By now, you are surely aware that I’m a person who likes data and information. I collect it almost without thought, whether it’s the number of tomatoes we harvest in a summer or the amount we spent on Chipotle in 2014 (thank you, budget record keeping for the last decade). Another prime example: as I was making our weekly menu on Saturday, I realized that I had inadvertently collected a record of our weekly menus for all of 2021. (I clear out the backlog in our recipe binder periodically, but hadn’t done so in a while, I guess!) Being the curious person I am, I immediately started tallying to figure out our most popular meals from the last year, just for fun. Want to see? :) 1. Chickpea, Kale, and Sausage Pasta | No surprises here! This is the favorite meal of pretty much everyone in our house (June chose it for her birthday dinner!). Turns out we made it 18 times in the last year, or about once every three weeks. 2. Spaghetti | This is a bit of a catch-all, as we rotate between spaghetti, bucatini, and linguine for our noodle of the day. For the sauce, I’ll usually brown ground beef and a diced onion then add in lots of Rao’s marinara and serve with garlic bread and a green salad (with Olive Garden dressing – did you know they sell it in grocery stores??). (16 times) 3. Chicken Tikka Masala | This has been a favorite for years – I can practically make it in my sleep! Making the masala paste is the most time-intensive part, but one batch yields enough for 4-6 meals (I measure out the amount needed per recipe and toss the bags in the freezer). We add frozen peas and serve with

Since y’all seemed to like my post sharing a month of meals in January, I thought I’d pop back in with a spring edition! I’m not surprised that post was popular, as I’m always looking for new tried-and-true recipes myself. Hopefully you’ll find a few recipes in today’s post that look promising enough to add to your own rotation! A few things: — You’ll note that since April was a much busier month than January for us, many of our meals were, ahem, simpler. Grace and a side of vegetables was and is the name of the game. — I’ve marked with an asterisk any recipe we were making for the first time. Photo from Pinch of Yum Week 1: Saturday, April 1: out Sunday, April 2: chicken piccata and sauteed asparagus Monday, April 3: meatball subs and sauteed broccoli Tuesday, April 4: chicken tikka masala, rice, and naan Wednesday, April 5: sweet potato burritos with avocado salsa Thursday, April 6: buffalo chicken pizza and salad (Publix dough, frozen buffalo chicken, chopped red onion, shredded cheese, and Whole Foods 365 blue cheese sauce) Friday, April 7: potstickers (family recipe) Week 2: Saturday, April 8: vegetarian black bean enchiladas Sunday, April 9: hot dogs and sauteed broccoli Monday, April 10: lemon parmesan pasta with grilled chicken Tuesday, April 11: peanut noodles with carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms (from Pretty Delicious) Wednesday, April 12: chana masala, rice, and naan Thursday, April 13: grilled sweet potato tacos (loose interpretation) Friday, April 14: out Week 3: Saturday, April 15: out Sunday, April 16 (Easter!): ham, mashed potatoes, green beans with shallots, salad, and rolls Monday, April 17: ham sandwiches and salad Tuesday, April 18: Articles Club night – I brought guacamole from this recipe and Mexican corn Wednesday, April 19: three pepper pizza and salad