Mealime was the app a lot of us used to answer one question every week: what are we having for dinner, and what do we need to buy? It is now being folded into an Albertsons app, and its replacement is built around Albertsons-owned stores. If you shop at Aldi, Costco, Kroger, a co-op or the market down the road, that is a problem. As one reviewer put it:
“I would gladly have paid more to keep this as is NOT a part of the Albertsons app.”
What made Mealime worth using
- Quick, easy recipes that a tired person can actually cook on a weeknight.
- One grocery list built from the whole week, with quantities added together.
- A list sorted by store section, so you are not crossing the store four times.
- Checkboxes you can tap while you shop.
What to look for in a replacement
- Store-neutral. The list should be plain groceries (“1 lb ground turkey”), not products from one chain’s catalogue.
- Plans for you. Recipe managers like Plan to Eat are great if you already have recipes, but you have to bring your own. If you want someone to just pick dinners, that is a different tool.
- A list that persists. A chatbot can write a menu, but the list disappears into a chat window with nothing to tick off.
- Swaps. If one dinner does not fit, you should be able to replace just that one, and the list should update.
- Diet and dislikes respected every single time, without re-typing them.
How WeekPlate covers it
WeekPlate asks for your household size, diet, dislikes and a rough budget, then writes five easy dinners with recipes. The ingredients merge into one checkable list grouped by store section, with a separate “check your pantry” group for the salt-and-oil items you probably already have. Tap Swap on any dinner and the list rebuilds itself. It works at whatever store is nearest.
Your first week is free, and you do not need an account to try it. Plan my week free →
Moving over from Mealime
- Write down the five or six dinners your household always liked. With WeekPlate Pro you can save favorites and drop them into any week.
- Put your household’s dislikes in once; they apply to every plan and every swap.
- If two people shop, Pro gives you a shared list link so whoever is at the store can tick items off for both of you.