There's just something about Monday.  It's a new week; it's a fresh start. Suddenly, you have the chance to undo the mistakes of the previous week and make the upcoming one spectacular.  And what better way to start than to have a week's worth of healthy meals all laid out?  To know that, NO MATTER WHAT, you have a plan in place to eat healthy for the entire week.  It's a small piece, yes, but it is one piece of the week that you have full control over.

Just how important is meal planning?  For me, it is the single most important indicator of my success or failure for any given week.  Yes, it's THAT important. 

Why Meal Planning?

1. It saves MONEY.  I originally started planning my meals as a way to keep our food within a set monetary budget.  By planning my meals, I have limited our weekly grocery bill to $50-75 for our family of two.  
2. It saves TIME.  I spend approximately 1-2 hours every Saturday browsing recipes and planning based on our schedules for the following week.  I only spend that much time because I love trying new things.  I am NOT a creature of habit.  Most people I know spend considerably less time per week.  Even so, with that couple hours every week, I save an immense amount of time in the store.  Then there is the time I save each day in preparation.  The amount of time I save every week itself makes meal planning worthwhile.
3. I waste less produce.  Before I started planning my meals, I can't even begin to quantify the amount of perfectly good produce I threw away simply because I could not use it fast enough.  By planning my meals, I only purchase the produce that I need for each week, and no more. 
4. My husband and I eat healthier.  By planning our meals, we have the freedom to choose just what we eat.  We can eat whole, clean foods, and still save money and time.  Overall, this reason has become my goal and my ultimate reason for meal planning. 

So what's the plan for this week?

Do YOU plan your meals?