Realizations in Meal Planning

It all started last weekend, when my husband told me in a serious tone that he wants us to save money on our food budget. This is touchy, me being the foodie that I am, but I will admit, I can go overboard, and I need to scale it back. Something that I had already been thinking about was saving time in the kitchen, so I decided meld the two concepts together. I sprung into action on Sunday and planned our meals for the week and made my grocery list in a way that incorportated items that I already had and minimized what I had to buy. I also made sure that nothing would go to waste, by choosing recipes that called for or could accomodate some of the same ingredients so that perishable ingredients like Cilantro and Parsley would not go to waste. It's the end of the week, and still I have some of both. I'll be making a pesto of them tomorrow and freezing that.
We definitely saved some money, and the fridge is almost empty. We dined on some really great dishes, such as Santa Fe Black Bean Salad with Quinoa and Sauteed Broccoli, Asain Noodle Salad with Tofu and Sauteed Brussels Sprouts, Split Pea Soup, Coconut Curry Garbanzos with Brown Rice and Goat Cheese-Creamed Spinach.
I prepped quite a bit Sunday afternoon, chopping veggies, making black beans, soaking the garbanzos and prepping/marinating tofu. With all of that, I thought that I would spend very little time in the kitchen during the week. I was wrong for the first couple of days--I still spent just as much time on Monday and Tuesday as usual, prep cooking for the next days. But on Wednesday, I felt the difference, spending perhaps 30 min, if that, in the kitchen. On Thursday, all I needed to do was heat up our split pea soup. My husband and I both had delicious left overs for lunch everyday this week, which was a major benefit. I am going to do it all over again this weekend, and I can see this getting easier and easier as time goes on.
One thing that helped us save money, was buying less meat and using more beans. We buy only grass-fed/free-range/wild meats, which are more expensive. I believe that meat should only be taken in medicinal amounts, so this wasn't too difficult of a change for us. My husband would rather have meat with every meal, but he understands why we don't. The only meat I made this week was a roasted leg of lamb, which we used in small amounts throughout the week to accompany some of our meals.
Downsizing isn't always the most welcomed concept, but we learn a lot about ourselves when we do, including our ability to be resourceful. I've enjoyed this week of following as well as creating new recipes and learning new aspects of being a Gourmet Healer. Like I said, it will become easier and easier with time and practice.