Sitting down to a home-cooked meal is something I never regret doing. But getting into the kitchen after working all day isn't usually a task that I'm dying to do. The one thing that makes it easier—and significantly more likely to happen—is meal planning. I've found that taking just 30 minutes before I grocery shop sets the tone for smooth sailing in the kitchen all week, and not just from a health perspective. There are actually several other perks you may not have considered. That's why I dug into the research around meal planning: to let you know how much your life can be improved by just setting aside a little time to game plan.