7 Day Menu Planner

Plan ahead: Save enough pork and pie for Monday.

4/16

Heat-and-Eat Monday

Transform the leftovers into Pork Sandwiches on whole-grain bread. Cover the bread with honey-mustard sauce and add some salad greens; top with slices of pork. Serve with oven fries (from frozen). Slice the leftover pie for dessert.

4/17

Express Tuesday

Buy a package of Black Bean Burgers (refrigerated or frozen) for a quick meal. Serve on toasted sesame seed buns and top with favorites such as shredded lettuce, chopped green chilies, salsa and Mexican-blend shredded cheese. Serve with yellow rice (from mix). Dessert is fresh pineapple.

4/18

Budget Wednesday

Garden-Style Turkey Loaf (see recipe) is easy on the pocketbook and easy to prepare. Serve the vegetable-turkey loaf with mashed potatoes, tiny green peas (from frozen) and whole-grain bread. Sprinkle cinnamon over apple slices for dessert.

Plan ahead: Save enough turkey loaf for Friday.

4/19

Global Pantry Thursday

Visit Thailand for this week's wild card, Thai Coconut Chicken Soup. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large saucepan on medium. Add 1 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks; cook and stir 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Add 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms; cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cilantro leaves, 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk and 2 cups unsalted chicken broth. Cook 5 to 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and soup is heated. Stir in 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice and 2 teaspoons fish sauce. Garnish with lime wedges. Serve with Jasmine rice. Sliced mangoes are your dessert.

4/20

Kids Friday

Use the leftover turkey loaf for Turkey Tacos. Heat and crumble the leftover loaf and spoon into heated taco shells; top with shredded lettuce. For grown-ups, add some adult flavors such as mango chutney for a little something different. Serve them with pinto beans. Scoop vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Plan ahead: Save enough ice cream for Saturday.

4/21

Easy Entertaining Saturday

Entertain your guests with Beer-Can Chicken (see recipe). Serve the upside-down cooked bird with potato salad and baked beans. On a big platter, serve sliced tomatoes, lettuce, celery and carrot sticks, pickles, sliced cucumbers and mixed olives. Add crusty rolls. Dessert is leftover ice cream with fresh strawberries.

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THE RECIPES

Cumin Rubbed Pork Tenderloin With Apricots (Sunday)

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

2 (1- to 1 1/2-pound) pork tenderloins

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup sweet sherry (or 5 tablespoons apple juice mixed with 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract)

1 cup unsalted chicken broth

1 (7-ounce) package dried apricots, halved

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix cumin, garlic powder, paprika, pepper and salt. Pat pork dry and rub evenly with spice mixture. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet on medium-high. Add tenderloins; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until browned on all sides. Transfer skillet to oven. Roast 18 to 23 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Carefully remove skillet from oven to stovetop; place pork on serving platter and keep warm. Stir sherry or apple juice mixture into same skillet over medium heat, scraping browned bits from bottom of skillet. Stir in broth, apricots and sugar. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes or until sauce is reduced by half. Stir in butter until melted and sauce is slightly thickened. Slice pork and serve with apricot mixture. Serves 8.

Per serving: 285 calories (percent calories from fat, 37), 25 grams protein, 18 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 12 grams fat (4.1 grams saturated fat), 83 milligrams cholesterol, 217 milligrams sodium.

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Garden-Style Turkey Loaf (Wednesday)

1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, chopped

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast

1 cup oats (quick or old-fashioned)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Microwave spinach 3 minutes on high (100 percent power); squeeze dry. In a large bowl, combine spinach, turkey, oats, onion, carrots, egg, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper; mix lightly but thoroughly. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish lined with nonstick foil, shape mixture into a 9-by-5-inch loaf. Bake 50 minutes to one hour, or until internal temperature registers 165 degrees and center is no longer pink. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Makes 9 slices.

Per slice: 140 calories (percent calories from fat, 13), 21 grams protein, 9 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 2 grams fat (0.5 gram saturated fat), 72 milligrams cholesterol, 178 milligrams sodium.

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Beer Can Chicken (Saturday)

1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds, see Note)

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus 2 springs for garnish

1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 can craft beer with lime or other craft beer

In a bowl, combine salt, thyme leaves, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper. Remove neck and giblets from chicken; discard. Rub chicken lightly with oil; rub inside and out with spice rub. Let chicken sit at room temperature 10 minutes while grill heats. Open beer; remove enough beer so can is half full. Put 2 sprigs fresh thyme in can. Hold bottom chicken cavity above can and slide chicken over can. Bend wings back behind chicken; prop in front of can, supporting chicken. (Chicken should look like it’s sitting on beer can.) Place chicken in heatproof pan to catch drippings. Heat grill to high. Place pan with chicken on grill. Close top of grill so it’s like an oven; turn heat to medium low. Grill 90 to 105 minutes, or until internal temperature is 165 degrees. Remove from grill; let stand 10 minutes. Using large tongs, grasp chicken under wings, remove from can and place on carving board. Carve and serve. Makes 7 servings.

Note: Use a larger chicken if desired (4 to 6 pounds)

Per serving: 166 calories (percent calories from fat, 35), 25 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrate, no fiber, 6 grams fat (1.7 grams saturated fat), 75 milligrams cholesterol, 485 milligrams sodium.