Leftovers are for Quitters 🥡

Day 7 of 5-Minute Challenge

Mar 21, 2025

💌 M(AI)VENS on the Move
The scoop from a bestie who’s all about AI and real connections (yes, we can do both!)

Hey M(AI)VENS,

Okay… maybe leftovers aren’t always bad — but this week, AI’s making it easier to cook once, eat well, and maybe even plan for zero leftovers.

Welcome to Day 7 of our 5-Minute AI Challenge!

Today, we’re tackling something that most women — myself included — spend more time on than we often realize: meal planning, grocery lists, and getting dinner on the table.

And no, you’re not just imagining it. Research confirms it: women remain overwhelmingly responsible for meal planning, grocery lists, and cooking—part of what experts call “daily cognitive labor” that keeps our households running smoothly.¹

But here’s the good news: AI can help lift some of that mental load starting today — helping you brainstorm meals, plan for the week ahead, build and neatly organize your grocery list, and even walk you through recipes step-by-step.

Let’s dive in — this is one of my favorite real-life, everyday ways to use AI!

📌 Today's Challenge: Use AI to Plan Meals, Create a Grocery List, and Get Cooking Help

Step 1: Set the Scene — Tell AI About Your Household & Food Preferences

Like any good assistant, AI works best when you provide context and detail. Using ChatGPT, share how many people you’re feeding, allergies, picky eaters, or nutrition goals.

💬 Sample Prompts:
1️⃣ "Plan 5 healthy dinners this week for 2 adults and 2 kids (one is gluten-free, no nuts). We like chicken, pasta, and vegetarian meals. Recipes under 30 minutes, please."
2️⃣ "Suggest 5 budget-friendly dinners for a family of 4, including 2 picky kids. We avoid dairy and love sheet pan or one-pot meals."

✨ Pro Tip: The more detail you give, the better the results. Tell it what you like— and what you don’t. AI loves specifics!

Step 2: Refine & Personalize

This is where AI really shines — refine the list to make it work for your family.

💬 Sample Follow-Ups:
1️⃣ "These sound good, but swap the salmon for chicken and add one vegetarian meal."
2️⃣ "Can you adjust this list to only include recipes with 7 ingredients or less?"

✨ The more you refine, the better you get at prompting — a skill that will serve you everywhere you use AI.

Step 3: Grocery List 🛒

Now let AI organize your grocery run — saving you some serious time!

💬 Sample Prompts:
1️⃣ "Create a grocery list organized by produce, protein, pantry, dairy, and frozen for these meals."
2️⃣ "Give me a grocery list for these recipes and suggest swaps to lower the total cost."

✅ Pro Tip: Check your pantry for staples like rice, olive oil, and seasoning. Then let AI know what you’ve got on hand and ask it to adjust the list for you. That way, you’re only shopping for what you truly need.

Step 4: Cooking Help On Demand

Ready to cook? Have AI walk you through the recipe, step by step — or even troubleshoot in real time.

💬 Sample Prompts:
1️⃣ "Walk me through this sheet pan chicken and veggie recipe step-by-step."
2️⃣ "While I cook this stir-fry, suggest tips to keep the veggies crisp and the chicken tender."

✨ This is also a great way to get teens or non-cooks in the family involved — AI makes it less intimidating.

🌟 My Personal Example — AI Created Our Family’s Meal Plan for the Week

Here’s exactly what I asked AI — and what it created:

👩‍👩‍👦‍👦 Family Details:

2 adults, 2 teenage boys (picky eaters!)
Adults like veggies, kids not so much
We prefer chicken, fish, and burgers
Recipes must be simple — I’m not a fancy cook (now that’s an understatement!)

💬 My Prompt:
"Plan 5 easy dinners for 2 adults and 2 picky teen boys. The teens don’t love vegetables, but the adults do. Include chicken, fish, and one burger night. Keep the recipes simple with minimal ingredients and steps."

✅ Here’s what AI created for me:
1️⃣ Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas — Tortillas, chicken, bell peppers, onions, seasoning
2️⃣ Garlic Butter Baked Salmon with Rice & Broccoli (veggies optional for teens)
3️⃣ Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries
4️⃣ Baked Chicken Parmesan — Served with pasta (and salad for adults)
5️⃣ Easy Teriyaki Chicken & Rice Bowls

💬 I refined it: "Can you swap the salmon for an easier fish option?"

✅ AI’s Suggestion: Crispy Fish Tacos — Baked fish fillets, tortillas, optional slaw

🛒 Grocery List (Organized by Isle!)

Produce:

Bell peppers
Onions
Garlic
Sweet potatoes
Broccoli (optional)
Lemons (for fish)
Romaine or mixed greens (for adults)

Protein:

Chicken breasts/thighs
Ground turkey
White fish fillets (cod or tilapia)

Pantry:

Tortillas
Rice
Spaghetti or pasta
Marinara sauce
Fajita seasoning
Teriyaki sauce
Olive oil

Dairy:

Mozzarella cheese
Cheese slices
Butter

Frozen:

Sweet potato fries (optional shortcut)

💡 Bonus Prompts if You Want to Play:

✔️ "What are 3 healthy, kid-friendly snacks under 200 calories?"
✔️ "Which of these meals freeze well?"
✔️ "Give me an idea for a themed dinner night, like Taco Tuesday."

📣 Share Your Takeaway — What Did You Love?

Post in the group chat or hit reply:

What’s one AI-generated recipe you’re excited to try?
Did anything surprise you about refining your prompts?
Could you see yourself using this AI flow every Sunday night?

Join Cheyenne Dominguez’s subscriber chat

Available in the Substack app and on web

🌟 Big Picture Reminder:

Meal planning, grocery lists, and cooking don’t have to fall 100% on your shoulders.
AI can lighten that mental load — and give you back time and energy for the things (and people) that matter.

Tomorrow, we’ll explore the topic of Digital Detox and how AI can help. See you soon!

xoxo,
Cheyenne 💜
Founder, M(AI)VENS

¹ Source: Journal of Marriage and Family, 2023 — “Culinary Inequality: Food Provision and the Gender Division of Labor in Households.” The study found that women overwhelmingly carry the mental load of meal planning, grocery shopping, and food-related tasks, even in dual-income households.

M(AI)VENS