If you’re like me, not knowing what to cook is a daily occurrence. Whether it’s the fact that I’m left with minimal time in the day, the shelves in the fridge are bare, I’m exhausted, or even if my mind just draws a blank on ideas, food has and continues to always be on my mind.
As a college student with Celiac Disease and an allergy to dairy, I’ve tried speaking with nutritionists and creating weekly meal plans to ease the stress surrounding food, but still was left searching for a more sustainable solution to make cooking and eating clean, a more effortless experience.
This was until a close friend of mine introduced me to the app Pepper, a platform where users are empowered to post their favorite meals, search the feed for recipes based on certain preferences, and create personal, online cookbooks. And if you resonated even slightly with any of my struggles above, this app may be for you too.
The co-founders, Matt Schkolnick and Jake Aronskind, have developed a community of 500,000 users that inspire others to not only share and discover recipes, but to become better chefs.
We are all unique people who come from all walks of life, and no matter your age, ethnicity, or your passions in life, at the end of the day we have one thing in common: everybody needs to eat.
The Pepper app has not only strengthened my connections with friends, and new followers, through our shared love of cooking, but it has helped me start to form a healthier, and more exciting, relationship with food.
I have said goodbye to tirelessly scrolling through Instagram and TikTok for recipe content, day after day, and hello to the Pepper platform that provides users with immediate access to over 25,000 recipes.
While college requires the ability to balance everyday tasks and chores with schoolwork, and sometimes even a job, taking the time to cook good meals does not have to be something you dread.
Food is an essential part of our growth, our body’s ability to repair and regulate, and yet I am sure many can agree with me when I say that it still somehow falls into the background, drowned out by the noise of all the other responsibilities we have to tackle. But nurturing our bodies through quality food is a form of self-care, and the consequences when we don’t prioritize it are hard to ignore.
So if you are like me, and looking for some guidance to improve your experiences with food, simply download the app, create a profile, and open yourself to a world filled with creativity and support.
You will not only be met with endless recipe inspiration, but with included gadgets like a “what's cooking tonight” randomizer, and a “how to correctly make pasta” activity, in addition to a blog that further encourages others to begin their cooking journey.
So, the next time you are struggling to brainstorm meal ideas, or feel you are not nurturing your body with good food, simply turn to the Pepper app and scroll!