How to plan the week's meals and shopping list with AI

Get a week of dinners that fit your tastes and budget, plus one shopping list sorted by aisle, in a few minutes.

⏱ Time10 minutes a week
💰 CostFree to start
🎯 DifficultyEasy
👤 ForPersonal

Steps

Tell an assistant who's eating, what you like and avoid, your budget, and what's already in the fridge.
Tool: ChatGPT

Try this prompt:
Plan 5 simple dinners for 2 people this week. We avoid [foods], like [foods], and have [ingredients] to use up. Budget about [amount]. Keep each meal under 40 minutes.
Ask for one combined shopping list grouped by shop section, minus what you already have.
Tool: Claude

Try this prompt:
Turn this meal plan into one shopping list grouped by produce, dairy, meat and fish, dry goods and other. Leave out what I already have and combine duplicate items.
Save the list somewhere you'll see it in the shop, with a reminder on your shopping day.
Tool: Todoist
Snap a photo of a recipe or leftovers when you want a quick change of plan.
Tool: Gemini

Try this prompt:
Here's what's left in my fridge. Suggest two dinners I can make tonight with little or no extra shopping.

Tools used

ChatGPT

The default all-rounder: chat, images, files and code in one app. Best first assistant for most beginners.

Free to start, paid plans

Claude

Anthropic's assistant for writing, analysis and code, now with decks, spreadsheets and scheduled tasks. A top pick for long documents and careful reasoning.

Pricing not verified