Seven-Day Menu Planner

Make BLUEBERRY-AND-VANILLA “NAPOLEONS” for dessert. In a large bowl, beat 1 (3.4-ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix into 1 1/2 cups cold 1 percent milk for 2 minutes or until well-blended; let stand 5 minutes. Add 1/3 cup pudding to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate. Into the remaining pudding, fold 1 cup (of 1 1/3 cups total) fresh blueberries. Reserve remaining blueberries. Cut 1 (11.75-ounce) frozen (thawed) poundcake into 12 thin slices; toast until golden.

Place 1 cake slice on each of 6 dessert plates. Spoon blueberry-pudding mixture onto slices, dividing evenly. Top each piece with another slice of cake. Garnish with reserved pudding and reserved blueberries. Serve immediately.

PLAN AHEAD: Save enough ham and coleslaw and buy enough blueberries for Monday. Save enough ham for Wednesday.

8/ 10

Heat-and-Eat Monday

Use some of the leftover ham for delicious HAM, ASPARAGUS AND SWISS QUICHE (see recipe). Serve with leftover COLESLAW and CRUSTY ROLLS. Keep dessert light with leftover BLUEBERRIES.

8/ 11

Express Tuesday

For an easy meal, buy a packaged Mexican DINNER KIT (such as Old El Paso or another brand) and follow the directions. Serve with reduced-sodium rinsed PINTO BEANS and GUACAMOLE. Fresh PINEAPPLE SPEARS are good for dessert.

8/ 12

Kids Wednesday

Treat the kids and make MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH HAM by stirring cubed leftover ham into your own (or purchased) hot macaroni and cheese. Cover and let stand 5 minutes to heat through. Add BABY CARROTS for some crunch, along with BREAD STICKS. STRAWBERRIES are good for dessert.

PLAN AHEAD: Save enough carrots for Friday.

8/ 13

Meatless Thursday

SPICY CHEESE AND RICE BAKE (see recipe) has plenty of flavor without any fuss. Serve it with a SPINACH SALAD with thinly sliced red onion and toasted walnuts. Add WHOLE-GRAIN BREAD. How about some juicy FRESH APRICOTS for dessert?

8/ 14

Budget Friday

There’s nothing like a good sandwich such as GRILLED BRIE, BASIL AND TOMATOES ON SOURDOUGH BREAD to ease the food budget. Serve with BAKED CHIPS and leftover BABY CARROTS and add SWEET PICKLES. WATERMELON WEDGES are a messy, fun dessert.

8/ 15

Easy Entertaining Saturday

Invite guests for your GRILLED TUNA tonight. Add packaged LONG-GRAIN AND WILD RICE. Enjoy the bounty of summer tomatoes with POMODORO SALAD (see recipe). Add BAGUETTES. Buy FRUIT TARTS for dessert.

SHOPPING LIST: tuna to grill, packaged long-grain and wild rice, tomatoes, coarse salt, red onion, flatleaf parsley, garlic, fresh basil, fresh thyme or fresh oregano (or dried), extra-virgin olive oil, baguettes, fruit tarts.

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THE RECIPES

HAM, ASPARAGUS AND SWISS QUICHE (Monday)

1 refrigerated piecrust (from a 15-ounce package)

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium onion, sliced

8 ounces fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces

8 ounces leftover ham, cubed

2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped

3 whole eggs

1/2 cup 1 percent milk

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Dash hot sauce

8 ounces shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use a 10-inch quiche pan and prepare crust according to package directions for a 1-crust pie. Trim excess dough and refrigerate pan. In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter on medium-low and cook onion and asparagus 5 minutes or until softened. Reduce heat to low. Add ham and heat through. Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, nutmeg and hot sauce. Spoon vegetable-and-ham mixture into prepared piecrust. Add Swiss cheese and pour egg mixture over all. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until center is set. Serves 6.

Per serving: 428 calories, 27 grams protein, 27 grams fat (54 percent calories from fat), 12 grams saturated fat, 24 grams carbohydrate, 145 milligrams cholesterol, 751 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.

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SPICY CHEESE AND RICE BAKE (Thursday)

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies

6 ounces reduced-fat sour cream

4 cups cooked rice

4 ounces grated 50 percent reduced-fat cheddar cheese

3 tablespoons sliced pickled jalapeno peppers

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine tomatoes and sour cream. Layer half of rice, half of tomato mixture and half of cheese in the baking dish. Repeat layers. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and casserole is bubbly. Garnish with jalapeno peppers and cilantro. Serves 4.

Per serving: 359 calories, 15 grams protein, 10 grams fat (25 percent calories from fat), 6.4 grams saturated fat, 53 grams carbohydrate, 36 milligrams cholesterol, 745 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.

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POMODORO SALAD (Saturday)

4 ripe medium tomatoes

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 small red onion, sliced thinly, lengthwise

1/4 cup chopped flatleaf parsley

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons torn fresh basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme or oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Bring a small pot of water to boil; submerge each tomato for 10 seconds then immediately run under cold water. Remove skin. Cut out core, slice into thin wedges and place in medium bowl. Add salt and mix. Add onion, parsley, garlic, basil leaves, thyme or oregano and oil. Stir until well combined. Chill 30 minutes and serve. (Adapted from “Lucinda’s Rustic Italian Kitchen,” Lucinda Scala Quinn; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007.) Serves 6.

Per serving: 85 calories, 1 gram protein, 7 grams fat (70 percent calories from fat), 1 gram saturated fat, 6 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 327 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.