Most of the time I wing dinner. In food cultures, like China or France, many people still go shopping either every day or every few days. I don't. It's not practical for me, nor is it for most people I know. I buy my produce in bulk every other week. Meat or fish I have in the freezer and pull out ahead of time, sometimes with a recipe in mind, most of the time not.
Whether I get produce from the coop (once a month) or from elsewhere, I look for what looks good and is reasonably priced. That means that I usually don't shop with a produce shopping list and specific recipes in mind. It also means that I often need to invent dinner on the spot.
Usually I stick my head into the refrigerator sometime late in the afternoon, see what needs to be used as a matter of priority (greens and eggplant go first, cauliflower and peppers keep longer), what makes sense to prepare together, and whether to pair it with some meat or fish (which I will have had to thaw ahead of time - yes, I can plan that much ahead), perhaps eggs, cheese or legumes for protein, or even some leftovers. Sometimes I'll access my own recipe repertoire in the back of my mind, sometimes I'll look through a cook book, often I punch a few ingredients in my phone and see what recipe comes up. A few days ago I found a terrific quinoa and fennel salad that way.
Many times my dinner process is an adventure. When my daughter asks in the afternoon "Mom, what's for dinner?" my answer is often "We'll see," because I really won't know until I make it.