12/ 8
Family Sunday
Present the family with savory PORK ROAST WITH APRICOT GINGER GLAZE today. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 2 teaspoons less-sodium seasoned salt and 1 teaspoon dried thyme. Rub on all sides of a 2-pound boneless pork loin roast. Bake 20 minutes per pound or until internal temperature is 145 degrees.
Meanwhile, combine 1/2 cup apricot preserves, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce and 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger. Coat roast with apricot mixture the last 10 minutes of baking. Remove roast from oven and tent with foil; let stand 3 minutes. Slice and serve.
To go with the roast, bake SWEET POTATOES. Slash the tops, and drizzle with a mixture of a little apple juice and cinnamon. Serve with FRESH BROCCOLI and make CORNBREAD (from a mix). Scoop LIME SHERBET for dessert.
PLAN AHEAD: Save enough pork and bake 2 extra sweet potatoes for Monday. Save enough sherbet for Tuesday.
12/ 9
Heat-and-Eat Monday
Take advantage of leftovers for BAKED PORK WITH CORN AND SWEET POTATOES. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 7-by-11-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed low-fat broccoli cheese soup, 1 (16-ounce) can rinsed no-salt-added corn, 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked pork, 2 diced cooked sweet potatoes, 1/2 cup 1 percent milk and 2 beaten eggs. Stir until blended. Bake 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Serve with a SPINACH SALAD and WHOLE-GRAIN ROLLS. For dessert, sprinkle CHUNKY APPLESAUCE with cinnamon.
12/ 10
Budget Tuesday
These OVEN-GRILLED REUBENS (see recipe) are easy on the pocketbook and the palate. Serve them with DILL PICKLES and MIXED GREENS. Scoop leftover SHERBET for dessert.
12/ 11
Kids Wednesday
Calling all kids for TACO PIE (see recipe). Munch on CARROT AND CELERY STICKS on the side. For dessert, pop a few FROZEN GRAPES (seedless) into your mouth. (Wash and spread halved grapes on a cookie sheet and freeze for 1 hour.)
TIP: Frozen grapes keep in plastic bags up to two months.
12/ 12
Express Thursday
Make it quick with CRUNCHY TURKEY AND CHEESE WRAPS. Spread low-fat mayonnaise onto 4 (8-inch) fat-free whole-grain tortillas. Layer lettuce, sliced tomatoes, 3 slices thinly sliced deli turkey and 1 slice (2 percent) cheese down center of each tortilla. Top with baked potato chips. Roll and fold the filled tortilla. Serve with canned BEAN SOUP. Try store-bought BROWNIES for dessert.
PLAN AHEAD: Buy enough brownies for Friday.
12/ 13
Meatless Friday
GARLICKY TORTELLINI, SPINACH AND TOMATO SOUP (see recipe) will be on everyone’s favorites list. Serve with a ROMAINE SALAD WITH SLICED EGGS (hard-cooked) and WHOLE-GRAIN ROLLS. Warm the leftover BROWNIES and top them with fat-free VANILLA ICE CREAM for dessert.
PLAN AHEAD: Save enough ice cream for Saturday.
12/ 14
Easy Entertaining Saturday
No need to go to the beach for HAWAIIAN FLANK STEAK when you can prepare it for guests at home. Combine 1 (6-ounce) can pineapple juice with 3 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoons chopped green onions and 1 teaspoon garlic powder in a shallow dish. Add 1 pound flank steak; turn to coat. Cover and marinate 15 minutes in refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator; pour marinade into a small pan; grill or broil steak 10 minutes on each side for medium doneness. Stir 2 teaspoons cornstarch into marinade in pan; bring to boil; boil 1 minute. Stir until hot and slightly thick; serve sauce with steak.
Accompany the tropical-flavored steak with RICE and SUGAR SNAP PEAS. Add SOURDOUGH ROLLS. For dessert, sprinkle toasted COCONUT over leftover ICE CREAM.
THE RECIPES
OVEN-GRILLED REUBENS (Tuesday)
Makes 6 sandwiches
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 to 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 cups refrigerated sauerkraut, rinsed and well-drained
3/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
3/4 cup fat-free Thousand Island dressing
12 slices rye bread (without caraway seeds)
6 (1-ounce) slices reduced-fat Swiss cheese
1 pound shaved corned beef (see NOTE)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together sauerkraut and caraway seeds. Spread dressing on one side of each bread slice. To 6 slices, add cheese, sauerkraut mixture and corned beef. Top with other 6 slices bread (dressing side down). Coat a rimmed baking pan with cooking spray and arrange sandwiches on pan. Coat a second baking pan with spray and put coated side down on sandwiches and press lightly. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Check after 10 minutes. (Adapted from Southern Living magazine.)
NOTE: To reduce sodium, substitute sliced turkey for corned beef.
Per sandwich: 404 calories, 33 grams protein, 12 grams fat (25 percent calories from fat), 5.1 grams saturated fat, 45 grams carbohydrate, 61 milligrams cholesterol, 1,758 milligrams sodium, 6 grams fiber.
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TACO PIE (Wednesday)
Makes 6 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: less than 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 pound lean ground beef
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes and mild green chiles
1 (11-ounce) can no-salt-added corn, rinsed
1 (1.25-ounce) packet less-sodium taco seasoning
6 (5-inch) corn tortillas, each cut into 4 wedges
1 cup shredded 50 percent reduced-fat cheddar cheese
Reduced-fat sour cream, shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes for garnish
In a large nonstick skillet, cook beef 5 minutes or until no longer pink; drain well. Stir in tomatoes and chiles, corn and taco seasoning. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Pour into medium bowl. Wipe skillet clean; coat with cooking spray. Cover bottom with 8 tortilla wedges. Top with 1 1/2 cups beef mixture, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Repeat layers twice. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 10 minutes or until layers can be easily pierced with tip of knife. Cut into wedges with a plastic spatula. Serve with garnishes.
Per serving: 292 calories, 25 grams protein, 8 grams fat (25 percent calories from fat), 3.5 grams saturated fat, 30 grams carbohydrate, 52 milligrams cholesterol, 487 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
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GARLICKY TORTELLINI, SPINACH AND TOMATO SOUP (Friday)
Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: less than 10 minutes
Cooking time: about 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 to 8 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups unsalted vegetable broth (such as Pacific or another unsalted broth)
6 to 8 ounces fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
10 ounces fresh spinach, stems removed, coarsely chopped
8 to 10 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano for serving
Melt butter in a Dutch oven on medium high. Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add broth; bring to boil. Add tortellini and cook about 5 minutes for frozen or less if fresh. Add tomatoes, reduce heat to simmer and cook just until pasta is tender. Stir in spinach and basil; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until wilted. Serve sprinkled with grated cheese. (Adapted from “Fine Cooking Soups & Stews,” editors of Fine Cooking; Taunton Press, 2013.)
Per serving: 239 calories, 9 grams protein, 9 grams fat (33 percent calories from fat), 5.1 grams saturated fat, 32 grams carbohydrate, 31 milligrams cholesterol, 286 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.
