# Meal Planner & Grocery Master

## Overview
A complete end‑to‑end system for busy families, health‑conscious individuals, and anyone who wants to eat well without the daily scramble. This template lets you:

- Store all your favorite recipes in one searchable database.  
- Plan meals week by week with drag‑and‑drop calendar views.  
- Auto‑generate a grocery list that aggregates ingredients across all planned meals.  
- Track pantry stock to avoid buying duplicates.  

> 💡 Tip: Set the **Weekly Review** reminder (see Automation & Tips) to keep the plan fresh every Sunday evening.

## Meal Planning Dashboard
The central hub where you see the upcoming week at a glance. It contains three linked views:

| View | Type | Filter | Sort |
|------|------|--------|------|
| Weekly Calendar | Calendar | `Date` is within next 7 days | `Date` ascending |
| Today’s Meals | Table | `Date` = today | `Meal Type` (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) |
| Unassigned Recipes | Gallery | `Planned` = false | `Rating` descending |

> 💡 Tip: Use the **+** button on the calendar to quickly add a new meal entry without leaving the view.

## Recipes Database
Store every recipe you love, complete with nutrition, tags, and source links. Use the **Add a new recipe** button to expand the database.

| Recipe Name | Category | Prep Time | Cook Time | Servings | Rating | Tags | Source |
|-------------|----------|-----------|-----------|----------|--------|------|--------|
| Chicken Teriyaki Bowls | Main | 15 min | 20 min | 4 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Asian, Gluten‑Free | [Allrecipes](https://allrecipes.com) |
| Overnight Oats | Breakfast | 5 min | 0 min | 2 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Vegan, Quick | Personal |
| Beef & Broccoli Stir‑Fry | Main | 10 min | 15 min | 3 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Asian, Low‑Carb | [Food Network](https://foodnetwork.com) |
| Greek Yogurt Parfait | Snack | 5 min | 0 min | 1 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Vegetarian, High‑Protein | Personal |
| Tomato Basil Soup | Soup | 10 min | 30 min | 4 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Vegetarian, Comfort | [BBC Good Food](https://bbcgoodfood.com) |

> 💡 Tip: Add a **“Last Cooked”** date property (hidden) to rotate recipes and avoid repetition.

## Grocery List
A dynamic list that pulls ingredients from every recipe scheduled in the Meal Planning Dashboard. It aggregates quantities and groups by store sections.

| Item | Quantity | Store Section | Needed For |
|------|----------|---------------|------------|
| Chicken breast | 1.5 kg | Meat | Chicken Teriyaki Bowls |
| Soy sauce | 120 ml | Condiments | Chicken Teriyaki Bowls |
| Rolled oats | 500 g | Dry Goods | Overnight Oats |
| Greek yogurt | 2 cups | Dairy | Greek Yogurt Parfait |
| Fresh basil | 1 bunch | Produce | Tomato Basil Soup |

> 💡 Tip: Tick the **“In Pantry”** checkbox for items you already have; they’ll disappear from the printable list.

## Weekly Planner
A simple table to assign recipes to each day and meal slot. Use the **Relation** field to link to the Recipes Database, then the **Rollup** field to pull ingredient lists into the Grocery List.

| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snacks |
|-----|-----------|-------|--------|--------|
| Monday | Overnight Oats | - | Chicken Teriyaki Bowls | Greek Yogurt Parfait |
| Tuesday | - | - | Beef & Broccoli Stir‑Fry | - |
| Wednesday | - | - | Tomato Basil Soup | - |
| Thursday | - | - | Chicken Teriyaki Bowls (leftovers) | - |
| Friday | - | - | - | Greek Yogurt Parfait |
| Saturday | - | - | - | - |
| Sunday | - | - | - | - |

> 💡 Tip: Duplicate the Weekly Planner page each month and rename (e.g., “April 2024 Planner”) to keep a historical record.

## Automation & Tips
**1. Weekly Review Reminder** – Create a Notion reminder set to **Sunday 7 PM** that opens the Weekly Planner page.  
**2. Duplicate‑Meal Shortcut** – In the Meal Planning Dashboard, right‑click a meal entry → *Duplicate* → drag to another day.  
**3. Pantry Tracker** – Add a separate “Pantry” database (simple table) with **Item**, **Quantity**, **Location**, and **Expiration**. Link it to the Grocery List via a Relation to auto‑decrement stock when you check off a grocery item.  
**4. Export Printable List** – Use the **Print** view of the Grocery List (hide hidden columns) and export to PDF for the weekly shop.

> 💡 Tip: Turn on **“Sync to Google Calendar”** (via Notion’s integration) to see meals on your phone’s calendar.

## How to import into Notion
1. **Create a new page** in your Notion workspace where you want the template.  
2. Click **“Import”** → choose **“Markdown & CSV”** → upload this `.md` file.  
3. Notion will render the headings and tables. For each table, click the **⋮⋮** handle → **“Turn into database”**.  
4. Rename each database (e.g., “Recipes”, “Grocery List”, “Weekly Planner”) and set the appropriate **Relation** and **Rollup** properties as described in the sections above.  
5. Adjust view settings (Calendar, Gallery, Table) to match the screenshots in the template description, then **save**.  
6. (Optional) Duplicate the entire page as a template block for future use.  

Your Meal Planner & Grocery Master is now ready to streamline your meals, reduce food waste, and make grocery trips a breeze!