What’s inside this article: A hack for easy meal planning using Chat GPT to assist you – I explain how you can plan all your meals and turn them into detailed recipes and a comprehensive grocery list in 15 minutes or less!
Meal planning is a task that requires significant time and mental energy. It involves researching recipes, considering dietary restrictions, calculating nutritional information, and carefully crafting a grocery list. This process becomes even more challenging when there are diverse dietary needs and restrictions to accommodate within a household. I’m going to explain how to do easy meal planning using AI.
However, meal planning plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, saving time and money grocery shopping, reducing food waste, and staying organized.
Sometimes, planning meals while accommodating dietary restrictions like allergies and intolerances or various diets requires a heavy mental load. Luckily, with the advent of artificial intelligence, there is a game-changing solution that can revolutionize how you approach meal planning: Chat GPT.
Chat GPT makes meal planning an easy experience, saving time, reducing stress, and helping you stay organized.
Using Chat GPT to plan your weekly meals will simplify the planning process, save you time, and reduce stress. By initiating a conversation with Chat GPT, you can generate an entire week’s worth of meal ideas with just a few prompts. This eliminates the need for extensive research and recipe hunting, allowing you to focus on other important aspects of your life.
Continue reading to see exactly how to do this.
Creating Your Meal Plan with ChatGPT
To start, initiate a conversation with Chat GPT using the following prompt: “Hi, I need help creating a weekly meal plan. Can you suggest some ideas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for each day of the week? Please note [Enter dietary preferences and restrictions here].”
Include allergies, dietary restrictions, and food preferences in your initial prompt so the results will meet your dietary needs. For example:
Chat GPT will generate various meal options, considering different cuisines, cooking styles, and dietary preferences. For example: “Please note I have a nut allergy and don’t like onions or pork, and I’m looking for meals that require less than 30 minutes total prep and cook time.”
You’ll get a response that looks something like this:
Monday:
- Breakfast: Veggie omelet with bell peppers, spinach, and cheese.
- Lunch: Greek salad with grilled chicken.
- Dinner: Baked salmon with lemon and dill, served with steamed asparagus and quinoa.
Tuesday:
- Breakfast: Overnight oats with berries and a sprinkle of chia seeds.
- Lunch: Quinoa salad with roasted vegetables (such as zucchini, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes) and a lemon vinaigrette.
- Dinner: Shrimp stir-fry with mixed vegetables and brown rice.
Wednesday:
- Breakfast: Whole-grain toast topped with avocado and tomato slices.
- Lunch: Spinach and feta salad with grilled chicken.
- Dinner: Baked chicken breast with roasted sweet potatoes and green beans.
Thursday:
- Breakfast: Yogurt parfait with your choice of fruits and granola.
- Lunch: Turkey and Swiss cheese wrap with lettuce and tomato.
- Dinner: Baked cod with a lemon-herb crust, served with steamed broccoli and wild rice.
Friday:
- Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with diced tomatoes and spinach.
- Lunch: Caprese salad with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil, drizzled with balsamic glaze.
- Dinner: Beef stir-fry with snap peas and carrots, served over brown rice.
Saturday:
- Breakfast: Whole-grain pancakes topped with fresh fruit.
- Lunch: Quinoa and black bean salad with corn, bell peppers, and a lime dressing.
- Dinner: Grilled chicken breast with roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potato wedges.
Sunday:
- Breakfast: Vegetable and cheese frittata.
- Lunch: Spinach salad with grilled shrimp, avocado, and a light vinaigrette.
- Dinner: Baked tilapia with a side of steamed green beans and couscous.
Tip: Did ChatGPT suggest a meal that you don’t think you’d like? Just ask for another option, like this: I don’t think I’d like Tuesday’s Dinner: Shrimp stir-fry with mixed vegetables and brown rice. Can you suggest something else for dinner that day?
ChatGPT will respond with something like this:
Certainly! If you’re not a fan of shrimp stir-fry, here’s an alternative dinner idea for Tuesday: Grilled Chicken Tacos with Mango Salsa
Getting Snack Ideas
You aren’t going to strictly eat three meals per day with nothing in between. You can ask Chat GPT also to help you with snack ideas. In the same chat, use the following prompt:
Considering the same dietary preferences and restrictions I’ve already mentioned, can you please generate 10 different snack ideas? All snacks should be able to be prepared in 5 minutes or less.
Chat GPT will respond with a list like this:
Here are ten different snack ideas that can be prepared in five minutes or less, considering your dietary preferences and restrictions:
- Sliced cucumbers with cream cheese or a non-dairy alternative.
- Rice cakes topped with mashed avocado and cherry tomatoes.
- Fresh fruit salad with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
- Popcorn sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast.
- Greek yogurt with sliced bananas and a drizzle of honey.
- Mini bell peppers filled with cream cheese or hummus.
- Sliced turkey or ham roll-ups with lettuce and tomato.
- Edamame pods lightly sprinkled with sea salt.
- Homemade fruit popsicles: Blend your favorite fruits with a little bit of juice, pour into popsicle molds, and freeze.
- Veggie chips or snap peas served with a side of salsa or guacamole.
Getting Recipes for Your Meals
Once you’re satisfied with your weekly meals, get ChatGPT to generate a detailed recipe for each meal. Like this: Now, please generate a detailed recipe for each of the meals included in my weekly meal plan. Please outline all of the ingredients and cooking steps for me. Include total prep and cook time.
