Meal Planning Context
Bene & Charlie — Meal-Plan Context Guide
(Copy this whole block when briefing any AI to design our weekly meals)
1 Household Snapshot
| Person | Key notes |
|---|---|
| Bene | Pregnant (20 weeks). Mild reflux (avoid heavy sauces). Needs folate, iron, calcium, steady protein, omega-3 (limit to one fish meal/week). |
| Charlie | Gut-healing: strictly GF, very low dairy/sugar, prefers cooked veg. Daily pumpkin seeds + raw garlic. Aims for weight-loss via smaller dinners. |
2 Non-Negotiable Diet Rules
- No sugar
- 100 % gluten-free
- Dairy only as coconut yoghurt or minimal butter
- Only low-mercury, fully-cooked fish
- Avoid heavy coconut/tomato sauces (reflux)
- Daily cooked greens — broccoli mandatory
- Herbs, garlic, cumin, turmeric welcome
- Pumpkin seeds + raw garlic every day
- Fruit capped at berries or 1 tbsp stewed apple
3 Meal Pattern We Like
| Slot | Typical food | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | • Chia bowl (almond milk + coconut yoghurt + seeds) or• Eggs & avocado + side salad | Light, quick, fibre-rich |
| Lunch | Always leftovers from last dinner | Zero prep |
| Dinner | One big cook (tray-bake / one-pot) ⇒ creates next-day lunch | Cuts effort |
★ Note, Lunch/Dinner can be switch around. Currently we're also liking having bigger breakfasts, lunch and small light salad dinners.
4 Weekly Structure
- 4-day plan (Mon–Thu) to minimise spoilage
- Exactly 1 fish dinner + 1 meat dinner (not always meatballs) + 2 plant dinners
- Include a small mid-week top-up list for fresh produce
Suggested flow:
1️⃣ Mon – Fresh fish tray-bake
2️⃣ Tue – Plant dish (e.g. quinoa-pepper bake + roasted chickpeas)
3️⃣ Wed – Meat tray-bake (e.g. herb roast chicken thighs)
4️⃣ Thu – Plant fritters/hash or lentil-based solid dish
5 Staple Batch-Cook Snacks
- Roasted Chickpea Crunch (30 min)
- Courgette-Oat Fritters (3 min/side)
- Seed Bread (55 min)
- Apple-Cinnamon Oat Energy Balls (no-bake)
- White-Bean & Aubergine Hummus (roast + blitz)
Add one snack whenever the oven is already on.
6 Default Shopping-List Items
Always include:
- Yakult (daily probiotic)
- Avocados (6 per 4-day block)
- Chia seeds (≈ 300 g)
- Unsweetened almond milk (1 L)
List format → Markdown check-boxes grouped by Produce · Meat & Fish · Dry/Canned · Chilled/Drinks · Mid-Week Top-Up.
7 Cooking Style & Portion Cues
- Tray-bake: roast veg 15 min → add protein 10–15 min
- Safe temps: chicken ≥ 74 °C · fish ≥ 63 °C
- Finish with lemon & parsley; keep flavours bright, sauce-light
- Provide a brief “Timing at a Glance” table for multi-tray cooks
8 Nutrient Priorities Checklist
- Folate & fibre (lentils, quinoa, leafy greens)
- Iron + vitamin C pairing
- Omega-3 once (salmon/trout)
- Daily cooked broccoli
- Pumpkin seeds & raw garlic
9 Tone & Formatting
- British English, concise, Hemingway-lean.
- Friendly, no marketing fluff.
- Output: Markdown table for the plan, then Markdown shopping list.
- End with one curiosity-spark question linking food and “energy-flow” (optional).