7 Day Menu Planner

Add fresh green beans, a spinach salad and sourdough bread. Enjoy fresh strawberries topped with whipped cream for dessert.

Plan ahead: Save enough cooked lamb, green beans and strawberries for Monday.

8/ 7

Heat-and-Eat Monday

Lamb, Green Beans and Gnocchi make good use of leftovers. Cook gnocchi according to directions; drain. In same pot, heat a little canola oil. Add some minced garlic and cook until golden. Add chopped leftover lamb, leftover green beans and gnocchi; toss to coat and heat through. Serve with mixed salad greens and garlic bread. Sprinkle chia seeds over leftover strawberries for dessert.

Tip: Chia seeds are the tiny black seeds of the chia plant and are high in manganese, phosphorus, copper, selenium, iron, magnesium and calcium.

8/ 8

Meatless Tuesday

Skip meat for Tex-Mex Layered Bean Salad. In a 3 1/2-quart-size, straight-sided salad bowl, layer salad as follows: 1 large red or yellow bell pepper (seeded and chopped), 1/3 cup red onion (chopped), 1 (16-ounce) bag iceberg lettuce, carrot and cabbage salad mix (or make your own mixture), 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend, 2 (15-ounce) cans 3-bean salad, drained (such as READ or another brand). Set aside.

Mix together 1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise, 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream and 2 tablespoons finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Spread over top of salad. Cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours. Just before serving, sprinkle top with 1/2 cup crumbled tortilla chips and 1 small sliced avocado. Toss and serve.

Add crusty rolls. Fresh nectarines are always a welcome dessert.

8/ 9

Express Wednesday

Turn ordinary roasted chicken into Rotisserie Chicken With Apricot Glaze. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small pan on medium-high; add 2 thinly sliced shallots and cook 3 to 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in 1/2 cup apricot preserves, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce and 1/4 teaspoon Creole seasoning. Reduce heat to low and cook 5 minutes or until heated. Brush glaze over 1 (2- to 4-pound) plain deli roast chicken. Place it on rack of nonstick foil-lined roasting pan. Bake 15 minutes.

Serve with potatoes O'Brien, packaged salad greens and biscuits. Enjoy fresh tropical fruit for dessert.

8/ 10

Budget Thursday

Economical meatloaf is always welcome at our table, and Dear Abby's Meatloaf (see recipe) has made a lot of readers happy over the years. It's packed with flavor and easy on the budget. Serve it with mashed potatoes, fresh zucchini, a lettuce wedge and whole-grain rolls. Fresh blueberries topped with light whipped cream are good for dessert.

8/ 11

Kids Friday

No kid will be able to resist Soft and Crunchy Tacos (see recipe). Serve them with corn-on-the-cob. How about fresh peaches for dessert, sprinkled with toasted coconut?

8/ 12

Easy Entertaining Saturday

Serve your guests Warm Greek Shrimp Salad (see recipe) for a summertime treat. Add couscous and flatbread. Start your meal with your gazpacho. For dessert, pair chocolate wafer cookies with fresh raspberries.

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THE RECIPES

Dear Abby’s Meatloaf (Thursday)

2 pounds lean ground beef (see Notes)

1 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 eggs

Pepper to taste and coarse salt, if desired (see Notes)

4 strips bacon, if desired

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except bacon. Shape meat mixture into a loaf and place in a 9-by-5-inch pan. Arrange bacon strips on top of loaf. Bake 60 minutes or until internal temperature is 160 degrees. Makes 10 slices.

Notes: For testing purposes, I used 93 percent lean ground beef, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and no salt.

Per slice: 227 calories (percent calories from fat, 40), 23 grams protein, 11 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 10 grams fat (3.5 grams saturated fat), 92 milligrams cholesterol, 428 milligrams sodium.

Soft and Crunchy Tacos (Friday)

8 taco shells

8 fajita-size whole-wheat flour tortillas

1 cup shredded 50 percent light cheddar cheese, divided

1 pound lean ground beef

1 (1.25-ounce) packet reduced-sodium taco seasoning mix (or regular)

3/4 cup water

1 cup shredded romaine

1 cup taco sauce

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Put taco shells on a baking sheet; spread tortillas on another baking sheet. Sprinkle each tortilla with 1 tablespoon cheese; set aside. Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium and add beef; cook 5 minutes or until no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix and water. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Meanwhile, put baking sheets in oven; bake 3 minutes or until cheese melts. Center a taco shell in each flour tortilla and bring up sides of tortillas. Fill tacos with beef mixture, then romaine, remaining cheese and taco sauce. Serve immediately. Makes 8 tacos.

Per taco: 287 calories (percent calories from fat, 28), 16 grams protein, 33 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 9 grams fat (3.5 grams saturated fat), 36 milligrams cholesterol, 807 milligrams sodium.

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Warm Greek Shrimp Salad (Saturday)

1 (8- to 10-ounce) package baby spinach leaves

1 small red onion, chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1 pound large uncooked shrimp, peeled

1/2 cup Greek oil and vinegar dressing (or another vinaigrette), divided

1/3 cup halved kalamata olives

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest (yellow part only)

Crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese for garnish

Place spinach in a large salad bowl; set aside. Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add onion and pepper; cook 4 minutes or until softened. Add shrimp and 1/4 cup dressing. Cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are just opaque. Remove from heat. Stir in olives, remaining dressing, lemon juice and lemon zest. Immediately pour over the spinach; toss to coat and slightly wilt spinach. Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve. Serves 4.

Per serving: 278 calories (percent calories from fat, 38), 25 grams protein, 33 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 16 grams fat (2.1 grams saturated fat), 183 milligrams cholesterol, 733 milligrams sodium.