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Templates: Cooking, Shopping & Meal Planning

These templates structure shopping, meal planning and kitchen organization. They help to reduce the pressure to make decisions in everyday life.

Who this area can help

What is often planable in this area

Routine templates

Weekly meal planning

Routines

Situation: Household with regular cooking needs

Why it can help: Those who plan meals in advance make quicker decisions when cooking and can shop more specifically. No nutritional or health claims.

Important boundary: No nutrition, health or weight statements.

Trigger: Sunday or Saturday Duration: 20 min Frequency: 1× per week Minimal version: Set three dinners for the week

Concrete steps

  1. Check calendar (appointments, eating out)
  2. Plan 5-7 meals
  3. Create shopping list

Shopping routine

Routines

Situation: Weekly shopping

Why it can help: Structured weekly shopping with a complete list reduces spontaneous purchases and repeat purchases.

Important boundary: No nutritional guarantee.

Trigger: Fixed day of the week (e.g. Saturday) Duration: 60 min Frequency: 1× per week Minimal version: Shopping according to a prepared list

Concrete steps

  1. Sort list by category
  2. Process purchasing systematically
  3. Stock up the fridge and supplies

Meal prep on the weekend

Routines

Situation: Weekend with cooking preparation

Why it can help: Preparing multiple meals in one day reduces the amount of cooking required during the week. No nutritional or health claims.

Important boundary: No nutritional or health claims.

Trigger: Sunday afternoon Duration: 90 min Frequency: 1× per week Minimal version: Prepare two meals for the week

Concrete steps

  1. Prepare ingredients
  2. Cooking/portioning
  3. Label and freeze or refrigerate

Evening cooking routine

Routines

Situation: Everyday cooking

Why it can help: Fixed cooking slots in the afternoon or evening reduce the daily decision-making burden.

Important boundary: No nutritional information.

Trigger: Every day 30 minutes before the planned dinner Duration: 30 min Frequency: Daily Minimal version: Cook a quick recipe from the weekly plan

Concrete steps

  1. Prepare ingredients
  2. Cook according to plan
  3. set the table

Refrigerator inventory

Routines

Situation: Household before the weekly shopping

Why it can help: Checking the refrigerator before shopping prevents double purchases and reduces food waste.

Important boundary: No nutritional information.

Trigger: Before the weekly shop Duration: 10 min Frequency: 1× per week Minimal version: What is still there, what has to go?

Concrete steps

  1. Check refrigerator
  2. Remove expired items
  3. Customize shopping list

Prepare a quick lunch

Routines

Situation: Weekday with self-prepared lunch

Why it can help: Preparing lunch the night before saves time during your lunch break and reduces spontaneous purchasing decisions.

Important boundary: No nutritional information.

Trigger: In the evening while clearing the kitchen Duration: 10 min Frequency: On working days Minimal version: Portion leftovers or prepare sandwich

Concrete steps

  1. Portion leftovers from dinner
  2. Pack in containers
  3. Put in bag for tomorrow

Maintain shopping list daily

Routines

Situation: Everyday household

Why it can help: Taking notes immediately prevents you from forgetting something important while shopping.

Important boundary: No guarantee.

Trigger: Every day when an ingredient is used up Duration: 2 min Frequency: Daily Minimal version: What is empty? Write it down immediately.

Concrete steps

  1. Write anything empty on the list immediately
  2. Use the list weekly for shopping

Cooking planning for guests

Routines

Situation: The day before or on the day of a guest dinner

Why it can help: Guest dinner with a plan: recipe, shopping list, preparation schedule – structure everything in advance.

Important boundary: No guarantee of perfect food.

Trigger: 2 days before the guest dinner Duration: 20 min Frequency: Before every guest dinner Minimal version: Choose a recipe, create a shopping list

Concrete steps

  1. Select recipe(s).
  2. Create shopping list
  3. Note down the preparation schedule

Leftover utilization routine

Routines

Situation: Household with food leftovers

Why it can help: Fixed Leftovers Day prevents food waste and gives you a feeling of freedom when cooking.

Important boundary: No guarantee.

Trigger: Wednesday or Thursday Duration: 30 min Frequency: 1-2 times per week Minimal version: Empty the fridge and cook from leftovers

Concrete steps

  1. Check refrigerator contents
  2. Cook from existing ingredients

Weekly shopping with seasonal calendar

Routines

Situation: Weekly shopping

Why it can help: Purchasing by season is based on availability and price. Organizational help, no nutritional advice.

Important boundary: No nutritional or health claims.

Trigger: Before the weekly shop Duration: 10 min Frequency: 1× per week Minimal version: Include seasonal vegetables in your weekly plan

Concrete steps

  1. Check seasonally available ingredients
  2. Adjust meals
  3. Complete shopping list

Day-plan templates

Weekly shopping + meal prep

Day plans

Situation: Saturday or Sunday with cooking plan

Why it can help: Combining shopping and cooking preparation saves time during the week.

