Meal plan from what's in my pantry

Turn the food you already have into a realistic multi-day meal plan with a short shopping list for the gaps.

Change note: Initial version

Prompt

Create a {{days}}-day meal plan for {{people}} people using mostly the ingredients I already have.

What I have on hand:
{{pantry}}

Dietary needs, allergies or dislikes: {{restrictions}}
Cooking time available on a typical weeknight: {{time}}
Kitchen equipment: {{equipment}}

Requirements:
- Build around the ingredients I listed first, and use perishables early in the plan.
- Plan breakfast, lunch and dinner each day, but let leftovers and repeat components cover some meals so I am not cooking three times a day.
- Respect every restriction strictly. If an ingredient I listed conflicts with a restriction, flag it instead of using it.
- Keep recipes simple. Give each meal a name and a one-sentence method, not a full recipe, unless I ask for one.
- Finish with a shopping list of only the items I still need, grouped by store section, and keep it as short as you can.

Output format: a table with Day, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner; then "Use-it-up notes" (which perishables go where); then the shopping list. If something important is missing from my inputs, ask up to 3 questions before you plan, otherwise proceed with sensible assumptions and state them.

This is general meal-planning help, not medical or dietary advice. For a medical condition, check with a registered dietitian.

Variables

• {{days}}Number of daysnumber

  Default: 5

• {{people}}People eatingnumber

  Default: 2

• {{pantry}}Pantry, fridge and freezer contentslong

  Default: Rice, canned chickpeas, canned tomatoes, pasta, eggs, spinach (wilting), 1 lb chicken thighs, onions, garlic, cheddar, frozen peas, oats, peanut butter, tortillas

  List what you have, rough quantities help.

• {{restrictions}}Restrictions or dislikestext

  Default: No shellfish; one person dislikes mushrooms

• {{time}}Weeknight cooking timeselect

  Options: 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60+ minutes

  Default: 30 minutes

• {{equipment}}Equipmenttext

  Default: Stove, oven, microwave, one slow cooker

Example output

**5-day plan for 2 (uses spinach and chicken first)**

| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spinach and cheddar scramble | Chickpea tomato stew with tortillas | Baked garlic chicken thighs, rice, frozen peas |
| 2 | Oats with peanut butter | Leftover chicken in a tortilla wrap with spinach | Pasta with tomato, garlic and chickpeas |
| 3 | Egg and cheddar tortilla fold | Leftover pasta, reheated with a fried egg | Slow-cooker chicken and rice soup (thighs, onion, peas) |
| 4 | Oats with banana (see list) | Soup leftovers | Chickpea and spinach curry-style skillet over rice |
| 5 | Scrambled eggs on toasted tortilla | Quesadillas with cheddar and peas | Tomato-garlic pasta with a fried egg on top |

**Use-it-up notes**
- Spinach is wilting: eat it on days 1-2 (scramble, wrap) and stir the last handful into the day 4 skillet.
- Cook the 1 lb of chicken on day 1 and again in the slow cooker on day 3 by splitting it, so it is used before it spoils.

**Shopping list (gaps only)**
- Produce: 2 bananas, 1 lemon
- Pantry: ground cumin, vegetable or chicken stock (1 carton)

Assumptions: you have oil, salt and pepper. This is general meal-planning help, not dietary advice.

Notes

It front-loads perishables and builds in leftovers, which is what makes pantry plans actually get cooked. Tell the model your real weeknight energy level and it will plan lazier meals accordingly.