7 Day Menu Planner

Plan ahead: Prepare enough beef and vegetables for Monday; save enough pie for Tuesday.

9/ 11

Heat-and-Eat Monday

Use the leftover beef for Roast Beef Sandwiches on baguettes. Spread horseradish sauce over split baguettes. Mix 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish, 1/4 cup low-fat sour cream, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon chopped chives or chopped green onion. Top the sliced beef with thin slices of brie cheese. Heat the leftover vegetables and add a lettuce wedge salad. For dessert, fresh pineapple is good.

9/ 12

Budget Tuesday

Save money with delicious Rice Bowls With Fried Eggs and Avocado for dinner. Mix 4 thinly sliced green onions with 2 cups cooked brown rice in a small bowl; season with coarse salt and pepper; mix well and divide into 4 individual bowls.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Crack 4 eggs into a small bowl and pour into skillet; season with salt and pepper and cook until desired doneness. Transfer each egg to the outside edge of each bowl. Divide 1 avocado into slices and place on other side of bowl. (Adapted from Bon Appetit.) Serve with hot sauce at the table.

Add salad greens and toasted whole-grain English muffins. Dessert is leftover pie.

9/ 13

Express Wednesday

This Layered Salad (see recipe) is quick and a great meal before fall is with us. Add baked corn chips. Try Asian pears for dessert.

9/ 14

Kids Thursday

The kids will love Three-Cheese Pasta for dinner. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Cook 2 1/2 cups penne or rigatoni pasta according to directions; drain. In a medium bowl, microwave 1 medium chopped orange bell pepper and 2 sliced green onions, plus 3-inch tops, on high (100 percent power) for 3 minutes, covered; drain. Set aside.

Place 3 tablespoons butter in a 2-quart container; microwave on medium (50 percent power) about 1 minute or until melted. Stir in 3 tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. With a whisk, mix in 2 cups 1 percent milk. Cover and microwave on high about 5 minutes. Stir after the first 2 minutes and then stir again occasionally until thickened. Mix in 1 cup shredded 50 percent light cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese and 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese until it melts. Add the cooked pasta and vegetables and mix well. Pour into the baking dish; top with panko and bake 30 minutes or until hot and slightly brown on top.

Serve with fresh green beans and soft rolls. Dip sliced apples in a little caramel sauce for dessert.

9/ 15

Meatless Friday

Keeping up the cool-salad idea, Quinoa Kale Risotto With Pistachios (see recipe) is dinner tonight. Add whole-grain rolls to the meal. Fresh blueberries with light whipped cream are good for dessert.

Plan ahead: Prepare enough quinoa for Saturday.

9/ 16

Easy Entertaining Saturday

Invite some guests to enjoy grilled chicken. Alongside, delicious leftover quinoa will be even better tonight as the flavors will have had time to blend further. Add sliced cucumbers and red onion in cider vinegar along with flatbread to round out your meal. Coconut macaroons are a simple dessert.

THE RECIPES

Italian Marinated Steak (Sunday)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 beef top round steak, cut 1-inch thick (about 1 1/2 pounds

Combine all ingredients except steak in a small bowl. Place marinade in a resealable plastic bag. Add steak to marinade; turn to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 6 hours to overnight, turning occasionally. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Grill steak on medium 12 to 14 minutes for medium rare (145 degrees), turning occasionally. Remove from grill. Let stand 5 minutes before thinly slicing across grain; serve. Serves 4.

Per serving: 189 calories (percent calories from fat, 24), 34 grams protein, no carbohydrate, no fiber, 5 grams fat (1.6 grams saturated fat), 85 milligrams cholesterol, 163 milligrams sodium.

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Layered Salad (Wednesday)

For the dressing:

1 (10-ounce) can no-salt-added tomatoes with green chiles (such as Rotel or another brand)

8 ounces reduced-fat sour cream

3 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon cumin

1 clove garlic, minced

For the salad:

6 cups chopped romaine (or other lettuce)

1 (15-ounce) can reduced-sodium black beans

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) whole kernel corn

2 diced Hass avocados sprinkled with fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup roasted red pepper strips

1 cup shredded 50 percent light cheddar cheese

1 (6-ounce) can drained, sliced black olives

1/4 cup sliced green onions

Reserve some lettuce, cheese, olives and green onions for garnish, if desired

Mix together all dressing ingredients; set aside. In a large straight-sided (or other) salad bowl, layer 4 cups lettuce, black beans, corn, avocados, red pepper, 2 more cups lettuce, cheese, olives and green onions. Cover top with dressing. To garnish, top with some shredded lettuce, cheese, olives and green onions, if desired. Cover; refrigerate up to 8 hours and serve. (Adapted from RecipeGirl, recipegirl.com.) Makes 12 cups.

Per cup: 200 calories (percent calories from fat, 52), 8 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams fiber, 12 grams fat (4.4 grams saturated fat), 20 milligrams cholesterol, 411 milligrams sodium.

** ** **

Quinoa Kale Risotto With Pistachios (Friday)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups uncooked quinoa

3 cups no-salt-added vegetable broth

1/2 cup white wine

1 teaspoon rosemary

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 cups chopped fresh kale

Zest of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium. Add onion, red bell pepper and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add quinoa and cook for an additional minute.

Meanwhile, heat vegetable broth, white wine, rosemary and black pepper together in a small pot until warm. Reduce heat to low. Add broth mixture to saucepan with quinoa mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until it is absorbed. Repeat this procedure for about 15 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender, but not overcooked. Stir in kale, lemon zest and pistachios, and heat for an additional minute until ingredients are heated through but kale remains bright green. Serve immediately. Makes six 1-cup servings.

Per cup: 335 calories (percent calories from fat, 28), 12 grams protein, 48 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams fiber, 11 grams fat (1.3 grams saturated fat), no cholesterol, 121 milligrams sodium.