Getting Started Guide

In this guide we'll cover

Why use Mealime?

Why have over 4,200,000+ users chosen Mealime?

This guide will help you learn the basics of Mealime and get started with a simple way to plan your meals and simplify your grocery shopping and cooking routine. But first, let's address why investing in learning Mealime makes sense! What makes Mealime different than other recipe websites or meal planners?

Customization

Mealime is designed from the ground up to be a truly personalized experience. You can take advantage of 8 diet types from keto to pescatarian, eliminate 12 allergies, remove 124 commonly disliked ingredients and utilize an unlimited number of custom filters to tweak your menu options to precisely match your preferences.

Smart Recipes

Our nutritious, and so our users tell us, delicious recipes are created in house by our team of talented chefs to be quick and straightforward to cook. 

But there's more to the story. We don't just whip up a recipe on the back of a napkin. Our recipes are designed from scratch to be smart. We understand how grocery stores package ingredients and each ingredient's seasonal availability. We use this grocery intelligence to create recipes that work together to reduce food waste and give you meal kit convenience - without the high cost. 

Grocery Shopping

Our grocery list is unlike other lists. It combines your ingredients, organizes them by grocery store department, let's you see which recipes they are for and is always getting smarter.

If grocery delivery is your thing, Mealime integrates with Kroger, Walmart Grocery, Amazon Fresh and Instacart to help you get your groceries without any hassle. Our Kroger integration even pre-selects the ingredients that are best suited to your recipes in the correct quantity.

You'll learn how to use Mealime to:

  • Choose recipes that match your preferences and nutrition goals
  • Grocery shop efficiently in-store and online
  • Cook quickly and efficiently

Meal Planning

Your first meal plan

First, a word about meal planning styles. Many of our users like to plan ahead for the entire week. But Mealime also supports a just-in-time approach to meal planning for anyone who prefers to decide what to cook on a day by day basis. Whichever your preference, Mealime's simple interface allows you to choose recipes and generate a grocery list in no-time!

Auto-builder or create your own

1
When you first open Mealime, you'll land on the Meal Plan screen.
2
Tap "Start Your Next Meal Plan" to get started.
3
Decision time - You can choose to let Mealime create a plan for you by clicking "Build a perfect plan" or start picking recipes yourself.

Using the Auto-builder

1
To begin, start by choosing how many meals you would like to include.
2
On the next screen, you'll see a selection of recipes that work well together. Not to your fancy? Swipe left to a receive a new meal plan (you can do this as long as you'd like)
3
Note the Food Waste icon on the top right corner, which indicates how efficient the meal plan is at eliminating food waste.
4
When you see a selection of meals that appeals to you, tap "Build this Meal Plan" to create your plan.

Tip:

Want more control? Start with a couple of recipes you love and let Mealime automatically pick the rest! Just add recipes in our self-serve planner before opening the automatic planner, and we'll include them in every suggested meal plan.

Pro Features:

  • Pro users can select food items that you already have in your fridge or pantry. Use the top-right menu to select "What's in my fridge" and then choose the items you'd like to use up. 
  • Pro users also have complete control over the factors used to build plans such as variety, freshness, composition and favorites.

Self-serve builder

If you'd like maximum control, Mealime gives you full control to build the meal plan of your choice.

Simply tap the Plus icon on the recipes you'd like to add to your plan, then tap the Checkout button in the lower right-hand corner to build your plan. Before you do, you'll have a chance to modify the serving size for individual recipes if needed.

Tip:

Use the search button to quickly filter recipes by ingredient, price-point, cuisine or number of calories.

Grocery Shopping

Grocery List

When you've finished creating your meal plan, you'll notice an alert on the grocery list icon indicating that your list is ready with all the items you'll need for this week's meals. You'll notice that Mealime automatically groups ingredients and displays the correct quantity you'll need for all of your recipes. No more last-minute calculations while shopping!

Our users get the most value out of Mealime when they combine their entire shopping list in Mealime. Try adding something to your list using the text box at the top of the list. Mealime is smart enough to categorize most ingredients correctly to make shopping easy.

Tips:

To learn more about an ingredient, tap the middle of the ingredient to access handy information such as:  

  • How to choose the correct size or quantity of the ingredient
  • Substitutes of the ingredient
  • Which recipe(s) the ingredient is used in
  • What the ingredient looks like

You can share or print your grocery list from the menu in the top right corner.

In-store grocery shopping

Next, head on over to the grocery store and check off each item as you pick it up. The grocery list categories match with common grocery store layouts, so you should be in an out in no time at all!

Delivery Options

Kroger

Our integration with Kroger is our most advanced to date and a great option if you want a low effort way to have your groceries delivered or ready for pick-up.

