Prompt details

Tested on

Claude Opus 5.5

Length

568 words · 4 fill-ins

Example input

[Household and where you shop]: A family of 4 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Me (42, female), my husband (44), our daughter (15, plays soccer 3 evenings a week) and our son (11, a picky eater). We shop once a week at Kroger, sometimes Aldi.

[Goals and diet needs]: Me: lose a little weight slowly and eat more protein. My husband: his doctor told him to cut saturated fat and eat more fiber for his cholesterol. Our daughter: vegetarian since last year (eats eggs and dairy, no meat or fish); she needs enough protein and iron for soccer. Our son: nothing special. No allergies in the family.

[Budget and cooking time]: $150 a week for everything, including school lunches and snacks. 30 minutes at most on weeknights. On Sunday afternoon I can prep for about 2 hours. We have a slow cooker and an air fryer.

[Foods you like, avoid and already have]: Everyone likes tacos, pasta, stir-fries and breakfast for dinner. Our son won't eat anything spicy or mushrooms and hates mixed-up dishes like casseroles. My husband doesn't like tofu. Our daughter likes chickpeas, lentils, cheese and Greek yogurt. Already in the pantry: 2 lb brown rice, 1 lb dried black beans, oats, peanut butter, a bag of frozen peas and a full spice rack.

Example output

1. Plan at a glance

Cook once, eat it several ways. One Sunday session covers the whole 2 lb bag of brown rice, the pantry black beans, a big pot of lentil-spinach soup, egg muffins, turkey meatballs, hummus and overnight oats. Those carry the week's lunches and cut every weeknight dinner to 30 minutes or less. Soccer nights (Mon, Wed, Thu) get the fastest meals: stir-fry, slow cooker, and breakfast for dinner.
One dinner, simple swaps. Your daughter gets beans, lentils, chickpeas, edamame, eggs or cheese in place of the meat in the same meal. Your son's plate is always plain, mild and separated, with sauce on the side and no mushrooms. Your husband's choices are skinless chicken breast, 93% lean turkey, nonfat or 1% dairy, oil instead of butter, and plenty of oats, beans and lentils. There is no tofu anywhere. Please show his part of the plan to his doctor.
Assumptions:

- You shop at Kroger on Sunday morning, and the plan runs Sunday to Saturday.

- Soccer is Mon, Wed and Thu, with dinner after practice.

- Both adults pack lunch, and your son's school allows peanut butter.

- You already have cooking oil, honey, cornstarch, baking powder, a blender and a 12-cup muffin tin.

- Prices are typical Columbus Kroger store-brand prices. I can't see your store's actual prices.

2. Meal table

Brackets show one person's swap: H = husband, D = daughter, S = son. Anything not in brackets is for everyone.

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
Sun	Oatmeal made with milk, topped with PB and banana [S: toppings on the side]	Scrambled egg and mozzarella sandwiches on whole-wheat toast, carrots, apple [H: skip cheese, add spinach]	Turkey and black bean tacos, build-your-own [D: beans and cheese, no turkey. H: extra beans, light cheese, yogurt instead of sour cream. S: plain mild turkey, cheese and tortilla, kept separate]	Greek yogurt and berries; carrots and hummus [S: string cheese]

Claude Opus 5.5

Meal Plan and Grocery List – Meal plan prompt for ChatGPT and Claude

^$9.99

Kept in your account
Copy filled in or download
Updates included

Pay once and keep it. Or get every premium prompt and skill with the plan, $19.99 a month. Payments are non-refundable. See our Terms.

votes views

Claude Opus 5.5

This prompt plans a week of meals for your household. Paste who eats, their needs, your budget and what you like; you get a meal table, a grocery list by aisle with costs, a prep session and a leftover plan.

What you get

A 7-day meal table with each person's swap, so one dinner works for everyone
Rough calorie and protein estimates for each person, marked as estimates
A grocery list by aisle with amounts and an estimated total against your budget
A timed prep session, weeknight methods, a leftover plan and swaps for picky eaters

How to use it

1
Describe your table
List everyone who eats at home with ages, goals, allergies and any doctor's advice, then your weekly budget, weeknight time and what is already in the cupboard and freezer.
2
Check the list at your store
Prices are estimates. Compare the total with your store's app or last receipt, and ask for cheaper swaps if it runs over.
3
Plan next week from this one
Paste what nobody ate and what was left over, and ask for next week's plan to use those first.

Better results

List what is in your fridge and freezer as well as the pantry. The plan uses it first, which is where most of the savings come from.
If you shop the same store each week, follow up with: "Reorder the grocery list in the order I walk the store, as a checklist."
For an allergy or a medical diet, read every label yourself. The AI cannot see the brands you buy or what they contain.

Questions

Can ChatGPT make a meal plan?

Yes, ChatGPT can make a useful weekly meal plan when you give it who is eating, their needs, your budget and your cooking time. Treat its calories and prices as estimates, and check allergens and medical diets yourself, because it cannot see the products you buy.

How do I get ChatGPT to make a grocery list?

Ask for the meal plan and the grocery list together, grouped by store section with amounts for the week, and tell it what you already have. A list built from the plan reuses ingredients across meals, so you buy less and waste less.

Are AI meal plan calories accurate?

AI meal plan calories are rough estimates, often off by a fair margin, because portions and brands vary. This prompt labels every figure as an estimate. If you need exact numbers for a medical reason, weigh portions and check labels, or ask a registered dietitian.

Can AI plan meals on a budget?

Yes, AI can plan meals to a budget by reusing ingredients, using what you already have and leaning on cheaper staples. It cannot see your store's prices, so it gives an estimate. Check the total against your receipt and ask for swaps if it runs over.

Updated 8 Nov 2026