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Meal Planning

Last updated: 2026-10-23

Plan your meals for the week with momoChef's intuitive meal planner. Never wonder "what's for dinner?" again.

Plan meals across the week.

Calendar View Overview

The meal planning calendar gives you a visual overview of your meals. Access it by clicking Meal Planner in the sidebar.

Calendar Layout

The calendar displays one week at a time by default:

  • Columns: Each day of the week
  • Rows: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks
  • Recipe Cards: Shows the recipe name, photo, and prep time

Navigation

  • Use the arrow buttons to navigate between weeks
  • Click Today to jump to the current week
  • Use the date picker to jump to a specific date

Color-Code Meals

Assign a color to any meal to spot what's on the menu at a glance — by cuisine, prep effort, or whoever's cooking.

  • When adding a meal, pick from the color swatches (or skip for no color)
  • Colors show up as an accent on each meal card in the calendar
  • Change or clear a color anytime from the meal card

Tip: Use colors to group meals your way — for example, green for salads, amber for quick breakfasts, or coral for weekend treats.

Adding Meals

There are several ways to add recipes to your meal plan.

Click to Add

  1. Click on any empty meal slot on the calendar
  2. A recipe picker will appear
  3. Search for a recipe or browse your recipe books
  4. Click on a recipe to add it

Drag and Drop

  1. Click and hold a planned meal (or a recipe waiting in the week pool)
  2. Drag it to another slot or day
  3. Release to drop it in place

From Recipe Page

  1. Open any recipe
  2. Click Add to Meal Plan
  3. Select the date and meal type
  4. The recipe is added to your plan

Adding Notes

Add notes to a planned meal — for example "Eating out" or "Ordering pizza":

  1. Open the meal's options
  2. Choose Add Note
  3. Enter your text

Drag and Drop Scheduling

Easily reorganize your meal plan by dragging recipes between slots.

Moving Meals

  • Click and hold on a recipe card
  • Drag it to a new slot on the calendar
  • Release to drop it in place
  • The original slot becomes empty

Swapping Meals

  • Select a meal and use the Swap action to replace it with a similar recipe picked from your library

Removing Meals

  • Click the X on the recipe card, or use the options on the meal row

Tip: Plan leftovers efficiently by adding the same recipe to the next day's lunch slot.

Recurring Meals (Premium)

Set up recurring meal patterns to automate your planning. This is a Premium feature.

Creating a Recurring Meal

  1. Add a recipe to a meal slot
  2. Open the meal's options and choose Repeat
  3. Choose how often to repeat:
    • Weekly: Same day each week (e.g., every Tuesday)
    • Bi-weekly: Every two weeks
    • Monthly: Same date each month
  4. Set an optional end date (open-ended repeats run for up to 12 weeks)
  5. Click Save

Recurring Meal Ideas

  • Taco Tuesday: Set up weekly tacos
  • Pizza Friday: Weekly homemade pizza night
  • Meal Prep Sunday: Batch cooking session
  • Date Night: Special dinner every other Saturday

Managing Recurring Meals

Recurring meals are indicated by a repeat icon. To modify:

  • Click on the meal to see the recurrence settings
  • Choose to edit or delete just this occurrence, or the whole series
  • Today, most edit and delete actions apply to a single occurrence unless you choose the entire series

Calendar Export (Premium)

Export your meal plan to your favorite calendar app. This is a Premium feature — free accounts see an upgrade prompt.

Exporting

  1. Click the Export button in the meal plan toolbar
  2. The .ics file for the week you're viewing downloads — navigate to another week and export again if you need more
  3. Import the file into your calendar app

The .ics file works with Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, and most calendar apps. It's a one-time snapshot — re-export when your plan changes.

Calendar Event Details

Exported events include:

  • The meal and recipe name as the event title
  • Your meal's time (or a default time), 1 hour long
  • Meal notes or the recipe description

Meal Plan Assistant (Premium)

Get AI-powered help filling your week. The assistant is a Premium feature that uses AI credits — and the standard week generator is always free.

Using the Assistant

  1. Click Meal Plan Assistant in the meal planner
  2. Pick your dates, meal types, and servings per meal
  3. Optionally check what you already have in your pantry
  4. Review the suggested plan and add what you like

How Suggestions Work

The assistant works from:

  • Your dietary profile: Restrictions and preferences
  • Your pantry: What you already have, if you ask it to check
  • The meals you selected: Date range and meal types

Nutrition Tracking

Track calories and macros for your planned meals.

Setting Nutrition Goals

  1. Go to Settings > Preferences > Meal Planning > Nutrition Goals
  2. Set your daily calorie target
  3. Set macro targets (protein, carbs, fat)
  4. Goals appear as a score ring that grades your planned meals — open a day or the week for the full breakdown

Viewing Daily Totals

See nutrition totals for each day:

  • Calories and macros for all planned meals
  • Progress toward your daily goals
  • Breakdown by meal

One-Tap Week Generation

Not sure where to start? The meal planner can generate a whole week for you — free, with no AI needed, and it respects your dietary profile. Choose how many meals you want (1–21) and servings per meal. Anything it suggests that you don't place waits in the week pool, and Clear week empties the plan and the pool when you want a fresh start.

Adding to Grocery List

Generate a grocery list from your meal plan with one click.

Creating a Grocery List

  1. In your meal plan, click Add Week to Grocery List
  2. Review the week's unique recipes, with a serving multiplier for each
  3. Optionally skip items you already have at home (pantry check)
  4. Add to an existing list or create a new one

Smart Consolidation

When multiple recipes use the same ingredient, momoChef:

  • Combines quantities automatically (2 cups + 1 cup = 3 cups)
  • Converts units for easier shopping
  • Groups items by grocery store aisle

See the Grocery Lists guide for more details.

Meal Planning Tips

  • Plan with sales in mind: Check grocery store flyers before planning to take advantage of deals.
  • Cook once, eat twice: Plan for leftovers. Double recipes that reheat well for lunch the next day.
  • Theme nights: Taco Tuesday, Pasta Thursday - themes reduce decision fatigue.
  • Keep backups: Always have a few quick 15-minute meals for busy days.
  • Prep ahead: Schedule prep time for ingredients you can prepare in advance.

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