Seven-day menu planner: April 3-9

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup orange marmalade

2 tablespoons Creole or other spicy mustard

2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary

2 tablespoons flour

1 (14-ounce) can unsalted chicken broth

Fresh rosemary sprigs for garnish

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place roast on a rack coated with cooking spray in a foil-lined roaster. Rub roast with pepper and salt. Microwave marmalade for 10 seconds on high (100 percent power) to melt; add mustard and rosemary and stir until blended. Brush mixture over pork. Bake 1 hour or until internal temperature is 145 degrees. Cover with foil and let stand 10 minutes. Remove from pan and slice; cover to keep warm. Sprinkle roasting pan with flour; cook on medium 1 minute, whisking constantly. Add broth and cook 5 more minutes, whisking constantly or until mixture thickens. Serve gravy with pork. Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs. Serves 12.

Per serving: 240 calories, 23 grams protein, 8 grams fat (29 percent calories from fat), 2.8 grams saturated fat, 19 grams carbohydrate, 64 milligrams cholesterol, 201 milligrams sodium, no fiber.

Chicken and Peanut Noodles (Friday)

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 pound chicken tenders, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup reduced-fat creamy peanut butter

2 cups water

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 (3-ounce) packages chicken-flavored ramen noodles, reserving 1 seasoning packet

1 (16-ounce) package frozen mixed pepper strips

3 green onions, thinly sliced

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium-high. Add chicken and garlic; stir-fry 3 minutes or just until cooked through. Remove from heat; remove chicken to plate and keep warm. Spoon peanut butter into skillet. Whisk in water, vinegar, soy sauce, crushed red pepper and 1 seasoning packet from the noodles (discard other packet). Bring to boil; add noodles, breaking up slightly. Add chicken; cover and simmer 4 minutes to separate noodles. Place frozen pepper strips on top; cover and simmer 3 minutes. Stir to combine. Sprinkle with onions. Serves 7.

Per serving: 339 calories, 22 grams protein, 15 grams fat (39 percent calories from fat), 4.1 grams saturated fat, 29 grams carbohydrate, 42 milligrams cholesterol, 605 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.

Moroccan Shrimp with Couscous (Saturday)

1 teaspoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup golden raisins or other dried fruit bits

1/4 cup water

1 (14-ounce) can unsalted chicken broth

1 cup couscous

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp

3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

Sprigs of fresh cilantro, if desired

Mix together paprika, salt, cumin, curry powder, cayenne pepper and cinnamon. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mixture, raisins or dried fruit, water and broth; bring to a boil. Gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. While couscous stands, melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with remaining spice mixture. Add shrimp to skillet; cook 5 minutes or until opaque throughout. Spoon couscous in center of each plate. Divide and spoon shrimp and yogurt over couscous. Garnish with cilantro, if desired. Serves 6.

Per serving: 292 calories, 29 grams protein, 3 grams fat (10 percent calories from fat), 1.7 grams saturated fat, 36 grams carbohydrate, 190 milligrams cholesterol, 454 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.

4/3

FAMILY SUNDAY

Mark family day with a feast of Orange-Glazed Pork Loin (see recipe). Buy mashed sweet potatoes (refrigerated) to go alongside. Delicious frosted cauliflower will convert any non-vegetable eater. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place 1 medium head cauliflower (trimmed and cored) in an 8-by-8-inch baking dish; cover with waxed paper. Microwave on high (100 percent power) 6 minutes per pound. Let stand 2 minutes; drain well.

Meanwhile, combine 1/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard and 1/2 cup shredded 50 percent light jalapeno cheddar cheese. Spread over cauliflower; bake 5 minutes until lightly browned. Garnish with chopped fresh dill if desired.

Add a greens salad and sourdough bread. Buy a coconut cake for dessert.

Plan ahead: Save enough pork and cake for Monday.

4/4

HEAT AND EAT MONDAY

Use the leftover pork in Caesar Salad Pitas. For one pita: Combine 1/2 cup chopped cooked pork, 1 cup torn romaine and 2 tablespoons Caesar salad dressing. Slice 1 inch off top of whole-grain pita bread. Fill with salad mixture. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Wrap filled pita in foil and serve with deli tomato rice soup. Leftover cake is your dessert.

4/5

BUDGET TUESDAY

Budgets and burgers go together like Grilled Turkey Burgers and Tangy-Sweet Sauce. Combine 3 tablespoons apricot jam, 1/3 cup ketchup and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Spread on burgers, top with a Vidalia onion (or other sweet onion) slice, and serve on whole-grain hamburger buns. Add baked potato wedges and a lettuce and tomato salad. peaches are good for dessert.

4/6

MEATLESS WEDNESDAY

It's delicious and pretty, so try Angel Hair Pasta with Pink Tomato Sauce tonight. Cook 8 ounces angel hair pasta according to directions.

Meanwhile, place 3 medium cored and quartered plum tomatoes in a food processor or blender and blend 1 minute or until smooth and light pink; set aside. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium. Add 2 cloves thinly sliced garlic and 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper; cook 1 1/2 minutes. Add 1 cup frozen green peas (thawed), 2/3 cup roasted red peppers (drained and chopped) and 1 teaspoon dried basil. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and heat just to boiling. Remove from heat. Drain pasta and transfer to skillet. Stir over medium heat until pasta is well-mixed with sauce. Spoon onto 4 plates and sprinkle with 4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately with a spinach salad and crusty rolls. Try pears for dessert.

Plan ahead: Cook 1 cup green peas and 4 slices bacon for Thursday.

4/7

EXPRESS THURSDAY

There's no cooking tonight with Ham and Macaroni Salad. In a large bowl, toss together 2 pounds deli macaroni salad, 8 ounces diced ham (packaged), 1 cup cooked green peas (frozen), 4 ounces packaged cheddar and mozzarella cheese cubes and 4 slices crumbled cooked bacon; toss to mix. Serve on lettuce leaves with cornbread (from a mix) on the side. fresh tropical fruit is a good dessert.

4/8

KIDS FRIDAY

Kids and adults will like Chicken and Peanut Noodles (see recipe). Serve with baby carrots and sesame bread sticks. Apple slices are a crunchy dessert.

4/9

EASY ENTERTAINING SATURDAY

Our guests enjoyed flavorful Moroccan Shrimp with Couscous(see recipe). Serve with a boston lettuce salad and flatbread. Lemon meringue pie is the grand finale.