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  Home Page

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  Recipes

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  Personal Ledger/Cookbook

SaveYourFood 🥘

Problem Statement ⚠️

Every year, households are responsible for 60% of global food waste. Much of this is driven by "fridge fatigue"—the inability to figure out what to cook with random leftover ingredients. Most recipe platforms are cluttered, ad-heavy, and require buying more ingredients, which only perpetuates the cycle of waste.

Solution 🔨

SaveYourFood is a minimalist web application that helps users turn leftovers into gourmet meals. By focusing on simplicity and user intent, the app allows users to audit their kitchen and instantly discover recipes that maximize what they already have.

Inspiration (UN Sustainable Development Goals) 🧠

My project is directly aligned with SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.

• Target 12.3: Aims to halve global food waste at the consumer level by 2030.
• Mission: We believe that by removing the friction from cooking with leftovers, we can drive the behavioural shift needed to meet this global goal.

Impact 💪

• Environmental: Reduces methane emissions from landfills by keeping organic waste out of the trash.
• Economic: Saves users money by utilizing existing groceries.
• Psychological: Eliminates "decision fatigue" with a clean, centred interface.

What it Does 🤔

1. User Authentication: A full-stack login system allows users to maintain their own private "Ledger."
2. The Ingredient Ledger: A centred, reactive input system where users "toss in" ingredients they have on hand.
3. Mocha-Curated Search: A custom-built engine that matches the user's ledger against a curated database of waste-reducing recipes.
4. Recipe Persistence: Users can save their favourite "saves" to their personal library for future use.

How I Built It 👷

This project was built entirely using Mocha to ensure 100% compliance with the hackathon's "sponsor-tool only" rules.

• Full-Stack Build: I used Mocha to handle the React frontend, user authentication, and the backend logic.
• Mocha Database: To avoid non-sponsor third-party APIs (like Spoonacular), I utilized Mocha's AI to build a curated collection of recipes directly into the codebase. This ensured the core search-and-match functionality was self-contained and powered entirely by the sponsor's platform.
• UI/UX: Focused on a centred, minimalist layout to emphasize the "Vibe Coding" philosophy of the Avalon Vibe Hackathon.

Challenges 💢

• Self-Contained Logic: The biggest challenge was moving away from traditional external APIs. I had to architect a custom matching algorithm that could efficiently query a local JSON database created with Mocha's assistance.
• State Management: Ensuring the "Ledger" remained reactive and synced perfectly with the user's profile during the ingredient input phase.

Accomplishments 🏆

• Successfully moved from a concept to a fully functional, authenticated web app quickly.
• Built a custom, rule-compliant recipe engine that doesn't rely on bloated external services.

What I Learned 📝

I learned the power of Architectural Intent. By using Mocha, I realized that I don't need dozens of external libraries to solve a problem—I can use AI to help me build leaner, smarter, and more focused applications.

What's Next for SaveYourFood 🔮

• Visual Pantry Scanning: Using phone cameras to automatically populate the ingredients list.
• API Integration: Using an external API to source recipes using the internet and generate recipes more closely to your selections.

Built With

• mocha