Sunday
This week, buy smoked turkey breasts for family day and use it in two other meals throughout the week to get dinner on the table fast.
Serve with: Add corn on the cob along with Moroccan Orange Beet Salad and whole-grain rolls. For dessert, slice pound cake and top it with strawberry sauce and light whipped cream.
Plan ahead: Save enough turkey for Monday and Tuesday; save enough cake for Monday.
Moroccan Orange Beet Salad
Servings: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: none
Ingredients
1 (16-ounce) jar whole pickled beets, drained and quartered
1 (15-ounce) can rinsed reduced-sodium chickpeas
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups mixed baby salad greens
1/3 cup crumbled Greek feta cheese
1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
Directions
Place beets and chickpeas in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Pour over beet mixture and toss gently to coat. Arrange greens on 4 individual plates. Spoon beet mixture over greens; sprinkle with cheese and pistachios.
Monday
Make Turkey BLT Roll-Ups for a quick meal. Spread a horseradish-mayonnaise blend on flour tortillas. Top with shredded lettuce, thinly sliced tomatoes, leftover turkey slices and crumbled bacon. Roll and serve with deli broccoli salad. Top leftover cake with chocolate ice cream for dessert.
Plan ahead: Save enough broccoli salad for Tuesday; save enough ice cream for Thursday.
Tuesday
Saving money tastes great with an open-face turkey sandwich on dense white bread: Place the bread on a plate, top with warmed sliced leftover turkey and heated turkey gravy. Make or buy mashed potatoes and add the leftover broccoli salad. For dessert, sliced peaches are easy.
Wednesday
With just a few ingredients, you can have Mac N Cheese with Shrimp.
Cook pasta from 2 (12-ounce) boxes creamy cheese sauce and shell pasta according to directions. Two minutes before pasta is done, add 12 ounces frozen medium shrimp (cooked, peeled and deveined). Continue to cook, stirring often, 2 minutes or until shrimp are opaque. Drain pasta and shrimp; return to pot. Stir in cheese sauce and mix well. Pour into serving dish. As you serve, top each serving with some salsa.
Serve with: A romaine salad and garlic bread on the side, with fresh pineapple spears for a tasty dessert.
Thursday
Here come the kids for your Beany Enchiladas: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread flour tortillas with canned vegetarian refried beans. Sprinkle with shredded 50% reduced-fat cheddar cheese; roll. Place in baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with canned enchilada sauce and more shredded cheese to taste. Bake 20 minutes or until heated through.
Serve with: Sliced avocados on lettuce. Top leftover ice cream with chocolate sprinkles for dessert.
Friday
Skip meat tonight and enjoy a Tomato-Olive Frittata.
Serve with: Steamed fresh yellow squash, a spinach salad with egg wedges and toasted whole-grain English muffins. Tapioca pudding is an easy dessert.
Tomato-Olive Frittata
Servings: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35 to 40 minutes
Ingredients
3 large eggs
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups shredded 50% reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 (3.8-ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 cup seeded and chopped tomato
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk 1 whole egg with flour until blended. Whisk in remaining eggs, egg whites and pepper. Stir in cheese, olives, green onions, tomato and Italian seasoning. Spread in a 7-by-11-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden and center is set.
Saturday
Our guests wanted the recipe for Lemon Caper Chicken, a dish made for easy entertaining.
Serve with: Linguine tossed in olive oil. Add a mixed green salad and Italian bread. Buy fruit tarts for dessert.
Lemon Caper Chicken
Servings: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
1 pound sliced skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken broth
4 lemon slices
1 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup capers, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Combine flour, salt and cracked pepper. Lightly coat both sides of chicken pieces in flour mixture. Reserve remaining flour mixture. Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Brown chicken on both sides; set aside. Add wine to skillet and boil 1 minute, scraping up any browned bits. Combine reserved flour mixture and chicken broth, stirring until smooth; add to skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; add lemon slices and reserved chicken to skillet. Simmer until sauce has thickened and chicken is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in spinach, capers, lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon butter; cook until spinach is just wilted and butter is melted, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
