enough pasta for Wednesday.
SHOPPING LIST: bow-tie (farfalle) pasta, olive oil, sliced mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes in oil, garlic, dry white wine, packaged baby spinach, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, almonds or walnuts, salad greens, garlic bread, honeydew melon.
Heat and Eat Wednesday
Heat the leftover pasta for a quick meal. Add a lettuce wedge on the side and garnish with crumbled reduced-fat blue cheese. Fresh nectarines are a perfect summer dessert.
SHOPPING LIST: lettuce, crumbled reduced-fat blue cheese, nectarines.
Kids Thursday
The kids and the adults will enjoy this Baked Fried Chicken (see recipe). Enjoy the chicken with mashed potatoes and fresh broccoli, along with soft rolls. For dessert, watermelon couldn’t be better.
SHOPPING LIST: cooking spray, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, flour, kosher salt, pepper, shredded wheat cereal, buttermilk or 1 percent milk, Dijon mustard, sesame seeds, paprika, cayenne pepper, ground mustard, potatoes to mash, fresh broccoli, soft rolls, watermelon.
Express Friday
Try the new Boca in a Bun Chick’n & Swiss Sandwich (or another brand) for a quick meal. (Look for the meat alternative in the freezer section.) Serve the sandwiches with baked chips and a lettuce and tomato salad. For dessert, kiwifruit is always good.
SHOPPING LIST: Boca in a Bun Chick’n & Swiss Sandwich or another brand, baked chips, lettuce, tomatoes, kiwifruit.
Entertaining Saturday
Invite friends for a special meal of Dijon Orange Salmon. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup each orange marmalade and Dijon mustard and
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Pour over 4 (4- to 5-ounce) salmon fillets; marinate 30 minutes at room temperature. Bake salmon 12 to 15 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork. Garnish with lemon wedges.
Serve the flavorful salmon with jasmine rice, snow peas, a bibb lettuce salad and whole-wheat rolls. For dessert, enjoy peach sorbet and chocolate wafer cookies.
SHOPPING LIST: orange marmalade, Dijon mustard, lemons, salmon fillets, jasmine rice, snow peas, bibb lettuce, whole-wheat rolls, peach sorbet, chocolate wafer cookies.
Pork and Supersweet Corn
3 ears corn-on-the-cob, cut into 2-inch pieces
4 small zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon cumin, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch pieces
Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, combine corn, zucchini and peppers; add 2 tablespoons oil,
2 teaspoons cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix well. Spread mixture on a large, rimmed, nonstick-foil-lined baking pan. Bake 15 minutes; stir after 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss pork with remaining oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Remove vegetables from oven; push to one side of pan. Add pork to pan with vegetables; roast 15 more minutes. Spoon vegetables and pork onto a large serving platter.
Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 306 calories, 25 grams protein, 15 grams fat (41 percent calories from fat), 2.5 grams saturated fat, 21 grams carbohydrate, 58 milligrams cholesterol, 654 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.
Bow-Tie Pasta with Spinach and Mushrooms
8 ounces bow-tie (farfalle) pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained, coarsely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 (6-ounce) package baby spinach
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted almonds or chopped walnuts
Prepare pasta according to directions; drain. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add mushrooms; cook 5 minutes or until most of the moisture has evaporated. Reduce heat to medium; add tomatoes and garlic. Cook and stir constantly 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in wine; cook 30 seconds to loosen particles from skillet. Stir in hot cooked pasta and spinach. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Stir in salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese and nuts and serve.
Makes 5 servings.
Per serving: 333 calories, 14 grams protein, 11 grams fat (30 percent calories from fat), 3 grams saturated fat, 44 grams carbohydrate, 11 milligrams cholesterol, 390 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.
Baked Fried Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 11/4 pounds)
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2/3 cup crushed shredded wheat cereal
1/3 cup buttermilk or 1 percent milk
1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1-1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to your kids’ taste)
1/8 teaspoon ground mustard
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Coat bottom of an 11-by-7-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. In a pie plate, combine flour with salt and pepper. Coat each piece of chicken in flour; shake off extra. Place crushed cereal in another pie plate. In a medium bowl, mix buttermilk, mustard, sesame seeds, paprika, cayenne and ground mustard. Coat chicken in buttermilk mixture and then in cereal crumbs. Arrange chicken in baking dish. Bake 15 to 20 minutes; reduce oven to 375 degrees. Bake 25 to 30 minutes longer or until internal temperature of chicken is 170 degrees and juices run clear.
Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 225 calories, 35 grams protein, 3 grams fat (13 percent calories from fat), 0.7 gram saturated fat, 13 grams carbohydrate, 83 milligrams cholesterol, 393 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by e-mail at menuplanner@mindspring.com.
