7 Day Menu Planner

Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Saturday.

2/ 27

Budget Monday

Beef Stir-Fry With Spinach (see recipe) is easy on the food budget. Serve it over brown rice, and add a romaine salad and whole-grain rolls . For a light dessert, try pears.

Plan ahead: Prepare enough stir-fry and cook enough rice for Tuesday.

2/ 28

Heat-and-Eat Tuesday

Take advantage of those leftovers for Beef-Stuffed Peppers. Split orange or yellow bell peppers in half lengthwise. Place cut-side down in baking dish. Cover and microwave on high (100 percent power) 1 minute per pepper; drain.

Meanwhile, combine stir-fry (chopped) with leftover rice, moisten with unsalted beef broth and heat. Stuff peppers with mixture; sprinkle with crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese and serve.

Add tiny green peas (frozen) and whole-grain bread. Fresh or canned tropical fruit is a light dessert.

3/ 1

Express Wednesday

Select any frozen stuffed Burritos for a super-easy meal. Garnish the stuffed burritos with reduced-fat sour cream. Serve them with steamed carrots. For dessert, plums are easy, too.

3/ 2

Kids Thursday

What could make kids happier than to have Cheeseburger Melt for dinner? Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, mix together 1 1/3 cups reduced-fat baking mix (such as Bisquick), 1/4 cup water, 2 eggs and 1 cup (1 1/2 cups total) of shredded 50 percent light cheddar cheese. Spread in dish. Cook 1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey breast, or mixture of both, in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high for 6 minutes or until no longer pink; drain well. Add 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed less-fat, less-sodium cream of mushroom soup and 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables; heat 5 minutes or until hot. Spread over batter. Bake 23 to 25 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 1 to 3 more minutes or until cheese melts. Cut into squares and serve. Garnish with salsa if desired.

Serve with cherry tomato halves. Fresh pineapple chunks make a good dessert.

3/ 3

Meatless Friday

You won't have any leftovers of delicious Spaghettini With Goat Cheese and Fresh Basil. Place cooked whole-wheat spaghettini in a large bowl and add 2 ounces herb-flavored goat cheese cut into small pieces, 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; stir until well-blended.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add 2 teaspoons minced garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add 2 cups halved grape tomatoes; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 2/3 cup unsalted vegetable broth; cook 1 minute. Add tomato mixture to pasta mixture; toss gently to combine.

Serve with mixed greens and garlic bread . Make instant pistachio pudding (with 1 percent milk) for dessert.

3/ 4

Easy Entertaining Saturday

We're putting Herb-Baked Tilapia (see recipe) on our favorites list. Serve it with refrigerated hash-browned potatoes, green beans, a bibb lettuce salad and crusty bread . An easy dessert is leftover ice cream with strawberry sauce.

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THE RECIPES

Lemon Chicken With Rice and Artichokes (Sunday)

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch strips

2 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

3 cups cooked rice

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup unsalted chicken broth, divided

1 (14-ounce) can water-packed quartered artichokes, drained

2 tablespoons freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Heat a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray on medium-high. Add chicken, onion and bell pepper; cook 7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Stir in cooked rice, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and half the broth; cook 2 minutes. Stir in artichokes and remaining broth; cook 1 minute or until heated. Sprinkle with cheese and serve. Serves 4.

Per serving: 400 calories (percent calories from fat, 11), 37 grams protein, 51 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams fiber, 5 grams fat (1.2 grams saturated fat), 92 milligrams cholesterol, 618 milligrams sodium.

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Beef Stir-Fry With Spinach (Monday)

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoons canola oil, divided

1 pound boneless sirloin steak, thinly sliced

1 pound packaged spinach

2 yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced

4 green onions, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch and ginger until smooth; set aside. Heat wok or large skillet over medium-high until a drop of water sizzles in pan. Add 1 teaspoon canola oil; swirl to coat. Add steak and stir-fry 3 minutes or until browned. Transfer to plate. Microwave spinach on high (100 percent power) 2 to 3 minutes or until wilted. Heat remaining oil in same skillet over medium-high and swirl to coat. Add peppers, onions and garlic; stir-fry 3 minutes or until vegetables soften. Return steak to skillet. Stir soy sauce mixture and add to skillet. Stir-fry until sauce bubbles and thickens, about 1 more minute. Divide spinach among 4 plates; top with steak mixture and serve. (Adapted from “Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook”; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016.) Serves 4.

Per serving: 238 calories (percent calories from fat, 32), 29 grams protein, 12 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams fiber, 8 grams fat (1.9 grams saturated fat), 58 milligrams cholesterol, 394 milligrams sodium.

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Herb-Baked Tilapia (Saturday)

4 (4- to 6-ounce) tilapia fillets

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise

2 tablespoons minced green onions

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place tilapia on nonstick foil. In a small bowl, combine Parmesan, mayonnaise and onions; spread evenly over fish. In another bowl, combine bread crumbs, basil, oregano, salt and pepper; sprinkle over fish. Coat fish lightly with cooking spray. Bake 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork. Served 4.

Per serving: 154 calories (percent calories from fat, 24), 20 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 4 grams fat (1.2 grams saturated fat), 48 milligrams cholesterol, 442 milligrams sodium.