7 Day Menu Planner

Plan ahead: Save enough turkey and cake for Monday.

7/ 31

Heat-and-Eat Monday

Use the turkey leftovers for Turkey Enchiladas With Avocado Corn Salad. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 7-by-11-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Microwave 8 fat-free flour tortillas as package directs until softened. Divide 2 cups shredded cooked turkey and 3/4 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese among tortillas. Roll and place seam-side down in dish. Pour 1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce over tortillas; top with 1/4 cup more cheese. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until hot.

Meanwhile, combine 1 diced Hass avocado, 1 pint halved grape tomatoes, 2 cups cooked fresh corn, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, coarse salt and pepper to taste; toss to mix. Serve with enchiladas. Add a romaine salad. Slice the leftover cake and serve with fresh cherries for dessert.

8/ 1

Express Tuesday

Tortellini With Ham and Peas is fast and easy. Cook 1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated mushroom tortellini (or another flavor) according to directions; drain.

Meanwhile, combine 3/4 cup sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce, 1 cup cooked green peas (fresh or frozen) and 1/2 cup diced ham; mix well. Pour over tortellini and toss to mix. Serve with packaged spinach and garlic bread. Sliced cantaloupe is a refreshing dessert.

8/ 2

Meatless Wednesday

For a flavor-packed, no-meat dinner, you'll like Seasoned Black Beans (see recipe). Serve them over brown rice and garnish with plain yogurt. Serve with mixed salad greens, sliced avocados and some flatbread. Try fresh plums for dessert.

8/ 3

Kids Thursday

Mango Quesadillas are a good dinner for kids and an easy way to encourage them to eat more fruit. Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium. Coat one side of 6 (8-inch) flour tortillas with cooking spray. Place uncoated side down in skillet. Heat 15 seconds or until heated through. Flip tortilla, reduce heat to low, and sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups shredded 50 percent light cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup finely chopped onion and 2 cups chopped mango, leaving 1/2 inch margin around edges. Sprinkle top with pinch ground cumin and pinch chili powder. When the cheese has melted, flip one half of the tortilla over the other half. Remove from skillet; cut into wedges. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

On the side, add carrot sticks to munch on. Make chocolate pudding with 1 percent milk for dessert.

8/ 4

Budget Friday

You won't put too much strain on the budget with Spicy Peanut Sauce Over Pasta Shells for dinner. Cook 8 ounces (any) small pasta shells according to directions; drain. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups peanut (or satay) sauce, 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, 1 cup shredded carrots, 3 sliced green onions and 1/2 seedless cucumber (chopped). Add to cooked pasta; toss to mix. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.

Serve with a lettuce wedge and whole-grain rolls. Watermelon slices are a hydrating dessert.

8/ 5

Easy Entertaining Saturday

Your friends will love your classic Grilled Burgers (using lean ground beef) on sesame seed buns. Top them with cheese and add lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, low-fat mayonnaise and pickles. Serve with Grilled Corn-on-the-Cob With Confetti Pepper Butter (see recipe) and coleslaw. What's more appropriate for dessert with this meal than your own peach cobbler topped with a dab of vanilla ice cream?

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THE RECIPES

Countryside White Beans and Artichokes (Sunday)

2 (1.5 ounce) cans reduced-sodium cannellini beans (or 3 cups cooked), rinsed

1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichokes, drained (or fresh cooked artichokes, chopped)

3/4 cup ripe olives, quartered

3/4 cup unsalted chicken broth

1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained (see Note) and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram (or 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh), divided

Pepper to taste

1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

In a medium saucepan, combine beans, artichokes, olives, broth, tomatoes, mustard and 1/2 teaspoon marjoram; mix well. Bring to boil on medium-high; simmer 3 or 4 minutes or until hot. Season with pepper to taste. Spoon into a 7-by-11-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; set aside. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, olive oil and remaining marjoram; mix well. Sprinkle evenly over top of tomato mixture. Broil 1 minute or until golden. Makes 8 servings.

Note: Press tomatoes between several layers of paper towels to remove excess oil.

Per serving: 159 calories (percent calories from fat, 27), 6 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams fiber, 5 grams fat (0.6 gram saturated fat), no cholesterol, 503 milligrams sodium.

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Seasoned Black Beans (Wednesday)

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped zucchini

1 cup coarsely chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried tarragon or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh

1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried

Coarse salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 (15-ounce) can reduced-sodium black beans (or 1 3/4 cups cooked), rinsed

In a 3-quart microwave-safe baking dish, combine onion, bell pepper, oil and garlic. Cover and microwave on high (100 percent power) 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Add zucchini, tomatoes, tarragon, oregano, basil, salt and pepper; stir and cover. Cook on high 4 minutes. Add beans; stir and cover. Cook on high 4 to 6 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 2 minutes and serve. Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 95 calories (percent calories from fat, 15), 5 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams fiber, 2 grams fat (0.3 gram saturated fat), no cholesterol, 76 milligrams sodium.

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Grilled Corn-on-the-Cob With Confetti Pepper Butter (Saturday)

1 tablespoons olive oil

3 mini red, yellow and orange bell peppers, seeded and finely chopped (See Note)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)

1 tablespoon finely chopped flatleaf parsley

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

8 ears corn-on-the-cob, shucked, with silk removed

Heat oil in a small saucepan on medium; cook peppers and garlic together 2 minutes or until the peppers are just starting to soften. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature. In a bowl, using a fork, mash the peppers with the butter, parsley and salt until well blended. Spoon butter into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Chill completely until serving time.

Grill corn on a medium-hot fire for 5 to 6 minutes, turning frequently to create grill marks all over. Serve on a platter and slather with the pepper butter. Makes 8 ears.

Note: The mini peppers are usually sold in bags. Choose the colors you like.

(Adapted from “Red, White and ‘Que,” Karen Adler and Judith Fertig; Running Press, 2017.)

Per ear of corn: 88 calories (percent calories from fat, 12), 3 grams protein, 19 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 1 gram fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 15 milligrams sodium.

Per tablespoon butter (12 tablespoons per recipe): 81 calories (percent calories from fat, 96), no protein, 1 gram carbohydrate, no fiber, 9 grams fat (5 grams saturated fat), 20 milligrams cholesterol, 42 milligrams sodium.