Plan a cheap, healthy week of meals for two with ChatGPT
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- by Alex Hughes (Tom's Guide)
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Outcome
Tom's Guide's Alex Hughes asked ChatGPT for a Monday-to-Friday plan for two in the UK, shopping at Sainsbury's, cheap, healthy and filling. After re-prompting for more interesting recipes, then less focus on calories and cost, he says it nailed the brief, with recipes and one ordered shopping list marking optional extras, though some recipes were a bit vague until refined. The whole process took about 10-15 minutes.
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Prompt Original prompt
Exact prompt as published in the source.
Plan out a Monday to Friday food plan for someone in the U.K. I shop at Sainsbury's and need food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I want a variation of meals, while trying to keep costs low, and a diet that is healthy and not too high in calories, while still being filling. All meals should be for two people.
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Let's work this out together. I'll tell you what I know, you suggest options and ask what you need, and we'll narrow it down step by step. Nothing gets booked, bought or sent until I say so. Goal: Plan a week of meals for my household together, refining it until it's affordable, healthy and actually interesting, with one shopping list. What I'll share as we go: - Country, supermarket and number of people - Which meals to cover (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - Budget, health goals and foods we dislike - How much cooking time we have on weekdays Rules: - Give a first draft quickly, then ask what to change: more variety, simpler, cheaper. - Keep recipes clear: every ingredient with amounts and numbered steps. - Merge everything into one shopping list in store order, marking optional extras. - Prices are estimates: label them, and tell me to check current prices at my store. - If a site asks for a login, a CAPTCHA or payment details, stop and hand control back to me. - Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything. - Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify. - Suggest which recipes make good leftovers for lunch the next day. Output: A week table, the recipes, and one shopping list with optional items marked. You'll know it worked when: the week is cheaper than usual, we'd happily eat every meal, and I shop once. Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.
Source
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When Brooke Ferrier, a parent of two on the NSW Central Coast, and their partner both lost their jobs, Ferrier asked ChatGPT for a low-cost meal plan for two adults and two toddlers, then refined it with follow-ups: hidden vegetables, low-carb options and no lentils. ChatGPT gave one recipe per meal with variations for each person, compared supermarket prices and produced a categorised shopping list with quantities. A week of breakfasts, dinners and snacks came to $140, against the $400–$500 Ferrier had been spending every four or five days, with much less food thrown out. Ferrier also uses it to find recipes for long-forgotten pantry items.
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