Here’s the ChatGPT prompt that reduced my meal-planning time by 90% | Data Literacy | Data Literacy

Here’s the ChatGPT prompt that reduced my meal-planning time by 90%

“I enjoy cooking, and I love meal planning!” —me, 10 years ago

In this season of life, I’m always surprised by how quickly another meal comes. Everyone’s hungry? Again?!

I used to enjoy watching cooking shows and scrolling through recipe blogs to find a fun recipe to try, but now I feel more like a sweaty contestant on Chopped trying to whip up dinner with a random box of ingredients before the “I’m so hungry!” buzzer sounds.

When I do find the energy to strategically meal-plan, my mind thinks in simple terms: protein, grain, vegetable. The results are healthy enough and there aren’t many complaints at dinnertime, but it also means we end up eating the same meals week after week (i.e. pasta, tacos, chili, soup). It feels like the first thing to go is variety when I’m juggling so many constraints.

Come to think of it, there are a surprising number of constraints when meal planning:

  • How many meals
  • How many people
  • Dietary restrictions
  • Personal preferences
  • Health priorities and goals
  • Minimize food waste
  • Minimize number of ingredients
  • Minimize cost of ingredients
  • Minimize cooking time
  • Maximize variety
  • Use the kitchen tools that I have

Juggling all these constraints sounds like a job for a computer rather than a human, right? That’s what I was thinking while meal planning the week after I heard about the new AI chatbot called ChatGPT. It’s the perfect application of ChatGPT’s strengths: it can take many specific and unique constraints, search through a ton of information, and compile it into succinct directions and lists.

I decided to ask ChatGPT to do my meal planning for me, and while there was a learning curve with some trial and error, I found a prompt that consistently gives me great results. I can also tweak it every week, depending on what’s happening in my life or certain cravings. 

Before ChatGPT, it’d typically take me an hour to get this kind of thorough result. But now, it takes less than 5 minutes. That’s more than a 90% decrease in time commitment.

Here’s the ChatGPT prompt that reduced my meal-planning time by 90% | Data Literacy | Data Literacy Read more about calculating percent change in this fun comic!

Here’s the prompt template that I use. Fill in your needs or preferences inside the brackets, remove any sections that aren’t necessary for you, and of course, add anything else that you need that I didn’t think of!

“I need [# OF MEALS] [MEAL TYPE, e.g. dinner] recipes for [# OF PEOPLE] people, total cost of the ingredients should be under [$ AMOUNT], don’t use more than [#] ingredients per recipe, each recipe should share at least [PERCENTAGE] of its ingredients with at least [#] other recipes, and the recipes should take less than [#] minutes to prepare. Do not include these ingredients: [LIST OF INGREDIENTS]. Minimize the amount of [FOOD CATEGORY, e.g. carbs]. Maximize the amount of [FOOD CATEGORY, e.g. protein]. Each recipe must include [YOUR PREFERENCES, e.g.protein, whole grain, and a vegetable]. Include recipes from these cuisines: [LIST OF DESIRED CUISINES, or ask for a variety]. All recipes should use [LIST OF SPECIFIC KITCHEN TOOLS AVAILABLE, e.g. microwave or pressure cooker]. Include short cooking instructions with each recipe. Also create a shopping list with the ingredients grouped by category and the approximate cost per ingredient.”

As an example, this is the exact prompt that I used:

“I need 4 dinner recipes for 4 people, total cost of the ingredients should be under $80, don’t use more than 6 ingredients per recipe, each recipe should share at least 30% of its ingredients with at least one other recipe, and the recipes should take less than 30 minutes to prepare. Do not include these ingredients: meat, mushrooms. Minimize the amount of carbohydrates. Maximize the amount of protein and fiber. Each recipe must include protein, whole grain, and a vegetable. Each recipe should be a different type of cuisine. All recipes should use the stove, oven or instant pot. Include short cooking instructions with each recipe. Also create a shopping list with the ingredients grouped by category and the approximate cost per ingredient.”

This was ChatGPT’s response:

“Here are 4 dinner recipes for 4 people that meet your criteria:

Chickpea Spinach Curry (Indian)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed ($3)
  • 1 onion, chopped ($0.50)
  • 4 cups baby spinach ($4)
  • 2 cups canned diced tomatoes ($2)
  • 1 cup canned coconut milk ($2)
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice ($1.50)

Instructions:

  1. In a pan, sauté the onion until softened.
  2. Add the chickpeas, spinach, diced tomatoes, and coconut milk.
  3. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the curry thickens.
  4. Serve over cooked brown rice.

