Here’s how Alreadily works. It looks like a lot written out, but the first real week takes about 10–15 minutes — and after that most weeks take just a few minutes, because you reuse everything you’ve built.
1. Get in
- 1.Open the app on your phone or computer.
- 2.Enter your email and tap “Send magic link.”
- 3.Check your inbox for a sign-in link and tap it. (Check spam if it’s not there within a minute. The link works once — if it expires, just request a new one.)
- 4.Nice-to-have: in your phone browser, use “Add to Home Screen” so it opens like a real app.
You now have your own private space. Nothing you do is visible to anyone else unless you invite them.
2. Set up who you’re feeding
Open Settings. A “household” is just your family/kitchen. You can add two kinds of members:
- •People who collaborate — e.g. a partner who also wants to plan and check off groceries. Invite them with a share link; they get their own sign-in and see the same plans and lists as you, live.
- •People you’re just planning for — e.g. a kid who won’t use the app. You add them as a name only, no account.
For each member, set:
- •Portion size —
1= a normal adult portion,0.5= a small/kid portion. This is what makes the grocery math buy the right amount for your household. - •Dietary exclusions (optional) — ingredients to never suggest (e.g. peanuts, shellfish). Meals containing them get hidden for that person.
You can also set a default number of servings so new dishes start at the right size.
3. Understand “components” (the one idea to get)
Everything you cook is a component. Each component has a role:
- •Full meal — a complete dish on its own: lasagna, chicken curry, a big soup. Use this when dinner is “one thing.”
- •Protein / Carb / Veg / Sauce — mix-and-match parts. Shredded chicken (protein) + rice (carb) + roasted broccoli (veg) + peanut sauce (sauce). Use these when you like to cook parts and combine them across the week.
- •Fruit / Snack / Other — sides and extras.
Each component also has a prep style:
- •Batch — cooked once and portioned across several days (your Sunday-prep chicken).
- •Day-of — made fresh each time (steamed veg, cut fruit).
Why this matters: the app treats a “one big recipe” night and a “protein + carb + veg” night exactly the same way for groceries and scaling. So you can do either, or both, without any extra work.
4. Add a few components
Two ways:
- •Type one in: Library tab → + New → name it, pick a role and prep style, set servings, add ingredients (name, amount, unit, and a store category). Tap the star to favorite the ones you love.
- •Import from a link (fastest): Library tab → Import → paste a recipe URL → the app drafts a component for you → look it over and save. Always give it a quick review — it’s a starting point, not gospel.
Start with maybe 5–8 things you actually cook. You don’t need a big library to begin.
5. Build a weekly template (your week’s shape)
Plan tab → Templates → New. A template is structure only — no food yet. You’re describing the rhythm of your week, for example:
- •Lunch: Mon–Thu = Block A, Fri–Sun = Block B
- •Dinner: Mon–Tue = Block A, Wed–Sun = Block B
You build this once and reuse it every week.
6. Plan a week
Plan tab → + New week → name it, pick a start date, choose your template. Then fill it in:
- •Tap a block → either pick one full meal, or assemble a protein + carb + veg.
- •Different food for different people? Set a component to “just [name]” and add an alternative — chicken for you, tofu for them, shared rice and veg.
- •Traveling or eating out? Tap the day → mark it travel / eating out / takeout / skip. Those days are automatically left out of your groceries.
7. Generate your groceries
On the week, tap Generate groceries. The app adds up every ingredient across the week, merges duplicates (so it’s “Zucchini: 6,” not six separate lines), and scales to your household.
8. Shop
Groceries tab:
- •Items are grouped by store — move any item to Costco / Trader Joe’s / Whole Foods / Other.
- •Check things off as you go; tap already have for what’s already in your pantry.
- •Add one-off items (milk, diapers) instantly with the quick-add bar at the top — they persist until you check them off.
- •If you regenerate after changing your plan, your check-offs and store groupings are kept.
That’s the whole loop
Plan → generate → shop. Once your components and template exist, future weeks are mostly reuse.
There’s more in there when you want it — a cook view that scales a recipe while you cook, a batch-prep sheet for Sunday, and a quick “how was it?” log so your favorites float to the top — but the above is everything you need to replace a planning spreadsheet.
Questions? Email TODO: support@example.com.