Weekly Family Menu Generator - Setup Guide¶

Workflow ID: fnLgg88KLhFRlu3T Status: ✅ Created and Ready for Configuration Location: Your n8n instance at https://n8n.prtsr.nl

📋 Quick Overview¶

This workflow automatically generates a weekly family dinner menu every Friday at 2 PM (14:00), creates a shopping list, and optionally populates your Picnic grocery cart. It emails you a beautifully formatted HTML menu with:

• 7 dinner recipes (Monday-Sunday)
• At least 3 quick meals (15-20 min prep)
• Healthy, kid-friendly, weight-loss conscious meals
• Consolidated shopping list organized by category
• Picnic cart integration (requires setup)
• Meal history tracking to avoid repetition

🚀 Quick Start (Essential Steps)¶

Step 1: Access the Workflow¶

1. Go to https://n8n.prtsr.nl/workflow/fnLgg88KLhFRlu3T
2. The workflow is currently inactive (safe for setup)

Step 2: Configure Essential Credentials¶

You need to set up 3-4 credentials before the workflow can run:

✅ Required Credentials:¶

1. OpenAI API Key (for menu generation)
2. Gmail OAuth2 (for sending emails)
3. JSONBin.io API Key (for meal history tracking)

⚙️ Optional Credential:¶

1. Picnic Login (for automatic cart population)

🔑 Credential Setup Instructions¶

1. OpenAI API Key¶

Purpose: Powers the AI that generates your weekly menu

Steps: 1. Go to https://platform.openai.com/api-keys 2. Sign in or create an account 3. Click "Create new secret key" 4. Name it "n8n Weekly Menu" 5. Copy the API key (starts with sk-...)

In n8n: 1. Go to Credentials → Add Credential 2. Search for "OpenAI" 3. Select "OpenAI API" 4. Paste your API key 5. Name it "OpenAI API - Menu Generator" 6. Click "Save"

Link to Workflow Node: - Go to the "Generate Weekly Menu" node - Select your OpenAI credential from the dropdown

Cost: ~\(0.15 per menu generation (4x per month = ~\)0.60/month)

2. Gmail OAuth2¶

Purpose: Sends you the weekly menu email

Steps:

A. Google Cloud Console Setup¶

1. Go to https://console.cloud.google.com
2. Create a new project (or use existing)
3. Project name: "n8n Weekly Menu"
4. Enable Gmail API:
5. Go to APIs & Services → Library
6. Search for "Gmail API"
7. Click "Enable"
8. Create OAuth 2.0 credentials:
9. Go to APIs & Services → Credentials
10. Click "Create Credentials" → "OAuth client ID"
11. Application type: "Web application"
12. Name: "n8n Gmail Integration"
13. Add authorized redirect URI:

    https://n8n.prtsr.nl/rest/oauth2-credential/callback
    

14. Click "Create"
15. Copy your:
16. Client ID (looks like: xxxxx.apps.googleusercontent.com)
17. Client Secret (looks like: GOCSPX-xxxxx)

B. n8n Setup¶

1. In n8n: Credentials → Add Credential
2. Search for "Gmail"
3. Select "Gmail OAuth2 API"
4. Enter:
5. Client ID: (from Google Cloud Console)
6. Client Secret: (from Google Cloud Console)
7. Click "Connect my account"
8. Authorize n8n to send emails
9. Name it "Gmail - Family Menu"
10. Click "Save"

Link to Workflow Node: - Go to the "Send Email" node - Select your Gmail OAuth2 credential

3. JSONBin.io API Key¶

Purpose: Stores meal history to avoid recipe repetition

Steps:

A. Create JSONBin Account¶

1. Go to https://jsonbin.io
2. Sign up for free account (10,000 requests/month)
3. Verify your email

B. Create a Bin (Storage)¶

1. Click "Create Bin"
2. Name it: "n8n Weekly Menu History"
3. Paste this initial content:

   {
     "meals": []
   }
   

4. Set visibility to "Private"
5. Click "Create"
6. Copy the Bin ID from the URL (looks like: 65abc123def456789)

C. Get API Key¶

1. Go to Account → API Keys
2. Copy your "Master Key" (starts with $2a$...)

D. n8n Setup¶

1. In n8n: Credentials → Add Credential
2. Search for "HTTP Header Auth"
3. Select "Header Auth (generic)"
4. Enter:
5. Name: "JSONBin API Key"
6. Header Name: X-Master-Key
7. Header Value: (paste your Master Key)
8. Click "Save"

E. Update Workflow Nodes¶

You need to replace YOUR_BIN_ID in two nodes:

1. "Get Meal History" node:
2. Open the node
3. Find the URL field
4. Replace YOUR_BIN_ID with your actual Bin ID

5. URL should look like: https://api.jsonbin.io/v3/b/65abc123def456789/latest

6. "Update Meal History" node:

7. Open the node
8. Find the URL field
9. Replace YOUR_BIN_ID with your actual Bin ID

10. URL should look like: https://api.jsonbin.io/v3/b/65abc123def456789

11. Link credentials to both HTTP Request nodes:

12. Select "Header Auth (generic)" as authentication type
13. Choose your "JSONBin API Key" credential

4. Picnic Login (Optional)¶

Purpose: Automatically adds ingredients to your Picnic cart

⚠️ IMPORTANT: This requires additional setup and the workflow will work WITHOUT it (you'll just get the shopping list via email instead).

