Meal Planner

A phased workflow for weekly meal planning, recipe discovery, and grocery ordering.

Quick Start

This workflow has 5 phases that can run independently or as a full pipeline. When the user asks for meal planning help, figure out which phase they need and start there. Don't run the full pipeline unless they ask for it.

Phase	Trigger examples
1. Inventory	"update my pantry", "here's what I have", "inventory"
2. Discover	"find recipes", "search for meal ideas", "what should we eat"
3. Plan	"make the meal plan", "build this week's plan", "plan these recipes"
4. Shop	"make the shopping list", "what do I need to buy"
5. Order	"load my cart", "order groceries", "add to Instacart"

If the user says something like "let's do meal planning" without specifying, start at Phase 2 (Discover) and confirm: "Want me to start by searching for recipe ideas? Or do you need to update your inventory first?"

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Before Every Phase

At the start of any phase, do these things:

1. Read Learnings.md — this file contains accumulated preferences, dislikes, and notes discovered over time (e.g., "toddler doesn't like eggs", "family prefers basmati over jasmine rice"). Apply everything in this file as soft constraints. If a learning conflicts with an explicit instruction the user gives in the current session, the current instruction wins.

2. Read Grocery Inventory.md — know what's on hand. This matters for recipe search (flavor profiles), meal planning (use what you have), and shopping lists (don't buy duplicates).

3. Read the last 2 meal plans — avoid repeating recent meals unless the user asks for a repeat.

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Phase 1: Inventory Update

The user wants to update what they have on hand.

How it works:

• The user will tell you what they have, what they've used up, or what's new.
• Update Grocery Inventory.md accordingly.
• If the user provides a photo of their pantry/fridge, do your best to identify items and confirm before writing.

Output: Updated Grocery Inventory.md

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Phase 2: Recipe Discovery

This is the most commonly run phase on its own. The goal is to present the user with options — not to commit to a plan yet.

How it works:

1. Review inventory to understand what ingredients and flavor profiles are available.
2. Review dietary restrictions and the general guidelines (see below).
3. Search for recipes using web search. Run multiple searches across different sources.
   • Prefer NYT Cooking as a primary source. See NYT Cooking Access Guide.md for navigation details. The user has a subscription.
   • Also search food blogs, Serious Eats, Budget Bytes, etc.
   • Always share the search queries you ran and the recipe sources you drew from.
4. Present a list of 8–10 recipe ideas with a brief description of each:
   • Name, cuisine type, brief description (1–2 sentences)
   • Why it works (uses pantry items, fits dietary needs, good for the equipment available)
   • Estimated active prep time
   • Any ingredients that would need to be purchased
5. Stop and wait for the user to pick. Do not proceed to planning until they've selected.

Important behaviors:

• Do NOT decide on recipes before searching. Search first, then curate.
• Look at what ingredients are on hand and determine which flavor profiles they support, then search for recipes that match those profiles.
• If the user gives a specific direction (e.g., "find me an Indian recipe I can make with what I have"), search accordingly.
• If you find an existing recipe that works well as-is, just use it — don't reinvent it.

Output: A presented list of ideas for the user to choose from.

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Phase 3: Meal Plan Creation

The user has selected recipes (either from Phase 2 or by telling you directly). Now compile them into a structured meal plan.

How it works:

1. For each selected recipe, create a recipe markdown doc in the Recipes directory.
   • Recipe docs must include: title, serving count, source(s), ingredients, instructions, and any relevant notes (e.g., "may need extra liquid", storage tips).
   • Apply dietary modifications as needed (see restrictions below).
2. Create the meal plan doc titled "Meal Plan Week of [Next Sunday]".
   • Include an index at the top with links to each section.
   • Each meal section should link to its recipe doc and include a brief, descriptive summary of the meal — main, sides, sauces — written the way a waiter would describe a dish.

