Summary: See how I turned my most frustrating task (restrictive diet meal planning for our family) into a sub 5 minute, delightful experience.
I recently jumped into testing ChatGPT for scaling personal tasks and projects. Playing with the tool directly on the free service has been pretty impressive. I started a chat for something a common household needs:
Lauren: Create a meal plan for 4 people for 1 month that cost $200 a week.
It kinda rocked my world.
ChatGPT: Here's a sample meal plan for 4 people for one month that cost $200 a week:
Week 1:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with fruits and nuts Lunch: Tuna salad with crackers
Dinner: Spaghetti with marinara sauce and salad
Snacks: Carrots and hummusWeek 2:
Breakfast: Greek yogurt with granola and berries
Lunch: Turkey and cheese sandwich with veggies and dip
Dinner: chicken stir-fry with rice and veggies
Snacks: Apple slices with peanut butterWeek 3:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with whole wheat toast
Lunch: Grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup
Dinner: Beef tacos with beans and rice
Snacks: Yogurt with GranolaWeek 4:
Breakfast: Pancakes with fruit and maple syrup
Lunch: Chicken Caesar salad with grilled chicken
Dinner: Grilled salmon with roasted vegetables and quinoa
Snacks: fresh vegetables and hummus
Alright, not bad… what else can we add to make this more impactful?
Lauren: generate a grocery list for the above meal plan
ChatGPT: Sure, here is a sample grocery list for the above meal plan for 4 people for one month:
Produce:
Apples
Berries
Carrots
Celery
Cherry tomatoes
Cucumber
Garlic
Green onions
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Onion
Oranges
Peppers
Potatoes
Spinach
Squash
Meat/Poultry:
Beef
Chicken breast
Ground turkey
Salmon
Tuna
Dairy:
Cheese
Eggs
Greek yogurt
Bread
Tortillas
Pantry:
Black beans
Brown rice
Canned tomatoes
Chicken broth
Chickpeas
Dried fruit
Granola
Hummus
Quinoa
Spaghetti
Trail mix
Tuna
Whole wheat crackers
This is just a sample list, and you can adjust it based on your personal preferences and dietary needs. Remember to shop for ingredients in bulk and look for sales and coupons to help you save money
OOOOkaaay. I see your categorically, alphabetized bullet lists. You are speaking my language.
Fact check: I entered these items via Kroger Click-List in my area last week…. it was in fact under $200.
Now, how can we challenge this tool…
Lauren: Revise plan for LOWFOD restrictions.
(Note to the reader: if you don’t know this term, please refer to this link but in summary, it is like an IBS intolerance/allergy restrictions on seemingly random food but primarily all things joy in the form of dairy, gluten, garlic, onion and SO much more.)
ChatGPT: Sure, here's a revised meal plan for 4 people for 1 month that follows a low FODMAP diet:
Week 1:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with lactose-free milk. walnuts. and blueberries
Lunch: Turkey sandwich with gluten-free bread, lettuce, tomato, and lacrose-free cheese
Dinner: Grilled chicken with roasted carrots and potatoes
Snacks: Rice cakes with peanut butter and banana
* Week 2: 1 lost on my screenshot :(
Week 3:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with lactose-free cheese and gluten-free toast
Lunch: Gluten-free pizza with lactose-free cheese, bell peppers, and olives
Dinner: Grilled salmon with roasted zucchini and gluten-free quinoa
Snacks: Lactose-free yoaurt with gluten-free granola and raspberries
Week 4:
Breakfast: Gluten-free waffles with lactose-free milk and strawberries
Lunch: Chicken Caesar salad with gluten-free croutons and lactose-free dressing
Dinner: Turkey burgers with gluten-free buns. lettuce. tomato. and lactose-free cheese
Snacks: Rice cakes withalmond butter and sliced pear
To keep the cost at $200 a week, you can shop for ingredients in bulk and plan meals that use similar ingredients. You can also look for sales and coupons to help you save money on groceries. Be sure to check the labels of packaged foods to ensure they are low FODMAP.
I mean, are you kidding… lets see the grocery list.
Lauren: Generate grocery list for the above meal plan
ChatGPT: Sure. here is a sample grocery list for the above low FODMAP meal plan for 4 people for one month:
Produce:
Green beans
Grapes
Lettuce
Olives
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Meat/Poultry:
Beef
Chicken breast
Salmon
Turkey
Dairy:
Almond milk
Lactose-free cheese
Lactose-free yogurt
Bakery:
Gluten-free bread
Gluten-free buns
Gluten-free croutons
Gluten-free pizza crust
Gluten-free toast
Rice cakes
Pantry:
Almond butter
Gluten-free granola
Gluten-free pancake mix
Gluten-free spaghetti
Lactose-free Caesar dressing
Lactose-free peanut butter
Lactose-free pizza sauce
Lactose-free waffle mix
Roasted walnuts
This is just a sample list, and you can adjust it based on your personal preferences and dietary needs. Remember to shop for ingredients in bulk and look for sales and coupons to help you save money. Be sure to check the labels of packaged foods to ensure they are low FODMAP.
At this point my jaw is dropping. I’m 5 mins in with the tool and this one list it generated would have taken me HOURS of research and planning to pull off. I’ve been on a low FODMAP diet for about 2 years agnostically, not righteously as I don’t have a true life-or-death allergy. It is the HARDEST to shop in any grocery store.
I’d also like to point out ChatGPT was intelligent enough to identify the slang of LOWFOD and provided a more accurate term and appropriate recommendations.
I actually hadn’t thought “Lactose-free pizza sauce” was correct, but it is! Some pizza sauce does have dairy in the ingredients list. So I learned through the process, too! So cool.
Action: I took this list and modified my Click-List to test pricing, though it was a bit higher, I edited for my pantry and preference then found it to be on budget.
At this point I’m all in. I’m generating all my life problems:
Lauren: Generate a weekly routine for a 9 year old.
Lauren: How do you break a dog of barking in his cage at night?
Seriously, all great stuff. Thus, inspired a new mini series with a co-author of ChatGPT itself. Stay tuned and go check out your free account.