Planning Meals A Week Ahead Allows For More Family Dinners

THE MENU THIS WEEK

Meal 1  Oven Fried Tilapia

Roast  asparagus couscous OR

Long grain and wild rice and

Roast asparagus

Meal 2  Pork chops with apples and butternut squash

Tossed salad with Italian

Meal 3  Roast chicken

Cauliflower mash

Whole grain rolls

THE RECIPES meal 1

Pan sateed tilapia

2# bag Sea Best Tilapia filets

cupflour, corn meal, panko or bread crumbs

Seasoning of choice (try lemon pepper or Mrs. Dash herb blend for lower sodium)

Olive oil or canola oil

Dry off fish pieces.  Place flour (or other) and seasonings in a gallon zipper bag).  Drop 1-2 tilapia filets in the bags at a time and seal bag.  Shake or toss to coat.   Repeat until all filets are coated.  Heat large skillet to medium high with small amount of oil coating inside the pan.  Brown filets on both sides until fish flakes through to the center. 

Roasted asparagus

Wash and trim asparagus stalks.  Spread over baking sheet.  Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Broil in oven on the top rack placed on the top level.   Broil until limp tender and lightly browned.  May toss after the first few minus to prevent burning.  This will only take a few minutes to watch closely. 

Couscous or Rice-a-roni long grain and wild rice

Cook according to package directions.  (Choose cous cous for a low sodium diet).

THE RECIPES meal 2

Pork chops or pork roast with apples and butternut squash

For pork chops:

Hormel individually wrapped boneless pork chops

(will not need whole 2 lbs - save remainder for another meal)

cup broth or apple juice

2 medium apples (peeled and sliced)

1 medium onion sliced

1 small to medium butternut squash, peeled and diced (seeds removed)

1 tsp dry thyme

tsp rosemary

Coat inside of large skillet with cooking spray or 1 T olive oil.  On medim to medium high heat, brown pork chops on both sides, remove and set aside.  Add onions and satee until limp.  Pour in broth, apples, and squash.  Cover and simmer until squash is soft. Add thyme and rosemary and return chops to the pan.  Simmer until pork chops are cooked through tender and no longer pink. 

Variation - pork roast in crock pot

Use Boston pork roast in place of chops, above.  Trim fat from meat.  Season and sear on all sides in skillet with cooking spray or 1 T oil.  Place roast in slow cooker.  Pour remaining ingredients over roast.  Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8. 

Tossed salad

Fresh express bag salad tossed with fresh diced tomatoes.

Use Wishbone Italian dressing.  TIP: Before shaking to blend dressing the oil will be separated to the top of the bottle.  Pour some of the oil off the top to reduce the calories and fat content in the dressing. OR make your own dressing with extra virgin olive oil, Pompeian red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and seasoning.    

THE RECIPES meal 3

Rotisserie chicken

(so easy - its already done)

Cauliflower Mash

Steam cauliflower to soft with small amount of water in a saucepan over medium to medium/high heat.  Drain water and blend or mash cauliflower, season to taste.  

Warm rolls in oven just before serving. 

Shopping list (based on *sale Oct 10-Oct16, 2011)

Meat/frozen section

*2 lb Sea Best tilapia filets

*Pride of farm boston pork roast OR * 32 oz Hormel boneless pork chops

Deli

*Rotisserie chicken

Whole grain rolls

Produce

*Bunch of Asparagus

*1-2 Cauliflower

*2 apples

Medium onion

*1 small to medium butternut squash

Dry and canned

*1 box Rice-a-roni long grain and wild rice OR

1 box cous cous

*Wishbone Italian dressing

*Bertolli olive oil

Seasoning of