A week's worth of quick, healthful meals for budget-minded families
SUNDAY: Sweeten up family time with Honey-Dill Chicken on the menu. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. In a small bowl, combine ⅓ cup honey and ⅓ cup Dijon mustard. Stir in 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange peel and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill. Cut 1 (2 ½- to 3-pound) chicken into quarters. Place skin side down on baking sheet. Brush sauce on top of chicken; coat well and turn. Gently pull back skin and coat with sauce. Replace skin and brush with remaining sauce. Bake 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Serve with Two-Potato Fries: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Cut ¾ pound of Yukon gold and ¾ pound of sweet potatoes into lengthwise wedges (about 8 wedges per potato). Place in a large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon canola oil, ¼ teaspoon paprika, and coarse salt and pepper to taste. Spread potatoes on baking sheet and bake 25 minutes; turn and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until tender. Add green beans and whole-grain rolls. Top angel food cake with strawberry ice cream for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Tuesday.
MONDAY: Everyone can help make Cheesy Pizza Pockets (see recipe) for dinner tonight. Serve with a chopped lettuce salad. For dessert, let the kids be in charge of ready-to-bake chocolate chip cookies.
TUESDAY: We're crazy about inexpensive, high-flavor Portobello Burgers. Just brush the big mushrooms with a little olive oil and broil them 3 to 5 minutes per side. Serve them on toasted kaiser rolls spread with mayonnaise. For a change, sprinkle grated mozzarella over the "burgers." Add lettuce if desired. Serve with poppy seed noodles on the side. (Cook egg noodles and toss with butter and poppy seeds.) Add fresh broccoli. Why not have leftover ice cream for dessert?
WEDNESDAY: Pretend you're Irish and enjoy Lamb With Pomegranate and Cilantro-Mint Sauce (see recipe) for dinner. Add couscous, a romaine salad and whole-grain rolls. Make instant lemon pudding for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough lamb for Thursday.
THURSDAY: Warm the leftover lamb for a quick meal. Serve it with rice. Add a green salad and sourdough bread. Finish with pineapple chunks garnished with toasted coconut.
FRIDAY: So what if you're caught in traffic? Dinner will still be quick tonight with Corny Clam Chowder on the menu. Prepare 2 (10 ¾-ounce) cans condensed Manhattan clam chowder (the red one) according to directions. Add 1 (11-ounce) can drained Mexican-style corn; heat and eat. Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches on pumpernickel bread. Add dill pickles. For dessert, halve kiwifruit and eat it with a spoon.
SATURDAY: Make guests feel welcome when you serve Roasted Salmon With Red Potatoes (see recipe) for dinner tonight. Add steamed fresh sugar snap peas, a red-tipped lettuce salad sprinkled with crumbled gorgonzola cheese, and whole-grain rolls. Hot Bananas With Toasted Pecans are a special dessert: Heat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a jelly-roll pan with nonstick foil. In a small bowl, combine 5 tablespoons light brown sugar, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon butter and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. Cut 4 large ripe, firm bananas in half lengthwise. Place bananas cut sides up on pan. Bake 4 minutes. Drizzle sugar mixture evenly over bananas and sprinkle with ¼ cup toasted pecans. Bake 3 more minutes. Cut each banana piece into thirds crosswise. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Drizzle extra sauce over ice cream.
THE RECIPES
Cheesy Pizza Pockets
¾ pound lean ground beef
⅓ cup chopped onion
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
¼teaspoon pepper
½ cup (2 ounces) part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup pizza sauce
Flour as needed
1 (10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until beef is no longer pink; drain well. Season with salt and pepper; stir in cheese and sauce.
On a lightly floured surface, unroll pizza dough; cut into 6 sections. Divide and spoon filling into center of each section. Bring together 4 corners of each rectangular section, pinching to seal. Loosely close straight edges of dough to form pockets. (It's not necessary to seal edges completely.) Carefully transfer to a baking sheet. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden; serve.
Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 259 calories, 18 g protein, 9 g fat, 25 g carbohydrate, 39 mg cholesterol, 551 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 1.5.
Lamb With Pomegranate and Cilantro-Mint Sauce
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt, divided use
3 (20-ounce) lamb shanks, trimmed
2 medium onions, chopped
⅓ cup unsalted beef stock
½ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
½ cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic
½ cup pomegranate arils
Sprinkle turmeric and 1 teaspoon salt evenly over lamb. Place lamb, thick meaty side down, in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add the onions and stock. Cover; cook on low 7 to 8 hours or until lamb is tender. Place mint and cilantro in a food processor; pour 2 tablespoon hot water over the herbs. Add oil, vinegar, garlic and remaining salt; process 20 seconds or until smooth. Transfer lamb and onion to a platter; discard cooking liquid in cooker. Remove lamb meat from bones; discard bones. Drizzle herb mixture over lamb and sprinkle with arils. (Adapted from Everyday Slow Cooker, Oxmoor House)
Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 360 calories, 41 g protein, 18 g fat, 8 g carbohydrate, 125 mg cholesterol, 614 mg sodium and 2 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 0.5.
Roasted Salmon With Red Potatoes
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon capers, drained
12 small red potatoes (about 1 ½ pounds)
4 (5- or 6-ounce) salmon filets, skin removed
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine oil, juice, vinegar, orange peel, dill and capers; whisk to blend. Place potatoes in a large bowl; add 2 tablespoons of the just-prepared vinaigrette and toss to coat. Arrange potatoes in a single layer in a 15-by-10-inch baking pan covered with nonstick foil. Bake 20 minutes. Push potatoes to the sides of pan. Spread each filet with about 2 tablespoons vinaigrette and arrange in center of pan. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until fish is opaque throughout and potatoes are tender. Transfer salmon and potatoes to a serving platter and serve immediately. Drizzle with any remaining vinaigrette.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 406 calories, 33 g protein, 17 g fat, 29 g carbohydrate, 66 mg cholesterol, 203 mg sodium and 3 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 01/30/2019