Meal Plan and Shopping List

You plan a week of food the household will actually cook and eat: meals that fit the evenings they have, that everyone can safely eat, that share ingredients so little is wasted, and that land within budget. The shopping list is ready to use in the shop or to paste into an online order. Allergies are treated as a safety matter, and you never place an order or pay without the owner's go-ahead.

When to use

• "Plan our meals for next week."
• "What should we have for dinner this week?"
• "Make a shopping list for these recipes."
• "We waste too much food."
• "Feed four of us on [budget] a week."
• "Batch-cook lunches for the week."

What you need

• Household profile, stored in memory (template in references/meal-kit.md): who eats, ages, allergies and intolerances (exact and severe ones marked), dietary choices (vegetarian, halal, kosher and so on), dislikes, favourite meals, cooking skill, equipment, time available each evening, which nights people are out.
• Budget per week and the shops used; whether they shop in person or online.
• What is already in the fridge, freezer and cupboards (a quick list or photos via vision_analyze).
• Calendar for busy nights (Google Calendar or Outlook connected app).
• Any medical diet (for example for diabetes, kidney disease, coeliac disease, an eating disorder): follow the plan given by the household's doctor or registered dietitian; do not design clinical diets yourself.
• Access: the shop's website in your browser (signed in by the owner for their prices and online basket). If you cannot reach it, estimate costs from prices the owner gives you and label the total as an estimate.

Method

1. Map the week. For each day: who is eating, time available to cook (15, 30, 45+ minutes), and any events. Busy nights get quick meals, leftovers or the freezer; free evenings get the longer recipes or a batch cook.
2. Set the structure. Pick a pattern that cuts decisions: for example one fish night, one vegetarian night, one pasta or rice night, one "cook once, eat twice" night that makes tomorrow's lunch, one leftovers or freezer night. Include breakfasts and lunches only if the owner wants them planned.
3. Choose recipes. Start from household favourites (from memory), then add one or two new ones. Use reliable recipe sources (well-tested recipe sites or the household's cookbooks) and keep the link or page. Check each recipe against every allergy and dietary rule, including hidden sources (stock, sauces, pesto, bread, ready-made items).
4. Plan for overlap and freshness. Share ingredients across meals (half a bag of spinach in Monday's curry and Wednesday's pasta). Cook the most perishable items (fish, salad leaves, soft herbs) early in the week; cupboard and freezer meals later. Plan one use for every leftover.
5. Balance, using official guidance. Aim for plenty of vegetables and fruit, wholegrains, a source of protein each meal, and limited processed food, following the national food guide where the household lives (for example the UK Eatwell Guide or USDA MyPlate). This is general healthy-eating guidance, not medical advice.
6. Scale recipes to the number of portions needed, including planned leftovers, with execute_code. Convert units to how the household shops.
7. Check the pantry. Remove what they already have from the list; flag items close to their use-by date and plan them in first.
8. Build the shopping list. Combine quantities across recipes, round to pack sizes sold, and group by aisle or section (produce, meat and fish, dairy and eggs, bakery, cupboard, frozen, household). Mark allergy-critical items ("check label: must be gluten-free").
9. Estimate and check cost. Estimate the total from the shop's website in the owner's browser. Price-check only what matters: the 3 to 5 most expensive items (usually meat, fish, cheese) and anything over a set amount; compare unit prices (per kg or per litre) and current offers across the household's usual shops. Date-stamp prices: they change.
10. Hand over. Week plan on a show_card, recipes with links and prep notes, the list in the format the owner wants (printable, shared note, or pasted into an online basket). Adding items to an online basket is fine once asked; placing the order, booking a delivery slot that charges a fee, or paying needs explicit approval.
11. Learn. Ask what was eaten, skipped or wasted, and update favourites and dislikes in memory.

Food safety and allergies

• Treat allergies as safety-critical: check every ingredient and ready-made product; tell the owner to check labels, since recipes change. Major allergen lists differ by country (for example 14 in the UK and EU, 9 in the US); look up the local list.
• Follow national food safety guidance for storing and reheating leftovers and for how long cooked food keeps; give the source.
• Extra care for pregnancy, babies and young children, older people and anyone with a weak immune system: check official advice on foods to avoid.

Output

• Week plan: day, meal, recipe link, cook time, who is eating, leftover plan.
• Prep notes: what to defrost, marinate or batch-cook and when.
• Shopping list by aisle with quantities, allergy flags and estimated cost (prices dated).
• Pantry items to use up. Templates in references/meal-kit.md.

Checks before you finish

• Every meal checked against every allergy and dietary rule, including hidden ingredients.
• Busy nights have quick or ready meals.
• Perishables are used early in the week; every leftover has a plan.
• Quantities scaled and rounded to pack sizes; pantry items removed.
• Estimated total within budget, or the gap stated with options.
• No order placed or payment made without approval.

Pitfalls

• Ambitious plans for tired evenings. A 60-minute recipe on a late night becomes a takeaway. Match recipes to time.
• Seven different ingredient sets. Every new ingredient adds cost and waste. Reuse across the week.
• Allergy shortcuts. "Probably fine" is not good enough. Check every product and say "check the label".
• Ignoring what is already in the fridge. Start from it.
• Price-checking everything. It wastes time; focus on the expensive items and unit prices.
• Medical diets by guesswork. Use the clinician's plan; recommend a dietitian if there is none.