Make Your Own Dining-App-Style Meal Planner for Dietary Restrictions

Too many recipe lists, too many allergies: build a dining-app-style meal planner your family will actually use

Decision fatigue, allergy anxiety, and juggling multiple diets are daily pain points for families. You don’t need a developer or a giant app subscription to solve them — you can build a lightweight, shareable meal recommender (a micro-app) this weekend using templates and simple AI prompts. This guide shows exactly how, with practical steps, ready-made data models, and tested AI prompt recipes you can copy-paste.

Why this matters in 2026

By 2026 the “micro-app” movement matured: no-code platforms and integrated generative-AI blocks let non-developers create personal utilities faster than ever. Families managing allergies, celiac disease, vegan diets, or multiple food preferences now expect personalized, private tools — not bloated mass-market apps that ignore nuance. This article walks you through building a compact, shareable meal recommender that:

• Respects dietary restrictions (allergies, intolerances, religious rules)
• Suggests meals tailored to each family member
• Shares plans with caregivers, grandparents, or daycare providers
• Uses AI to scale recipe matching, substitutions, and shopping lists

Quick overview: what you’ll end up with

In this project you’ll create a single-page micro-app or simple web interface that:

1. Stores family members and their dietary rules
2. Stores recipes with ingredient lists and tags
3. Matches recipes to family members using rule-based filters + AI scoring
4. Generates a weekly meal plan and shopping list
5. Exports or shares a link or QR code for others to view

Choose your stack: three fast paths (no-code to low-code)

Pick the path that fits your skills and privacy needs. Each option includes templates and next-step tips.

1) Airtable + Softr/Glide (fast, visual, shareable)

• Store data in Airtable tables: Recipes, Ingredients, People, Allergies, MealPlans.
• Use Softr or Glide to build a front-end that filters recipes per person and assembles meal plans.
• Integrate OpenAI or Claude via Airtable automations or Make (Integromat) for scoring and substitutions.
• Best for: quick deployment, family members who want a friendly UI and mobile access.

2) Google Sheets + Apps Script + ChatGPT (most accessible)

• Use a shared Google Sheet with structured tabs: People, Recipes, Ingredients, Meals, Shopping.
• Apps Script runs triggers: generate recommendations, make shopping lists, and email/share PDFs or calendar events.
• Call ChatGPT/GPT-4o via API from Apps Script to perform substitution logic and recipe rewriting.
• Best for: households already using Google Workspace and wanting maximum control without paying for no-code platforms.

3) Glide or Adalo as a single-tool micro-app (super simple)

• Glide connects directly to Sheets or Airtable and provides forms, lists, and share links.
• You can add simple logic (visibility, computed columns) for allergy filtering and dietary tags.
• Use webhooks to call an LLM for advanced tasks like ingredient substitution or rewriting recipes to be allergy-safe.
• Best for: users who want an app-like experience quickly with minimal configuration.

Data model: the backbone of your meal recommender

Design your tables deliberately. Here’s a compact schema that works across platforms.

Core tables (or tabs)

• People: id, name, role (kid, adult), allergies (list), dislikes, diet tags (vegan, low-FODMAP)
• Ingredients: id, name, allergen tags (peanut, dairy), cross-contam risk, substitutes (list)
• Recipes: id, title, ingredients (linked), steps, tags (gluten-free), prep time, photo URL
• MealPlans: date, person(s), recipe id, meal type (breakfast/lunch/dinner), notes
• SharedLinks or Access: link id, expiry, viewer role

Design tips

• Store dietary rules as explicit tags — they’re easier to filter and reason about than free text.
• Keep ingredient allergy flags separate from recipe tags — a recipe can be tagged gluten-free but still contain a hidden allergen via a sauce ingredient.
• Version recipes so you can track the allergy-safe variant used for different families (e.g., “Pancakes — gluten + dairy-free”).

AI prompts and automations: do the heavy lifting with prompts you can reuse

AI is the magic: it does substitution, scores recipes for each person, and converts recipes into shopping lists. Copy the prompts below into your automation tool (OpenAI, Anthropic, or platform plugin).

Prompt: Score a recipe for a single person

System: You are a helpful nutrition and allergen assistant. Be conservative and emphasize safety.

User: Given this person profile and recipe, return a JSON with keys: score (0-100), flagged_issues (array), safe_substitutions (array). Person: {"name":"Lila","allergies":["peanut","dairy"],"diet_tags":["vegetarian"]}. Recipe: {"title":"Thai Peanut Noodles","ingredients":["peanut butter","soy sauce","rice noodles","scallions","butter"]}.

Expected output example: {"score":12,"flagged_issues":["peanut","butter (dairy)"],"safe_substitutions":[{"for":"peanut butter","suggest":"sunflower seed butter (if not allergy)"},{"for":"butter","suggest":"olive oil or vegan butter"}]}

Prompt: Make allergy-safe recipe variant

System: You are a trained culinary assistant focused on safety and taste. Provide a rewritten recipe using substitutions and note cross-contamination or special prep tips.

User: Convert this recipe to be safe for someone allergic to dairy and peanuts, but who is okay with tree nuts. Include ingredient list, quantities, and three short prep notes about preventing cross-contact.

Prompt: Shopping list and pantry consolidation

System: You are a kitchen assistant. When given a list of recipes and preferences, produce a consolidated shopping list grouped by store section and estimate quantities for a family of four for one week.

User: Recipes: [IDs or text]. Pantry: {"flour":1 cup, "rice":2 cups}. Family size: 4.

