01
1. Set the dates, people and meals
Start with the week you actually need. Enter the start date, number of people and whether you are planning 7, 14 or 30 days, then select only the meals you want to organize.
Leaving out meals handled elsewhere keeps the plan readable. Breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner do not all need the same level of detail.
- Confirm servings before building the grocery list
- Mark meals away from home or already decided
- Treat preferences and exclusions as filters, not an allergen guarantee
02
2. Build a flexible weekly menu
Enter dishes you already intend to make and use suggestions for the remaining spaces. Lock a dish when it should survive the next automatic fill.
Lunch and dinner can be a single dish or a complete meal. A free-text dish stays in the schedule, but you must add its ingredients manually.
- Mix quick dishes with longer preparations
- Reuse perishable ingredients across several days
- Check recipes, real quantities and personal needs
03
3. Turn the plan into a grocery list
The list comes from ingredients linked to the selected dishes and their servings. Matching products are combined to reduce duplicates and simplify checking.
Before printing, enter what you already have and add ingredients for custom dishes. Choose two products per row for readability or three to use fewer pages.
- Check units before combining quantities
- Do not automatically buy every displayed item
- Add household products that are not linked to recipes
04
4. Print, share and use reminders
Review the menu and grocery previews before exporting. A PDF suits printing, an image is convenient for messaging and social apps, and an ICS file adds reminders to a calendar.
Share only what is needed. The planner runs in the browser, while recipients, apps and calendar choices remain on the user’s device.
Worked example
Example: one week for four people
- Period
- 7 days starting Monday
- Meals
- 5 per day, 35 total spaces
- Servings
- 4 for each meal
- Pantry
- Pasta, oil and legumes already available
Ingredients for a dish entered as free text must be added under the extra-products section.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Planning every meal without marking meals away from home
- Changing servings after reviewing the grocery list
- Treating filters as an allergen-free guarantee
- Forgetting ingredients for custom dishes
- Creating reminders before checking the date and times
Frequently asked questions
How many days should I plan?+
Seven days are the simplest starting point. Fourteen or thirty provide a longer view but need more adjustments for fresh food, changes and meals away from home.
Can I edit an automatically generated plan?+
Yes. Every dish remains editable. Lock the dishes you want to keep and generate only the spaces you want to change.
Does the grocery list include free-text dishes?+
The dish name stays in the plan, but the planner does not invent a recipe. Add those ingredients manually so they appear in the grocery list.
Does the ICS file send reminders automatically?+
No. It is a calendar file to import or share. Alerts are then handled by the calendar app selected by the user.
Sources and references
WHO · Healthy diet↗NHS · The Eatwell Guide↗IETF · RFC 5545 calendar standard↗