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Plan Mon–Fri dinners from pantry files with Claude Cowork

WorkedEvidence: Described by posterPosted Last checked

Gregory Scott Henson's Claude Cowork run plans Mon–Fri dinners from pantry files in about five minutes.

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Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about the details below and wait for my answers. Once I've answered, confirm the plan in one line and run the whole task start to finish.

Goal: Plan Mon–Fri dinners from my preference and pantry files, then list only what to buy.

Questions to ask me first:
- Where are the preference and pantry files?
- Any nights that must be ultra-fast?
- Preferred stores?

Inputs (fill in or confirm):
- Preferences file: [PATH]
- Pantry file: [PATH]
- Fast nights: [DAYS]
- Store: [NAME]

Rules:
- Read the folder files before planning.
- Use pantry stock first.
- Honor refuses and likes.
- Do not invent items already marked in stock.

Checkpoint: Show the five dinners before the shopping list.

If you get stuck: If a file is missing, stop and ask.

Verify before you finish: Every missing ingredient appears once on the list.

Output: Five dinners plus a shopping list.

Done when: I can shop the gaps and cook from the plan.

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The prompt they actually used

The exact prompt from the source.

Plan dinners for Monday through Friday. Use pantry ingredients first. Create a shopping list for anything missing.

AI tool

Claude Cowork

Outcome

Gregory Scott Henson keeps food preferences and pantry inventory in a local family folder. Once a week Claude Cowork is asked to plan Monday–Friday dinners using pantry items first and to build a shopping list for anything missing. The run takes about five minutes versus a prior ~30-minute Sunday ritual—about 25 minutes saved each week, or 20+ hours a year.

Evidence: Described by posterThe person describes what happened in words, without screenshots or video.

Source

Posted
by Gregory Scott Henson
Last checked
Method:
How we verify

https://www.indiehackers.com/post/claude-cowork-for-the-other-16-hours-756289413e

Context: Same Indie Hackers post also covers subscriptions, kids' calendar, and receipts (separate cases).

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