In an effort to be a whole lot more organized this year, and because everyone is always posting what delicious food they make, here is what I have been serving my family for the past week. I also envision this being a detailed account of how I fail miserably at meal planning when life gets too busy. But hey, it’s real life. Speaking of real life, I am not and never will be a food blogger. If I ever were to post food pictures for you, I apologize in advance for how awful they are.

• Saturday: I had a beef brisket leftover from this past week that I never got around to making. Rather than let that expensive piece of beef go to waste, I made French Dip sandwiches using the slow cooker. It was quite tasty, if I do say so myself. Plus, with only three ingredients, I am not certain a recipe could be any easier.
• Sunday: Since Easter means spring, I chose to make Lemon Chicken Risotto to incorporate some the fresh taste of lemon. Alongside a simple salad and a loaf of Italian bread, it was a delicious end to the weekend. Even better, there were just enough leftovers for my lunch tomorrow. Woohoo!
• Monday: I decided to start the week with something simple and healthy, so chicken fajitas made the menu. Jim actually made dinner, something in which I took great delight because it always makes me giggle to watch him be so careful measuring ingredients. (My method of cooking is to eyeball measurements; in fact, I teach the kids that cooking should be imprecise and to save the precision for baking.) Still, he did a great job, and the fajitas were delicious. Given how easily and quickly it all came together, I can see this being a regular menu item in the future.
• Tuesday: Since it was another gorgeous spring day, I wanted to take advantage of the weather and put Jim to work at the same time. He got to prep and grill chicken breasts while I made White Cheddar Truffled Macaroni and Cheese. I offset the luxuriousness of the pasta with a kale Caesar salad and feel pretty smug about it. This was one meal in which no one complained; Connor and I even had to come to an agreement about the few leftovers. (I won.)
• Wednesday: I think everyone was a bit tired of chicken by this point, so I switched to beef and had Jim make grill burgers. There really is nothing better, is there? I added to it a copycat version of Cracker Barrel’s Hashbrown Casserole, added a vegetable to assuage my guilt at another indulgent side dish, and called it a night. There was more fighting over leftovers again (I won again.)
• Thursday: Connor had a track meet and Holly, of course, had dance. Jim and I couldn’t be bothered with cooking anything tonight, plus we forgot to marinate the chicken. Therefore, we hit up some of the leftovers we have.
• Friday: Holly and I spent the evening at the opening night of this weekend’s dance competition, so we grabbed a quick dinner after the awards ceremony for the night. Jim and Connor were stuck finishing some of the remaining leftovers from this week’s meals. Practical, convenient, and frugal. I hardly know myself anymore these days!

Seriously, I am so proud of myself and just thrilled that I was able to stick with a menu for three weeks running. I notice a decrease in the amount of food we end up throwing out these days, and my grocery bills have inexplicably declined. I think the whole family is enjoying this too!

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What was for dinner at your house this week?