Meal Prep & Shopping Assistant

This skill helps you plan your weekly meals by selecting recipes, generating organized shopping lists, and creating actionable meal prep plans.

Instructions

When asked to create a weekly meal plan:

•Find Recipes: Use find_by_name to locate all .md files in the recipes/ folder
•
Analyze Recipes: Read each recipe and identify:
- •Recipe name
- •Protein type (vegetarian/vegan, chicken, fish, beef, pork, seafood, etc.)
- •Serving size (default to 4 if not specified)
- •Ingredients with quantities
- •Cooking steps
•
Select 3 Recipes: Choose recipes with protein variety
- •Aim for different protein types (e.g., 1 vegetarian, 1 chicken, 1 fish)
- •Vary cooking methods and cuisines when possible
•
Generate Shopping List: Combine and organize ingredients by category:
- •Produce: Fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs
- •Proteins: Meat, poultry, fish, tofu
- •Dairy & Eggs: Milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, butter
- •Pantry Staples: Oils, vinegars, spices, dried goods (usually on hand)
- •Other: Specialty items, condiments
- •Combine quantities intelligently (e.g., "2 eggs + 3 eggs = 5 eggs")
•
Create Meal Prep Plan: For each recipe, identify:
- •
  Sunday Prep: Steps that can be done in advance
  - •Chopping vegetables
  - •Making marinades/sauces
  - •Pre-measuring ingredients
  - •Marinating proteins
- •
  Weeknight Cooking: Steps that must be done fresh
  - •Final cooking/grilling
  - •Plating and serving
  - •Time-sensitive preparations
•Output Format: Create a clean, printable markdown file named weekly-meal-plan-[date].md

Output Template

The generated meal plan should follow this structure for optimal printing (fits on 1 sheet, front and back):

markdown

# Weekly Meal Plan - [Week of Date]

## 📋 This Week's Recipes

### Recipe 1: [Name] (Vegetarian)
- **Servings**: 4
- **Weeknight**: Monday or Tuesday

### Recipe 2: [Name] (Chicken)
- **Servings**: 4
- **Weeknight**: Wednesday or Thursday

### Recipe 3: [Name] (Fish)
- **Servings**: 4
- **Weeknight**: Friday

---

## 🛒 Shopping List

### Produce
- [ ] Item (quantity)
- [ ] Item (quantity)

### Proteins
- [ ] Item (quantity)

### Dairy & Eggs
- [ ] Item (quantity)

### Pantry Staples (Check if you have)
- [ ] Item
- [ ] Item

### Other
- [ ] Item (quantity)

---

## 🍳 Sunday Meal Prep Plan

### Recipe 1: [Name]
**Prep Steps** (30 mins):
1. Step description
2. Step description
**Storage**: How to store prepped items

### Recipe 2: [Name]
**Prep Steps** (20 mins):
1. Step description
**Storage**: How to store

### Recipe 3: [Name]
**Prep Steps** (15 mins):
1. Step description
**Storage**: How to store

**Total Prep Time**: ~1.5 hours

---

## 👩‍🍳 Weeknight Cooking Guide

### Monday/Tuesday: [Recipe 1]
**Cooking Time**: 20-30 mins
1. Take out prepped ingredients
2. Final cooking steps
3. Serve

### Wednesday/Thursday: [Recipe 2]
**Cooking Time**: 25 mins
1. Steps
2. Serve

### Friday: [Recipe 3]
**Cooking Time**: 20 mins
1. Steps
2. Serve

Ingredient Categorization Guidelines

Produce

•Fresh vegetables (onions, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.)
•Fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil, etc.)
•Fresh fruits (lemons, limes, apples, etc.)
•Fresh aromatics (garlic, ginger, scallions)

Proteins

•Meat (beef, pork, lamb)
•Poultry (chicken, turkey)
•Seafood (fish, shrimp, etc.)
•Plant-based proteins (tofu, tempeh, legumes as main protein)

Dairy & Eggs

•Milk, cream, half-and-half
•Cheese (all types)
•Yogurt, sour cream
•Eggs
•Butter

Pantry Staples

These are items typically already in the kitchen:

•Oils (olive oil, vegetable oil, sesame oil)
•Vinegars (balsamic, rice, white, apple cider)
•Dried spices and seasonings
•Salt and pepper
•Flour, sugar, baking supplies
•Dried herbs
•Soy sauce, fish sauce, hot sauce
•Canned goods (tomatoes, beans, stock if recipe calls for it)

Other

•Specialty sauces or condiments
•Wines or spirits for cooking
•Specialty items not in other categories
•Fresh-baked goods (if needed)

Meal Prep Step Identification

Can Prep Sunday:

•Chopping vegetables (store in airtight containers)
•Washing and drying lettuce/greens
•Making marinades, dressings, sauces
•Marinating proteins (up to 12-24 hours)
•Pre-measuring dry ingredients
•Making spice blends
•Preparing components that hold well

Must Do Weeknight:

•Final cooking (grilling, sautéing, roasting)
•Frying or searing (best done fresh)
•Adding delicate herbs or garnishes
•Tossing salads
•Reheating and plating
•Time-sensitive steps that affect texture or freshness

Best Practices

•
Recipe Selection: Aim for variety in:
- •Protein types (vegetarian, chicken, fish, beef, etc.)
- •Cooking methods (grilled, baked, stovetop, etc.)
- •Cuisine styles (Italian, Asian, Mexican, etc.)
- •Complexity (mix simple and elaborate dishes)
•
Shopping List:
- •Combine quantities across recipes
- •Use standard units (cups, tablespoons, pounds, etc.)
- •Include approximate amounts for "to taste" items
- •Note if specialty stores needed
•
Meal Prep Timing:
- •Allocate realistic time estimates
- •Batch similar tasks (all chopping together)
- •Note storage containers needed
- •Consider prep order (aromatics last to preserve freshness)
•
Formatting:
- •Use clear headers and sections
- •Include checkboxes [ ] for shopping lists
- •Keep it concise for easy printing
- •Use emojis sparingly for visual organization

Example Usage

User Request: "Create my weekly meal plan"

Process:

•Find all recipes in recipes/ folder
•
Review recipes and identify:
- •1 vegetarian option
- •1 chicken dish
- •1 fish recipe
•Parse ingredients and create categorized shopping list
•Identify Sunday prep steps vs weeknight cooking
•Generate weekly-meal-plan-[date].md file
•Confirm creation and provide overview

Version History

•v1.0.0 (2025-11-21): Initial release with recipe selection, shopping list generation, and meal prep planning