Advertisement For family day, prepare Roast Turkey and Root Vegetables with Mustard Rosemary Sauce (see recipe). Add a mixed greens salad and multigrain bread. For dessert, buy an apple crumble pie.
PLAN AHEAD: Save enough turkey for Monday; save enough pie for Tuesday.
Heat and Eat Monday
Make turkey roll-ups with the leftover turkey. For 1 serving: Layer sliced turkey, lettuce, sliced beets (from a jar) and drained Mandarin oranges on whole-wheat tortillas. Roll and cut in half. Serve with baked chips. Scoop fat-free vanilla ice cream for dessert.
PLAN AHEAD: Save ice cream for Tuesday.
Meatless Tuesday
For a delicious no-meat dinner, we lapped up Couscous with Tomatoes, Spinach and Two Cheeses (see recipe). Serve with a lettuce wedge and whole-wheat rolls. Leftover pie is perfect for dessert, especially when you top it with leftover ice cream.
Budget Wednesday
Try Tomatillo Pork (see recipe) for a low-cost, flavor-packed dinner. Serve the slow-cooked meal with mixed greens with sliced avocado and fat-free flour tortillas. Enjoy flan (from a mix) for dessert.
Express Thursday
Make it quick tonight with shrimp stir-fry. Cook (thawed) stir-fry vegetables in a little canola oil. Stir in shrimp (thawed) and stir-fry sauce. Serve over quick brown rice. Add packaged greens and crusty rolls. Plums are dessert.
Kids Friday
Get the kids ready for the big trick-or-treat night with Franks Under Wraps. Thaw a half (17.3-ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets at room temperature for 40 minutes. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix 1 beaten egg with 1 tablespoon water. Unfold pastry on lightly floured surface. Cut into 20 (1/2-inch-wide) strips. Cut 10 frankfurters in half. Wrap strips around halves, pressing gently to seal. Place on baking sheet. Brush with egg mixture. Bake 15 minutes or until golden.
Serve with mustard. Add baked beans and carrot sticks.
To keep with the theme, serve your little goblins Witches Hats for dessert. For one hat, attach 1 Hershey’s Kiss to chocolate bottom of 1 fudge-striped shortbread cookie. Pipe orange or red decorating icing around base of candy for hat band.
Entertaining Saturday
Rosemary Lemon Grilled Chicken takes the bird to new flavor heights. In a resealable plastic bag, combine 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, 3/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves. Add 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Turn to coat. Seal and refrigerate 6 hours to overnight. Remove chicken; discard marinade and grill about 5 minutes per side. Serve with roasted red potatoes.
Add fresh tomato and zucchini salad. In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups chopped tomatoes, 1 cup chopped green bell pepper, 1 cup (3/4-inch pieces) zucchini and 1/2 cup chopped red onion. In another bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons each olive oil and cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon each garlic powder, ground mustard and Italian seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Pour over vegetables; toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Add baguettes. For dessert, buy a coconut cake.
SHOPPING LIST: lemons, olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, fresh rosemary, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, red potatoes, tomatoes, green bell pepper, zucchini, red onion, cider vinegar, garlic powder, ground mustard, Italian seasoning, baguettes, coconut cake.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by e-mail: menuplanner(at)mindspring.com. The Menu Planner is also accessible at www.7daymenuplanner.com.
THE RECIPES
Roast Turkey and Root Vegetables with Mustard Rosemary Sauce
For the sauce:
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
2-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
For the turkey and vegetables:
1 (5- to 7-pound) thawed bone-in turkey breast
2 large red onions cut into 8 wedges
1-1/2 pounds potatoes cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
1 pound baby carrots
1 cup fat-free chicken broth
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk mustard, oil and rosemary in a small bowl. Place turkey in large roasting pan. Brush with half mustard mixture. Roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast is 170 degrees (about 1 hour 45 minutes).
Meanwhile, coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Reserve 1 tablespoon mustard mixture for sauce. Toss onions, potatoes and carrots with remaining mustard mixture in bowl. Spread vegetables on baking sheet. Roast 1 hour or until tender and browned.
Transfer turkey to platter; let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Remove fat from pan. Place pan on 2 burners of stove. Whisk in broth, reserved 1 tablespoon mustard mixture. Boil 5 minutes or until liquid has been reduced to 1-1/4 cups. Serve sauce with turkey and vegetables.
Makes 15 (3-ounce) servings for 5-pound breast.
Per serving (skin removed): 222 calories, 27 grams protein, 6 grams fat (26 percent calories from fat), 1 gram saturated fat, 14 grams carbohydrate, 71 milligrams cholesterol, 195 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.
Couscous with Tomatoes, Spinach and Two Cheeses
1-1/4 cups uncooked couscous
2-1/2 cups water
1 (14.5-ounce) can drained diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach
1 tablespoon water
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Prepare couscous with water according to directions. In a small pan, heat tomatoes. In a large nonstick skillet, combine onions, garlic and oil; cook on medium 5 minutes or until onions are softened. Add spinach and water; cook 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted and tender, but still bright green. On a large platter, layer couscous first, then spinach and top with tomatoes. Sprinkle with both cheeses.
Make 4 servings.
Per serving: 358 calories, 20 grams protein, 8 grams fat (20 percent calories from fat), 4.4 grams saturated fat, 51 grams carbohydrate, 18 milligrams cholesterol, 545 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.
Tomatillo Pork
1 bunch fresh cilantro
2 cloves minced garlic
2 pounds red potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
1 (3-pound) well-trimmed bone-in pork shoulder roast
1 (12- to 18-ounce) jar salsa verde
Remove 15 sprigs from cilantro bunch. Remove enough leaves from remaining cilantro to equal 1/2 cup; refrigerate. In a 4-1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine cilantro sprigs, garlic and potatoes. Place pork on top. Pour salsa over and around pork. Cover; cook on low 8 to 9 hours. Remove pork and potatoes and place on a deep, warm platter. Discard cilantro sprigs. Skim and discard fat from cooking liquid. Spoon defatted liquid over pork and potatoes. Coarsely chop reserved cilantro and sprinkle over pork. (Adapted from Good Housekeeping magazine.)
Makes 8 servings.
Per serving: 277 calories, 22 grams protein, 11 grams fat (36 percent calories from fat), 3.8 grams saturated fat, 22 grams carbohydrate, 70 milligrams cholesterol, 210 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.
