The hard part of dinner isn't cooking — it's the nightly "what do we even eat" negotiation. This kills it in ten minutes: tell Claude what's already in your kitchen, your constraints, and how much effort you've got, and get back seven dinners plus a single grocery list, dropped into Notion.
Who this is for
Anyone tired of deciding dinner at 6pm on an empty tank. Works for any diet or household size — you set the constraints.
What you'll need
- Two minutes to glance in your fridge, freezer, and pantry.
- Claude and a Notion page for the plan + list.
Inventory what you've got · 3 min
Quick scan — proteins, veg, staples, anything about to turn. You don't need precision; "half a cabbage, some chicken thighs, rice, eggs" is plenty. Planning around what you own cuts waste and cost.
Generate the week · 4 min
Plan 7 weeknight dinners for me. Constraints: - Already have: [your inventory] - Diet / no-gos: [e.g. vegetarian, no shellfish, kid-friendly] - Effort: [e.g. 3 lazy nights ≤20 min, 2 medium, weekends I'll cook longer] - Household: [number of people] Rules: - Lean on what I already have before adding new ingredients. - Reuse ingredients across meals so nothing rots half-used. - For each dinner: name, ~time, and a one-line method. - Then give me ONE consolidated grocery list, grouped by store section, of only what I still need to buy.
Drop it in Notion and shop · 3 min
Paste the plan and list into your Notion page. Check off the dinners as you go, and bring the grouped list to the store (or paste it into your grocery delivery app). Decision made for the whole week.
Ignoring your real effort level. If you pretend you'll cook elaborate meals on a Tuesday, you'll order takeout instead. Be honest about the lazy nights.
Not reusing ingredients. Seven unrelated recipes means seven half-used jars. Tell Claude to overlap ingredients or you'll waste food and money.
Over-planning. Leave a flex night or two. A plan with zero slack breaks the first time life happens.
Do this next
- Save your constraints as a reusable block — next week is a 30-second copy-paste with a fresh inventory.
- Note the keepers. Star the dinners that actually worked so the plan gets better each week.
- Sync it to your shared space if you cook with someone, so nobody re-asks "what's for dinner."