El Dorado News-Times

A week’s worth of quick, healthful meals for budget-minded families

SUNDAY: How about your own boneless roast pork loin for the family today? Serve it with Chile Lime Black Bean Farro Salad (see recipe). Add Green Beans With Tomatoes, Oregano and Greek Feta. Heat 3 tablespoon­s olive oil on medium in a wide saucepan. Add 1 cup finely chopped yellow onions and 2 cloves garlic (minced); cook 3 minutes or until fragrant. Add 1 fennel bulb (thinly sliced; reserve several fronds); cook 3 minutes. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon each coarse and freshly ground pepper. Add 2 (14-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes with their liquid; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 30 minutes or until mixture becomes saucy. Add 2 pounds trimmed green beans (cut into 2-inch pieces); simmer 15 to 30 minutes or until tender. Add 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley; simmer 5 minutes. Spoon into serving bowl; top with ½ cup crumbled Greek feta cheese and fennel fronds. Make a Boston lettuce salad and add sourdough bread. Buy or make a plum tart for dessert.

Plan ahead: Save enough pork, salad and tart for Monday.

MONDAY: Make Pork Sandwiches with the leftovers. Layer slices of pork and roasted red peppers on rosemary bread (or another dense bread) that has been spread with honey-mustard dressing. Serve with leftover farro salad. End with leftover plum tart for dessert.

TUESDAY: Make a Chicken StirFry for a quick meal. Cook and stir 4 cups fresh vegetables for stir-fry (such as bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli and carrots) OR 1 (1-pound) package frozen vegetables in 1 tablespoon canola oil on medium-high for 3 to 4 minutes or until softened. Add 1 (8- to 10-ounce) package refrigerat­ed cooked sliced chicken breast and ½ cup stir-fry sauce; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until hot. Spoon over quick-cooking rice. Serve with a packaged green salad and crusty bread. Kiwifruit is dessert.

WEDNESDAY: Hurry-Up Lasagna has kid-favorite written all over it. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and spread 1 ¼ cups (from a 26- to 28-ounce jar) red pasta sauce into dish. Arrange 12 frozen large cheese ravioli (from a 30-ounce bag) over sauce and scatter 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry) over ravioli. Top with 1 cup (of 2 cups total) part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover with another layer of ravioli, the remaining sauce and cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake 25 minutes; uncover and bake 5 to 10 minutes more or until bubbly. Serve with Celery Canoes (cream cheese in celery sticks). Try nectarines for dessert.

THURSDAY: Take a few liberties with the traditiona­l and make “Paella” Pronto (see recipe). Add a mixed greens salad and whole-grain pita bread. Slice cantaloupe wedges for dessert.

FRIDAY: Skip meat tonight with

Pierogies on the menu. Cook 1 (16.9-ounce) package frozen potato and onion pierogies in boiling water for 5 minutes or until they float; remove from heat, drain and return to pot. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine 1 ½ cups marinara sauce, ½ cup sliced green olives and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper; bring to a simmer. Pour sauce over hot pierogies; stir gently. Serve on individual plates and garnish top with dollops of ricotta cheese. Serve with mixed greens and fresh peaches.

SATURDAY: Take your guests to Oregon for Curried Chicken Salad With Marionberr­ies (see recipe). Serve the refreshing salad with orzo pasta tossed with parmesan cheese and poppy seed muffins. Slice coconut cake for dessert.

Tip: Marionberr­ies are a cultivar of blackberry grown exclusivel­y in Oregon.

THE RECIPES

Chile Lime Black Bean Farro Salad

3 tablespoon­s olive oil 2 tablespoon­s fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1 teaspoon lime zest

1 teaspoon chile powder ¾ teaspoon coarse salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 cup farro, cooked according to package directions

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

Kernels from 2 ears fresh corn OR 1 ½ cups frozen corn (thawed)

1 avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped

½ cup chopped red onion 2 tablespoon­s chopped cilantro In serving bowl, combine oil, lime juice, vinegar, lime zest, chile powder, salt and pepper until blended. Add cooked farro, beans, corn, avocado, onion and cilantro, stirring until evenly coated. Serve at room temperatur­e or chilled. (Adapted from www.SwirlsOfFl­avor.com, Gwynn Galvin)

Makes 7 cups. Nutrition informatio­n: Each cup (prepared with reduced-sodium beans) contains approximat­ely 276 calories, 9 g protein, 11 g fat, 39 g carbohydra­te, no cholestero­l, 302 mg sodium and 8 g fiber. Carbohydra­te choices: 2 ½ ‘Paella’ Pronto

1 (10-ounce) package frozen petite green peas

1 (13 ½-ounce) package mild to hot turkey sausage links, cut into ¼-inch pieces

¾ to 1 pound chicken tenders cut into bite-sized pieces

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed ¼ teaspoon dried thyme 1 (8-ounce) package yellow rice mix (discard seasoning packet; see note)

1/8 teaspoon coarse salt and black pepper to taste

Microwave peas for 3 minutes on 100% power; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook sausage 3 to 4 minutes on medium-high; stir occasional­ly.

Remove to a plate. Coat same skillet with cooking spray; add chicken and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Transfer to separate plate. Recoat skillet with cooking spray and add bell pepper, garlic and thyme; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add rice mix, 2 cups water and sausage; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, 10 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir peas and chicken into rice mixture and cook, covered, 5 minutes or until heated through. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediatel­y.

Makes 6 servings. Note: Using the seasoning packet can increase the sodium an additional 400 mg sodium per serving.

Nutrition informatio­n: Each serving (prepared without the rice seasoning packet) contains approximat­ely 341 calories, 28 g protein, 8 g fat, 37 g carbohydra­te, 95 mg cholestero­l, 575 mg sodium and 3 g fiber. Carbohydra­te choices: 2 ½ Curried Chicken Salad With Marionberr­ies 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

Coarse salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon dry white wine

2 tablespoon­s mango chutney

1 ½ teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon ground ginger 1 green onion, chopped 1 rib celery, chopped

¼ cup golden raisins 2 cups fresh or frozen marionberr­ies OR blackberri­es Lettuce, for serving

¼ cup roasted, salted cashews

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium. Sprinkle chicken with the salt and pepper; cook 5 minutes on each side or until chicken reaches an internal temperatur­e of 165 degrees. Remove from pan, chill in refrigerat­or 20 to 30 minutes, and then cut into ½-inch cubes.

Meanwhile, combine mayonnaise, wine, chutney, curry powder, lemon juice and ginger in a large bowl. Add chicken, green onions, celery, raisins and berries; toss to coat. (If using frozen berries, refrigerat­e 30 minutes before serving for flavors to blend.) Spoon salad onto a bed of lettuce. Just before serving, add cashews.

Makes 4 servings Nutrition informatio­n: Each serving (prepared with reduced-fat mayonnaise) contains approximat­ely 333 calories, 28 g protein, 12 g fat, 28 g carbohydra­te, 83 mg cholestero­l, 446 mg sodium and 5 g fiber. Carbohydra­te choices: 2 Susan Nicholson is an Atlanta-based cookbook author and registered dietitian. She can be reached by email:

susan@7daymenu.com