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7-Day Menu Planner

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By SUSAN NICHOLSON Universal Press Syndicate

Published: October 17, 2007

SUNDAY

(Family)

Make family day extra-special with grilled lamb kebabs with peaches (see recipe). Serve the lamb with couscous, asparagus, a romaine salad and multigrain bread. For dessert, top angel food cake with fat-free strawberry ice cream and fresh strawberries.

TIP: Save some lamb, cake and berries for Monday; save enough ice cream for Wednesday.

SHOPPING LIST: leg of lamb, red onion, peach jam, balsamic vinegar, fresh rosemary, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, peppercorns, 50 percent light cheddar cheese, fresh peaches, couscous, asparagus, romaine, multigrain bread, angel food cake, fat-free strawberry ice cream, fresh strawberries.

MONDAY

(Heat and Eat)

Make lamb pitas for dinner. Heat some of the leftover lamb (cut into small pieces) and sprinkle with a little cumin and dried oregano. Top 4 warmed no-pocket pitas with lamb, lettuce, sliced red onion, cucumbers and sliced tomatoes. Dollop with plain yogurt. Fold or roll and enjoy. Serve with deli tabbouleh. Top the leftover cake with leftover berries.

SHOPPING LIST: cumin, dried oregano, no-pocket pitas, lettuce, red onion, cucumbers, tomatoes, plain yogurt, deli tabbouleh.

TUESDAY

(Meatless)

For an easy no-meat dinner, try fettuccine with tomatoes and artichokes (see recipe). Serve with a lettuce wedge and garlic bread. Sliced kiwi fruit makes a good dessert.

SHOPPING LIST: fettuccine, canned quartered artichokes packed in water, plum tomatoes, canola oil, onion, basil pesto, reduced-sodium seasoned salt, minced roasted garlic, dry white wine, parmesan cheese, lettuce, garlic bread, kiwi fruit.

TIP: Look for jars of minced roasted garlic in produce.

WEDNESDAY

(Express)

I'm hooked on chili lime chicken burgers (such as Trader Joe's or another brand). They're frozen, are low in calories and fat and have acceptable sodium. Serve them on toasted whole-wheat buns with sliced avocado, tomatoes and lettuce. Add baked chips. For dessert, scoop some leftover ice cream.

TIP: Use any chicken burger or make your own.

SHOPPING LIST: frozen chili lime chicken burgers, whole-wheat buns, avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, baked chips.

THURSDAY

(Kids)

Make it fast tonight with fish stick wraps. Prepare any packaged frozen breaded fish sticks according to directions. Meanwhile, warm fat-free tortillas. Place fish in tortillas, top with tartar sauce and chopped lettuce, and wrap. Serve with hash-browned potatoes (frozen) and tiny green peas (frozen). Bite into a juicy nectarine for dessert.

SHOPPING LIST: frozen breaded fish sticks, fat-free tortillas, tartar sauce, lettuce, frozen hash-browned potatoes, frozen tiny green peas, nectarines.

FRIDAY

(Budget)

This economical chicken stew (see recipe) goes into our 'favorites' file. Serve the stew over brown rice and add a green salad and crusty rolls. Pears are an easy dessert.

SHOPPING LIST: canola oil, onion, garlic, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, curry powder, Caribbean jerk seasoning, black peppercorns, dry red wine, capers, canned black beans, canned Italian-style diced tomatoes, brown rice, salad greens, crusty rolls, pears.

SATURDAY

(Easy Entertaining)

Serve your guests cornmeal-crusted scallops. In a resealable plastic bag, combine 1 pound sea scallops, 3 tablespoons cornmeal and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and paprika; shake to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add scallops and cook 3 minutes, turning once, until golden and just cooked through. (Adapted from Woman's Day magazine.)

Serve with corn-on-the-cob and chipotle slaw. Toss 1 (16-ounce) bag coleslaw mix with 1/3 cup coleslaw dressing and 1/4 cup chipotle chili-flavored light or regular mayonnaise. (From Woman's Day.) Add sliced tomatoes and crusty rolls. Buy fruit tarts for dessert.

SHOPPING LIST: sea scallops, cornmeal, salt, paprika, canola oil, corn-on-the-cob, coleslaw mix, coleslaw dressing, chipotle chili-flavored light or regular mayonnaise, tomatoes, crusty rolls, fruit tarts.

Susan Nicholson can be reached at menuplanner@mindspring .com. The Menu Planner is also accessible at www.7daymenu

GRILLED LAMB KEBABS WITH PEACHES (Sunday)

3 pounds leg of lamb, cut into 1 1/2 -inch cubes

1 small red onion, cut into 1/2 -inch wedges

1/3 cup peach jam

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons fresh cracked pepper

16 light (50 percent) cheddar cheese cubes ( 1/2 -inch cubes)

2 peeled, halved fresh peaches

Preparation time: 25 minutes; marinating time: 4 to 8 hours

Cooking time: less than 15 minutes

Soak 16 wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes. Place lamb cubes and onion in a large pan. In a medium bowl, combine jam, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, garlic, red wine vinegar, oil, salt and pepper; pour over lamb and onion. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 8 hours. Remove lamb; discard marinade. Alternate lamb and onion on each skewer. Grill kebabs about 4 minutes per side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill, cover and let stand. Grill peaches, cut side down, 3 minutes or until browned and juicy. Cut each peach half into 4 wedges. To serve, place a peach wedge and one cheese cube on each skewer. Makes 8 servings

284 calories, 37 grams protein, 11 grams fat (38 percent calories from fat), 3.8 grams saturated fat, 6 grams carbohydrate, 113 milligrams cholesterol, 220 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.

FETTUCCINE WITH TOMATOES AND ARTICHOKES (Tuesday)

8 ounces fettuccine

1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichokes packed in water

6 plum tomatoes
1 tablespoon canola oil

1 chopped onion

1 tablespoon basil pesto
1 teaspoon reduced-sodium seasoned salt

1 teaspoon minced roasted garlic

1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes, plus fettuccine

Cook fettuccine according to directions; drain, but reserve 1/4 cup cooking water. Cut artichokes and tomatoes into 1/2 -inch cubes. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until softened. Add pesto, salt and garlic. Cover and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine and stir to loosen browned bits of food in skillet. Add artichokes and tomatoes. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally or until tomatoes begin to soften and sauce is hot. Add reserved cooking water and drained pasta. Toss to mix. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve. Makes 4 servings

348 calories, 13 grams protein, 8 grams fat (21 percent calories from fat), 1.6 grams saturated fat, 55 grams carbohydrate, 5 milligrams cholesterol, 297 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.

CHICKEN STEW (Friday)

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (see Note)

1 teaspoon curry powder

2 teaspoons Caribbean jerk seasoning

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/4 cup dry red wine

2 tablespoons drained capers

1 (16-ounce) can rinsed and drained black beans

1 (14.5-ounce) can undrained Italian-style diced tomatoes

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: about 20 minutes

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes or until tender. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, curry, jerk seasoning and pepper. Add chicken mixture to pan; cook 4 minutes. Stir in wine, capers, beans and tomatoes. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes or until tender. Makes 6 servings

Note: Avoid chicken that has been 'enhanced' with 'salt,' 'sodium,' 'broth' or 'brine' as indicated on the label.

181 calories, 22 grams protein, 3 grams fat (16 percent calories from fat), 0.4 gram saturated fat, 13 grams carbohydrate, 44 milligrams cholesterol, 564 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.

planner.com.

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