UI/UX: Make it simple and trustworthy

Design matters more for adoption than you think. Families want clarity, not complexity.

• Home screen — Quick view: Today’s meals and allergy alerts
• Profile — Each person’s dietary rules (editable, with examples)
• Recipe card — Big allergy warnings at top, safe/unsafe indicator, substitution CTA
• Plan builder — Drag-and-drop or checklist to assemble a week, with automatic shopping list generation
• Share — Generate a read-only link or QR for caregivers; allow optional comment field for notes

Privacy, safety, and compliance

Food data isn’t medical data, but safety matters. Consider these best practices:

• Keep sensitive profiles private — use password-protected links or invite-only access.
• Log substitutions and who approved them — useful if someone has a reaction later. (See guidance for building small support teams in Tiny Teams, Big Impact.)
• If you integrate healthcare providers or store medical notes, consult local regulations (e.g., HIPAA-like rules in your country) and use encrypted storage.
• Display a clear disclaimer: this tool supports meal planning and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

Case study: The Martinez family (real-world inspired)

When Ana Martinez built a micro-app in late 2025, she had three kids — one with peanut and egg allergies, one vegetarian, and her partner on a low-FODMAP plan. Using Airtable + Glide and the prompts above, Ana achieved the following in under a week:

• Imported 120 family-tested recipes into Airtable and tagged allergens.
• Created a “safe swap” library via AI that suggested vetted substitutes and prep notes.
• Shared a weekly meal plan link with grandparents, who used the read-only view to print lunchbox notes.

Result: fewer last-minute grocery runs, reduced anxiety about shared meals, and a documented trail of safety checks when the daycare prepared meals.

Testing and rollout — small steps for big trust

Before inviting everyone, follow a simple QA checklist.

1. Test five edge-case recipes (hidden allergens in sauces, cross-contamination flags).
2. Run each recipe through the “Score” AI prompt for each family profile.
3. Confirm substitutions make culinary sense — cook one or two rewritten recipes to verify taste and clarity.
4. Invite one caregiver for beta testing and gather notes for two weeks. Use micro-feedback workflows (see Micro‑Feedback Workflows) to collect structured input.

2026 trends to watch (and how they help your app)

Stay current — a few platform shifts in 2025–2026 make this easier:

• On-device LLM options: More devices can run privacy-focused models locally for substitution logic without sending data to the cloud. For guidance on API vs. local tradeoffs see running LLMs on compliant infrastructure.
• No-code AI blocks: Popular no-code builders added generative-AI modules in late 2025, simplifying workflows like recipe rewriting and shopping-list generation.
• Interoperability standards: Emerging standards for app-to-app data sharing make calendar and grocery integrations smoother in 2026. If you’re thinking about hosting and server choices, compare free-tier options like Cloudflare Workers vs AWS Lambda.

Advanced strategies (if you want to scale)

If your micro-app becomes indispensable, consider these upgrades.

• User personalization models — Train a small usage model (with consent) to learn taste preferences and improve suggestions.
• Automated meal rotations — Use AI to create a 4-week rotation that balances variety and ingredient re-use to reduce waste.
• Local sourcing & allergy-safe vendors — Add a vendor layer that flags local brands certified allergen-free; pair that with deal and vendor monitoring to keep costs down.
• Testing integration — Add a simple reaction-reporting form to track incidents and refine safety rules.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Too many tags — Keep tags minimal and prioritize tags that affect safety (peanut, gluten) before preference tags (low-sugar).
• Blind substitution — Always human-review AI-suggested swaps before marking a recipe “safe.”
• Over-sharing — Use role-based access to prevent unexpected edits from well-meaning relatives.
• Assuming accuracy — Treat the tool as a decision-support system, not a definitive clinical source.

Starter templates & checklist (copy-paste)

People table template (CSV-ready)

id,name,role,allergies,diet_tags,notes

1,Lila,child,"peanut;dairy",vegetarian,"epipen on file"

Recipe card fields

• title
• ingredients (list of ingredient ids)
• instructions
• tags
• prep_time
• photo_url

Launch checklist

1. Populate core data (people, 30-50 recipes)
2. Run AI scoring on all recipes for each profile
3. Create 2-week default meal plan
4. Share read-only link with one caregiver and collect feedback
5. Iterate and scale to whole family

Final notes: safety-first, family-friendly, and surprisingly sustainable

Micro-apps let families own their meal planning. Because these tools are small and focused, they’re easier to tune and keep private than mainstream meal services. Use conservative AI settings, always human-review allergy-critical suggestions, and document changes—especially for children with severe allergies.

“The goal isn’t to replace your pediatrician or dietitian — it’s to reduce friction when feeding your family safely.”

Ready-to-use AI prompts & starter files

I’ve packaged the essential prompts and a starter Airtable/Sheets CSV you can import. Want them? Click the link below to get the template and a copyable prompt pack that includes:

• Recipe scoring prompt
• Allergy-safe recipe rewrite prompt
• Shopping-list generator prompt
• Data model CSV for People, Ingredients, Recipes

Take action this weekend

Start small: import 20 favorite family recipes, tag allergens, and run the scoring prompt for each family member. Share a read-only link with one caregiver and cook two AI-modified recipes to validate taste and safety. In a few iterations you’ll have a customized, shareable meal recommender that reduces stress and keeps everyone safer at mealtime.

Call to action: Download the starter template and prompt pack now, or reply with your family’s dietary constraints and I’ll draft three personalized prompts you can paste into Airtable, Google Sheets, or Glide.

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