Important boundary: No nutritional guarantee.

Day start: 09:00 Day end: 17:00 Buffer per block: 20 min

Fixed blocks

    Flexible tasks

    • Create a weekly plan and shopping list (15 min, high)
    • Shopping (60 min, high)
    • Meal prep (cooking, portioning) (90 min, high)

    Cooking for guests

    Day plans

    Situation: Day of a guest dinner

    Why it can help: Divide preparation and cooking for guests into blocks.

    Important boundary: No guarantee.

    Day start: 09:00 Day end: 22:00 Buffer per block: 30 min

    Fixed blocks

    • 19:00 – 22:00 Guest dinner

    Flexible tasks

    • Shopping for guest meals (60 min, high)
    • Preparation (mise en place) (60 min, high)
    • Cook (90 min, high)

    Working day with lunch from the box

    Day plans

    Situation: Working day with lunch preparation

    Why it can help: Lunch in the box saves time and decisions during the lunch break.

    Important boundary: No nutritional information.

    Day start: 06:30 Day end: 19:00 Buffer per block: 15 min

    Fixed blocks

    • 09:00 – 17:30 Work

    Flexible tasks

    • Prepare lunch in the evening (15 min, high)
    • Cook dinner (30 min, medium)

    Fridge empty day

    Day plans

    Situation: day before the next purchase

    Why it can help: Empty the fridge: use leftovers sensibly.

    Important boundary: No nutritional information.

    Day start: 10:00 Day end: 20:00 Buffer per block: 20 min

    Fixed blocks

      Flexible tasks

      • Check refrigerator contents (10 min, high)
      • Cook lunch from leftovers (30 min, high)
      • Dinner from leftovers (30 min, medium)

      Quick Cooking Weekday

      Day plans

      Situation: Stressful workday with cooking needs

      Why it can help: 30-minute recipe from the weekly plan straight after work. No decisions necessary.

      Important boundary: No nutritional information.

      Day start: 07:00 Day end: 21:30 Buffer per block: 15 min

      Fixed blocks

      • 09:00 – 18:00 Work

      Flexible tasks

      • Cooking a quick dinner (planned) (30 min, high)
      • Clean up the kitchen (15 min, medium)

      Big purchase + putting away

      Day plans

      Situation: Monthly bulk purchase

      Why it can help: Divide bulk purchases into blocks: list, purchase, put away.

      Important boundary: No guarantee.

      Day start: 09:00 Day end: 15:00 Buffer per block: 20 min

      Fixed blocks

        Flexible tasks

        • Complete shopping list (15 min, high)
        • Shopping (90 min, high)
        • Put away and sort (30 min, high)

        Baking day

        Day plans

        Situation: Weekend with baking plan

        Why it can help: Baking in one block is more efficient than heating multiple times. No nutritional information.

        Important boundary: No nutritional information.

        Day start: 09:00 Day end: 16:00 Buffer per block: 20 min

        Fixed blocks

          Flexible tasks

          • Prepare ingredients (10 min, high)
          • Prepare and bake the first pastry (60 min, high)
          • Prepare and bake the second pastry (60 min, medium)

          Weekly planning for the kitchen

          Day plans

          Situation: Sunday as planning day

          Why it can help: Planning everything once a week reduces daily decisions.

          Important boundary: No nutritional information.

          Day start: 10:00 Day end: 14:00 Buffer per block: 15 min

          Fixed blocks

            Flexible tasks

            • Create a weekly menu plan (20 min, high)
            • Create shopping list (15 min, high)
            • Shopping (60 min, high)

            Cooking evening for two

            Day plans

            Situation: Evening with a cooking plan for two

            Why it can help: Cooking as a planned activity + scheduling.

            Important boundary: No guarantee.

            Day start: 17:00 Day end: 23:00 Buffer per block: 20 min

            Fixed blocks

            • 19:00 – 21:30 Cooking evening together

            Flexible tasks

            • Purchasing ingredients (30 min, high)

            Preparation after vacation

            Day plans

            Situation: First day after vacation

            Why it can help: After vacation: fill the fridge, plan the week.

            Important boundary: No guarantee.

            Day start: 10:00 Day end: 19:00 Buffer per block: 20 min

            Fixed blocks

              Flexible tasks

              • Shopping (60 min, high)
              • Plan weekly meals (20 min, high)
              • Meal prep for tomorrow (30 min, medium)

              How to adapt templates to your day

              Start with a few dishes and short shopping lists. Only expand the plan when the basics are working without stress.

              Method and quality note

              Templates are practical starting points. They do not guarantee outcomes and do not provide medical or therapeutic advice.

              Related domains

              Back to templates hub · Open day planner tool · Open web app

              Note: The public day-planner tool is currently available in German.

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