Growing up, some of my favorite memories were made at the kitchen table. It’s where we had real conversations, more than “how was your day.” There were so many times we broke down in giggles because of a funny story or something that happened while we were at the table.
When family and friends came to visit, it’s where we all sat to catch up with each other. We’d enjoy a meal, yes, but also play games and spend time with each other. Naturally, the kitchen table just seemed fitting for a place to connect – something that’s true for families around the world.
Today, I have a kitchen table that might be too big for my dining area, but it’s my favorite. Because it’s the place where connections are made.
One of the biggest connections that the table provides – and likely the most obvious – comes from the connection to our hunger. To fuel our bodies the way they need, whether it’s with a hearty breakfast to fuel the day or a dessert to cap off the night.
So, it may feel a bit ironic that the Weekly Table was born at my almost-too-large kitchen table. My sister and co-founder came for a weekend visit to see the one and only Mel Robbins. Our weekend quickly took a different turn because once my sister was here, she had this idea that had been percolating like your grandma’s old school coffee maker.
What if we could build a smart meal planning app that adapted to real life?
It just seemed to click for both of us.
While we’re both in different life stages, we face the same problem with meal planning.
Let’s just be frank. Meal planning, well, it kinda sucks.
There’s not a great resource out there to simplify mining through recipes. After going through recipe after recipe, it feels like it takes hours to come up with a plan for the week, and then it’s time to create the grocery list. Even if you’ve decided to use something like Pinterest, it still takes so much time to find what you want to eat – especially if you like to plan variety or you have to do something against the “norm” to align with what life is throwing your way.
For me at least, by that point, I’m over it. I don’t even want to buy the food or turn the meal plan into a reality.
And, this doesn’t even take into account the mental load of “owning” the invisible labor tied to planning meals for the week. This mental checklist – from answering “what’s for dinner” to making sure all recipes have ingredients – can be exhausting enough to just want to rely on take out instead of having to deal with the complexities of running your kitchen.
So the Weekly Table was born.
A smart meal planning app that works for real life. But you might be wondering, what does that even mean?
It starts by using the recipes you already love. Personally, I’ve gone down the path of using AI to generate meal plans. It’s okay (minus the super weird recipes, but that’s for another day).
I have TONS of recipes in cookbooks, my Pinterest board, and even in my phone photos that I would love to use. My problem isn’t finding the recipes, it’s finding a way to organize them so that I can actually use them.
With the option to create your digital recipe box, the Weekly Table then helps you identify what your dietary goals may be. Perhaps you want to follow a Mediterranean diet. Or maybe you want to align with some macro goals. Set your preferences, and hit a button, and there you have it – your weekly meal plan!
There’s an option to fine-tune your plan – with a goal that the platform will learn your preferences over time and adapt your menu to fit. Once you feel good about it, lock it in and generate your shopping list.
This is one of the parts I love. In the past when I’ve used tools to generate shopping lists, I get some ridiculous output that makes me want to close the laptop and see if I can find a way to live on air like many toddlers.
We focused on making the shopping list usable. It’s organized with ingredients grouped just like how you would shop in the grocery store. It consolidates things, so you don’t have “salt” listed 15 times just because every recipe needs a dash.
From there, you can use the tool when you’re cooking. Enable cook mode – keeping the screen on so you don’t have to keep entering your password over and over again. And, we added a little progress bar so you can see how far you are into the recipe.
Real Life Requires a Smart Meal Planning App
Whether you have little kids at home, are adjusting to being an empty nester, or maybe you’re just starting life on your own for the first time; real life is messy. While it’s going by way too fast, it also changes at the drop of a pin.
A smart meal planning app like what we’ve built with the Weekly Table means that you can adapt to whatever life may throw your way. Update your plan, see what’s new on your grocery list, and get food on the table faster – and with less work – than ever before.
Beyond the chaos of our own lives, we are all facing some unpredictable aspects of life. Grocery bills are higher than they’ve ever been before, and it’s proven that meal planning can help to reduce grocery costs. Our goal is to save our subscribers over one million dollars in grocery costs. Yes, you read that right.
At the end of the day, time is the most precious thing we have. It’s something I’m reminded of every time I’m at the kitchen table, building a connection with someone I love. I will never wish we have less time, but I will always welcome a way to get more time with those in my life.
And that’s exactly what we’re aiming to do with the Weekly Table.
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