Help center/Health and body Works today

Plan my meals for the week

Your assistant plans a week of meals from the food you like and the time you have.

Suggested tools

You can set these up yourself. Get the app, follow the steps, then copy the prompt.

• AnyList

  Free. Optional AnyList Complete: $9.99 a year for one person or $14.99 a year for a household.

  A grocery list app. You can share one list with your family.

  Download for iPhoneDownload for AndroidOpen the website

  1. Ask your assistant for a meal plan and a grocery list.
  2. Type the items into a list in AnyList.
  3. To show your assistant what is on your list, open the list, tap the three dots, then Share, Email & Print, then Send a Copy, and pick Messages.
  4. Send it to your assistant with the message below.

  Copy this prompt and give it to your assistant

  • I use AnyList for groceries and I want to plan meals with you. Walk me through it one step at a time and wait for me after each step: in my list I tap the three dots, Share, Email & Print, Send a Copy, then Messages, and send it here. Then plan 5 dinners that use what is on the list and tell me what is missing.

    Copy

  Your assistant cannot add items to AnyList for you. The meal planning calendar inside AnyList needs the paid plan.

• Apple Reminders (grocery list)

  Free

  The Reminders app on your iPhone. It can sort a grocery list by store section.

  Download for iPhone

  1. Ask your assistant for your grocery list as one short list.
  2. Open Reminders. Tap Add List. Give it a name. Tap List Type and choose Groceries.
  3. Add the items from your assistant's list.
  4. The app sorts them into groups like Produce and Meat.

  Copy this prompt and give it to your assistant

  • Plan my dinners for this week. Then give me the grocery list as plain lines, one item per line, so I can copy it into Reminders.

    Copy

  Your assistant cannot open your Reminders app. You copy the list in yourself.

What to text

• Plan dinners for this week for a family of 4. Under 30 minutes each. One of us does not eat pork.

  Copy

• I have chicken, rice, eggs, peppers and onions. Plan 3 dinners. Only use what I listed.

  Copy

• Make a plan like last week. This week I have ground beef and leftover beans.

  Copy

• I want to eat more vegetables. Give me 5 easy lunches.

  Copy

• Make the grocery list for this meal plan.

  Copy

Steps

1. Text who you cook for and how much time you have.
2. Tell it what you like, what you will not eat, and any allergy.
3. List what you already have at home. Or send a photo of your fridge.
4. Read the plan. Ask it to swap any meal you do not like.
5. Ask for the grocery list. Check it against the plan before you shop.
6. Next week, text what you have and say "make a plan like last week."

Example conversation

Make it stick

• Use the same plan request every week. Just change what you have at home.
• Say "only use what I listed." If not, it may add food you do not have.
• Put the plan where the family can see it. Copy it to paper or take a screenshot.