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Three-Berry Pie
Three-Berry Pie

SUNDAY: Present delicious Cinnamon-Pineapple Pork (see recipe) with rice for today's family meal. This Jicama-Orange Salad With Lime is just the right flavor to go alongside. Peel 1 medium jicama (about 1 pound), then halve and slice 1/4-inch thick; cut slices in half diagonally. In a large bowl, toss jicama with 2 small cucumbers (peeled, halved, seeded and sliced), 3 oranges (peeled, sliced, seeded and halved), 8 radishes (thinly sliced) and 1/3 cup fresh lime juice. Season to taste with coarse salt. Arrange on a serving platter and sprinkle with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon chili powder and 1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves. Add dinner rolls. For dessert, spoon fresh strawberries over vanilla ice cream.

Plan ahead: Save half the salad for Monday; save enough ice cream for Monday and Saturday.

MONDAY: Invite friends for a Memorial Day celebration and serve Mesquite Beef Skewers. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 2/3 cup mesquite marinade with lime juice (such as Lawry's or another brand) and 1 pound trimmed top sirloin steak cut into chunks; seal and turn to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes; remove steak and discard marinade. Meanwhile, core, seed and cut 1 green bell pepper into 1-inch pieces and cut 1 red onion into chunks. Thread steak, bell pepper, onion and 16 whole fresh mushrooms on 8 (12-inch) skewers. Grill or broil 8 to 10 minutes, turning once and basting often with an additional 1/3 cup marinade. Serve with deli potato salad and leftover jicama salad. Add sourdough rolls. For dessert, get in the spirit of the day with Three-Berry Pie (see recipe) with leftover ice cream.

Tip: If you use wooden skewers, soak them in water 45 minutes before using.

Plan ahead: Save beef from 2 skewers and enough pie for Tuesday.

TUESDAY: Make a Steak Salad tonight using leftover beef. Chop the meat into bite-size pieces and toss with a packaged green salad, 1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms, 1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes and your favorite vinaigrette. Serve with crusty bread and leftover pie.

WEDNESDAY: Peppers and Pasta are on the menu tonight. Cook 12 ounces rotini pasta according to package directions; drain and reserve 1/4 cup pasta water. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium. Add 2 red bell peppers (cut into thin strips), 2 yellow bell peppers (cut into thin strips), 2 orange bell peppers (cut into thin strips), 1 medium chopped onion, 1 cup shredded carrots, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; cook vegetables, stirring several times, 20 minutes or until softened. Stir in 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach leaves, 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese and 1/4 cup reserved hot pasta water; toss 1 or 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Add rotini to sauce and toss to coat. Serve immediately. Accompany the tricolored pepper combo with Dressy Cucumbers. In a large bowl, combine 3 cucumbers (peeled, seeded and sliced) and 1/3 cup onion (finely chopped); toss with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette. Add garlic bread. Serve cantaloupe wedges for dessert.

THURSDAY: The kids always come running for Chicken Fingers. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Cut 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts into chunks. In a large bowl, beat 2 egg whites, 1/4 cup skim milk and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together; soak the chicken in the egg mixture 5 minutes. Remove chicken from egg-milk mixture. Open the corners of 2 (6-ounce) bags baked potato chips and crush chips with a rolling pin (or whatever you have) as fine as possible. Pour chips into a shallow baking dish and turn the chicken in the chips until well coated. Place on cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes; turn and bake 5 more minutes or until cooked through. Serve with ranch dressing or any other dipping sauce. Add mashed potatoes and frozen green peas for a pretty plate. Add whole-grain rolls. For a drippy dessert, let the kids slurp on their favorite Popsicles.

FRIDAY: Stretch a buck and make Sausage Gumbo for dinner. Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Add 2 chopped green bell peppers and 1 medium chopped onion and cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water, 1 cup long-grain rice, 1 teaspoon dried thyme and 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped kale (thawed), 1 (10-ounce) package frozen cut okra (thawed), 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chopped undrained stewed tomatoes and 7 or 8 ounces kielbasa (sliced and halved). Return to simmer, cover, and cook 10 more minutes or until rice is tender. Ladle into bowls and serve. Add a mixed greens salad and crusty rolls. Serve pears for dessert.

SATURDAY: Invite guests for Shrimp and Vegetable Soup With Tarragon (see recipe). Spoon over noodles. Add a Boston lettuce salad and whole-grain rolls. Serve an oxymoron for dessert: Snowballs in Summer. Scoop leftover vanilla ice cream into balls; roll in toasted sweetened flaked coconut. Store airtight in freezer. To serve, drizzle dessert plates with caramel syrup, add a "snowball," and top each one with crushed chocolate chips.

THE RECIPES

Cinnamon-Pineapple Pork

1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 8 crosswise pieces

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

2 tablespoons butter, divided use

1 medium red bell pepper, julienned

1 (8-ounce) can pineapple chunks in natural juice, undrained

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger

1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh jalapeno pepper

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Sprinkle each pork piece with salt; press each piece to 1-inch thickness with the heel of your hand. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium. Add pork; cook 2 to 4 minutes per side or until pork is 145 degrees; let stand 3 minutes. Place on serving platter; keep warm.

To same skillet, add remaining butter and bell pepper; cook 3 minutes or until softened. Reduce heat to low. Stir in pineapple and juice, wine, ginger, jalapeno pepper and cinnamon; simmer until liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup. Spoon mixture over cooked pork; sprinkle with cilantro.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 223 calories, 22 g protein, 9 g fat, 11 g carbohydrate, 75 mg cholesterol, 224 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 1.

Three-Berry Pie

1 (2-crust) package refrigerated pie crusts, softened

1 1/4 cups PLUS 2 teaspoons sugar, divided use

5 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, thawed and drained

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed and drained

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed and drained

1 tablespoon milk

Place large cookie sheet on oven rack below middle rack to catch possible spills. Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Line a 9-inch pie plate with one of the crusts; set aside. Reserve second crust.

In a large bowl, stir together 1 1/4 cups sugar, cornstarch, tapioca and salt; add all of the berries; toss gently. Let stand 15 minutes. Spoon mixture into crust-lined plate.

Unroll and cut second crust into 1/2-inch wide strips. Arrange in lattice design over filling. Trim; seal edges. Brush lattice with milk; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Place pie in middle rack (above rack with cookie sheet); bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent over-browning; bake 40 to 45 more minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Cool at least 2 hours before serving.

Makes 10 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 346 calories, 3 g protein, 12 g fat, 62 g carbohydrate, 5 mg cholesterol, 281 mg sodium and 5 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 4.

Recipe adapted from Pillsbury: The Big Book of Easy Baking With Refrigerated Dough edited by Grace Wells

Shrimp and Vegetable Soup With Tarragon

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 cup julienned zucchini

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

3 cups unsalted chicken broth

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/8 teaspoon pepper

8 ounces small shrimp, shelled and deveined

In a 11/2-quart casserole dish, combine butter, mushrooms, zucchini, green onions and parsley. Microwave on 100 percent power for 3 to 5 minutes or until zucchini is softened; stir once. Add broth, wine, salt, tarragon and pepper. Microwave 7 to 9 minutes more or until mixture boils. Stir in shrimp. Reduce power to 50 percent power and microwave 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp are opaque; stir once.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 128 calories, 9 g protein, 7 g fat, 4 g carbohydrate, 87 mg cholesterol, 396 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 1/2.

Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email:

susan@7daymenu.com

Food on 05/20/2015

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