Steps:

A. Install picnic-api npm Package¶

On your n8n server:

# SSH into your n8n server
ssh user@your-server

# Navigate to n8n directory
cd ~/.n8n/nodes

# Install picnic-api package
npm install picnic-api

Or, if using n8n Docker:

docker exec -it n8n npm install -g picnic-api

B. Enable npm Module Loading in n8n¶

1. Go to Settings → Security
2. Enable "Allow loading external npm modules"
3. Restart n8n

C. Create Picnic Credential in n8n¶

1. Credentials → Add Credential
2. Select "Generic Credential Type"
3. Name it "Picnic Login"
4. Add these fields manually:

   {
     "email": "your-picnic-email@example.com",
     "password": "your-picnic-password"
   }
   

5. Click "Save"

D. Update "Add to Picnic Cart" Node¶

1. Open the "Add to Picnic Cart" code node
2. Uncomment the Picnic integration code (remove /* and */)
3. Update credential reference:

   const picnicEmail = $credentials.picnicApi.email;
   const picnicPassword = $credentials.picnicApi.password;
   

4. Link the credential to the node

⚠️ Limitations: - Picnic API is unofficial (reverse-engineered) - Can add items to cart but CANNOT place orders - You must manually confirm your order in the Picnic app - May require 2FA verification (manual step)

⚙️ Configuration & Customization¶

Change Email Recipients¶

1. Open the "Combine Email Data" node
2. Find the to field assignment
3. Replace your-email@example.com with your actual email
4. For multiple recipients, use comma-separated emails:

   parent1@example.com,parent2@example.com
   

Add Dietary Restrictions¶

1. Open the "Prepare OpenAI Prompt" node
2. Find this section in the code:

   DIETARY RESTRICTIONS/PREFERENCES:
   [USER TO CONFIGURE: e.g., "No shellfish, prefer Mediterranean flavors, lactose-free milk"]
   

3. Replace the placeholder with your actual restrictions:

   DIETARY RESTRICTIONS/PREFERENCES:
   - No shellfish or peanuts (allergies)
   - Prefer Mediterranean and Asian cuisines
   - Use lactose-free milk instead of regular milk
   - Limit red meat to 1-2 times per week
   - Include at least 2 vegetarian meals
   

Change Schedule¶

Current: Every Friday at 2:00 PM (14:00) CET

To change: 1. Open the "Weekly Menu Trigger" node 2. Modify the cron expression: - Sunday 10 AM: 0 10 * * 0 - Wednesday 6 PM: 0 18 * * 3 - Twice a week (Wed & Sat): 0 18 * * 3,6 3. Update timezone if needed (currently Europe/Amsterdam)

Adjust Meal History Lookback¶

Current: Last 21 meals (3 weeks)

To change: 1. Open "Prepare OpenAI Prompt" node 2. Find: previousMeals.slice(-21) 3. Change number: - Last 2 weeks: -14 - Last 4 weeks: -28 - Last 6 weeks: -42

🧪 Testing Before Friday¶

Test 1: Manual Trigger (Recommended First Test)¶

1. Click the "Execute Workflow" button at the bottom
2. Expected behavior:
3. Workflow runs through all nodes
4. OpenAI generates 7 recipes
5. Email is sent to your address
6. History is updated in JSONBin
7. Check:
8. Your email inbox for the menu
9. JSONBin.io for updated meal history
10. Picnic cart (if configured)

Test 2: Individual Node Testing¶

Test OpenAI Generation: 1. Click on "Generate Weekly Menu" node 2. Click "Execute Node" (play button) 3. Verify JSON output contains 7 recipes

Test Email Formatting: 1. After running the workflow once 2. Check "Format Menu HTML" node output 3. Copy HTML and paste into https://htmledit.squarefree.com to preview

Test Picnic Integration: 1. Run "Add to Picnic Cart" node individually 2. Check Picnic app/website for added items 3. Important: Clear your cart after testing!

Test 3: Validate Workflow¶

Run validation to check for any configuration issues:

# Use n8n MCP tool
n8n_validate_workflow --id fnLgg88KLhFRlu3T

Or in the n8n UI: - Some warnings are expected (they're informational) - Focus on fixing any errors (shown in red)

✅ Activation Checklist¶

Before activating the workflow, ensure:

• OpenAI API credential configured and linked
• Gmail OAuth2 credential configured and linked
• JSONBin.io credential configured with Bin ID updated in both HTTP nodes
• Email recipient address updated in "Combine Email Data" node
• Dietary restrictions added to OpenAI prompt (if needed)
• Workflow tested manually at least once
• Test email received successfully
• Meal history stored in JSONBin
• (Optional) Picnic integration tested and cleared
• Schedule is correct (Friday 2 PM by default)

🎯 Activation¶

Once all credentials are set up and tested:

1. Go to the workflow page
2. Toggle the "Active" switch in the top-right
3. Workflow will now run automatically every Friday at 2 PM