Tofu Stir-Fry with Brown Rice (Asian)

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb extra-firm tofu, cubed ($4)
  • 2 cups broccoli florets ($2)
  • 2 cups bell pepper, sliced ($2)
  • 2 cups snap peas ($3)
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari ($1)
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice ($1.50)

Instructions:

  1. In a pan, cook the cubed tofu until golden brown on all sides.
  2. Add the broccoli florets, bell pepper, and snap peas to the pan and stir-fry for 5-7 minutes until vegetables are tender-crisp.
  3. Stir in the soy sauce or tamari and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
  4. Serve over cooked brown rice.

Lentil and Vegetable Skillet (Mediterranean)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups dry green lentils ($2)
  • 1 onion, chopped ($0.50)
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved ($4)
  • 4 cups kale, chopped ($3)
  • 2 cups canned diced tomatoes ($2)
  • 2 cups cooked farro ($2)

Instructions:

  1. Cook the lentils according to package instructions.
  2. In a pan, sauté the onion until softened.
  3. Add the cherry tomatoes, kale, and diced tomatoes to the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes until the kale is wilted.
  4. Stir in the cooked lentils and heat through.
  5. Serve over cooked farro.

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers (Mexican)

Ingredients:

  • 4 large bell peppers, halved and seeded ($4)
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa ($3)
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed ($1.50)
  • 2 cups frozen corn ($2)
  • 1 cup salsa ($2)
  • 1 cup shredded cheese, optional ($2)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
  2. In a bowl, mix cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, and salsa.
  3. Spoon the quinoa mixture into the bell pepper halves and place them on a baking sheet.
  4. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the peppers are tender.
  5. Top with shredded cheese, if desired, and bake for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Shopping List:

Produce:

  • 1 large onion ($1)
  • 4 cups baby spinach ($4)
  • 4 cups kale, chopped ($3)
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes ($4)
  • 4 large bell peppers ($4)
  • 2 cups broccoli florets ($2)
  • 2 cups bell pepper, sliced ($2)
  • 2 cups snap peas ($3)

Grains:

  • 2 cups cooked brown rice ($3)
  • 2 cups cooked farro ($2)
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa ($3)

Canned Goods:

  • 2 cans chickpeas ($3)
  • 4 cups canned diced tomatoes ($4)
  • 1 can black beans ($1.50)
  • 1 can coconut milk ($2)

Frozen:

  • 2 cups frozen corn ($2)

Protein:

  • 1 lb extra-firm tofu ($4)

Condiments and Sauces:

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari ($1)
  • 1 cup salsa ($2)

Dairy (Optional):

  • 1 cup shredded cheese ($2)

Approximate Total Cost: $72″

Simply amazing! You could even do this in reverse order and create a prompt to find a recipe with the ingredients that you already have on hand. My mind is buzzing with all the other personal tasks that it can help me with, like planning activities and restaurants for a family road trip! What else do you think it could help with? Tweet at us!

Learn more about ChatGPT with us

📚 E-book: ChatGPT Basics: Exploring Its Origins, Uses, and Misuses

Here’s the ChatGPT prompt that reduced my meal-planning time by 90% | Data Literacy | Data Literacy  

🖥️ On-demand course: ChatGPT Basics: Foundations and Getting Started (e-book is included in the course)

Here’s the ChatGPT prompt that reduced my meal-planning time by 90% | Data Literacy | Data Literacy  

🎥 Webinar Replay: Fireside ChatGPT

Here’s the ChatGPT prompt that reduced my meal-planning time by 90% | Data Literacy | Data Literacy

Here’s the ChatGPT prompt that reduced my meal-planning time by 90% | Data Literacy | Data Literacy  

Alli Torban is a Senior Data Literacy Advocate at Data Literacy LLC, with more than 15 years of experience solving complex data challenges for government agencies, research institutes, and corporate clients. Alli possesses technical expertise in data communication and a demonstrated talent for combining data and design in an inclusive way, making her a highly effective information designer and trainer. She shares her knowledge on her popular podcast, Data Viz Today, which earned her the Impactful Community Leader award from the Data Visualization Society. When she’s not teaching clients the language of data, Alli enjoys designing tessellations and walking to the library with her daughters.