Family Sunday
For family day, prepare pork tenderloin with red and yellow peppers (see recipe). Serve the colorful entree over brown rice. Add frozen petite green peas, a lettuce wedge and sourdough bread. Buy a chocolate layer cake for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough pork, rice and cake for Monday.
Shopping list: Pork tenderloins, coarse salt, black pepper, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh rosemary, garlic, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, balsamic vinegar, brown rice, frozen petite peas, lettuce, sourdough bread, chocolate layer cake.
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Heat and eat Monday
Use the leftover pork for orange stir-fry (see recipe) and serve it over leftover rice. Add a mixed green salad and whole-grain rolls. Slice the leftover cake for dessert.
Shopping list: Orange, cornstarch, light soy sauce, corn syrup, ground ginger, canola oil, carrots, celery, cashews, salad greens, whole-grain rolls.
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Meatless Tuesday
You don't need meat to enjoy tomato-brie flatbread. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out refrigerated pizza dough and top with sliced tomatoes, chunks of brie and sliced red onion. Drizzle with olive oil; season it with coarse salt and pepper. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or according to directions. Serve with a spinach salad with egg slices. Have oatmeal cookies for dessert.
Shopping list: Refrigerated pizza dough, tomatoes, brie, red onion, olive oil, coarse salt, pepper, spinach, eggs, oatmeal cookies.
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Kids Wednesday
Kids will like picadillo burritos. Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add 1 pound lean ground beef; cook 5 minutes or until no longer pink; drain well. Stir in 1 (14-ounce) can undrained diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup sliced pimento-stuffed olives, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 3/4 teaspoon each cumin and cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, 10 minutes or until most of liquid has evaporated. Heat 4 burrito-sized tortillas according to directions. Top each with 1/4 of beef mixture and 1/4 cup shredded lettuce; fold in the sides and roll. Serve with pinto beans and celery sticks with dip. For dessert, fresh pineapple spears are perfect.
Shopping list: Lean ground beef, canned diced tomatoes, pimento-stuffed olives, cider vinegar, cumin, cinnamon, ground cloves, burrito-sized tortillas, lettuce, pinto beans, celery sticks, dip, fresh pineapple spears.
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Budget Thursday
We lapped up this delicious nutty turkey meatloaf (see recipe). Serve it with mashed potatoes, fresh broccoli and crusty rolls. Make instant butterscotch pudding with 1 percent milk for dessert. Garnish the pudding with light whipped cream.
Plan ahead: Save enough meatloaf for Friday.
Shopping list: Onion, red bell pepper, ground turkey (93 or 94 percent lean), garlic, fresh basil, whole-grain bread, walnuts, less-sodium Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, potatoes to mash, fresh broccoli, crusty rolls, instant butterscotch pudding, 1 percent milk, light whipped cream.
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Express Friday
For an easy meal, meatloaf sandwiches are hard to beat. Use whole-grain bread, spread with a little low-fat mayonnaise and top with lettuce. Add frozen oven fries and packaged green salad. Apple slices are a crunchy fall dessert.
Shopping list: Whole-grain bread, low-fat mayonnaise, lettuce, frozen oven fries, packaged green salad, apples.
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Easy Entertaining Saturday
Invite friends for herb-crusted chicken with parsley orzo. Cook 3/4 cup orzo according to package directions; drain. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 2 teaspoons butter, 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Keep warm. Meanwhile, sprinkle 4 (6-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts with a little coarse salt and pepper. Mix together 2 teaspoons dried basil and 3 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning. Sprinkle over both sides of chicken; press gently to adhere. Melt 4 teaspoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes or until brown. Turn; cook 5 to 6 more minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (165 degrees). Remove from skillet; let stand 3 minutes. Serve chicken over orzo. (Adapted from Cooking Light magazine.) Serve with fresh zucchini and a bibb lettuce salad. Make or buy flan for dessert.
Shopping list: Orzo, parsley, butter, coarse salt, pepper, boneless skinless chicken breasts, dried basil, dried Italian seasoning, olive oil, fresh zucchini, bibb lettuce, flan.
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THE RECIPES
>PORK TENDERLOIN WITH RED AND YELLOW PEPPERS (Sunday)
Makes 4 servings for now and 4 for later
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: Less than 20 minutes
2 pork tenderloins (about 2 pounds total), cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick medallions
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, divided
3 cloves sliced garlic
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2 -inch strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2 -inch strips
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Add oil to skillet; add pork and cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; turn pork. Cook 3 minutes. (Remove one pork tenderloin; refrigerate until Monday.) Continue cooking pork 2 more minutes. To the skillet, add 1 teaspoon rosemary, garlic and bell peppers; cook 7 minutes or until peppers are tender and pork is done. Drizzle with vinegar. Top with remaining 1/2 teaspoon rosemary.
Per serving: 205 calories, 25g protein, 9g fat (39 percent calories from fat), 2.3g saturated fat, 5g carbohydrate, 75mg cholesterol, 176mg sodium, 1g fiber.
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>ORANGE STIR-FRY (Monday)
Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: Less than 10 minutes
1 pound leftover pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon orange zest
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
2 large carrots, sliced diagonally
2 ribs celery, peeled and sliced diagonally
1/2 cup cashews
Cut pork medallions into thick strips. Set aside. Combine orange zest, juice, cornstarch, soy sauce, syrup and ginger; mix well. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium. Add carrots and celery; stir-fry 3 minutes. Remove vegetables; set aside. Pour remaining oil into skillet. Add pork; stir-fry about 3 minutes. Return vegetables to pan; stir juice mixture and add, along with cashews. Cook and stir constantly over medium-high heat until thickened.
Per serving: 435 calories, 28g protein, 19g fat (39 percent calories from fat), 4g saturated fat, 40g carbohydrate, 75mg cholesterol, 386mg sodium, 2g fiber.
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>NUTTY TURKEY MEATLOAF (Thursday)
Makes 8 servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes; standing time: 5 minutes
1 small finely chopped onion
1 large chopped red bell pepper
2 pounds ground turkey (93 or 94 percent lean)
6 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped basil leaves
1/2 cup plain fresh whole-grain breadcrumbs (see Note)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup less-sodium Worcestershire sauce
3 to 4 tablespoons tomato paste
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Microwave onion and bell pepper, covered, on high 3 minutes; drain. In a large bowl, combine onion, pepper, turkey, garlic, basil, breadcrumbs, walnuts and Worcestershire sauce; mix together. Divide into two loaves (about 9 by 4 inches each) and transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish lined with foil. Spread tomato paste on top of each. Bake 30 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 degrees and brown on top. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Reserve one loaf until later. (Adapted from "The Essential Guide to Healthy Healing Foods," Victoria Retelny and Jovanka JoAnn Milivojevic; Alpha Publishing, $19.95.)
Note: Use a small food processor to make fresh breadcrumbs.
Per serving: 200 calories, 30g protein, 6g fat (26 percent calories from fat), 0.7g saturated fat, 6g carbohydrate, 70mg cholesterol, 99mg sodium, 1g fiber.
e-mail: menuplanner@mindspring.com