6/ 4
Family Sunday
Splurge on family day — prepare your own Leg of Lamb and serve it with herb-roasted dijon potatoes. Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together 5 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 clove minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Add 2 pounds red potato chunks; toss to coat. Spoon into a shallow baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender; stir occasionally.
Add a grape-tomato-and-broccoli-floret salad (halve the tomatoes and toss both vegetables with a light vinaigrette), and add dinner rolls. For dessert, top slices of angel food cake with strawberries.
Plan ahead: Save enough lamb, tomato-broccoli salad and cake for Monday. Save enough strawberries for Tuesday.
6/ 5
Heat-and-Eat Monday
Enjoy leftover lamb with Lamb Sandwiches on Rosemary (or another) Bread. Brush the bread with olive oil and layer it with lamb slices, roasted red peppers, goat cheese and arugula. Serve with leftover tomato-broccoli salad. Drizzle chocolate syrup over the leftover cake for dessert.
6/ 6
Meatless Tuesday
Prepare Tomato Soup With Orzo and White Beans for a flavorful no-meat soup. In a medium pot over medium heat, cook 1 large chopped onion, 1 small chopped green bell pepper, 2 minced cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon dried oregano and 1 tablespoon olive oil for 6 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Add 1/3 cup orzo, 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans undrained diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and onions, 1 (15-ounce) can rinsed reduced-sodium white beans, 2 (14-ounce) cans no-salt-added vegetable broth, and coarse salt and pepper to taste; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook 7 to 9 minutes, or until orzo is tender but still firm. Stir 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan into the soup, ladle into bowls and serve.
Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches. For dessert, spoon leftover strawberries over vanilla ice cream.
Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Friday.
6/ 7
Budget Wednesday
Greek-Style Beef Skillet (see recipe) is a flavorful low-cost meal. Add mixed salad greens and crusty bread. Tropical fruit is good for dessert.
6/ 8
Express Thursday
Pick up a Rotisserie Chicken or two and serve with baked potatoes topped with frozen broccoli and cheese sauce. Add whole-grain rolls. Stop by the bakery for brownies for something sweet.
Plan ahead: Save 2 cups chopped chicken and enough brownies for Friday.
6/ 9
Kids Friday
Let the kids help prepare Tex-Mex Chicken Pot Pie (see recipe). The whole family will enjoy it with deli carrot-raisin salad. Then, everyone will line up for warmed leftover brownies topped with a dollop of leftover ice cream and chocolate sprinkles.
6/ 10
Easy Entertaining Saturday
Our guests enjoyed Thai Shrimp With Pasta (see recipe). Serve the combo with a bibb lettuce salad and baguettes. For dessert, buy fruit tarts to keep it simple.
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THE RECIPES
Greek-Style Beef Skillet (Wednesday)
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (14-ounce) can no-salt-added chicken broth
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups penne pasta
1 (5-ounce) bag fresh spinach
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, divided
Cook ground beef and onion in a Dutch oven on medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Drain fat. Add oregano, cinnamon and garlic powder; mix well. Stir in broth, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to boil. Stir in pasta. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 10 minutes or until pasta is nearly tender. Stir in spinach and 1/2 cup feta cheese. Cover. Cook 5 minutes longer or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup feta cheese. Cover. Let stand 5 minutes and serve. Serves 6.
Per serving: 322 calories (percent calories from fat, 35), 22 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 12 grams fat (5.6 grams saturated fat), 60 milligrams cholesterol, 346 milligrams sodium.
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Tex-Mex Chicken Pot Pie (Friday)
2 large fat-free flour tortillas
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed less-fat, less-sodium cream of mushroom soup
2 cups cooked (leftover) chicken
1 (16-ounce) package frozen vegetables for soup, thawed and drained
1 (4-ounce) can chopped mild green chilies
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate with 1 warmed (see Note) tortilla. In a large bowl, mix soup, chicken, vegetables, chilies and cilantro. Spoon into lined pie plate. Top with the other warmed tortilla. Coat with cooking spray. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 25 more minutes or until top is golden and filling is hot. Cut into 6 wedges and serve immediately.
Note: To warm tortillas, roll them in damp white paper towels and microwave on high (100 percent power) for 20 seconds or until heated. Serves 6.
Per serving: 201 calories (percent calories from fat, 22), 17 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams fiber, 5 grams fat (1.3 grams saturated fat), 39 milligrams cholesterol, 615 milligrams sodium.
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Thai Shrimp With Pasta (Saturday)
3 dried lemongrass stalks (see Note)
3 cups hot water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons Szechwan seasoning
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined (or cleaned and thawed frozen cooked shrimp with tails removed)
6 ounces angel hair pasta
5 cups torn fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup salted nuts (such as cashews or almonds)
Place lemongrass and hot water in a 1-quart glass measure; cover and microwave on high (100 percent power) for 5 minutes; cool. Remove lemongrass to cutting board. Reserve water. Slice grass lengthwise, then finely chop. In a large nonstick skillet, combine lemongrass, reserved water, wine, garlic powder, salt and Szechwan seasoning; bring to boil. Stir in cornstarch mixture; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Add shrimp and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp turns pink. (If using frozen shrimp, cook 2 minutes.)
Meanwhile, cook angel hair according to directions; drain and rinse. Return to cooking pot. Add spinach and shrimp mixture to pasta; toss. Garnish with nuts and serve. Serves 4.
Note: Look for lemongrass stalks in the spice aisle.
Per serving: 327 calories (percent calories from fat, 15), 28 grams protein, 40 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 5 grams fat (1 gram saturated fat), 159 milligrams cholesterol, 332 milligrams sodium.
