How I plan a week of meals with an AI assistant

Planning was always the part that broke my good intentions. Cooking is fine; deciding what to cook on a Wednesday at 7 pm is not. For the last few months I have been doing a short planning session every Sunday with an AI assistant, and it has stuck.

What I give it

• How many dinners I actually cook (usually four; the rest are leftovers).
• What is already in the fridge and freezer.
• Rough targets: more vegetables, around 25–30 g protein per dinner, nothing that takes over 40 minutes.
• Two or three recipes from this site I already like, so it gets the style.

What I ask for

1. Four dinners that share ingredients, so half a bag of spinach does not end up in the bin.
2. One batch-cook dish that covers two lunches.
3. A single shopping list grouped by shop section.

What I ignore

Exact calorie numbers. They are estimates at best, and chasing them made planning feel like homework. I treat them as a rough guide and check the portions on my plate instead.

The assistant is a planning helper, not a nutritionist. For anything medical or for specific dietary needs, ask a real professional.

A typical result

• Monday: red lentil and spinach soup (double batch).
• Tuesday: sheet-pan salmon with vegetables.
• Wednesday: soup leftovers with toast and eggs.
• Thursday: chicken and chickpea curry using the rest of the spinach.
• Breakfasts: overnight oats, prepared two at a time.

The whole thing takes about fifteen minutes, and the shopping list goes straight into my phone.