ChatGPT will begin outlining a recipe for each meal. For Example:
Breakfast: Veggie Omelet
Prep and Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup diced bell peppers
- 1/4 cup chopped spinach
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese of your choice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cooking spray or a small amount of oil
Instructions:
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs until well beaten. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and lightly coat it with cooking spray or a small amount of oil.
- Add the diced bell peppers to the skillet and sauté for 2-3 minutes until they start to soften.
- Add the chopped spinach to the skillet and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until wilted.
- Pour the beaten eggs into the skillet, ensuring they cover the veggies evenly.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the eggs.
- Cook for about 3-4 minutes until the omelet is set but still slightly runny on top.
- Gently fold the omelet in half using a spatula and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted and the omelet is fully cooked.
- Serve hot.
IMPORTANT: ChatGPT will only produce so much text at a time, so when it stops writing, say “continue generating,” and it will pick back up where it left off. Repeat until you have all of your recipes.
Turn Your Recipes into a Grocery List
The next step is to have Chat GPT turn your recipes into a grocery list, using the following prompt: “Create a grocery list I can use to shop for all the ingredients I need for the week, including the items needed for the snack ideas as well. “
You’ll get a list that resembles this:
Produce:
- Bell peppers (assorted colors)
- Spinach
- Asparagus
- Quinoa
- Lemons
- Dill
- Mixed salad greens
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Kalamata olives
- Feta cheese
- Greek yogurt
- Berries (such as strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries)
- Chia seeds
- Avocado
- Tomatoes
- Red onion
- Basil leaves
- Mango
- Fresh cilantro
- Limes
- Broccoli
- Green beans
- Celery
- Lettuce
- Bananas
- Apples
- Other fresh fruit of your choice (for snacks)
- Corn (fresh or frozen)
- Sweet potatoes
- Edamame pods
Proteins:
- Chicken breasts
- Salmon fillets
- Shrimp (grilled)
- Eggs
- Turkey slices
- Cod fillets
- Beef (such as sirloin or flank steak)
- Tilapia fillets
Dairy and Dairy Alternatives:
- Milk (or dairy-free alternative)
- Cheese (shredded, sliced, or crumbled; your choice of variety)
- Greek yogurt (or non-dairy yogurt)
Pantry Items:
- Whole-grain bread
- Rolled oats
- Nutritional yeast (for popcorn)
- Rice cakes
- Whole-grain crackers
- Popcorn kernels
- Trail mix ingredients (dried fruits, seeds, coconut flakes)
- Corn tortillas
- Black beans (canned)
- Chickpeas (canned; for hummus)
- Whole-grain pancake mix
- Maple syrup or honey
- Olive oil
- Cooking spray
- Balsamic glaze
- Soy sauce (or tamari)
- Oyster sauce (or hoisin sauce)
- Cornstarch
- Vegetable oil
- Garlic powder
- Dried thyme
- Dried parsley
- Paprika
- Mustard (optional)
- Mayonnaise (optional)
Frozen:
- Mixed vegetables (such as snap peas, carrots, bell peppers)
Miscellaneous:
- Toothpicks (for wraps)
- Granola or nuts-free cereal (for parfaits)
- Popsicle molds (if making fruit popsicles)
This comprehensive grocery list should cover all the ingredients you need for your weekly meals and snacks. Please review it and adjust the quantities based on your preferences and desired portion sizes. Happy shopping, and enjoy your meals!
On a Budget?
On a budget this week and looking for more affordable options for your meal plan? Just say so! Tell Chat GPT: “I’m on a tight budget this week. Can you suggest some budget-friendly alternatives for me?”
You should get a handful of ideas tailored to your meal plan, like this:
Proteins:
- Instead of salmon fillets, you can opt for canned tuna or canned salmon.
- Replace shrimp with frozen cooked shrimp or frozen fish fillets, such as tilapia or cod, which are often more affordable.
- Ground turkey or chicken can be a budget-friendly alternative to chicken breasts for some recipes.
Produce:
- Choose seasonal vegetables and fruits, as they tend to be more affordable. This can include options like cabbage, carrots, zucchini, and apples.
- Consider purchasing frozen vegetables instead of fresh for recipes that call for steamed or roasted veggies.
- Buy generic or store-brand options when available, as they are often more cost-effective.
Dairy and Dairy Alternatives:
- Look for sales or discounts on dairy products like Greek yogurt and cheese.
- Consider purchasing store-brand or generic versions of dairy products and dairy alternatives.
Pantry Items:
- Purchase pantry staples in bulk, such as rice, oats, quinoa, and beans, as they often offer better value for money.
- Look for sales or discounts on whole-grain bread, tortillas, and crackers.
- Make your own granola or trail mix by buying ingredients in bulk and mixing them together.
Frozen:
- Frozen vegetables are often more cost-effective than fresh and offer the same nutritional benefits.
Miscellaneous:
- Skip optional ingredients like balsamic glaze and condiments if they don’t fit within your budget.
Then, adjust your grocery list, and you’re good to go!
Meal Planning Complete Thanks to Chat GPT
And just like that, you’re done! From creating a personalized meal plan and generating recipes tailored to your preferences, dietary restrictions, calorie limits, budget limits, and prep time limits, to effortlessly converting the plan into a comprehensive grocery list, Chat GPT makes meal planning easy!
Say goodbye to the stress of meal planning and embrace this incredible life hack to enjoy a well-organized and delicious week of meals!
Over time you’ll find your favorite recipes to go to again and again, but you can continue to look to Chat GPT whenever you want a new variety of meals and snacks to try.
