family-menu

Generate protein-focused weekly family dinner menus and print-ready PDFs.

12|6|Updated Oct 18, 2025
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/toddward/claude-skills-playground --skill family-menu
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: family-menu
Source: https://github.com/toddward/claude-skills-playground/tree/main/family-menu
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/toddward/claude-skills-playground --skill family-menu

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill requires reportlab, and includes scripts (resource) and assets (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

This Skill automates protein-rich family meal planning and creates printer-ready weekly menus, reducing decision fatigue, grocery waste, and meal-prep time. It also highlights seasonal ingredients, leftover opportunities, and occasional local restaurant nights, all delivered in a tidy 8.5x11 PDF.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Protein-focused meals: Every dinner centers on a protein source.
  • Leftover detection: Spots opportunities to reuse ingredients across meals.
  • Local restaurant suggestions: Recommends dining options within 25 miles for busy evenings.
  • Seasonal ingredients: Researches current seasonal produce to keep menus fresh.
  • Random design styles: Generates menu PDFs with one of several stylish layouts.
  • Print-ready PDFs: Output is optimized for 8.5x11 inch printing for fridge posting.

Quick Start

Provide your family preferences and on-hand ingredients, then run the script to generate a 7-day, printer-friendly menu PDF.

Frequently Asked Questions about family-menu

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I generate a weekly family dinner menu with protein-focused meals?

This Skill generates protein-focused weekly family dinner menus by researching seasonal ingredients, planning 7-day schedules with Monday-Thursday protein variety, Pizza Fridays, restaurant Saturdays, and Sunday batch cooking, then outputs a print-ready PDF via ReportLab with structured meal data including prep times and leftover notes.

Can I create a printer-ready PDF menu for my refrigerator?

Yes. The Skill produces an 8.5x11 inch print-ready PDF optimized for fridge posting, generated with one of five random design styles and containing title, subtitle, daily meals, proteins, prep times, and leftover opportunity notes.

How does this handle leftover ingredients across multiple meals?

The Skill analyzes ingredient overlap across your 7-day plan and explicitly flags leftover opportunities in meal notes, enabling you to reuse proteins and produce across dinners to reduce waste and grocery costs.

What input do I need to provide to generate a menu?

Provide family dietary preferences, on-hand ingredients, and location (for 25-mile restaurant recommendations). The Skill then researches seasonal produce and proteins to build your personalized weekly menu.

Does this work for meal planning on a tight schedule?

Yes. It automates the full meal-planning workflow—research, scheduling, leftover spotting, and PDF generation—reducing decision fatigue and meal-prep time by consolidating batch cooking on Sunday and rotating protein variety across weeknights.

What are the limitations of using ReportLab for menu design?

ReportLab generates styled PDFs programmatically but offers limited customization beyond the five built-in design themes. Complex layouts or brand-specific typography require modifying scripts/generate_menu.py directly.