Fill in breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for each day, add the ingredients once, and a combined grocery list sorted by store aisle builds itself. Quantities of the same ingredient are added together, and you can print the week or download it as a PDF.
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Click any meal to add a name, recipe notes and ingredients (one per line, e.g. "2 lb chicken thighs"). The grocery list builds itself from the ingredients.
Grocery list
Print & export
Your plan is saved automatically in this browser.
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How to use the Weekly Meal Planner
Pick the week with the date picker or the arrows, and choose a Monday or Sunday start.
Click a meal slot and type the meal name, its ingredients (one per line, with amounts) and any recipe notes.
Reuse favorites: start typing a meal you planned before and its ingredients fill in automatically.
Review the grocery list below the grid, tick off anything already in your kitchen and add extras.
Download the PDF or print the plan for the fridge, or copy the grocery list to your phone.
A simple meal planning routine
Check your calendar. Mark busy evenings for quick meals or leftovers and keep longer recipes for days off.
Plan dinners first. They need the most ingredients. Then fill lunches with leftovers from the night before, which the sample week does on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Repeat breakfasts. Two or three breakfasts rotated through the week keep the list short.
Share ingredients between meals. One bag of spinach can go into wraps, an omelet and a salad; one pack of tortillas covers fajitas and tacos.
Shop the list, not the store. Tick off what is already in the pantry before you go, so the printed list only shows what to buy.
How ingredient lines are combined
Write one ingredient per line with the amount first. Items with the same name and unit are added together across all 7 days:
You type (in different meals)
Grocery list shows
Aisle
1 cup rice · 1/2 cup rice
1½ cups rice
Pantry
6 eggs · 2 eggs · 6 eggs
14 eggs
Dairy & Eggs
1.5 lb chicken breast · 1 lb chicken breast
2½ lb chicken breast
Meat & Seafood
2 cans black beans · 1 can black beans
3 cans black beans
Pantry
1 avocado · 2 avocados
3 avocados
Produce
1 onion, diced · 1 onion (large)
2 onions
Produce
1 lb ground beef · 2 cups ground beef
1 lb + 2 cups ground beef
Meat & Seafood
Different units stay separate on purpose: converting volume to weight depends on the food. To scale one recipe for more servings before adding it, use the Recipe Scaler.
Store aisles used for sorting
Produce · Meat & Seafood · Dairy & Eggs · Bakery & Bread · Pantry (rice, pasta, canned goods, oils, baking) · Spices & Condiments (sauces, dressings, spreads) · Frozen · Beverages · Other. The order follows a typical supermarket loop, with fresh produce first and frozen food near the end so it stays cold. For a list that is not tied to meals, try the Grocery List Maker.
Frequently asked questions
How does the meal planner build the grocery list?
Each ingredient line is read as an amount, a unit and an item, for example '1 1/2 cups rice' or '2 lb chicken thighs'. Lines for the same item and unit are added together across the week, and each item is placed in a store aisle such as Produce, Dairy & Eggs or Pantry based on its name. Lines without an amount, like 'salt', are listed once.
What ingredient formats are understood?
Whole numbers, decimals, fractions (1/2), mixed numbers (1 1/2), fraction symbols (½) and ranges (2-3, which counts as 3). Common units are recognized, including cup, tbsp, tsp, lb, oz, g, kg, ml, l, can, jar, clove, bunch, head and package. Text after a comma or in parentheses, such as ', chopped', is ignored when combining items.
Why are some quantities shown with a plus sign?
Amounts in different units are not converted into each other, because a cup of flour and a pound of flour are not a simple conversion. So '1 lb + 2 cups' means one recipe asks for a pound and another for two cups. Writing ingredients in the same unit gives one combined total.
Is my meal plan saved?
Yes. Every week's plan, your remembered meals and checked grocery items are stored in your browser's local storage on this device. Nothing is uploaded. Clearing your browser data removes them, so download a PDF or copy the plan if you want a backup.
Can I plan more than one week?
Yes. Use the arrows or the date picker to move to another week; each week keeps its own meals and grocery list. Meals you entered in earlier weeks are suggested when you type, so repeating a favorite takes a few keystrokes.
How do I print the meal plan and grocery list together?
Press Download PDF or Print plan. Page 1 is the weekly grid in landscape and the following page is the grocery list in two columns with checkboxes, leaving out items you have already checked. Untick 'Add grocery list page' to print only the grid.
What is a good way to start meal planning?
Plan dinners first, cook once and eat twice by scheduling leftovers for the next day's lunch, repeat simple breakfasts, and check the fridge and pantry before shopping. Planning around ingredients that appear in several meals, such as a bag of spinach or a pack of tortillas, cuts waste.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.