Growing up, my grandmother used to say, “If you don’t like what I’ve served for dinner, help yourself to mustard.” If she were alive today, she would marvel that an AI could ease the daunting task of cooking dinner for her family every night. While I certainly don’t blame dear granny for my stick-thin figure growing up or my love for Dijon on dry toast, I definitely understand her desperate plea for the family to just eat what is on the table. Like her, I am a mother of three, but I put much more effort into keeping everyone satisfied. In fact, most nights I feel like a short order cook; I make to order.
My toddler would love if I served chicken nuggets for every meal, my 10-year-old son has a “I paused my game for this” attitude towards whatever is on his plate, and my 7-year-old daughter has a mature palate; she’s been eating sushi since the age of two. My husband thinks I’m a gourmet chef despite most dinners are defrosted frozen items from Trader Joe’s. And me, well, I’d be happy with a salad and a glass of wine.
Since some restaurants have seen success using Generative Pre-Trained Transformers (GPTs) like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to create crave-worthy dishes, I decided to give it go. I had nothing to lose and could always order a pizza if the offering wasn’t edible. To my surprise, ChatGPT gave me five delicious recipes that every member of my family loved. Here’s the prompt I used:
I need to plan dinner for my family of five: my husband, three kids (two boys who dislike veggies but need to eat them, and a daughter who eats everything), and myself. Can you suggest 5 weeknight meals that everyone will enjoy? Preferably easy to make in under 30 minutes.
Chicken quesadillas with hidden veggie sauce
Ingredients: Shredded chicken, tortillas, cheese, bell peppers, and a blend of puréed veggies (carrots, zucchini, or spinach) mixed into the salsa or sauce.
Method: Sauté the chicken with the veggie-loaded sauce, then assemble in tortillas with cheese and grill until golden. Serve with a side of guacamole or sour cream.
Ready in: 20-25 minutes.
Honestly, I never would have put carrots in a quesadilla, but it worked! These were out of this world delicious and because the veggies were blended so well, the boys never guessed they were secretly tucked inside. I will definitely make these again. They are great for a quick dinner before or after sports practices.
Spaghetti with meat sauce (and blended veggies)
Ingredients: Ground beef or turkey, spaghetti, marinara sauce, and puréed veggies like carrots or spinach mixed into the sauce.
Method: Cook the meat, mix with the sauce and blended veggies, and serve over spaghetti. Your boys won’t notice the hidden veggies!
Ready in: 25 minutes.
Once again, I never would have thought to put carrots or even spinach into this type of dish, but they blended together to give the sauce a rich flavor. The kids love spaghetti and had no idea they were eating veggies. ChatGPT was totally right!
Sheet pan chicken fajitas
Ingredients: Chicken strips, bell peppers, onions, tortillas, and optional toppings like cheese and salsa.
Method: Toss chicken and veggies in seasoning, bake on a sheet pan, and serve with warm tortillas. For the boys, you can keep the veggies in bigger chunks so they can avoid them if needed.
Ready in: 30 minutes.
I loved this recipe because the clean up was a breeze. Plus, I baked everything on a sheet in the air fryer, which made it even easier. We added sour cream and chives to the top for a perfect week night meal.
Mini pizzas with veggie toppings
Ingredients: Pre-made pizza dough or English muffins, marinara sauce, cheese, and various toppings like pepperoni, mushrooms, spinach, and bell peppers.
Method: Let the kids assemble their own pizzas, sneaking in finely chopped or puréed veggies in the sauce. Bake for 10-12 minutes until crispy.
Ready in: 20 minutes.
I've never been a fan of English muffins as pizza crust. I'd seen this one before, but since the other recipes had been a hit, I gave this one a go with actual pizza dough. I am a pro blending veggies into sauce, so just for fun, I even threw in some baby kale. I figured the pepperoni would hide that extra pop of veggie goodness - and I was right! If I could high five ChatGPT, I totally would!
Stir-fry with veggie-infused sauce
Ingredients: Chicken or beef strips, frozen stir-fry veggie mix, soy sauce, and rice or noodles.
Method: Stir-fry the meat, then add in the veggies. For the boys, you can keep some veggies separate or chop them finely into the sauce. Serve over rice or noodles.
Ready in: 25 minutes.
When I was making this one, my son came down from playing Fortnite to see what was for dinner and hesitated. I was worried at first, but kept the faith that ChatGPT wouldn't let me down. I stuck to familiar veggies like broccoli and carrots, and kept them fairly big this time. I figured if the boys wanted to pick out the veggies, at least they'd eaten them for most of the week. My toddler ate the tops of the broccoli and my 10-year-old asked for seconds. I'm shook! I prepared another meal that my family enjoyed.
The verdict
I have to admit, I was skeptical. But the fact that ChatGPT got my boys to eat vegetables, is enough proof for me. AI is the kitchen pal I never knew I needed.
Well, I desperately knew I needed something, but when it came to a robot helping me in the kitchen, I pictured more Rosie from the Jetsons. Luckily, I enjoy cooking, it’s the weekly meal planning that gives me the Sunday scaries. AI, once again, has proven to be my secret weapon when it comes to my endless goal of a being a supermom.
