Hi all!
Clocks Are Coming Back
Brief announcement: A very limited batch (<20 pieces) of Voltmeter Clocks will be available for sale starting on Friday after Thanksgiving. Woot!
AI Assisted Meal Planning
And now, for your regularly scheduled blog post...
I had a change in my daily routine several weeks ago and I found I was just short on time. Previously, I had a fair bit of flexibility to go to the grocery store. I would often cook things on a whim, or throw something together from what I had in the fridge. Now, I was finding I needed to Get Serious and Actually Plan Things.
It turns out that AI is really good at throwing together recipes and meal planning.
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Meta's platform all have "canvas" or file-oriented modes with a document-oriented view on one side and interactive chat on the other. I found these all frustrating to use. I wanted multiple files, multiple instruction sets, formatting for printing, and I didn't like working through the browser.
So I ended up using CursorAI, which is typically a software development tool, but I preferred the ergonomics of working with it. It was easier to browse files and I liked that the diff tools made it easy to see which lines of text the AI had changed.
Here's how I've set it up:
- Instructions file - This contains my directions and meal preferences. For example, I like starches like rice or potatoes early in the week so they can be used as leftovers later. Thursday is a busy day without much time for cooking, so that's best for a slow cooker meal that reheats well. It also contains preferences for formatting the weekly printout and how I like to plan one meal at a time when building the shopping list, so I can think through what I already have in the fridge or pantry.
- Recipes file - This contains a list of things I know how to make. It's based on my Cooking Cheat Sheet.
- Test recipes - These are recipes I want to try, but aren't in regular rotation.
- Freezer list - What's in the deep freeze
- Meal plan - This is a running list of what I've actually made, which is necessary so that the AI doesn't repeat meals.
- Weekly printout - This is where I print out the meal plan for the week, along with a shopping list that I can take to the store.
(If you want the full details, I put the files up publicly on Github, awkwardengineer/MealPlanning).
I go shopping over the weekend and do as much cooking as I can on Sunday. Here's what the meal plan has been looking like! (Note: Friday is often pizza or takeout and then movie night, Saturday is for leftovers.)
I can't say that this has taken all the work out of meal planning or meal prep. It's just... made it way easier and way more fun. Writing, editing, and adjusting seems faster, and the AI is a great creative partner for brainstorming meal ideas. Sometimes it will do something stupid, like suggest the same pasta meal I made the previous week, despite instruction to the contrary. But, on the whole, this has been a net win for my routine. It seems like it's a habit that's sticking and I've been enjoying the food. (The chairperson for my executive advisory committee isn't complaining either.)
Here's what the meal plan for the last several weeks has been looking like:
Week of November 16, 2025
Sun: Fish, creamed spinach, roast potatoes
Mon: Homemade ramen
Tue: Oyakadon, rice, miso soup, cabbage salad
Wed: Patty melt, chips, fresh fruit
Thu: Chicken cacciatore, pasta, chard
Fri: Pizza, etc.
Week of November 9, 2025
Sun: Ginger chicken, rice
Mon: Chicken mole, yellow rice, beans (flex to a taco)
Tue: Shakshuka, Israeli salad, pita, yogurt
Wed: Toastie w/ bacon (and tomato), cole slaw, chips
Thu: Japanese curry vegetable w/ leftover rice
Fri: Pizza, etc.
Week of November 2, 2025
Sun: -- Cooking Class --
Mon: Shrimp (w/ garlic, butter, wine), yellow rice, green beans (w/ garlic + lemon)
Tue: Tuna mayo w/ sesame, rice, miso soup, cabbage salad
Wed: Mac and cheese, steamed broccoli w/ garlic
Thu: Beef and broccoli, egg drop soup, Sichuan green beans
Fri: Pizza, dumplings, etc.
Week of October 26, 2025
Sun: Taco night (pickled onion, cilantro, pico, crema, beans, ground beef, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, chili lime chicken)
Mon: Baked potato bar (canned chili, cheese, bacon, broccoli, sour cream)
Tue: Freezer ground meat, rice, spam, egg, cabbage salad
Wed: Miso butter and mushroom pasta, tofu, smashed cucumber salad
Thu: Mississippi roast, ferro, salad kit
Fri: Pizza, dumplings, etc.
Week of October 19, 2025
Sun: Polenta, mussels w/ wine + parsley, sautéed green beans with mustard vinaigrette
Mon: Kung pao chicken (freezer chicken), white rice, snow peas, nuggets
Tue: Pad thai, oxtail soup, cabbage salad
Wed: Sticky coconut chicken, and rice
Thu: Oatmeal (w/ bacon, blue cheese, nuts, eggs), super smoothie
Fri: Pizza, dumplings, etc.
Happy cooking!
Best regards,
Sam Feller
aka THE Awkward Engineer