How to Use Meal Planner

Master your meal planning with this comprehensive guide to importing recipes, creating plans, and generating shopping lists.

1

Manage Catalogs

Your journey starts with recipes. Use Catalogs to organize recipes from different sources (e.g., "Web Scrape", "Grandma's Cookbook").
Note: Login required to view/edit

  • ✅ Import: Upload .json recipe files directly on the Catalogs page.
  • ✅ Clean: The system automatically cleans up recipe names (e.g., "GRILLED CHICKEN" → "Grilled Chicken") upon import.
  • ✅ View: Click "View Details" on any catalog card to see all recipes within it.
2

Create Meal Plans

Generate a structured plan for the week in seconds.

  • 🚀 New Plan: Click "Create New Plan" on the Home or Plans page.
  • ⚙️ Customize: Choose how many days, how many meals per day (Dinner, Lunch, Breakfast), and which catalogs to pull from.
  • 🧠 AI Powered: The system intelligently picks recipes based on your preferences.
3

Refine & Perfect

Don't like a suggestion? You have full control to swap it out.

Available Actions:
  • ✨ Swap Similar: Use AI to find a close match (e.g., swap Salmon for Trout).
  • 🎲 Swap Random: Surprise me! Replaces with a random dish of the same type.
  • 📖 From Catalog: Pick a specific source catalog for the replacement.
  • 🗑 Remove: Delete a meal if your day is too busy.
  • ➕ Add Recipe: Browse your library or add a random extra meal.
4

Shop & Prep

Turn your plan into action with one click.

  • 🛒 Grocery List: Generates a consolidated shopping list, combining ingredients (e.g., "2 onions" + "1 onion" = "3 onions").
  • 🔪 Prep Plan: Creates a step-by-step guide on what to prep ahead of time to make your week smoother.

Ready to get started?

Manage Catalogs Go to Meal Plans