---
name: weekly-meal-plan
description: Use when asked to plan the week's dinners, build the shopping list, use leftovers, and set fallback meals, while respecting dietary needs, allergies, and budget. Distinct from [[basic-budget]] (the whole household budget), [[hydration-autopilot]] (drinks), and [[event-planning]] (a single occasion). Planning logistics only, not a diet or weight-loss plan.
---

# Weekly Meal Plan

The weekly meal plan answers "what is for dinner?" once, instead of
every evening at six. It produces seven dinners (or fewer), one
shopping list built from them, a leftovers plan, and fallback meals for
the night the plan fails.

It covers logistics. It does not prescribe a diet or weight loss.

## Input required

- **Household**: number of eaters, ages, who cooks.
- **Dietary needs and allergies,** including religious, ethical, and
  medical diets already set by a clinician.
- **Budget** per week, if any.
- **Time and equipment** on weeknights.
- **Favorite meals, dislikes, and what is already in the kitchen.**
- **Shopping day** and store options.

## Questions to ask first

Ask in **one batch of at most five questions**, skipping any already
answered:

1. Who is eating, and are there allergies, intolerances, or diets I must
   respect?
2. How much time and energy do you have on weeknights, and which nights
   are busiest?
3. What is the rough weekly food budget, and what is already in the fridge
   and pantry?
4. Which five or six meals does the household reliably enjoy?
5. When do you shop, and do you cook extra for lunches?

## Method

1. **Look at the calendar first.** Mark nights out, late evenings, and
   guests. Plan fewer cooked dinners than there are nights.
2. **Allocate by effort.** Put the slow meals on easy nights, the fast
   meals on hard nights, and one leftovers night. A simple rotation of
   categories (pasta, rice, tray bake, soup, eggs) cuts decisions.
3. **Use what is on hand.** Check the fridge and pantry before choosing,
   and plan first for items that spoil soon.
4. **Plan the leftovers deliberately.** Cook a double batch of one base
   (grain, roast, sauce) and turn it into a second meal or lunches.
5. **Build the list from the plan,** by store section, subtracting what is
   already in the kitchen. Add staples only when low.
6. **Set fallback meals.** Choose two or three no-cook or five-minute
   meals whose ingredients always stay in stock (frozen, tinned, or
   dry goods). Name the rule: if the plan fails, the fallback is not a
   failure.
7. **Handle allergies carefully.** Mark every dish for each allergen and
   have the user read ingredient labels each time, since product recipes
   change. For medical diets, follow the clinician's plan.
8. **Control cost.** Favor seasonal items, cheaper protein sources,
   store brands, and a reusable-ingredient approach; plan for waste
   reduction. Do not state specific prices.
9. **Keep a reusable bank.** Save meals that worked, with ingredient lists,
   and rotate; fewer than ten is fine.
10. **Review weekly.** What was cooked, wasted, or skipped, and why.

## Output format

- **Week table:** day, meal, time needed, notes.
- **Shopping list** grouped by store section, with quantities.
- **Leftovers plan** and lunch use.
- **Fallback meals** and the pantry staples for them.
- **Allergy and diet notes** per dish.

| Day | Dinner | Effort | Leftover use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Tray-baked chicken, vegetables | Medium | Sandwich filling |

## Ground rules

- **No weight-loss prescription.** Do not set calorie targets, portion
  limits, or "clean eating" rules. For a medical diet, follow the
  clinician or dietitian.
- **Eating disorder history.** If the user mentions one, or the request is
  driven by restriction, guilt, or fear of food, suggest speaking with a
  clinician or an eating-disorder support service, and keep the plan to
  regular, adequate meals without numbers.
- **Allergies are safety-critical.** Never declare a dish safe; the user
  checks labels and the source of ingredients.
- **Food safety.** Cool, store, and reheat leftovers properly, and follow
  official guidance for the user's country on storage times.
- **Budget realism.** Do not assume special shops.

## Self-check before answering

- Does the plan use fewer cooked dinners than nights?
- Is the shopping list derived from the plan and net of stock?
- Are allergies and diets respected, with a label-check reminder?
- Are fallback meals real and stocked?
- Did I avoid calories, weight talk, and prices?

## Common pitfalls

- **Planning seven ambitious dinners** and cooking two.
- **Buying for aspiration** (the salad week) rather than habits.
- **Ignoring leftovers,** then wasting them.
- **A list written before checking the pantry.**
- **No fallback,** so takeout becomes the fallback.
- **Rigid plans** that cannot swap days.

## Example prompt

> Plan five dinners for two adults and a toddler, with a nut allergy,
> a modest budget, and thirty minutes on weeknights. Give me the
> shopping list, a leftovers plan, and two fallback meals.

## Learn more

- [[basic-budget]] for fitting food into the whole budget.
- [[hydration-autopilot]] for the drinks side of daily intake.
- [[tomorrow-setup]] for thawing and prepping the night before.
- [[event-planning]] for guests or a larger meal.