7-day menu planner

Serve with Parsley Buttered Potatoes and a Red-Tipped Lettuce Salad. Add whole-grain rolls. For dessert, sliced pound cake topped with strawberries is easy.

PLAN AHEAD: Save enough chicken and cake for Monday.

TIP: Ginger beer has a more pronounced ginger flavor than ginger ale and is available in the soft drink section of large supermarkets or online.

MONDAY (Heat and Eat)

Take advantage of leftover chicken and make Chicken with Long-Grain and Wild Rice (see recipe). Serve with a lettuce wedge and crusty rolls. For dessert, top the leftover cake with sliced peaches.

TUESDAY (Express)

Make dinner quick tonight with Grilled Ham and Swiss Sandwiches on Rye. Serve with roasted potato wedges (from frozen) and a packaged green salad. Enjoy some seasonal Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies for dessert.

PLAN AHEAD: Save enough cookies for Thursday.

WEDNESDAY (Budget)

The holidays are around the corner, so save some bucks with economical Cider Braised Chicken (see recipe). Add a mixed green salad and biscuits. For dessert, pears are tasty and inexpensive.

THURSDAY (Meatless)

Skip meat tonight and enjoy this Potato-Vegetable Frittata: In a medium bowl, beat 6 large eggs and 4 egg whites with 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Heat 1 Tablespoon canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 (24-ounce) bag frozen O’Brien potatoes, 2 cups frozen petite green peas and 1 (2-ounce) jar chopped pimentos (drained). Cover and cook 8 minutes, turning potatoes occasionally, or just until potatoes start to brown. Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour eggs over vegetables; cover and cook 6 to 8 minutes or until eggs have set. Cut into wedges and serve with salsa.

Add a Spinach Salad and toasted whole-grain English Muffins. Bring out the leftover cookies for dessert.

FRIDAY (Kids)

Mention the word “hamburger,” and the kids will come running for Hamburger Soup: In a large nonstick skillet, cook 1 pound lean ground beef for 5 minutes or until no longer pink; drain well. Add 4 cups water, 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes with liquid, 3 sliced medium carrots, 2 diced medium potatoes, 1/2 cup sliced celery, 4 beef bouillon cubes, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until potatoes and vegetables are tender. Add 1 cup frozen green beans. Cover and simmer 15 more minutes or until tender.

Serve with a chopped lettuce salad and breadsticks. Buy cupcakes for dessert.

SATURDAY (Easy Entertaining)

Tilapia with Sherry-Mushroom Sauce (see recipe) will please any guest. On the side, couscous and steamed asparagus are good. Add a baguette. Buy a cheesecake.

CHICKEN WITH LONG-GRAIN AND WILD RICE (Monday)

Servings: makes 8 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: about 35 minutes

3 teaspoons butter, divided

2 (8-ounce) packages sliced mushrooms

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 cups long-grain and wild rice (or enough to serve 8 according to package)

6 cups unsalted chicken broth (or liquid quantity advised on packages)

4 cups chopped cooked chicken

2/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley, plus more for garnish

Heat 2 teaspoons butter in a large pot on medium. Add mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper; stir and cook 6 minutes or until mushrooms are moist and browning. Add rice (discard seasoning packet); stir and cook 2 minutes. Add broth and remaining butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook according to rice package directions or until rice is tender and broth is nearly absorbed. Stir in chicken and sour cream. Cook, uncovered, on low 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is heated and rice is creamy. Stir in 2 Tablespoons parsley. Garnish with more chopped parsley upon serving.

Per serving: 351 calories, 28 grams protein, 7 grams fat (20% calories from fat), 3.4 grams saturated fat, 40 grams carbohydrate, 74 milligrams cholesterol, 294 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.

Carb count: 2.5.

CIDER BRAISED CHICKEN (Wednesday)

Servings: makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

2 to 2 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, skin-on and bone-in

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

3/4 cup butter, divided

2 cups apple cider

1 cup bone or chicken broth

2 Tablespoons coarse-grain Dijon mustard

1 cup wild rice, uncooked

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Thoroughly heat a large enameled Dutch oven on medium. Add oil and shallot to pan, sauteing until soft, about 1-2 minutes. Stir frequently, being careful not to burn. Add chicken; sear, skin side down, for 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. When cool enough to handle, slip about 1 tablespoon of butter underneath the skin of each thigh. (This will fry the skin from the inside out, resulting in crispier skin.) Pour the cider into the pan and bring to a boil, scraping off the bits from the bottom of the pan with the edge of a wooden spoon. Let reduce for 5 minutes. Add the broth and stir in mustard. Bring to a boil. Add rice, cover and carefully transfer to the oven for 20 minutes. Return chicken to pan, skin side up. Cover and transfer to the oven for 45 to 50 minutes more or until rice is cooked (see note) and the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 165 degrees. Uncover and broil chicken for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Stir in 1/4 cup butter and parsley; serve.

Note: Wild rice cooks very slowly. If chicken is cooked but rice needs more time, remove chicken from pan and continue to cook rice over medium heat on stovetop, covered, an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until rice is tender and no longer crunchy. Almost all of the liquid should be absorbed.

Per serving: 611 calories, 30 grams protein, 34 grams fat (50% calories from fat), 16.1 grams saturated fat, 46 grams carbohydrate, 136 milligrams cholesterol, 284 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.

Carb count: 3.

TILAPIA WITH SHERRY-MUSHROOM SAUCE (Saturday)

Servings: makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, divided

4 (5- or 6-ounce) tilapia fillets

3 teaspoons butter, divided

1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 Tablespoons dry sherry or unsalted chicken broth

2/3 cup unsalted chicken broth

1/4 cup skim milk

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon salt over fillets. Melt 1 1/2 teaspoons butter in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add fillets and cook 4 minutes on each side or until fish is opaque throughout. Remove fillets from skillet and keep warm. Melt remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons butter in skillet. Add 1/8 teaspoons salt, mushrooms and pepper; cook 4 minutes or until golden. Add sherry or 2 Tablespoons broth and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. In a bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup broth, milk and cornstarch. Add milk mixture to skillet and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and cook 1 minute. Spoon sauce over fish.

Per serving: 204 calories, 33 grams protein, 6 grams fat (25% calories from fat), 2.7 grams saturated fat, 6 grams carbohydrate, 79 milligrams cholesterol, 250 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.

Carb count: 0.5.

Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email: susan@7daymenu.com. Follow Susan on Twitter: @7DayMenu. The Menu Planner is also accessible at 7daymenuplanner.com. Read Susan’s blog: makingthemenu.com. And check out Susan’s book: “7-Day Menu Planner for Dummies” is on shelves now. Order yours on Amazon.com.