ASHBURN, Va. (DC News Now) — Candice Kelly, a busy Loudoun County mom and nutritionist, uses AI to streamline her meal planning, saving both time and money by creating tailored, cost-effective meal plans.
Kelly used to struggle with meal planning and staying within budget, but as a former chef and current nutritionist, she was committed to feeding her daughter wholesome and nutritious meals.
“I’d be searching for recipes and then get halfway through the week and think, this is a lot of work. I don’t even want to make this. Let’s just order something,” she recalled.
Then, she discovered ChatGPT, an AI tool that transformed the way she approached meals. By inputting her family’s dietary preferences, she created customized meal plans that were both nutritious and budget-friendly. The bot delivers ingredient lists and cooking instructions and can customize responses based on where you shop and what your budget is.
The AI not only ensured her family got the right balance of proteins and vegetables, but it also helped reduce grocery bills.
“Sometimes my grocery lists are only $120 for the week,” she said.
That’s down from the $200-plus she once spent, saving her family about $320 monthly. It also helped minimize food waste, as meal plans were designed to use ingredients efficiently.
“You have like the salad in the corner that like wilt, and then you have to throw it away,” she said of typical grocery shopping.
Kelly shares a tip for online shoppers: copy and paste your grocery list directly into your shopping cart to save time. Over time, the AI learns your preferences and uses them to better customize your outputs.
To test it out, DC News Now asked the AI to create a meal plan for a family of four shopping at Walmart. We asked it to exclude fish, just to add a personal dietary preference. We instructed it to focus on healthy, inexpensive meals, with a shopping budget of $150. Kelly said that some nights she doesn’t have time to cook, so she’ll instruct the bot to factor in crockpot meals, so we did the same for two of the nights. The result: a five-day dinner plan with shopping lists and cooking instructions that cost just under $70.
Here’s what the bot came up with for us:
Day 1: Monday
Dinner: Chicken & Veggie Stir-Fry with Rice
- Ingredients: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, frozen mixed vegetables, soy sauce, garlic, brown rice.
- Prep: Cook rice. In a pan, sauté garlic, diced chicken, and vegetables in a little oil. Add soy sauce to taste.
- Cost estimate: ~$12
Day 2: Tuesday
Dinner: Ground Turkey & Sweet Potato Skillet
- Ingredients: Ground turkey, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, onions, garlic, olive oil, seasoning (like cumin or paprika).
- Prep: Dice sweet potatoes and cook them in a skillet until soft. Add ground turkey, chopped bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Season with cumin and paprika. Cook until everything is browned and cooked through.
- Cost estimate: ~$13
Day 3: Wednesday (No time to cook)
Dinner: Crockpot Chicken Tacos
- Ingredients: Chicken breasts, taco seasoning, canned diced tomatoes, tortillas, lettuce, shredded cheese.
- Prep: In the morning, place chicken, taco seasoning, and tomatoes in the slow cooker. Let it cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred the chicken and serve in tortillas with lettuce and cheese.
- Cost estimate: ~$12
Day 4: Thursday (No time to cook)
Dinner: Rotisserie Chicken & Salad
- Ingredients: Store-bought rotisserie chicken, mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, salad dressing.
- Prep: Serve rotisserie chicken with a simple salad of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and your preferred dressing.
- Cost estimate: ~$10
Day 5: Friday
Dinner: Spaghetti with Ground Beef & Marinara
- Ingredients: Ground beef, spaghetti, marinara sauce, garlic, onion, spinach (optional), Parmesan cheese.
- Prep: Brown the ground beef with garlic and onion. Add marinara sauce and spinach (if using), and simmer. Serve over cooked spaghetti with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
- Cost estimate: ~$14
Grocery List (Estimated Costs)
- Proteins:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 lbs) – ~$7
- Ground turkey (1 lb) – ~$4
- Ground beef (1 lb) – ~$5
- Rotisserie chicken (1 whole) – ~$5
- Vegetables:
- Frozen mixed vegetables (1 bag) – ~$3
- Sweet potatoes (2-3) – ~$3
- Bell peppers (2) – ~$2
- Onion (2) – ~$2
- Garlic (1 bulb) – ~$1
- Lettuce (1 head or bag) – ~$2
- Cucumber (1) – ~$1
- Cherry tomatoes (1 pint) – ~$3
- Spinach (frozen or fresh) – ~$2
- Grains & Carbs:
- Brown rice (1 lb) – ~$2
- Spaghetti (1 lb) – ~$1
- Tortillas (10 count) – ~$2
- Canned & Packaged:
- Canned diced tomatoes (2 cans) – ~$2
- Marinara sauce (1 jar) – ~$2
- Taco seasoning (1 pack) – ~$1
- Dairy:
- Shredded cheese (8 oz) – ~$2
- Parmesan cheese (optional) – ~$2
- Salad dressing (optional) – ~$2
Total Estimated Cost: ~$70
This meal plan should stay within your $150 budget even with room for additional snacks or fruit, and you can buy larger portions of items (like chicken or ground beef) to stretch the meals further. Enjoy your healthy, quick, and easy meals this week!”
