A week's worth of quick, healthful meals for budget-minded families.
SUNDAY: Celebrate family day with Dijon Lamb Chops. Remove excess fat from 12 loin lamb chops; arrange in a single layer on broiler pan coated with cooking spray. In small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary and ¼ teaspoon crushed whole peppercorns. Spread over chops. Broil 4 inches from heat 5 minutes; turn and broil 4 to 6 more minutes for medium-rare or until desired doneness. Serve the chops with new potatoes tossed with chopped fresh dill and a little butter. Add asparagus, mixed greens and a baguette. Buy a Key lime pie for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough pie for Monday.
MONDAY: For the boost your food budget needs, try this economical Tomato Florentine Pasta Bake (see recipe). Serve it with a lettuce wedge and garlic bread. Finish with leftover pie.
Plan ahead: Save enough pasta bake for Tuesday.
TUESDAY: No cooking tonight! Just reheat last night's pasta bake for a quick meal. Garnish it with sliced avocados. Add a romaine salad and Italian bread. Enjoy a juicy fresh peach for dessert.
WEDNESDAY: The kids will love Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice (see recipe) just as much as the adults. Serve it with black beans and warm corn tortillas. Munch on oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough Salsa Verde Chicken for Thursday and enough cookies for Friday.
THURSDAY: Make Chicken Tacos for a quick meal. Heat the leftover Salsa Verde Chicken. Spoon it into warmed taco shells. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream. Serve with steamed carrots. For a cool dessert, vanilla ice cream does the trick.
Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Saturday.
FRIDAY: Pasta With Pink Sauce couldn't be any easier for a no-meat meal. Combine 2 cups any red pasta sauce with ½ cup heavy whipping cream. Simmer about 5 minutes and serve over any cooked pasta. Garnish with chopped fresh basil. Serve the easy meal with a spinach salad with hard-cooked egg slices and crusty rolls. A slice of cantaloupe with a leftover cookie is your dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough cantaloupe for Saturday.
SATURDAY: The family will feel special when you serve them delicious Pecan-Crusted Tilapia With Italian Salsa (see recipe). Serve it with brown rice, a Boston lettuce salad and whole-grain rolls. A scoop of leftover ice cream over a slice of leftover cantaloupe is a refreshing dessert.
THE RECIPES
Tomato Florentine Pasta Bake
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 1 to 1 ½ pounds ground turkey breast
- ¾ cup finely chopped onion
- 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 8 ounces penne or other tube pasta
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 (15-ounce) carton part-skim ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
- ¾ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
In a Dutch oven, heat oil on medium. Add turkey and onion and cook 7 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink and onion is softened. Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, ½ cup water, the oregano, sugar, cinnamon, garlic powder and red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions; drain.
Stir pasta and well-drained spinach into sauce and mix well. Spread half the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread ricotta evenly over pasta. Top with remaining pasta mixture. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella. Bake 15 minutes or until heated through; let stand 5 minutes.
Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving (prepared with no-salt added tomato products) contains approximately 276 calories, 27 g protein, 7 g fat, 29 g carbohydrate, 60 mg cholesterol, 179 mg sodium and 3 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 2
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Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice
- 2 (3.5-ounce) bags boil-in-bag brown rice
- 2 ripe avocados
- ¾ cup salsa verde
- 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast OR 1 (12-ounce) can chicken breast, drained
- 1 (10 ¾-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- Chopped tomatoes for garnish
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook rice according to directions. Cut avocados in half; scoop pulp into a medium bowl and mash with the salsa verde, green chilies and lime juice. Stir in hot cooked rice. Mix together the chicken, soup and sour cream in a small saucepan on low heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until blended and slightly heated. Spoon rice mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon chicken mixture over rice. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cheese melts and bubbles. Sprinkle with cilantro and top with tomatoes.
Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving (prepared with reduced-fat soup and sour cream) contains approximately 365 calories, 19 g protein, 17 g fat, 33 g carbohydrate, 59 mg cholesterol, 396 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 2
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Pecan-Crusted Tilapia With Italian Salsa
- 1 cup raw pecan pieces
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 (6-ounce) tilapia filets
- Coarse salt to taste
- For the salsa:
- 1 ½ cups diced cherry tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ cup fresh basil, cut chiffonade
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Coarse salt to taste
In a medium bowl, mix pecans, garlic powder and dried basil.
In a small bowl, whisk together egg and mustard.
Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Pat tilapia dry. Coat both sides of each filet with egg mixture, then pecan mixture. Place in skillet, being careful not to overcrowd in pan. Cook 3 or 4 minutes (depending on thickness); turn and cook until opaque throughout. Remove from pan; salt to taste. Repeat with any remaining filets.
In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil, oil and salt; toss to coat. Top tilapia with salsa; serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 489 calories, 39 g protein, 35 g fat, 10 g carbohydrate, 132 mg cholesterol, 143 mg sodium and 5 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 0.5
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email: susan@7daymenu.com