Advertisement Make family day extra-special and prepare Chipotle-Dijon Barbecued Short Ribs (pictured). Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place 6 pounds short ribs, meaty-side up, in large roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt. Brush with 2 tablespoons chipotle pepper sauce (such as Tabasco or another brand). Bake 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup more chipotle pepper sauce with 1 cup ketchup and 1/2 cup Dijon mustard. Reserve 1/2 cup mixture for later. Brush ribs with remaining chipotle sauce mixture; bake 1 more hour, basting occasionally and turning several times during baking. Remove from oven. Adjust rack for broiling; heat broiler. Place ribs in broiler pan, meaty-side down. Broil 3 minutes; turn. Broil 5 more minutes, brushing with sauce occasionally. Serve ribs with reserved Dijon chipotle sauce mixture.
Serve the tender ribs with deli potato salad, coleslaw and cornbread (from a mix). Apple turnoves (frozen) are an exceptional dessert.
PLAN AHEAD: Save enough ribs and any leftover sauce for Monday.
SHOPPING LIST: short ribs, salt, chipotle pepper sauce (such as Tabasco or another brand), ketchup, Dijon mustard, deli potato salad and coleslaw, cornbread mix, frozen apple turnovers.
Kids Monday
Make barbecue sandwiches for the kids by pulling the lean meat (discard fat) from the leftover ribs and placing on whole-wheat buns. Top with any leftover sauce if desired. Serve with canned vegetarian baked beans. Add carrot sticks with ranch dressing for dipping. Peaches work for dessert.
SHOPPING LIST: whole-wheat buns, canned vegetarian baked beans, carrot sticks, ranch dressing, peaches.
Express Tuesday
You can count on Chicken Fajita Pizza (see recipe) for an easy meal. Serve with a packaged green salad. Kiwifruit is your dessert.
SHOPPING LIST: cooking spray, canned refrigerated classic pizza crust, canola oil, boneless skinless chicken breasts, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, onion, green or red bell pepper, chunky-style salsa, reduced-fat or regular Monterey Jack cheese, packaged green salad, kiwifruit.
Budget Wednesday
It’s great to find a really tasty low-cost dish such as this Chicken with Potatoes and Olives (see recipe). Serve it with a spinach salad and whole-wheat pita bread. Enjoy pears for dessert.
PLAN AHEAD: Save enough of the chicken dish for Thursday.
SHOPPING LIST: bone-in skinless chicken legs and thighs, baking potatoes, green bell pepper, onion, canned tomato sauce, dry white wine or fat-free chicken broth, green olives with pimento, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, bay leaf, fresh spinach, whole-wheat pita bread, pears.
Heat and Eat Thursday
The leftover chicken dish will taste even better today because the flavors have blended. This time, serve it over couscous and add flatbread. Make instant banana pudding with 1 percent milk for dessert. Mix in fresh banana slices to perk up the flavor.
SHOPPING LIST: couscous, flatbread, instant banana pudding, 1 percent milk, bananas.
Meatless Friday
Raise no-meat dinners to a new flavor level with Tijuana Torta (see recipe). Serve with brown rice and banana peppers. Fresh tropical fruit is an easy dessert.
SHOPPING LIST: canned pinto beans, salsa, pickled jalapeno, cumin, ripe avocado, onion, lime, baguette, shredded green cabbage, brown rice, banana peppers, fresh tropical fruit.
Entertaining Saturday
Invite friends for a delicious and easy meal of pesto ravioli. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil on medium heat. Cook 1 pound chicken breast tenders 4 minutes or until brown. Remove from skillet. Add 3/4 cup fat-free chicken broth and 1 (9-ounce) package reduced-fat or regular cheese-filled ravioli. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 4 minutes or until ravioli are tender.
Stir into ravioli 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices, 1 large thinly sliced red bell pepper and the browned chicken. Cover and cook on medium heat about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are softened and chicken is no longer pink. Stir in 1/4 cup refrigerated basil pesto and toss to coat. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve.
Add an arugula salad and garlic bread. Buy a coconut cake for dessert and serve it with lemon curd.
SHOPPING LIST: olive oil, chicken breast tenders, fat-free chicken broth, refrigerated reduced-fat or regular cheese-filled ravioli, zucchini, red bell pepper, refrigerated basil pesto, Parmesan cheese, arugula, garlic bread, coconut cake, lemon curd.
TIP: For testing purposes, I used Whole-Wheat Ravioli with Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella (Monterrey Pasta Co.).
Chicken Fajita Pizza
1 can (13.8 ounces) refrigerated classic pizza crust
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4-pound cut into thin bite-size strips)
1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 cup green or red bell pepper strips (2-by-½ inch)
1/2 cup chunky-style salsa
2 cups shredded reduced-fat or regular Monterey Jack cheese
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray. Unroll dough; place on pan. Starting at center, press out dough to edge of pan. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until very light golden brown.
Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium-high. Add chicken; sprinkle with chili powder, salt and garlic powder. Cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add onions and bell pepper strips; cook and stir 2 or 3 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink in center and vegetables are softened. Spoon chicken mixture evenly over partially baked crust. Spoon salsa over chicken; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 14 to 18 minutes or until crust is golden. Cut into wedges and serve. (Adapted from “Pizza Night”; Pillsbury Editors; Wiley Publishing; $14.95.)
Makes 6 servings.
Per serving: 424 calories, 39 grams protein, 13 grams fat (28 percent calories from fat), 4.6 grams saturated fat, 35 grams carbohydrate, 75 milligrams cholesterol, 913 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.
Chicken with Potatoes and Olives
3 pounds bone-in skinless chicken legs and thighs
2 pounds peeled baking potatoes cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 large green bell pepper cut into thin strips
1 medium chopped onion
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup dry white wine or fat-free chicken broth
1/2 cup rinsed green olives with pimento
1-1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 bay leaf broken in half
Place chicken in a 4-1/2-quart or larger slow-cooker. In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Spoon over chicken. Cover and cook 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low or until chicken is cooked through and tender and potatoes are tender. Discard bay leaf halves and serve. (Adapted from Woman’s Day magazine.)
Makes 10 servings.
Per serving: 319 calories, 27 grams protein, 14 grams fat (38 percent calories from fat), 3.3 grams saturated fat, 21 grams carbohydrate, 89 milligrams cholesterol, 567 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
Tijuana Torta
1 (15-ounce) can rinsed pinto beans
3 tablespoons salsa
1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeno
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 (16- to 20-inch) long baguette
1-1/3 cups shredded green cabbage
In a small bowl, mash beans, salsa, jalapeno and cumin. In another bowl, mash avocado, onion and lime juice. Cut baguette into 4 equal lengths. Split each piece in half horizontally. Pull out most of soft bread from center so that you’re left with mostly crust. Divide the bean paste, avocado mixture and cabbage evenly among the sandwiches. Cut each in half and serve. (Adapted from EatingWell magazine.)
Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 349 calories, 14 grams protein, 9 grams fat (24 percent calories from fat), 1.4 grams saturated fat, 54 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 659 milligrams sodium, 11 grams fiber.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by e-mail: menuplanner@mindspring.com.
