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Buddy for meal planning

Send me a photo of the fridge and how long you’ve got. I’ll tell you what you can make, plan the rest of the week, and write the grocery list.

A dad in Toledo, Ohio, home with two hungry kids and a fridge he hasn’t really looked at since Sunday.

Send me a photo of what you have and how long you’ve got. Tell me who won’t eat what, and I’ll plan around it.

  • Here’s the pantry. What can I make without going to the store?
  • Plan five dinners for next week. Nobody here eats mushrooms.
  • Make a grocery list for this week’s dinners I can check off in the store.
How shareable pages and checklists work
  1. Today 5:20 PM
  2. You sent a picture: A photo of the inside of a fridge: eggs, wrapped deli meat, a box of lettuce, a drawer of fruit, corn on the cob, and green beans
  3. You: here’s the fridge. what can I make in 30 min? kids are starving
  4. Buddy: I see eggs, deli meat, corn on the cob, green beans, and a box of lettuce.
  5. Buddy: Breakfast for dinner, about 20 minutes: scrambled eggs, the deli meat crisped in a pan, and corn on the side. Or big chef’s salads in 15.
  6. You: breakfast for dinner. avery won’t touch runny eggs
  7. Buddy: Then hers scrambled firm, yours however you like. Put the corn water on first. Once it boils, the corn takes about 8 minutes, and the eggs and meat fit inside that.
  8. You: ok go. can you plan the rest of the week around what’s left and make a grocery list
  9. 5:30 PM
  10. Buddy: Four more dinners, mostly from what you have, and a short list for the rest 🛒
  11. Dinners this week, plus a grocery checklistWeb page with a checklist
  12. You: you just saved dinner Buddy loved this.

Send me a photo of the fridge and how long you’ve got. I’ll tell you what you can make, plan the rest of the week, and write the grocery list.

From a photo to dinner

  1. Send a photo of what you have

    The fridge, the pantry, or a list you type out. Tell me how much time you have and who’s eating.

  2. I suggest what to make

    A couple of options that fit the time, with the short version of the steps. Say no to one and I’ll offer another.

  3. Ask for the week and the list

    I’ll plan dinners around what’s left and make a grocery list, as a checklist page or a file you can print.

More you can ask for

  • Here’s a photo of the fridge. What can I make in 30 minutes?
  • Scale this lasagna recipe for 14 people and tell me how many pans I need.
  • Remember that Sam’s allergic to cashews.
  • Here’s Grandma’s handwritten recipe card. Type it up so I can print it.
  • What can I make with a rotisserie chicken and whatever’s in the pantry?
  • Every Sunday at 4, send me a dinner plan for the week.

What you get back

  • Ideas that fit tonight

    Dinners you can make from what’s in the photo, in the time you have. If I can’t make something out in the picture, I’ll ask.

  • A week of dinners

    A plan built around what you already have. Ask for a PDF or a spreadsheet if you want one to print or keep.

    Work with files

  • A grocery checklist

    A page you open in the store and check off. Anyone with the link can open it, and it stays up for 72 hours unless you ask me to keep it live.

    How shared pages work

  • Plans that know your family

    Tell me about the picky eater or an allergy once, and I can use it next time. When an allergy matters, say it again anyway.

    What Buddy remembers
Dinners this week

Dinners this week, plus a grocery checklist

  • TonightBreakfast for dinner. Scrambled eggs, crisped deli meat, and corn on the cob. Avery’s eggs firm.
  • Four more dinnersChef’s salads, quesadillas with the deli meat and cheese, rice bowls with the green beans, and pasta with peas.
  • For AveryEggs always firm, never runny.
  • Grocery checklistTortillas, shredded cheese, rice, pasta, salad dressing, and bananas.

Questions people ask

Can Buddy order the groceries?

He can work through a store’s website and fill a cart, but he hands you his screen for the sign-in and the payment, and you place the order. Some sites won’t let him in, and he’ll tell you when that happens.

Can he plan around allergies or a diet?

He plans around what you tell him to avoid. Buddy isn’t a dietitian or a doctor, so check labels yourself when an allergy is serious.

Who can see the grocery list?

Anyone with the link. A published page is public, so keep addresses and anything private off it. Ask for a file instead if you’d rather not have a link.

Can he send a plan every week?

Yes. Ask for a dinner plan at the same time each week, and Buddy keeps sending one until you tell him to stop.

Dinner can start with what you already have.

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