Seven-Day Menu Planner

8/ 10

Family Sunday

Gather the family for HONEY-ROASTED PORK. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place 1 (2- to 3-pound) well-trimmed boneless pork loin roast on a rack coated with cooking spray in a shallow, foil-lined roasting pan. Combine 1/4 cup honey, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons crushed black peppercorns, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt; mix well. Brush half the mixture over roast. Bake 20 minutes per pound. Brush roast with remaining honey mixture halfway through baking time. Bake until meat thermometer registers 145 degrees at thickest part. Remove from oven, tent with foil and let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Add BROWN RICE WITH PECANS AND APPLES (see recipe), fresh GREEN BEANS and SOURDOUGH BREAD. For dessert, FRESH RASPBERRIES with light whipped cream are perfect.

PLAN AHEAD: If time permits, prepare brown rice the day before.

8/ 11

Kids Monday

Make DELI DOGS for the kids. Combine 1/2 cup chopped tomato, 1/4 cup chopped banana peppers and 1 (2 1/4-ounce) can drained sliced black olives. Spoon mixture over heated hot dogs on whole-grain buns and spread with mustard.

Serve with CORN-ON-THE-COB and fresh BABY CARROTS. The kids will like WATERMELON SLICES for dessert.

TIP: Choose lowest-fat, lowest-sodium hot dogs.

8/ 12

Budget Tuesday

Save a few bucks with FOUR-BEAN BAKE. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a 3-quart baking dish, mix together 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can rinsed reduced-sodium black beans, 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can rinsed reduced-sodium pinto beans, 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can rinsed reduced-sodium red kidney beans, 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can rinsed reduced-sodium small red beans, 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce, 6 slices cooked crumbled bacon, 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, 1 cup finely chopped onion and 1 tablespoon ground cumin. Cover and bake 30 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover and top with 4 ounces shredded 50 percent reduced-fat cheddar cheese and 1 cup broken baked corn chips. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Serve over RICE and add deli COLESLAW and CORNBREAD (from a mix) on the side. FRESH PEACHES are your dessert.

PLAN AHEAD: Save enough Bean Bake and cook enough rice for Wednesday.

8/ 13

Heat-and-Eat Wednesday

Dinner will be quick tonight with TACOS on the menu. Spoon the heated leftover Bean Bake into heated taco shells. Add leftover RICE and top with salsa. Scoop fat-free VANILLA ICE CREAM onto CANTALOUPE SLICES for dessert.

8/ 14

Express Thursday

No one will complain about SALAD BAR PIZZA tonight. Top any hot pizza (frozen) with chopped romaine, sliced olives, sliced fresh carrots, chopped green onions and tomatoes. Drizzle a light vinaigrette over top and add coarse salt and pepper to taste. Slice and serve. For dessert, introduce the family to DRAGON FRUIT and add ALMOND COOKIES.

TIP: Dragon fruit is found in most grocers’ produce sections.

8/ 15

Meatless Friday

We’re always in the mood for MUSHROOM BURGERS. For each serving, brush the cap of a stemmed portobello mushroom with olive oil and season with coarse salt and pepper. Grill or broil 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve on a toasted whole-grain bun with LETTUCE, TOMATOES, ROASTED RED PEPPERS and MAYONNAISE (low-fat).

Add SWEET POTATO FRIES (frozen) on the side. Enjoy NECTARINES for dessert.

8/ 16

Easy Entertaining Saturday

Invite guests for GRILLED ORANGE-GARLIC SHRIMP SKEWERS (see recipe). On the side, make your own ROSEMARY-ROASTED RED POTATOES. Serve with BROCCOLI. Add a BOSTON LETTUCE SALAD and CRUSTY ROLLS. Cool down with MOCHA-HAZELNUT GRANITA (see recipe) for dessert.

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THE RECIPES

BROWN RICE WITH PECANS AND APPLES (Sunday)

Servings: Makes 8 servings

Preparation time: about 10 minutes

Cooking time: about 30 minutes, plus rice; standing time: 5 minutes

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

3 cups brown rice, cooked

1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth

1 small red apple, cored and chopped

3 tablespoons chopped pecans

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add onion and mushrooms and cook 3 minutes or until onion is golden. To a 3-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray, add onion mixture, cooked rice, broth, apple, pecans and poultry seasoning; mix well. Cover and bake 30 minutes or until hot. Remove from oven, let stand 5 minutes and fluff with fork.

Per serving: 125 calories, 3 grams protein, 3 grams fat (23 percent calories from fat), 0.4 gram saturated fat, 22 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 32 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.

Carb choices: 1 1/2.

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GRILLED ORANGE-GARLIC SHRIMP SKEWERS (Saturday)

Servings: Makes 4 skewers

Preparation time: 20 minutes; marinating time: 3 hours

Grilling time: 6 minutes

16 (U-10 size) shrimp (10 per pound without heads, unpeeled)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped flatleaf parsley

1 orange, zested, then sliced and quartered into wedges

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

Peel and devein shrimp. Place oil, garlic, parsley, orange zest, salt and pepper into a resealable plastic bag; massage the bag with your hands to combine ingredients. Add shrimp; seal and toss to coat. Chill 3 hours.

When ready to grill, skewer (metal) one end of 1 shrimp, then 1 orange wedge, then the other end of the shrimp (so orange wedge is between tail and head of shrimp). Then skewer a piece of bell pepper, then another shrimp and orange wedge; repeat process with remaining shrimp, orange wedges and bell pepper pieces, so there are 4 shrimp on each skewer. Lay finished skewers on a plate and drizzle with marinade in bag. Heat grill to medium; grill 3 minutes per side or until shrimp are pink and opaque. (Adapted from “Gale Gand’s Lunch!” by Gale Gand; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014.)

Per skewer: 194 calories, 22 grams protein, 8 grams fat (39 percent calories from fat), 1.1 grams saturated fat, 8 grams carbohydrate, 192 milligrams cholesterol, 463 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.