I used to stand in the kitchen with no idea what we were eating next week.
Monday became takeaway by default. Tuesday was whatever was left in the fridge. Wednesday I stared at half an onion and hoped for inspiration. By Thursday I was in Tesco buying random bits that never quite made a meal. Friday we were tired of deciding, and something we bought on Monday had already gone soft.
None of that is a character flaw. It is what happens when you run a house on vibes.
These days I take ten minutes at the weekend and dump the week into AI. What is already in the fridge. Who needs feeding. Nights we will be out. A few meals everyone actually likes. Then I ask for a simple week of dinners and a shop list I can tighten in two minutes.
Same rule as the rest of this series. AI drafts. You decide. It never books a delivery, orders food, or messages anyone for you.
Here is how I do it.
Step 1: Dump the week, not a recipe book
Set a timer for three minutes. Write the facts that shape food at home this week.
What is already in the fridge or cupboard that should get used. Any nights you will be out or eating late. How many people most nights. Dietary needs worth respecting. Two or three meals everyone is happy with. One night you want something easy.
Keep it rough. "Chicken thighs, half a bag of spinach, pasta, milk going off soon. Out Wednesday. Prefer one traybake. No shellfish." That is enough.
Skip brand names, account logins, and anything sensitive. You want a meal plan, not a biography of your kitchen.
Step 2: Ask for a week plan, not a chef persona
You want dinners and a shop list, not a TED talk about mindful eating. Paste your dump and use a prompt like this:
Turn this kitchen dump into a simple meal plan for next week.
Include only:
1. Seven dinners (Mon to Sun), using what I already have where it makes sense
2. A short shop list grouped by section (veg, fridge, cupboard, other)
3. One easy backup meal if a night falls apart
4. Notes on what to use first so food does not go off
Keep it under 250 words. Do not invent ingredients I did not mention unless the shop list needs them for a named meal. Do not book deliveries or suggest apps. Flag anything that needs my judgement, like whether leftovers will stretch to lunch.
Assume I am cooking at home in London unless I say otherwise. Plain language. No chef persona.No "elevate your weeknight dinners" speech. Just a draft you can edit while the kettle boils.
Step 3: Edit like you will actually cook this
Read the draft once with a sceptical eye. Watch for three traps.
First, fantasy cooking. If the plan needs three pans, a fresh herb you never buy, and forty minutes on a Wednesday, cut it. Swap in something you know you will make.
Second, unused leftovers. If Monday makes enough for Tuesday lunch, say so in the plan. If it does not, do not pretend.
Third, a shop list that ignores what you already own. Cross off anything sitting in the cupboard. Add the one boring essential the draft forgot, like bread or washing-up liquid if that is part of your shop run.
Edit until the week feels honest. Then put the plan somewhere you will see it: Notes, a paper scrap on the fridge, or a shared note at home. You save it yourself.
What you get back
Usually four useful things.
A week of dinners that fits real life, not a restaurant calendar.
A shop list short enough to finish in one trip.
A use-first note so the spinach and milk do not die in the drawer.
And one backup meal. That is the quiet win. When Wednesday collapses, you already know what "easy" looks like.
The ten-minute version
If you only have ten minutes before the day runs away, skip the polish. Dump for three minutes, run the prompt, cut anything you will not cook, and save the list. A plain plan at the weekend beats a perfect menu you never open.
When to skip it
Skip it when the week is already sorted and someone else owns the food plan. Writing a system for "we always have pasta on Tuesday" is theatre.
Skip it when you are travelling all week and barely cooking. Plan the two nights you are home, not seven.
And think twice when the dump includes health, money, or family details you would not want sitting in a tool that is not approved for that. Keep those notes private and only put the non-sensitive food facts into AI.
Try it once
Set a three-minute timer, dump what you have and who needs feeding, run the prompt, edit for two minutes, and stick the plan somewhere visible.
If one midweek Tesco panic disappears, that is enough.
What is the one dinner you keep improvising because nobody planned it?
Quick questions
What should I tell AI before it plans my meals?
What is already in the fridge and cupboards, how many people you are feeding each night, and which evenings are busy. The more honest you are, the more useful the plan.
Can it make me a shopping list too?
Yes. Once I am happy with the plan I ask for a list grouped by aisle, then cross off anything I already have.
What if the plan falls apart midweek?
It happens to me too. I keep one easy freezer meal as a backup and just swap it in without starting again.