1

Create a Kroger account
 To start, you should visit Kroger.com to create an account. Your Kroger account will work with Kroger and their banners including:

  • Fred Meyer
  • Fry's Food Stores
  • King Soopers
  • City Market
  • JayC
  • Smith's Food and Drug
  • Baker's, Ralphs
  • QFC
  • Gerbes Super Markets
  • Owen's Market
  • Pay Less Super Markets
  • Food 4 Less
2

Select a store
After creating an account, navigate to the Grocery Delivery screen from the top right corner menu, and tap Kroger. First, you'll enter your ZIP code and see a list of stores that offer delivery and/or pickup in your area. We'll save your choice for future orders, but you can always edit this by tapping the gear icon on the Grocery Delivery home screen.

3

Login to Kroger account from Mealime
Next, you will be prompted to log in using the credentials you just created. Done? Great! Now it's time to get shopping.

4

Shop for ingredients
On the Shop Ingredients screen, you'll see all of the ingredients from your Mealime Grocery List. We've already selected products that will work well with our recipes in the correct quantity for you. You'll also notice that we've added these items to your cart. The exception is pantry staples, which you'll need to select yourself (scroll to the bottom to find this category)

5

Checkout with Kroger
When you're cart looks correct, tap the checkout button to complete the checkout process. We'll send you to the appropriate Kroger app or website where you will select a delivery or pickup time and pay for your order.

Tips:

  • Tap the swap button to select an alternative product. We've found some alternatives for you, but you can also search for whatever you're looking for. 
  • Please add items to your list before entering into the shopping experience.

Walmart

1
To start, you should visit Walmart.com to create an account. Next, tap on the Walmart option to start shopping.
2
You'll navigate through your shopping list using the arrows in the bottom corners of your screen. Mealime will automatically search for the correct ingredients as you navigate through your list. However, you may want to tap the search icon to search for yourself if you can't find a suitable ingredient.
3

For each ingredient, the bottom bar will display the quantity required. You'll need to select the item that works best for you and adjust the amount accordingly. When you're done, tap the right arrow to continue.

4
When you've completed your list, tap the cart icon to select a delivery or pickup time and pay for your order.

Amazon Fresh

1
Before ordering, you'll need to have an Amazon Prime account created and active. Please see the instructions for how to set up your account here.
2

Tap AmazonFresh to send your grocery list to Amazon Fresh.

Instacart

1
Before ordering, you'll need to have an Instacart account setup. We recommend creating an account and logging in through your mobile device browser prior to ordering. 
2
You will also need to set your ZIP/Postal code and select the store you wish to order from.
3
Tap Instacart to send your grocery list to Instacart.
4

You will be transferred to the Instacart mobile website, where you will need to select the correct quantity required for each ingredient.

Cooking

Cooking efficiently with Mealime

1

Find Cookware
Open this tab first and get out all the cookware required. It will save a ton of time (and stress) rather than rummaging around in drawers while you're cooking.

2

Grab Ingredients
Just like you did with the first tab, open this up and get out all the ingredients you'll need. Put them in a large bowl or set them out in front of you and it'll make cooking that much simpler.

3

Cook & Enjoy!
Once you have cookware and ingredients laid out, this tab will be the one you spend the most time in. Follow the simple instructions and you'll have a tasty dish ready to eat in 30 minutes or less!

4

Mark the recipe as cooked
When you've cooked a recipe, it's important to mark it down as cooked in the app. Why is it important? Because research has shown that people are most likely to finish something that they've already started. Marking a recipe as cooked will fade it out on the Meal Plan screen, thereby giving you a psychological +1 to cook the rest.

Tip:

Cooking mode allows you to focus more easily on each instruction. We've also set things up so your phone's screen won't shut off so you don't have to keep unlocking your phone with dirty fingers. Lastly, try "waving" your hand over the top of your screen! You'll find a magical "hands-free" mode that advances you to the next instruction without even having to touch your phone!

Mastering Mealime

Nutrition

Mealime Pro makes it easy to track and stick to your nutrition goals. 

Set Macro Goals

To set your macro goals for each meal, navigate to the settings screen, and choose "Advanced Filters." You can create as many filters as you prefer using more than or less than logic. You can filter recipes by:

  • Total Calories
  • Carbohydrates % of calories
  • Protein % of calories
  • Fat % of calories
  • Sodium per serving
  • Cooking Time
  • Grocery Price

Add Send nutrition to Apple Health

You can track your daily nutrition intake by pairing Mealime with Apple Health. After cooking a recipe, tap the top right corner menu and open nutrition facts. You can select the number of servings consumed and tap "Add to Health App" to send to Apple Health.

Favourites

Mealime's favourite feature is a great way to keep track of recipes you love and make meal planning even more efficient.

Open any recipe in Mealime, and tap the heart to favourite. The recipe will now show up in the Favorites tab. You can use this feature to keep track of both recipes that you would like to try in the future as well as past favs.

Sharing

If you're going to be cooking for or with others, we highly recommend sharing your Mealime account. Sharing an account allows you to collaboratively plan meals, share grocery shopping duties and always have the same recipes ready to go.

We encourage you to create an account on the settings page and then tap Share Mealime to send a download link to whoever you like. You'll also need to pass along your email and password.

Still need help? Contact Us Contact Us