Softonic

Meal Planner

Step 1 / 3
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Set daily calorie and macro targets, build a weekly menu slot by slot (breakfast, lunch, dinner, two snacks), and the planner tracks how each day adds up against your targets in real time. When the week looks right, it consolidates ingredients into a grocery list sorted by store aisle (produce, dairy, pantry, frozen) with total quantities so you shop once instead of checking a recipe card at every aisle.

How to plan a week of meals

  1. 1

    Set daily targets

    Calories, protein, carbs, fat: use the macro calculator if you don't know yours.

  2. 2

    Fill the grid

    7 days × up to 5 slots. Pick from the library or type a custom meal with macros.

  3. 3

    Watch the running totals

    Each day shows current kcal and macros with progress bars against your targets.

  4. 4

    Generate the grocery list

    One click aggregates ingredients with totals and groups them by aisle.

  5. 5

    Export or print

    Send the grocery list to phone, share with family, or print for fridge reference.

Meal slots and sensible distributions

Slot % daily kcal Notes
Breakfast 20–25% Front-load protein (25–40 g)
Lunch 25–30% Veg-heavy, moderate carbs
Dinner 30–35% Largest meal for most
Snack 1 5–10% Optional; protein-forward
Snack 2 5–10% Optional; often fruit or dairy

Distribution is a guide, not a rule. Eat when you’re hungry and when it fits your schedule; total daily intake matters more than timing for most outcomes.

Pantry staples that turn into many meals

  • Proteins: eggs, Greek yogurt, canned tuna, frozen chicken breast, tofu, lentils.
  • Carbs: oats, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, potatoes, tortillas.
  • Fats: olive oil, nut butter, avocado, seeds.
  • Flavor base: garlic, onion, lemon, soy sauce, smoked paprika, cumin.

A pantry like this plus a rotation of seasonal vegetables covers 80% of meal combinations without a giant shopping list.

Tips for a plan that survives the week

  • Repeat breakfasts. Picking a different breakfast every day is energy spent for no payoff. Two rotating breakfasts across a week is fine.
  • Batch cook once. Sunday cook-for-two-days is the single highest-leverage habit. A tray of roasted veg, a pot of grains and two proteins covers most lunches and dinners.
  • Leave a wildcard slot. Life happens. Block one dinner for takeout or leftovers so one disruption doesn’t cascade into the rest of the week.
  • Reuse ingredients. A bunch of cilantro used three ways is better than three herbs you use once each.

Grocery list formatting

The planner groups items by:

  1. Produce, fruit and veg.
  2. Meat & seafood, refrigerated proteins.
  3. Dairy & eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese.
  4. Pantry, dry goods, oils, spices.
  5. Frozen, if any.
  6. Other, anything that didn’t match.

Quantities are aggregated: four recipes that each call for half a lemon appear as “lemons: 2” on the list.

Frequently Asked Questions

Only calories and the three macros. Micronutrients depend on accurate per-ingredient data (USDA-style database) and aren’t currently modeled. Eating varied whole foods generally covers the gap.

Yes. Each meal slot accepts a custom entry with name, ingredients, portion size and macros per serving. Save to your personal library and reuse.

Add a custom entry with estimated macros. Most restaurant meals are in the 700–1,200 kcal range unless explicitly marked as lighter. When in doubt, over-estimate rather than under.

Yes. If you plan a dinner for four and repeat it twice in the week, quantities scale to cover eight servings total.

The current week stays in your browser’s local storage so it survives a refresh. Nothing is sent to a server.

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