As I was trying out the vegetarian recipes I realized that it would be easy to just add in a meat.  This is where the meat optional came from, instead of making this a vegetarian meal planner, I felt that if I made it meat optional I could encourage more people to add a couple of meatless meals in their diet each week.  I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty and filling these recipes were.  I plan to implement at least one meatless meal a week for my family.  There are many studies out there that support the fact that a vegetarian diet is better for us in many aspects of our health.  From the American Heart Association website, americanheart.org, "Many studies have shown that vegetarians seem to have a lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease (which causes heart attack), high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and some forms of cancer."  And from mayoclinic.com "A National Cancer Institute study of 500,000 people found that those who ate 4 ounces (114 grams) of red meat or more daily were 30 percent more likely to die of any cause over 10 years than were those who consumed less."  Mayo clinic also stated, "Many people save money by adding meatless meals to their weekly menus. Meatless meals are built around vegetables, beans and grains - instead of meat, which tends to be more expensive."