A week's worth of quick, healthful meals for budget-minded families
SUNDAY: Put a little spice into family day with Chipotle-Roasted Chicken With Potatoes (see recipe). Serve the flavor-rich chicken with green beans. Add a bibb lettuce salad and crusty bread. Slice angel food cake and top it with sliced peaches and light whipped cream for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save 2 chicken breasts and enough cake for Monday; save enough peaches for Wednesday.
MONDAY: Use the leftovers for Chicken Tacos. Heat and shred the 2 leftover chicken breasts for the taco filling; spoon into warmed taco shells. Top the filling with salsa verde, shredded lettuce and reduced-fat sour cream. Alongside, add canned pinto beans. Slice the leftover cake for dessert.
TUESDAY: Treat your buckaroos to Bison Cheeseburgers using American cheese slices on whole-grain buns. (You can use lean ground beef instead of bison.) Of course, your cowpokes will want all their favorite toppings. Serve the burgers with oven fries. For a fun dessert, ice cream sandwiches are perfect.
WEDNESDAY: Make a quick dinner of Corned Beef Hash and Steamed Eggs. Spread 2 (15-ounce) cans corned beef hash in a large nonstick skillet and cook 8 to 10 minutes on medium or until hot. Using the back of a large spoon, make 4 indentations into hash. Break 1 egg into a cup and slip into an indentation. Repeat with 3 more eggs. Sprinkle eggs with coarse salt and pepper. Cover and cook 5 to 8 minutes or until eggs are set and cooked to desired doneness. Serve with pickled beets, a packaged green salad and rye bread. Leftover peaches are a simple dessert.
THURSDAY: Sometimes when we want Chili, I buy a seasoning packet (with less sodium when available) and use either ground chicken or turkey breast instead of ground beef for a different flavor and to reduce saturated fat. You can add your favorite beans to suit your family's taste. I often add an extra can of beans to stretch it. Serve the low-cost dish with coleslaw and corn muffins (from a mix). How about plums for dessert?
Tip: Thin the leftover chili with broth for a delicious soup.
FRIDAY: For a no-meat meal, Couscous With Peppers and Olives (see recipe) hits the spot at our house. Serve with a spinach salad with sliced hard-cooked eggs and flatbread. Enjoy red and green grapes for dessert.
SATURDAY: Our family enjoyed Chipotle Honey-Glazed Salmon With Pistachio Butter (see recipe) served with brown rice and asparagus. Add a Boston lettuce salad and a baguette. For dessert, buy an apple tart and serve it with vanilla ice cream.
THE RECIPES
Chipotle-Roasted Chicken With Potatoes
1 ½ teaspoons chipotle pepper seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon cumin
1 ½ pounds medium red potatoes (quartered)
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar
6 (5- to 6-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine chipotle seasoning, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt and cumin; mix well.
In a large bowl, toss potatoes with oil and 1 teaspoon of spice mixture.
Mix brown sugar with remaining spice mixture; set aside.
Cover large baking sheet with nonstick foil. Rub spice mixture on both sides of chicken pieces. Arrange chicken on one half of baking sheet. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on other half of baking sheet. Loosely cover chicken and potatoes with foil and bake 35 to 40 minutes; remove foil. Turn and rearrange potatoes. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken is 165 degrees and potatoes are tender.
Makes 6 servings of chicken; 4 servings of potatoes.
Couscous With Peppers and Olives
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces (see note)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into 12 wedges
6 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon PLUS 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided use
½ teaspoon coarse salt, divided use
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
10 ounces couscous (about 1 ½ cups)
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup halved kalamata olives
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Put squash, bell pepper, onion, garlic, 1 tablespoon oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and the pepper in a roasting pan; toss to coat. Spread in a single layer. Roast, turning once, 25 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned and tender.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring 2 ½ cups water, remaining 1 teaspoon oil, cumin, curry powder and remaining salt to a boil. Stir in couscous and raisins. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork; stir in roasted vegetables and olives and serve.
Makes 6 servings.
Note: Many supermarkets offer butternut squash already peeled and cut.
Chipotle Honey-Glazed Salmon With Pistachio Butter
For the pistachio butter:
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons finely chopped shelled pistachios
1 tablespoon orange zest
For the glaze:
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice
4 (5- to 6-ounce) salmon filets
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon chipotle chile pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 green onion, sliced on diagonal
Heat grill for direct heat, or heat oven to 425 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine butter, pistachios and orange zest. Chill until ready to serve.
Combine honey and orange juice. Set aside.
Season salmon with salt, chipotle pepper and garlic powder. Grill salmon until opaque, firm and salmon flakes with a fork, turning once and brushing with orange juice-honey glaze during last 2 to 3 minutes of grill. (For oven, bake 12 to 15 minutes on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet.) Transfer salmon to serving platter. Sprinkle with green onion and serve with pistachio butter. (Adapted from www.SwirlsOfFlavor.com.)
Makes 4 servings.
Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email:
susan@7daymenu.com
Food on 04/29/2020