Meal plans for busy moms on Pinterest

When it comes to planning meals, I depend on Pinterest more than I can say. (Basically, my family could expect to eat a rotation of three recipes if the site ever closes.) For years, I sorted through dozens and dozens of linked blog posts to determine if the meal was a) Suitable for my vegetarian diet and b) Not going to take all day and every ounce of my culinary abilities to deliver.

Then Pinterest went and solved my problem with their new food filters.

Now, when I search for something general like “tacos,” three additional food filters help speed up my hunt. It makes the search for recipes even simpler—and gives me more time for the actual cooking part. ?

After noticing the ahh-mazing new feature, Motherly reached out to Pinterest for details and suggestions for using the filters.

For starters, here’s what Pinterest’s food filters look like in action: Users can now pick how much time they want to spend from pantry-to-table, whether there are any dietary restrictions and even specify if they want to get rid of one specific ingredient taking up space in the fridge. (Cough, broccoli, cough.)

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Searches for dietary restrictions—such as vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free—are on the rise compared to last year, according to Pinterest. There are 88 percent more searches for dairy-free recipes than in 2016, for example. (And since I’m a mom of a little one with a dairy sensitivity, I was probably among those leading to the rise in that search term.) Finding good dairy-free recipes often took a lot of hunting. But now it won’t! ?

Then, of course, is the brilliant new way to filter by how long a recipe will take. You can search for meals that take 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes to prepare. (Unfortunately, there’s no “five minutes ago because my child is telling me his stomach is collapsing” option. Yet.)

Along with the food filter, Pinterest Lens is a new addition to the platform with the goal to “help people find recipes inspired by meals you eat out.” So when you search by favorite meals, a slew of related suggestions will pop up—making it much easier to duplicate your fave Chipotle recipe from the comfort of your own home.

Pinterest’s recipe rating option just keeps getting better, too: There are now faster ways to share your tips for various recipes and see feedback from other home chefs, including pictures of how well the recipe turned out in their kitchens.

Bottom line: Planning meals on Pinterest keeps getting easier—and tastier! Get cookin’ Mama.