Fill each meal and snack slot with a main recipe and an optional side, then check each day's nutrition as you go. Recipe search follows the preferences you set for the meal plan, so you see recipes that fit your client.
Before You Begin
- The steps in this article require the Nutrition Planning add-on in your subscription. Find the full steps in Getting Started With Nutrition Planning →
- Start a meal plan first, from a template or a blank planner. See Setting Up a Client's Meal Plan →
- Each day has three meal slots (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and three snack slots (Mid-morning snack, Mid-afternoon snack, and After-dinner snack). Each slot holds one main recipe and one optional side recipe.
- Recipe search and suggestions follow the meal plan's preferences. Dietary preferences and exclusions leave out recipes that don't fit, and cultural preferences move matching recipes to the top. Set preferences before you add recipes, so you see the right results from the start. See the section for setting preferences in Setting Up a Client's Meal Plan →
Adding a Recipe to a Meal Slot
Every empty slot in the planner has a + Add button.
- Select + Add in an empty slot.
- In the Select main panel, search for a recipe or scroll through the list. Results follow the meal plan's preferences. Each recipe shows its prep time and ingredient count.
- Click the Recipe details icon beside a recipe in the list to review it first.
- To add a recipe to the slot:
- From the list, click on the recipe title.
- From the Recipe details panel, click the Add as main button.
📍 Note: If your preferences filter out every recipe, you'll see a message saying no recipes match. Try a different search term, or adjust the meal plan's preferences.
Viewing Recipe Details
The Recipe details panel displays the recipe title, prep time, ingredient count, related dietary tags, and more. Review it before you add a recipe, or any time after.
- Select the Recipe details icon next to a recipe.
- Click into and review the Ingredients, Nutrition, and Directions tabs within the Recipe details panel.
Adding a Side to a Meal Slot
- Select a slot that already has a main recipe. The meal time details panel opens.
- Click the Add side button.
- In the Select side panel, search for a recipe or scroll through the list. Results follow the meal plan's preferences.
- Click the Recipe details icon beside a recipe in the list to review it first.
- To add a recipe to the slot:
- From the list, click on the recipe title.
- From the Recipe details panel, click the Add as side button.
- You'll see the side added in the meal details panel and in the meal plan.
📍 Note: Each meal time slot can hold one main recipe and one side recipe.
Moving a Recipe to a Different Day or Time
You can't drag a recipe to a new slot. To move it:
- Remove the recipe from its current slot.
- Select the day and meal time you need.
- Follow the steps in Adding a Recipe to a Meal Slot to add the recipe again.
Reviewing Daily Nutrition
Each day in the planner shows its calories and a bar for carbs, fat, and protein. Totals update when you add, remove, swap, or adjust a recipe. Click on any day’s header to open the Nutrition details.
When the meal plan has daily nutrition targets, each day also shows its totals against them, labeled below, within range, or above. To set targets or learn more, see Setting Daily Nutrition Targets in a Client’s Meal Plan →