Dinner Diva Menu Week of 9/7

Monday: Out to eat

Alternate: try fish packets:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1626,154168-224201,00.html

Tuesday: leftovers
Alternate: grilled shrimp, steamed brown rice, steam-in-a-bag veggies of choice

Wednesday: Meal Swap, Kary's turn to cook

Thursday: Meal Swap, my turn to cook: I'm making a grilled whole chicken with oven roasted vegetables and homemade bread

To grill a whole chicken, coat a foil roasting pan with cooking spray. Rinse and pat dry a whole chicken. Place the chicken in the foil roasting pan, sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Place on a hot grill over indirect heat for approximately 15 minutes per pound. It will come out tender, juicy, with a crisp, golden-brown skin.

For the veggies: Cut up carrots, potatoes (fingerling potatoes are wonderful in this), onions, and your choice of squash (I like acorn or butternut)...sweet potatoes are also good. Toss with a light coating of olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Arrange in a single layer in a casserole dish, and bake uncovered for about an hour at 400 degrees, stirring about every 15 minutes.

Friday: homemade mac-n-cheese, steamed broccoli, fresh cut watermelon

Heidi's Mac-N-Cheese

1/2 box whole wheat rotini pasta
1 cup preshredded colby-jack cheese or mexican blend
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup 2% milk
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Cook pasta to al dente. Drain. Pour hot pasta back into the saucepan you used to cook it. Leave it on the still-hot burner with the burner off. Add cheeses, yogurt, and milk, and stir until cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve. Makes 2-3 servings.

Saturday: pizza, carrots

Sunday: Hamburgers, baked sweet potatoes or sweet potato fries, broccoli slaw