Create a weekly Mealie dinner plan and generate a smart shopping list

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1. Workflow Overview

This n8n template automatically generates a full week of dinner meal plans in your self hosted Mealie instance, allows you to review and remove meals via email, replaces any removed meals with new ...

Best for

Personal Productivity automation workflows
advanced n8n builders looking for reusable templates

Tools used

n8n-nodes-base.stickynote, n8n-nodes-base.httprequest, n8n-nodes-base.splitout, n8n-nodes-base.code, n8n-nodes-base.gmail, n8n-nodes-base.if, n8n-nodes-base.scheduletrigger

Source and attribution

This workflow is cataloged by N8N Workflows and links back to its original n8n.io source page by Kory Clark.

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title: Create a weekly Mealie dinner plan and generate a smart shopping list
Workflow name: Create a weekly Mealie dinner plan and generate a smart shopping list

This n8n template automatically generates a full week of dinner meal plans in your self hosted Mealie instance, allows you to review and remove meals via email, replaces any removed meals with new random recipes, and finally creates a shopping list based on the finalized meal plan.

It is perfect for anyone who wants mostly hands off weekly planning while still keeping control over what meals end up on the schedule. Set it once and let it generate your dinners, review them quickly in your inbox, and automatically prepare your ingredient list for the week.

How it works

A Schedule Trigger runs once per week to start the workflow.
A Code node generates the next 7 calendar days starting from today.
For each day, the workflow calls the Mealie API to generate a random dinner entry.
The weekly meal plan is retrieved and formatted into an email.
A Gmail Send & Wait node sends the meal plan to you with a form that allows you to remove any meals you do not want.
Any meals flagged for removal are deleted from the Mealie meal plan and replaced with new randomly generated meals.
The workflow retrieves the full recipe details for each meal in the finalized plan.
A new shopping list is created in Mealie for the week.
Recipe ingredients are added to the shopping list based on the finalized set of meals.

What this gives you

Automatic weekly dinner planning
A simple email based meal review step
Automatic replacement of meals you do not want
A finalized shopping list generated directly in Mealie
Structured recipe and ingredient data that can be extended to:
Aggregate ingredients across recipes
Remove duplicate ingredients
Scale quantities
Export to external services

How to use

By default, this runs weekly using the Schedule Trigger. You can change the interval or replace it with:
A Manual Trigger
A Webhook
A Form submission
Make sure your Mealie API endpoint and Bearer credentials are configured correctly in the HTTP Request nodes.
Update the Send Gmail & Wait node to use your Gmail account and preferred recipient email.
Adjust the entryType field if you want to generate breakfast or lunch instead of dinner.

Requirements

A running Mealie instance with API access enabled
HTTP Bearer credentials configured in n8n for Mealie API access
A connected Gmail account in n8n for sending the meal review email
Network access from n8n to your Mealie server

1.2 Logical Blocks

This catalog entry is organized from the workflow JSON. The node-level section below shows the executable blocks available for review before importing the template.

2. Block-by-Block Analysis

Block 1 - Sticky Note1

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices: Version 1

Block 2 - Sticky Note2

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices: Version 1

Block 3 - Sticky Note3

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices: Version 1

Block 4 - Add Ingredients To Shopping List

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices: Version 4.4

Block 5 - Delete Random Meal Plan

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices: Version 4.4

Block 6 - Split Removals Array

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.splitOut - splitOut
Config choices: Version 1

Block 7 - Generate Random Meal Plan

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices: Version 4.4

Block 8 - Create Shopping List in Mealie

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices: Version 4.4

Block 9 - Normalize Recipe Data

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.code - code
Config choices: Version 2

Block 10 - Fetch Current Week Meal Plans

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices: Version 4.4

Block 11 - Send Meal Plan Email

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.gmail - gmail
Config choices: Version 2.2

Block 12 - Normalize User Response

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.code - code
Config choices: Version 2

Block 13 - Check for Removals

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.if - if
Config choices: Version 2.3

Block 14 - Generate Upcoming Week

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.code - code
Config choices: Version 2

Block 15 - Weekly Schedule Trigger

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger - scheduleTrigger
Config choices: Version 1.3

Block 16 - Prepare Meal Plan Email Data

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.code - code
Config choices: Version 2

Block 17 - Fetch Recipe By Slug

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices: Version 4.4

Block 18 - Sticky Note14

Type / Role: n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices: Version 1

3. Summary Table

Workflow	Create a weekly Mealie dinner plan and generate a smart shopping list
Complexity	advanced
Nodes	18
Categories	Personal Productivity
Author	Kory Clark
Published	16 Mar 2026

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

1. Download the workflow JSON

Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/14095/14095.json as the source template for this automation.
2. Import the template into n8n

Open n8n, import the downloaded JSON, and review each node before activating the workflow.
3. Configure credentials and variables

Replace placeholder credentials, API keys, webhook URLs, account IDs, and environment-specific values with your own settings.
4. Test with sample data

Run the workflow manually or in a staging workspace, inspect node output, and confirm downstream systems receive the expected data.
5. Activate and monitor

Enable the workflow only after testing, then monitor executions, errors, and rate limits during the first production runs.

5. General Notes & Resources

Review imported nodes carefully before activation. This catalog entry is intended to help you inspect the workflow structure, understand required services, and find related templates faster.

Node names, credentials, schedules, webhook paths, and external service limits may need adjustment for your workspace.

Download workflow JSON Original n8n.io source Personal Productivity workflows

Frequently asked questions

What does Create a weekly Mealie dinner plan and generate a smart shopping list do?

What do I need before importing this workflow?

Review the workflow JSON, configure any required credentials in n8n, and test the automation in a safe workspace before using it in production.

Can I customize this workflow?

Yes. Use the block-by-block analysis and the downloadable JSON to inspect each node, then adjust credentials, prompts, schedules, filters, or destinations for your Personal Productivity use case.

Kory Clark

2 workflows

Nodes

n8n-nodes-base.stickynote n8n-nodes-base.httprequest n8n-nodes-base.splitout n8n-nodes-base.code n8n-nodes-base.gmail n8n-nodes-base.if n8n-nodes-base.scheduletrigger

Complexity

advanced

Published 16 Mar 2026

Likes 0

View on n8n.io Download Workflow

Install path: /data/workflows/14095/14095.json

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Create a weekly Mealie dinner plan and generate a smart shopping list

Workflow preview

1. Workflow Overview

Best for

Tools used

Source and attribution

1.1 Workflow description

How it works

What this gives you

How to use

Requirements

1.2 Logical Blocks

2. Block-by-Block Analysis

Block 1 - Sticky Note1

Block 2 - Sticky Note2

Block 3 - Sticky Note3

Block 4 - Add Ingredients To Shopping List

Block 5 - Delete Random Meal Plan

Block 6 - Split Removals Array

Block 7 - Generate Random Meal Plan

Block 8 - Create Shopping List in Mealie

Block 9 - Normalize Recipe Data

Block 10 - Fetch Current Week Meal Plans

Block 11 - Send Meal Plan Email

Block 12 - Normalize User Response

Block 13 - Check for Removals

Block 14 - Generate Upcoming Week

Block 15 - Weekly Schedule Trigger

Block 16 - Prepare Meal Plan Email Data

Block 17 - Fetch Recipe By Slug

Block 18 - Sticky Note14

3. Summary Table

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

1. Download the workflow JSON

2. Import the template into n8n

3. Configure credentials and variables

4. Test with sample data

5. Activate and monitor

5. General Notes & Resources

Frequently asked questions