7 Day Menu Planner

Plan ahead: Prepare enough steak for Monday. Save enough watermelon for Thursday and ice cream for Saturday.

8/ 28

Heat-and-Eat Monday

Make a Beef Stir-Fry with thinly sliced leftover steak, fresh or frozen stir-fry vegetables and bottled stir-fry sauce. Serve the dish over rice and add whole-grain rolls on the side. Fresh cherries are a summertime dessert.

8/ 29

Meatless Tuesday

Skip meat for Asian Bean Burgers. In a medium bowl, mash 3 cups cooked or canned reduced-sodium kidney beans (rinsed) with a fork or potato masher. Stir in 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs, 1/3 cup minced green onions, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce, 1 teaspoon ground ginger and 1 teaspoon minced garlic. Form into 4 patties. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium. Cook patties 3 to 4 minutes per side until heated through and crusty. Top with a sauce made of 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish, 1 tablespoon minced green onion and 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce.

Serve on whole-grain buns with lettuce, tomato and cucumbers. Add oven fries (frozen). Make banana pudding with 1 percent milk for dessert.

8/ 30

Express Wednesday

Make your own fast food tonight: Pan-fry a Ham Steak and serve it with mashed sweet potatoes. Add packaged salad greens and biscuits. Enjoy sliced apples sprinkled with cinnamon for dessert.

8/ 31

Budget Thursday

Enjoy Pork Posole for a low-cost entree. In a 3-quart or larger slow cooker, combine a well-trimmed 2- to 2 1/2-pound boneless pork shoulder (butt) roast (cut into bite-size chunks) with 1 1/2 cups recaito (such as Goya). Mix well. Cover and cook on low 7 to 8 hours. Stir in 2 (15- or 16-ounce) cans rinsed hominy; cover and cook 10 more minutes or until hominy is heated through. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.

Serve with a lettuce wedge and whole-grain bread. For dessert, enjoy a slice of leftover watermelon.

Tip: Recaito is a cilantro-based seasoning that is thicker than salsa.

9/ 1

Kids Friday

Treat the kids to Spaghetti Pie tonight. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook 8 ounces spaghetti according to directions; drain. Coat a 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat 2 eggs with a fork. Stir in 1 (15-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese and 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese until blended. Add cooked spaghetti to cheese mixture and stir until well-coated. Transfer mixture to pie plate; top with 1 cup marinara sauce. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese and 2 more tablespoons parmesan. Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes.

Cut into wedges and serve. Add celery sticks and soft rolls. Popsicles are a cool dessert.

9/ 2

Easy Entertaining Saturday

Invite friends for Anise-Orange Shrimp and Scallop Skewers (see recipe), a perfect summer feast. Serve the combo with honey ginger dipping sauce. Mix together 3/4 cup fresh orange juice, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sliced green onions and 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger. To the meal, add black-eyed peas mixed with chopped red onion and a light balsamic vinaigrette.

Start with your own gazpacho. Add sourdough bread. For dessert, make Summer Fruit Crumble (see recipe) and top with leftover vanilla ice cream. Be careful — the crumble is addictive.

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THE RECIPES

Grilled Steak and Watermelon Salad (Sunday)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

4 beef tenderloin steaks, cut 1 inch thick (about 4 to 5 ounces each)

2 slices seedless baby watermelon, 1 inch thick (about 1 pound each)

Coarse salt and pepper to taste

8 cups baby arugula or spinach leaves

1/4 cup reduced-fat balsamic or Italian dressing

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/4 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

Combine coriander and cumin; press evenly onto steaks. Place steaks in center of grill over medium, ash-covered coals; arrange watermelon slices around steak. Grill steaks, covered, 11 to 15 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, 13 to 16 minutes) for medium rare (145 degrees) to medium (160 degrees) doneness, turning occasionally. Grill watermelon 2 to 4 minutes or until grill marks form, turning once. Carve steaks into slices. Cut each watermelon slice into 6 wedges. Season beef and watermelon with salt and pepper, as desired. Combine arugula and dressing in large bowl; toss to coat. Divide arugula among four serving plates. Arrange beef and watermelon on salad; top evenly with tomatoes, onion and cheese, and serve. Serves 4.

Per serving: 233 calories (percent calories from fat, 30), 25 grams protein, 18 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 8 grams fat (3 grams saturated fat), 63 milligrams cholesterol, 369 milligrams sodium.

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Anise-Orange Shrimp and Scallop Skewers (Saturday)

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon anise seeds

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 pound sea scallops

In a small bowl, mix together juice, oil, anise seeds, garlic powder, salt, ginger and pepper. Place seafood in a large resealable plastic bag. Add marinade; turn to coat. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Remove seafood; discard marinade. Alternately thread shrimp and scallops onto 8 metal skewers. Grill on medium 8 to 10 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and scallops are cooked through. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

Per serving: 87 calories (percent calories from fat, 6), 18 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrate, no fiber, 1 gram fat (0.1 gram saturated fat), 105 milligrams cholesterol, 350 milligrams sodium.

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Summer Fruit Crumble (Saturday)

4 cups sliced fresh peaches or fresh blueberries (or a mixture of both)

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 (9-ounce) package yellow cake mix (about 1 1/2 cups)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In an 8-by-8-inch baking dish, combine fruit, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla; mix well. In a medium bowl, combine butter and cake mix until crumbly. Sprinkle crumbs over fruit. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden on top; serve. Makes 8 servings.

Per serving: 365 calories (percent calories from fat, 26), 3 grams protein, 66 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 11 grams fat (4.4 grams saturated fat), 16 milligrams cholesterol, 330 milligrams sodium.