July 09, 2000|By Susan Nicholson | Susan Nicholson,Universal Press Syndicate
A clip-and-save guide to a week's worth of meals
This week's menus
Each day of the week offers a menu aimed at a different aspect of meal planning. There's a family meal, a kids' menu aimed at younger tastes, a heat-and-eat meal that recycles leftovers, a budget meal that employs a cost- cutting strategy, a meatless or "less meat" dish for people who may not be strict vegetarians but are trying to cut down on meat, an express meal that requires little or no preparation, and an entertaining menu that's quick.
Sunday/Family
Fire up the grill and make Mustard-Apricot Grilled Chicken (see recipe) for the family today. Serve with corn on the cob with lime butter. (Squeeze fresh lime juice to taste into melted butter or margarine and spread over corn.) Add an Orange-Spinach Salad With Honey Orange Dressing (see recipe) and sourdough rolls. Store-bought fat-free pound cake is an easy dessert. Plan ahead: Grill 4 extra plain (without glaze) chicken breasts, cook 4 extra ears of corn and save enough cake for Monday.
Monday/Heat and Eat
Enjoy barbecued chicken sandwiches tonight. Using 2 forks, shred leftover cooked chicken breasts, mix with bottled barbecue sauce to taste and heat. Spoon over toasted poppy seed buns. Serve with corn salad. Cut leftover cooked corn kernels off cob. In a medium bowl, combine corn with 2 or 3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro, 3/4 cup salsa and 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice. Toss and serve. Bring out the leftover cake for dessert.
Plan Ahead: If time permits, prepare Tuesday's lentil / rice recipe and then reheat when ready to serve.
Tuesday/Meatless
Join us for Savory Lentils and Rice (see recipe) tonight. Serve with sliced cucumbers in cider vinegar and whole wheat pita bread. It's the perfect season for fresh fruit for dessert.
Wednesday/Kids
What kid could resist Turkey Picadillo Wraps (see recipe) for dinner. (Adults might like a little cayenne pepper added to their picadillo mixture.) Serve with steamed fresh carrots. For dessert, try Nestle's Toll House Rich Brownies, which can be found in a refrigerated case at the market. Just "break and bake" one brownie for each person, or all of the package.
Plan ahead: Save enough brownies for Thursday.
Thursday/Express
Make dinner super-quick tonight with Chicken Quesadillas. In a small bowl, combine two 5-ounce cans drained chicken breast or one 9- or 10-ounce package refrigerated cooked chicken breast, 2/3 cup each salsa and shredded Monterey Jack cheese and 3/8 cup finely chopped scallions. Divide evenly among four 8-inch fat-free flour tortillas. Cover with 4 more tortillas. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Place 1 quesadilla at a time in skillet and cook 2 minutes; turn and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with reduced-fat sour cream and extra salsa if desired. Serve with quick-cooking rice and jicama sticks. For dessert, leftover brownies and fat-free vanilla ice cream are fast.
Plan Ahead: Save enough ice cream for Saturday.
Friday/Budget
For me, the best part of summer is the home-grown tomatoes my father sends to me express so that we can have bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. I make them on whole-wheat toast with low-fat mayonnaise. Serve with baked chips. If you must have more food than that, heat a can of your favorite soup. Serve a chunk of watermelon for dessert.
Saturday/Entertaining
Invite friends for Caribbean Beef Burgers and Mango Salsa (see recipe). Serve burgers open-face on thick slices of toasted dense bread, if desired. Add deli potato salad. For dessert, cantaloupe wedges with leftover ice cream is cool and tropical.
Shopping List
What you'll need for this week's menus (consult recipes for exact amounts)
Sunday
apricot preserves
lemons
fresh ginger
Dijon mustard
salt
pepper
boneless skinless chicken breasts
corn on cob
limes
butter or margarine
oranges
cider vinegar
honey
vegetable oil
pepper
cucumbers
fresh spinach
fresh mint
shredded part-skim mozzarella
store-bought fat-free pound cake
Monday
bottled barbecue sauce
poppy seed buns
cilantro
salsa
limes
Tuesday
vegetable oil
sweet onions (such as Vidalia)
brown rice
curry powder
dry mustard
salt
black pepper
lentils
cilantro
reduced-fat sour cream
cucumbers
cider vinegar
whole-wheat pita bread
fresh fruit
Wednesday
cooking spray
ground turkey breast
canned stewed tomatoes
raisins
cinnamon
quick-cooking rice
fat-free flour tortillas
shredded reduced-fat cheddar
fresh carrots
Nestle's Toll House Rich Brownies
Thursday
canned chicken breast or package refrigerated cooked chicken breast
salsa
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
scallions
fat-free flour tortillas
cooking spray
reduced-fat sour cream
quick-cooking rice
jicama
fat-free vanilla ice cream.
Friday
bacon
lettuce
tomatoes
whole wheat bread
low-fat mayonnaise
baked chips
any canned soup
watermelon
Saturday
lean ground beef
dry Caribbean or another jerk seasoning
mango
cilantro
scallions
jalapeno pepper
lime
thick-sliced dense bread
deli potato salad
cantaloupe
Mustard-Apricot Grilled Chicken (Sunday)
Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
