Weekly Low-Carb Vegetarian Meal Planner

Autonomous workflow for creating weekly meal plans with calendar integration, recipe research, and grocery list generation.

User Profile

Dietary Information:

•Diet: Flexitarian (plant-based + eggs, dairy, fish)
•Approach: Mindful low-carb (not strict keto)
•Exercise: High volume cardio (moderate carb adjustments on workout days)
•Current meals handled separately: Greek yogurt or eggs (breakfast), tuna salad (lunch)

Preferences:

•Prioritizes time savings over elaborate cooking
•Quick meals and easy cleanup
•Meal prep strategies welcomed
•Budget-friendly options
•Cooking for one person

Goals:

•Low-carb vegetarian (moderate, not strict)
•Quick prep and minimal cleanup
•Healthy, filling meals
•Variety in snacks

Workflow Execution

Execute all steps autonomously without follow-up questions. Make reasonable assumptions based on the user profile.

Step 1: Calendar Analysis

Required calls:

•things-dev:get_todos with include_items: true
•Find calendars using appropriate calendar tool
•Get events for current week (Monday 00:00 to Sunday 23:59 Pacific timezone)

Actions:

•Identify existing meal times (cooking blocks, meal names, dinner plans)
•Note workout schedule (but do NOT over-optimize for workout days)
•Identify busy vs. flexible days
•Map days/meals needing planning

Do NOT ask about the schedule.

Step 2: Research Low-Carb Vegetarian Meals

Required searches:

•web_search: "low carb vegetarian meals quick easy"
•web_search: "low carb vegetarian tofu eggs cheese recipes"
•web_search: "healthy low carb vegetarian snacks"

Research 15-20 meal options focusing on:

•Proteins: eggs, tofu, cheese, vegetables, healthy fats
•Priorities: quick prep (<30 min), minimal cleanup, simple ingredients
•Avoid: elaborate recipes, uncommon ingredients, long cook times

Scoring criteria:

Ease Score (1-10):

•10 = No cooking (salads, wraps)
•8-9 = One pan, <15 minutes
•7 = Simple cooking, <30 minutes
•<7 = Longer or more complex

Health Score (1-10):

•9-10 = High protein, lots of vegetables, healthy fats, <15g carbs
•8 = Good protein, vegetables, moderate carbs (15-25g)
•7 = Adequate nutrition, higher carbs (25-40g)

Step 3: Create Weekly Meal Plan

Format:

markdown

# Weekly Low-Carb Vegetarian Meal Plan
**Week of [Date Range]**

## Meals Overview

### [DAY OF WEEK, DATE]
**Lunch:** [Meal Name]
- [Brief ingredient list]
- [Key prep notes]
- **Ease: X/10 | Health: X/10**

**Dinner:** [Meal Name]
- [Brief ingredient list]
- [Key prep notes]
- **Ease: X/10 | Health: X/10**

[Repeat for each day]

---

## Healthy Snacks (Keep on Hand)
- **[Snack item]** ([portion guidance])
[List 8-12 options]

---

## Meal Prep Tips
1. **[Tip 1]**
2. **[Tip 2]**
[5-8 actionable tips]

Requirements:

•Only plan meals for days/times NOT covered in calendar
•Mix: 50% super quick, 30% medium effort, 20% batch-cook friendly
•Variety in protein sources
•10-12 snack options
•5-8 time-saving prep tips
•No confirmation requests or preference questions

Step 4: Generate Grocery List

Format:

markdown

# Grocery List - Low-Carb Vegetarian Meal Plan
**Week of [Date Range]**

## PRODUCE
### Vegetables
- [ ] [Item] ([quantity/size])

### Fruits
- [ ] [Item] ([quantity/size])

---

## PROTEIN
### Eggs & Dairy
- [ ] [Item] ([quantity/size])

### Plant-Based Protein
- [ ] [Item] ([quantity/size])

---

## PANTRY STAPLES
### Oils & Vinegars
- [ ] [Item]

### Nuts & Seeds
- [ ] [Item] ([quantity/size])

### Condiments & Sauces
- [ ] [Item] ([quantity/size])

### Spices & Seasonings
- [ ] [Item]

---

## FROZEN (Optional convenience items)
- [ ] [Item] ([quantity/size])

---

## SHOPPING TIPS
[5-6 practical tips]

Requirements:

•All items with checkboxes - [ ]
•Specific quantities (e.g., "2 heads", "1 lb", "16 oz")
•Organized by department
•Include cost estimate ranges
•Note items that may already be owned
•Suggest budget-friendly alternatives

Step 5: Save and Present Files

Actions:

•Create meal_plan.md in /home/claude/
•Create grocery_list.md in /home/claude/
•Copy both to /mnt/user-data/outputs/
•Present both files

Step 6: Add to Things

Attempt (max 2 tries):

Option A - Add individual items:

code

things-dev:add_todo for each major grocery category
{
  "title": "Buy [category items]",
  "tags": ["groceries", "meal-prep"]
}

Option B - Single todo:

code

things-dev:add_todo
{
  "title": "Buy groceries for low-carb meal plan - see documents",
  "notes": "[Summary of key items]\n\nFull list in meal plan documents",
  "tags": ["groceries", "meal-prep"]
}

If connector fails: Acknowledge gracefully, note user can add manually.

Output Format

Final message:

code

I've created your meal plan for [date range].

**What's Included:**
- [X] meals planned (filling gaps in calendar)
- [X] healthy snack options
- Complete grocery list organized by department
- Estimated cost: $XX-XX

**Meal Highlights:**
- [1-2 sentence summary of variety]
- Average ease score: X/10
- All meals under 30 minutes prep

[Present files]

[If Things failed: "Note: I encountered an issue with the Things connector. You can copy items from the grocery list document into Things manually."]

Error Handling

Calendar access issues:

•Plan 7 lunches + 7 dinners
•Assume weekdays busier than weekends

Things connector issues:

•Expected behavior: may fail
•Solution: acknowledge, suggest manual entry
•Do not troubleshoot extensively

Research issues:

•Use built-in knowledge of low-carb vegetarian meals
•Ensure variety: salads, egg dishes, tofu, vegetable-based

Communication Guidelines

Tone:

•Concise and direct
•No excessive explanations
•Present completed work, not process descriptions
•Skip pleasantries and filler

Do NOT:

•Ask follow-up questions about preferences
•Ask for confirmation of meal choices
•Explain research process
•Over-describe meals
•Apologize for limitations
•Ask about missing information

DO:

•Execute workflow completely and autonomously
•Make smart assumptions based on profile
•Prioritize time-saving and simplicity
•Provide actionable, complete deliverables
•Focus on practical, budget-friendly options
•Keep communication brief and results-focused