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I’ve been pondering how best to manage my meal planning for a flucuating schedule for a few weeks now and I’ve found a solution in a piece of software I already owned and had neglected.

MacGourmet is a recipe database that I originally explored because “it’s like iTunes for your recipes”.

What makes it work for me now when it didn’t work before is the iPad app. Now I can sync my database and cook from my iPad when I’m in the kitchen.

The core of MacGourmet is a recipe database (to get access to the meal planning and nutritional calculating featuers you either need to purchase those features individually or buy the MacGourmet Deluxe version that includes them all).

You type in your recipes or import from any website. You can search and create lists based on ingredients. You can indicate which recipes you’ve tried and which you have not. You can categorize. You can rate. And then you can use all that information to narrow down what you’re looking for and create your meal plan.

After you’ve got your recipes in, you can drag and drop them to create your meal plan. Each week I indicate what meals I might want to cook for based on which both my fiance and I will be home for plus one or two where only I’ll be home and can make something he won’t like. Then I drag and drop recipes from my database.

I start by searching for perishable ingredients I already have on hand to make sure I get those used up. Then I usually use my “Top Rated” smart list of our favorite recipes to fill in the gaps. And I can easily scale recipes to make sure we’ll have the right amount of leftovers for our other meals without making any permanent changes to my recipe entry.

Here’s a screen shot of this week’s plan:

After my meal plan is complete I can create a shopping list with the click of a button. I can sort that shopping list by store and by aisle or department. I can also delete any items I already have and add any staples and snacks I need to be sure I pick up. That list can either be printed or synced to my iPhone for handy access while I’m at the store. I like to sync to the iPhone app so I can check off items as I put them in my cart.

MacGourmet Deluxe (affiliate link to the Apple App Store) is a little pricy at $49.95 but I think it will quickly pay for itself in saving extra trips to the grocery store or having to go out to eat because I thought we had an essential ingredient but really didn’t. Once you’ve got MacGourmet Deluxe, the iPhone (affiliate link to iTunes) and iPad (affiliate link to iTunes) apps are must haves if you have either of those devices.

Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. If you order through my link I’ll get a small commission that’ll help me pay my hosting fees. I’ve purchased this product myself at full price and truly recommend it.

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