Meal Prep Assistant

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:

1. Find Recipes: Use find_by_name to locate all .md files in the recipes/ folder
2. 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
3. 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
4. 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")
5. 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
6. 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):

# 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

1. 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)

2. 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

3. 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)

4. 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:

1. Find all recipes in recipes/ folder
2. Review recipes and identify:
   • 1 vegetarian option
   • 1 chicken dish
   • 1 fish recipe
3. Parse ingredients and create categorized shopping list
4. Identify Sunday prep steps vs weeknight cooking
5. Generate weekly-meal-plan-[date].md file
6. 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