Meal composition rules:

• Lunches should be vegetarian if possible.
• Only one dinner per week should include meat (flexitarian household).
• Every meal should have at minimum: a main, 1 vegetable side, and a starch.
• Incorporate as many colors as possible.
• Prioritize meals that are minimal prep, easy to make ahead, and hands-off: dump meals, crock pot, instant pot, sheet pan, set-and-forget.

Output: Recipe docs in Recipes/ + meal plan doc in Meal Planning/

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Phase 4: Shopping List

Generate the grocery list by diffing the meal plan against inventory.

How it works:

1. Read all recipe docs for the current meal plan.
2. Aggregate ingredients across all recipes.
3. Cross-reference against Grocery Inventory.md and Staples.md — don't list things already on hand unless they'll be used up and need restocking.
4. Consolidate duplicates and convert to consistent units.
5. Refer to Ordering Guidelines.md for store allocation (what goes to Costco vs. Natural Grocers via Instacart), preferred brands, and any ordering-specific notes.
6. Present the list organized by store, then by category within each store.

Output: A shopping list, organized by store, ready for ordering.

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Phase 5: Cart Loading

Use browser automation (Claude for Chrome) to load grocery carts.

How it works:

1. Open the relevant grocery site (Instacart, Walmart, etc.) per the ordering guidelines.
2. Search for and add each item from the shopping list.
3. Prefer the brands and sizes noted in Ordering Guidelines.md.
4. If an exact item isn't available, find the closest substitute and flag it for the user rather than silently substituting.
5. When done, tell the user the cart is ready for their review.

Environment notes:

• This phase works best in Claude Code with Chrome extension or Cowork with Chrome.
• Cowork's sandbox may have trouble fetching certain grocery sites directly. If you hit networking issues, let the user know and suggest switching to Claude Code for this step, or ask the user to open the site manually so you can interact with it.

Output: Loaded cart(s) ready for user review.

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Dietary Restrictions

These are hard constraints — never suggest recipes that violate them:

1. Shellfish allergy — no shrimp, crab, lobster, crawfish, mussels, clams, oysters, scallops. Also watch for hidden shellfish in sauces, broths, and seasoning blends.
2. Celiac disease — no gluten. This means no wheat, barley, rye, or derivatives. Watch for hidden gluten in soy sauce (use tamari), sauces, marinades, and processed foods. All grains and starches must be certified gluten-free when relevant.

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Kitchen Equipment

The household has the following equipment available. Prefer recipes that use these, especially the hands-off appliances (Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, Air Fryer, Sous Vide):

Oven, Stove, Instant Pot, Rice Cooker, Juicer, Stand Mixer, Sous Vide, Food Processor, Toaster Oven, Microwave, Slow Cooker, Air Fryer

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Updating Learnings

Whenever you discover a new preference, dislike, or useful fact during any phase, update Learnings.md immediately. Examples of things to capture:

• Food preferences or dislikes (anyone in the household, including kids)
• Ingredient substitutions that worked well
• Recipes that were a hit or a miss
• Cooking notes ("the Instant Pot takes longer at altitude", "double the sauce next time")
• Brand preferences discovered during ordering

Format each entry with a date and a brief note:

- 2025-06-15: Toddler doesn't like eggs — avoid egg-heavy dishes or hide eggs in baked goods.
- 2025-06-22: Family loved the coconut curry — add to regular rotation.

The user may also explicitly tell you to record something. Always comply.

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Directory Structure

Read references/directory-layout.md for the expected file and folder structure. If the user's workspace doesn't match, adapt — but suggest the canonical layout.

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Slimmed-Down Claude.md

After installing this skill, the user's project-level Claude.md only needs:

## Meal Planning
Use the `meal-planner` skill for all meal planning, recipe search, grocery, and ordering tasks.
Project directory: [path to meal planning directory]

Everything else (dietary restrictions, equipment, guidelines, workflow) lives in the skill and in the reference files within the project directory.