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If you spend any time on the Internet, you’ve likely seen the conversations around ChatGPT or, more generally, AI (artificial intelligence0. ChatGPT is just one of the more well-known versions of AI. You might have heard people saying that because of AI, there will be no more jobs for humans. Students often use AI to do their homework in high school and college instead of doing the work themselves. You hear about companies relying on AI for things and then making embarrassing mistakes. You may not have explored it at all for these reasons or because it seems too complicated.
I have found ChatGPT to be a huge help for some things as long as I remember a few facts. The most important thing to know is that it can make mistakes. Check over whatever it tells you before you act on anything. You also have to learn how to ask it the right questions! It’s not a human; it’s artificial intelligence.
I think the power of ChatGPT is in asking it to help you save time on ordinary tasks. For example, meal planning! While I share lots of meal plans here at Southern Savers, maybe you have a unique diet or schedule and need something more personal. I’m going to share three ways to use ChatGPT to meal plan. I’d love to know if you try any of these!
Three Ways to Use ChatGPT to Meal Plan
Pantry Challenges
Have you ever opened your pantry or fridge and looked at all the food but haven’t been able to come up with something you can actually eat for dinner? ChatGPT is a pro at taking data and quickly organizing it into something helpful.
Here’s what I asked ChatGPT:
And here’s what it gave me:
Here is the prompt I used if you want to copy and paste:
I need a dinner plan for this week that will use up the following items I have in my pantry and fridge: baby spinach, garlic chicken sausage, yellow squash, salsa, BBQ sauce, chicken broth, ground beef, chickpea pasta, tomato paste, black beans, rice, sour cream, Greek yogurt, hot sauce, refrigerated biscuits. You can add in other ingredients that I may need to buy to fill out the meal plan.
Dietary Restrictions
Maybe you or someone in your family has some kind of food allergy or dietary restriction. Sometimes the more common meal plans you find online (even here!) don’t take those into account. ChatGPT is great at taking restrictions like that into account. (However, please read any ChatGPT suggestions carefully if you are dealing with food allergies. You don’t want to take any chances!)
Here’s what I asked ChatGPT:
Here’s what it answered:
Here is the prompt I used so you can copy and paste:
Make me a meal plan that is gluten and dairy free that uses simple ingredients. I want 2 breakfast ideas, 3 lunch ideas, and 7 dinner ideas.
Based on Sale Ads
You can even give ChatGPT a list of items on sale, whether it’s a link to a website or a picture of an ad. I make some meal plans based on sale ads, but maybe you need one for a different store.
Here’s an example of something you can ask ChatGPT:
Here’s how it answered:
Here is the prompt I used if you want to copy and paste:
https://www.southernsavers.com/aldi-weekly-ad-deals/
Make me a one-week meal plan based on this link that shows what’s on sale at Aldi. I’d like 3 breakfast options, 3 lunch options, and 6 dinner options. Keep it concise and streamlined so I can easily print it out.
Other Tips
Here are some ways you can use these prompts to do even more:
- Ask ChatGPT to make a meal plan off of a sale ad but include any food allergies you’re dealing with.
- Ask it to make a shopping list based on the meal plan it comes up with.
And remember, sometimes using ChatGPT takes trial and error. If it spits out something that you don’t like, tell it what you want to change. It remembers what you’ve already said and can make minor tweaks.
Have you ever used ChatGPT to help you with a household task? Let us know in the comments!
