Public Access
admin
97b84a7cd8
Round 1 (commit a3c89bf) imported 18 recipes before hitting
the 50-pt/day Spoonacular free-tier cap. User direction
(2026-06-07): 'please add more meals to the potential list' /
'Pull in more recipes so we have a larger sample to generate
from.'
This is a fresh-quota run with a different query list focused
on cuisines and meal types the round 1 list didn't cover:
Indian (8) + Thai (6) + Chinese regional (6) + Soups & stews
(6) + Salads (6) + Sandwiches/wraps (5) + Breakfast (5) +
German/European (4) + French (4) = 50 queries.
Same shape as scripts/seed_recipes.py: hits Spoonacular's
complexSearch directly (avoids the broken backend route and
the backend's quota counter), POSTs top hits to the backend's
/api/recipes/import. Idempotent (409 on duplicate), 1.5 sec
sleep, stops on 402.
Result: 18 imported today. 12 queries returned no hits from
Spoonacular's free-tier index (e.g. 'chana masala', 'thai
basil chicken', 'dan dan noodles' — these are absent or
premium-only). 1 query ('wedge salad') hit 402 mid-import.
DB went 49 -> 67 total recipes (37 Spoonacular + 30 manual).
LLM test (Sprint 13 endpoint, week 2026-07-20, prompt
'variety, mix of cuisines, family-friendly, no repeats'):
{picked_count: 0, filled_count: 21, failed_count: 0}
The library now covers all 21 slots of a week (was 19/21 +
2 failed in round 1). 4 weeks of planning now has a real
library to pick from with 1.25x rotation.
Re-running scripts/seed_recipes.py (round 1) tomorrow will
add 30+ more — its query list has gaps the round 1 cap didn't
reach (American + Mediterranean cuisines).
Meal Planner
Self-hosted meal planning system that integrates with Lucky California grocery store, sends weekly meal proposals via email to family members, generates shopping lists, and learns from feedback.
Background
This project was born out of frustration with meal kit services (Blue Apron → EveryPlate → HungryRoot → Sunbasket) that:
- Escalate costs to 3x ingredient markup
- Fall into repetitive meal rhythms
- Force users to log into apps to manage selections
- Don't integrate with home pantry items
Features
- Grocery Integration: Scrapes Lucky California weekly ads and sales
- Family Approval Workflow: Email proposals with approve/deny; one denial swaps the meal
- Shopping List Generation: Weekly list grouped by store aisles, highlighting sales, with interactive checkboxes to track purchased items
- Pantry Integration: Specify home items to incorporate into suggestions
- Web UI: Modern interface for the whole family
- Learning: Feedback-based meal recommendations, with weekly auto-discovery of new recipes from external APIs when family preferences are signaled
- Recipe Images: Scraped from public recipe sites, AI fallback available
- Unit Conversion: Converts recipe quantities (cups, tbsp, lb) to grocery units for accurate cost estimates
Architecture
- Backend: Python/FastAPI
- Database: PostgreSQL
- Frontend: React + Tailwind CSS
- Email: SendGrid
- Hosting: Docker Compose with nginx reverse proxy
Documentation
Quick Start
# Clone and start
docker-compose up -d
# View logs
docker-compose logs -f
# Stop
docker-compose down
Family Profile
Household: 2 adults, 2 children
- One adult likes mushrooms, one child OK with them
- Three family members do NOT like mushrooms
- No allergies
- Calorie, budget, and health conscious eating
Approval Workflow
- System generates 7-day meal plan based on sales, dietary constraints, budget, variety
- Email sent to both adults with meal previews
- One denial = meal swapped; no denials = auto-approved
- Shopping list generated after approval
Tech Stack
| Component | Technology |
|---|---|
| Backend | Python 3.11, FastAPI |
| Database | PostgreSQL 15 |
| Frontend | React 18, TypeScript, Tailwind |
| Scraping | Playwright, BeautifulSoup |
| SendGrid | |
| Hosting | Docker Compose, nginx |