Grocery Market Kit: AI Powered Meal Planning WordPress Plugin

As a digital marketing strategist and WordPress enthusiast, I’m always seeking ways to merge technology with social impact. I’m thrilled to share the significant progress I’ve made on my passion project, Grocery Market Kit, over the July 4th long weekend. This journey has taken me from using no-code builders to developing custom WordPress plugins, and the results are exciting!

The Evolution of an Idea

Last week, I experimented with FoxyApps, a no-code builder for AI apps, to create a basic embedded form for meal planning. This experience sparked an idea: why not extend the functionality and create my own WordPress plugin?

On July 3rd, I experienced a breakthrough moment. Using ChatGPT, I created my first WordPress plugin inspired by MyFridgeFood. The concept was straightforward yet powerful: users could check off items they have at home, and the plugin would suggest recipes based on those ingredients, along with any additional items needed.

This approach was inspired by the functionality of Myfridgefood.com. However, I quickly realized that manually adding recipes to such a system is incredibly time-consuming. This insight led me to explore AI-powered solutions to streamline the process.

Enter AI-Powered Meal Planning

Building on the initial concept, I developed a proof of concept that uses ChatGPT to generate meals based on checked ingredients and user-filled fields. This AI-powered approach eliminates the need for a pre-populated recipe database, enhancing flexibility and ease of maintenance.

You can see it in action at GroceryMarketKit.com.

Here’s how it works:

1. Check some random boxes and enter some random foods.
2. Wait 20-30 seconds (due to the comprehensive prompt).
3. Voilà! You’ll receive easy recipes for a family of four, using SNAP-eligible food items with general pricing.

This AI-powered feature is a game-changer in addressing nutritional inequity and food insecurity-related stress. It not only suggests recipes based on available ingredients but also provides pricing information and ensures the recipes are suitable for SNAP beneficiaries.

Recent Developments: From No-Code to Custom WordPress Plugins

Over the holiday weekend, I’ve made substantial progress, moving beyond the limitations of no-code builders to create custom WordPress plugins:

1. Plugin Division: Created two versions – one without AI (My Fridge Recipes) and one with AI (Grocery Market Kit – AI).
2. Admin Settings: Added a settings page in the WordPress admin area for the AI version, allowing administrators to enter their own ChatGPT API key.
3. Bulk Ingredient Upload: Implemented the ability to bulk upload ingredients, simplifying database population.
4. Taxonomy Management: Utilizing the open-source Taxonomy Switcher plugin to map ingredients to WordPress post tags and convert them to the custom taxonomy “ingredients”. While the feature of bulk uploading ingredients directly to the plugin’s ingredients tag-like taxonomy will eventually be built in, this current approach simplifies the code and eases troubleshooting for development purposes.
5. UI Improvements: Styled the ingredient display into three columns, enhancing readability.

I’m proud to have combined my experience with WordPress and my skill with prompting to quickly create three WordPress plugins: the ingredient importer utility, the GroceryMarketKit-AI, and the MyFridgeRecipes.

What’s Next?

This July 4th weekend journey from a no-code embedded form to functional custom WordPress plugins has been invigorating. My vision is to create a tool that not only helps individuals and families plan nutritious meals on a budget but also addresses broader issues of food insecurity and nutritional education.

I invite you to follow the project’s development. Find more detailed updates and previous posts about Grocery Market Kit on my blog.

As always, I welcome feedback, ideas, and potential collaborations. Together, we can harness technology to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

Stay tuned for more updates, and don’t forget to explore GroceryMarketKit.com to see the latest version in action!

This article written with Afforai, using the Claude3.5 Sonnet model