Advertisement Fruit and pork pair well and make fall family dinners special, just like these Autumn-Glazed Pork Chops (see recipe). Serve them with a favorite, baked sweet potatoes. Slash the tops and drizzle them with a little maple syrup. Add cauliflower and an arugula salad. Blueberry turnovers (frozen) are a special dessert.
PLAN AHEAD: Prepare 2 extra plain pork chops and save some cauliflower for Monday.
SHOPPING LIST: boneless pork chops, black pepper, apple cider or juice, canned whole cranberry sauce, honey, frozen orange juice concentrate, ground ginger, nutmeg, sweet potatoes to bake, maple syrup, cauliflower, arugula, frozen blueberry turnovers.
Heat and Eat Monday
Use the leftover pork for Sauerkraut with Pork and Apples. Rinse and drain 4 cups refrigerated sauerkraut. Chop leftover cooked pork chops. Thinly slice 1 Granny Smith apple. Combine pork, sauerkraut and apple. Microwave, covered, on medium (50 percent power) 8 to 10 minutes or until hot and apples have softened. Stir occasionally. Serve with brown mustard.
On the side, add leftover cauliflower and some rye bread. For dessert, pears are easy.
SHOPPING LIST: refrigerated sauerkraut, Granny Smith apple, brown mustard, rye bread, pears.
Budget Tuesday
We added Chunky Chicken Chili (see recipe) to our collection of favorite chili recipes. Serve the low-cost meal with a lettuce wedge and cornbread (from a mix). Finish the meal with peaches.
PLAN AHEAD: Save enough chili for Thursday.
SHOPPING LIST: boneless, skinless chicken thighs, canned diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers, canned no-salt-added or regular tomato sauce, envelope 30-percent-less-salt chili seasoning mix, canned corn, canned black beans, fat-free sour cream, fresh cilantro, lettuce, cornbread mix, peaches.
Kids Wednesday
The kids will be happy tonight with turkey burgers on whole-wheat buns for dinner. Surprise them and add a slice of avocado on top of the burgers. On the side, they’ll like corn-on-the-cob. Fresh pineapple spears are a fun dessert.
SHOPPING LIST: turkey burgers, whole-wheat buns, avocado, corn-on-the-cob, fresh pineapple.
Express Thursday
For a quick meal, heat the leftover chili, garnish it with shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese and serve it with baked tortilla chips. Add a packaged green salad. Make dessert light with kiwifruit.
SHOPPING LIST: reduced-fat cheddar cheese, baked tortilla chips, packaged green salad, kiwifruit.
Meatless Friday
For a no-meat dinner, Curried Red Lentils (see recipe) has lots of flavor. Add a spinach salad and flatbread. Dessert is festive with fat-free chocolate ice cream garnished with chocolate sprinkles as the finale.
PLAN AHEAD: Save enough ice cream for Saturday.
SHOPPING LIST: canola oil, onion, garlic, red curry powder, canned vegetable broth, canned light coconut milk, red or brown lentils, picked over and rinsed (see note), fresh cauliflower florets, red bell pepper, zucchini, fresh cilantro, fresh spinach, flatbread, fat-free chocolate ice cream, chocolate sprinkles.
Entertaining Saturday
Entertain your guests with Tuscan Braised Cod tonight. In a deep, large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add 1 medium sliced onion and cook 8 minutes or until softened. Add 1 clove thinly sliced garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add 1 (14-ounce) can drained, quartered artichoke hearts, 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives, 1 tablespoon capers (rinsed) and
1 (26-ounce) jar portobello mushrooms with merlot sauce (such as Bertolli or another brand).
Bring to boil on medium-high; reduce heat to low; add
6 (4- to 6-ounce) cod fillets. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes or until cod is opaque throughout. Serve on a platter over a bed of spaghetti.
Add a mixed greens salad and garlic bread. For dessert, top leftover ice cream with caramel sauce and toasted sliced almonds.
SHOPPING LIST: olive oil, onion, garlic, canned quartered artichokes, kalamata olives, capers, jar portobello mushrooms with merlot sauce (such as Bertolli or another brand), spaghetti, salad greens, garlic bread, caramel sauce, sliced almonds.
Autumn-Glazed Pork Chops
4 boneless pork chops, 3/4-inch thick (about 1 to 1 1/4 pounds)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup apple cider or juice
1/2 cup canned whole cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Sprinkle both sides of chops with pepper. Brown chops on each side in hot skillet (2 to 3 minutes per side). Add apple cider or juice. Reduce heat to medium. Cover tightly; cook on low 5 to 6 minutes or until chops are just done; drain. In a small bowl, combine cranberry sauce, honey, orange juice concentrate, ginger and nutmeg. Pour over chops. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through.
Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 247 calories, 21 grams protein, 6 grams fat (21 percent calories from fat), 1.7 grams saturated fat, 27 grams carbohydrate, 66 milligrams cholesterol, 53 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.
Chunky Chicken Chili
2 pounds well-trimmed boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans undrained diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added or regular tomato sauce
1 (1.25-ounce) envelope 30-percent-less-salt chili seasoning mix
2 (15-ounce) cans rinsed corn
1 (15-ounce) can rinsed black beans
Fat-free sour cream
Chopped fresh cilantro
Place chicken in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix tomatoes, tomato sauce and chili seasoning; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low 7 to 8 hours or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir to break up chicken. Stir in corn and beans. Cover and cook on low 15 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with sour cream and cilantro.
Makes 8 servings.
Per serving: 344 calories, 27 grams protein, 10 grams fat (27 percent calories from fat), 2.3 grams saturated fat, 31 grams carbohydrate, 76 milligrams cholesterol, 977 milligrams sodium, 7 grams fiber.
Curried Red Lentils
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium chopped onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons red curry powder
1 (14-ounce) can vegetable broth
1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 pound red or brown lentils, picked over and rinsed (see Note)
3 cups fresh cauliflower florets
1 medium coarsely chopped red bell pepper
1 medium zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add onion; cook 6 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and curry powder; cook 1 minute. Stir broth, coconut milk and water into pan. Bring to boil. Add lentils, cauliflower, bell pepper and zucchini. Cover and reduce heat to low. Return to simmer, stirring once, 10 to 12 minutes or until lentils and vegetables are just tender. Stir in cilantro.
(Note: If using brown lentils, cook according to package directions; add vegetables after 15 minutes of cooking lentils. Brown lentils require a longer cooking time than red lentils.)
Makes 6 servings.
Per serving: 371 calories, 23 grams protein, 7 grams fat (18 percent calories from fat), 2.3 grams saturated fat, 56 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 317 milligrams sodium, 14 grams fiber.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by e-mail at menuplanner@mindspring.com.