First Run: This Friday at 14:00 (2 PM) CET

📧 What to Expect¶

Every Friday at 2 PM:¶

1. Workflow triggers automatically
2. Retrieves your meal history (last 3 weeks)
3. AI generates 7 new dinner recipes:
4. At least 3 quick meals (15-20 min)
5. Healthy, kid-friendly, weight-loss conscious
6. Avoids recent repetition
7. Consolidates shopping list:
8. Merges duplicate ingredients
9. Organizes by category (Proteins, Vegetables, etc.)
10. (Optional) Adds items to Picnic cart
11. Sends you a beautiful HTML email with:
12. Week overview (quick meals, avg calories, prep time)
13. 7 recipe cards with ingredients and instructions
14. Color-coded quick meals (green)
15. Nutritional info (calories, protein)
16. Kid-friendly ratings
17. Complete shopping list by category
18. Picnic cart status (items added/not found)
19. Updates meal history for next week

Sample Email Subject:¶

🍽️ Your Weekly Menu is Ready! Week of 2026-01-06 - 3 Quick Meals Inside

🔧 Troubleshooting¶

Problem: Workflow fails with "OpenAI error"¶

Solutions: - Check OpenAI API credit balance - Verify API key is correct - Check OpenAI status page: https://status.openai.com - Reduce maxTokens in OpenAI node if hitting limits

Problem: Email not received¶

Solutions: - Check Gmail spam folder - Verify Gmail OAuth2 credential is not expired (re-authenticate if needed) - Check Gmail API quotas in Google Cloud Console - Test Gmail node individually - Check n8n execution log for errors

Problem: "Cannot find module 'picnic-api'"¶

Solutions: - Install picnic-api: npm install picnic-api - Enable "Allow loading external npm modules" in n8n settings - Restart n8n after installation - Or skip Picnic integration (workflow works without it)

Problem: Picnic authentication fails¶

Solutions: - Verify Picnic credentials in n8n - Try manual login on Picnic website/app - Check if Picnic requires 2FA (may need manual intervention) - Use fallback: disable Picnic integration, rely on email shopping list

Problem: Too many similar recipes week-after-week¶

Solutions: - Increase history lookback (change -21 to -35 or higher) - Manually clear meal history in JSONBin if needed - Add more specific cuisine preferences in dietary restrictions - Check that meal history is being saved correctly

Problem: Recipes don't match dietary restrictions¶

Solutions: - Review dietary restrictions in "Prepare OpenAI Prompt" node - Make restrictions more explicit and detailed - Add examples of preferred/avoided ingredients - Adjust OpenAI temperature (lower = more consistent)

💰 Cost Breakdown¶

Monthly Costs (4 executions):¶

Cost Optimization:¶

Option 1: Use GPT-3.5-Turbo instead of GPT-4o - Cost: ~\(0.02 per execution (~\)0.08/month) - Savings: ~87% - Trade-off: Slightly lower quality recipes, less structured output

Option 2: Run biweekly instead of weekly - Cost: ~$0.30/month - Savings: 50% - Trade-off: Plan 2 weeks at once

📊 Monitoring & Maintenance¶

Weekly Checks:¶

• Verify email received
• Check Picnic cart populated correctly (if using)
• Review "not found" items list
• Confirm no duplicate meals from history

Monthly Checks:¶

• Review meal history (should have 20-30 entries)
• Check OpenAI API usage and costs
• Update dietary preferences if needed
• Review prompt effectiveness (quality of recipes)

Quarterly Checks:¶

• Update picnic-api npm package: npm update picnic-api
• Test error handling scenarios
• Backup meal history data from JSONBin
• Review and optimize ingredient categorization logic
• Check Gmail OAuth token expiration

🆘 Support & Resources¶

Documentation:¶

• n8n Docs: https://docs.n8n.io
• OpenAI API: https://platform.openai.com/docs
• Picnic API Package: https://github.com/MRVDH/picnic-api
• JSONBin.io Docs: https://jsonbin.io/api-reference

Community:¶

• n8n Community Forum: https://community.n8n.io
• n8n Discord: https://discord.gg/n8n

Workflow Details:¶

• Workflow ID: fnLgg88KLhFRlu3T
• Direct Link: https://n8n.prtsr.nl/workflow/fnLgg88KLhFRlu3T
• Plan Document: /Users/link/.claude/plans/linked-chasing-lecun.md

🎉 You're All Set!¶

Once you complete the setup and activate the workflow, you'll receive your first automated weekly menu this Friday at 2 PM!

Benefits: - ✅ Save 2-3 hours per week on meal planning - ✅ Healthier, balanced family dinners - ✅ Kid-friendly meals your children will enjoy - ✅ Weight-loss friendly for father's goals - ✅ Quick meal options for busy weeknights - ✅ No more recipe repetition - ✅ Organized shopping list - ✅ Optional automatic Picnic cart population

Questions? Check the troubleshooting section or refer to the comprehensive plan at /Users/link/.claude/plans/linked-chasing-lecun.md

Happy cooking! 🍽️👨‍🍳👩‍🍳