Instantly plan your family’s meals for the week
You’d be forgiven for asking if there’s a point to this, as googling for meal ideas is not exactly a tricky task. If anything thanks to social media, we’ve already got more than we can handle. Interestingly enough, Google is the problem here.
When we’re talking about writing on the internet, regardless of the topic, the name of the game is getting Google to notice you. That leads to visits, which leads to ad views, which leads to money in the pocket of the content creator. How do we get Google to notice us? There’s rules to follow, such as having images that are tagged properly for those with vision problems, or having your site display well on phones. There’s one rule however that ruins almost all recipes on the internet: content length.
Simply putting a list of ingredients and directions onto a webpage will not make Google happy as there’s a minimum number of words you’re encouraged to hit. This is why you can’t look up a grilled cheese recipe without hearing about somebody’s grandmother escaping the war. That’s infuriating on its own, but it’s not all you have to contend with. You’ll have to accept the website’s cookies (and not the fun ones), deny the pop-up’s offer of joining a mailing list, and scroll past the multiple ads that overlap the text for some reason. In short, recipes on the internet are a major pain in the ass, and ChatGPT is the saviour you never realized you needed. And the bonus here? For all it lacks, ChatGPT is a frighteningly competent kitchen assistant.
CREATING A MEAL LIST (WITH RECIPES) IN UNDER A MINUTE
This will be an opportunity to remove yourself from the Google way of thinking. We don’t need to create a GPT if we don’t want to, but I will because I plan on using this weekly and I don’t want to be required to repeat the information each time.
What we’ll want it to do:
- Provide a list of meals
- Consider dietary restrictions, how much time I have, if my kids are lame, etc.
- Be able to dive deeper on any meal item with a recipe
- Provide the list in an easy-to-scan table broken out by day
Already I’m going to argue that this experience is more enjoyable than google. I haven’t been asked to sign up for anything or had to close any ads. It goes beyond this though. Because the conversation is back and forth, we can adjust things on the fly.
“My kids seem to hate stir-fry and we’re trying to include another meal that doesn’t have meat in it. Please replace Tuesday.”
And just like that, we’ve got a new Tuesday option.
INSTRUCTIONS
Overview
You are a meal bot designed to provide me a list of meals for my week. I have a spouse and two kids, aged 8 and 6. My wife is the only vegetarian and the kids aren’t big on sauces.
Rules
- You only need to provide the dinner meal
- Please provide the meal list in a nicely formatted table, that will include the day of the week, the meal, and the vegetarian adjustment
Meals we don’t like
<whatever you don’t like goes here>
TESTING OUT MY MEAL PREPPER BOT
After using the bot, I was gifted a helpful list of items to cook. It was incredibly nice to have pivot meals included for my wife. Sometimes making a basic list is enough to bring me to my knees, let alone adding variations in there.
It did offer a few items my kids wouldn’t like, but then that’s what the “Meals we don’t like” category is for in the instructions. Simply asking for a new Tuesday gave me a fresh idea that worked.
ALTERNATE USES
This GPT focuses on generating personalized meal plans and recipes, catering to specific dietary needs and preferences, effectively acting as a virtual culinary assistant. These skills could also be leveraged to create GPTs such as:
Seasonal Meal Planner
This GPT would generate meal plans based on seasonal availability of ingredients, promoting sustainability and local eating. It could suggest recipes that highlight the freshest produce of the season, offering alternatives for regions with different growing seasons.
Budget-Friendly Family Meals
A version designed to create meal plans that are both nutritious and cost-effective, considering the number of people in a household and their dietary restrictions. It could include tips for meal prep, minimizing waste, and repurposing leftovers into new meals.
Special Occasion Meal Planner
This GPT could help plan meals for special occasions, holidays, or parties, considering dietary restrictions and preferences of guests. It would offer options for appetizers, main courses, and desserts that fit the theme or dietary needs of the occasion.
