AI Meal Planning Now Available on This Smart Display Alternative

Skylight is a smart home company known for its diverse range of smart displays, including the Skylight Cal Max. These devices act as a central hub for managing your daily activities. While primarily designed as digital calendars, they also allow users to track chores, create lists, and plan meals. The excitement surrounding meal preparation just heightened with the introduction of Sidekick, an AI-driven assistant designed to generate meal plans in moments.

Sidekick represents a fresh AI capability for Skylight devices, enabling it to create tailored recipes according to your budget, the number of family members, and any dietary needs. Additionally, it generates shopping lists and provides step-by-step cooking directions. Skylight aims for this feature to help families save around 10 hours monthly by eliminating the hassle of meal planning.

Using the feature is straightforward: once you open the Skylight app on your smartphone, you’ll find a Sidekick button. In this menu, you can select the Plan Meals option, allowing you to choose specific days for meal planning, indicate how many people you’re cooking for, and decide whether to use existing recipes or let Sidekick suggest new ones. It can also add all the necessary ingredients to your Grocery List.

One of the highlights is the Notes feature, where you can specify any constraints for the AI, such as budget limits or preparation time. For instance, when I asked Sidekick to create vegetarian meals that could be prepared in under 30 minutes, it suggested a Vegetable Stir-Fry with Tofu and a Caprese Pasta Salad, complete with a list of ingredients and cooking guidelines.

Sidekick does more than just meal planning; it can also import calendar events from PDFs or photos, extract recipes from various sources, and create lists based on images or screenshots. Currently in its beta phase, this feature is exclusive to Skylight Plus subscribers. As it continues to develop, Sidekick has the potential to significantly enhance the Skylight experience.