7day menu planner

Pasta With Shrimp and Asparagus in Tarragon Cream Sauce
Pasta With Shrimp and Asparagus in Tarragon Cream Sauce

SUNDAY: Surprise the family with Cajun Baked Turkey Breast. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Loosen skin from breast of a 4-to-7-pound bone-in turkey breast to form a pocket. In a small bowl, combine 4 tablespoons canola oil, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 cloves garlic (minced) and 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning. Rub half the mixture under skin and remaining mixture on outside of breast. Place breast on rack in roasting pan. Roast 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours, or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast registers 165 degrees. Remove from oven; loosely tent with foil and let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Discard skin. Serve with packaged black beans and rice, coleslaw and baguettes. Buy a coconut cake for dessert.

Plan ahead: Save enough turkey and cake for Monday.

MONDAY: Use the turkey leftovers for Grilled Turkey and Provolone Cheese Sandwiches on whole-grain bread. Serve with baked chips and a lettuce wedge. Slice the leftover cake for dessert.

TUESDAY: It's fast and fragrant, so Baked Curried Jasmine Rice and Lentil Pilaf Over Spinach (see recipe) will please everyone. Add whole-grain rolls. For dessert, fresh grapes are easy.

WEDNESDAY: Try frozen veggie burgers for a quick meal tonight. Enjoy them on toasted whole-grain buns with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayonnaise and mustard. You could top them with blue cheese crumbles (or use another cheese). Serve with oven fries. Scoop lime sherbet for dessert.

Plan ahead: Save enough sherbet for Saturday.

THURSDAY: The kids will thank you for preparing Chicken Orzo tonight. Heat a large skillet on medium. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 1 (0.87-ounce) package onion gravy mix. Coat both sides of 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast cutlets in mixture and place in skillet. Add remaining mixture to pan and cook 1 minute on each side until chicken begins to brown. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water, 1 (10-ounce) can mild diced tomatoes and green chiles with liquid and 8 ounces orzo until all ingredients are well-blended. Cover and cook 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is absorbed and orzo is tender. Serve immediately. Add celery sticks with shredded cheese and soft rolls. For dessert, apple slices are noisy and crispy.

FRIDAY: For a low-cost, flavorful dinner, try Orange Beef With Rice (see recipe). Serve it with mixed greens and crusty bread. Strawberries are your dessert.

SATURDAY: Serve your guests Pasta With Shrimp and Asparagus in Tarragon Cream Sauce (see recipe) for a special treat. On the side, add an arugula salad and sourdough bread. Leftover sherbet and pirouettes (rolled cookies) are good for dessert.

THE RECIPES

Baked Curried Jasmine Rice and Lentil Pilaf Over Spinach

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup jasmine rice

4 1/4 cups water

1 cup brown lentils

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cinnamon stick

4 (1/8-inch-thick) slices fresh ginger, peeled

1 to 2 teaspoons red curry paste (see note)

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

8 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

4 green onions, sliced

Place rack in lower third of oven; heat to 350 degrees.

Melt butter on medium-high in a large Dutch oven; add rice and cook, stirring 2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Add water. Stir in lentils, garlic, cinnamon stick, ginger, curry paste and salt; bring to boil, stirring to dissolve curry paste. Cover the pot tightly with lid or foil. Transfer to oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until the rice and lentils are tender and all the water is absorbed. Fluff with fork, removing the cinnamon stick and ginger slices. Serve on a bed of spinach; garnish with green onions.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: Red curry paste is a blend of chile peppers, garlic, lemon grass and galangal (a root with a flavor similar to ginger). Look for it in jars or cans, or in the Asian section of your supermarket.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 391 calories, 19 g protein, 3 g fat, 73 g carbohydrate, 8 mg cholesterol, 399 mg sodium and 10 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 5.

Orange Beef With Rice

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 pound lean ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 (8-ounce) package fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 cup shredded carrots

1 (6-ounce) package long-grain and wild rice

3/4 cup orange juice

1 (14-ounce) can lower-sodium beef broth

In a large pot, heat canola oil on medium-high. Add beef and onion. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes; drain. Add garlic, mushrooms and carrots. Cook 5 more minutes or until beef is no longer pink and vegetables are softened. Add rice mix and seasoning packet, orange juice and broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 20 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed, and serve.

Makes 5 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 354 calories, 24 g protein, 12 g fat, 36 g carbohydrate, 52 mg cholesterol, 524 mg sodium and 2 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 2 1/2.

Pasta With Shrimp and Asparagus in Tarragon Cream Sauce

8 ounces linguine

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and sliced diagonally into 1 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)

1 medium leek, white and pale green parts only, cleaned and thinly sliced (11/2 cups)

1 cup half-and-half

1 tablespoon tarragon

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deviled

Cook linguine as directed on package. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Meanwhile, melt butter in large, deep skillet on medium heat. Add asparagus and leeks; cook and stir 5 minutes or until asparagus is tender-crisp and leeks are softened. Stir in half-and-half, tarragon, lemon peel, lemon juice and salt. Bring to boil. Stir shrimp into skillet. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes or until just until shrimp turn pink. Add linguine and reserved pasta cooking water; toss to coat well. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 304 calories, 21 g protein, 10 g fat, 35 g carbohydrate, 131 mg cholesterol, 454 mg sodium and 2 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 2.

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

susan@7daymenu.com

Food on 01/18/2017

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