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Welcome to the Here and Human Wellness Podcast.
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My name is Jennifer McDaniel, and I am here with a beautiful guest today, Janet Irizzari.
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Um Janet spent more than 25 years owning and operating restaurants before she realized she had been feeding everyone except her own family.
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That contradiction became the turning point that changed everything.
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It is a lived experience at the heart of her new book, which is in its um finishing stages, I hear.
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We'll learn more about that in a minute.
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And the reason she is uniquely positioned to write it, today Janet works at the intersection of behavioral sciences, food systems, and values-driven living as a faculty member in the food business school at the Culinary Institute of America, where she has taught for eight years.
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She holds a master's of education in instructional design and technology, giving her both a practical experience of a seasoned food professional and the instructional framework to translate that expertise into lasting behavior change.
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Her central insight is this: the gap between what people value and how they actually live is not a knowledge problem.
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It is a practice problem.
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And the kitchen is where that gap either widens or closes.
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She called the MMK method a framework built on the belief that personal transformation and living towards a more sustainable future are not separate conversations.
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They both begin at home.
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That is so beautiful.
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Welcome.
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It is so nice to have you, Janet.
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Thank you so much for having me.
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I'm very glad to be here.
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Yeah, I have just been following your work for quite some time.
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And um, so as you just said a minute ago before we started recording, there's just so much that you and I, I think, share in terms of our curiosities around sustainability and mindfulness and family and food.
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And um I'm really looking forward to um our talk.
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So um the first question that I'm asking with our new branded podcast from the Here in Human Wellness podcast, uh, which used to be the Love You More podcast, um, is a little bit about what are you learning about being human right now or what is just making you feel really alive?
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So many things.
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Um, a lot going on.
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Um, first of all, it's a beautiful day here and having the sun out for the first time in five days is really making me feel good.
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But um I think connecting with people who are looking to improve our well-being and realizing that there's no need to be perfect or feel obligated to do certain things, but to want to align with their own values because they realize that the world's a crazy place right now.
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And over the years, and this is part of my story, you find that you get away from your values.
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And I think every time we turn on the news right now, which does not make you feel alive, it makes you feel pretty bad.
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I think people are realizing that that's not a way to live, and they need to, you know, find ways of making themselves feel better.
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So the, as you said, the MMK method is actually my mindful kitchen method, and it's using the kitchen as a place of practice for mindfulness, belonging, and purpose.
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And it's person I created through my own journey, and that's what keeps me feeling good because I have these little wins, I have something positive to focus on instead of looking at all the stuff that can make you a little bit crazy.
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Yeah, sure.
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I'm really curious about that moment that you noticed that you weren't living aligned to your values.
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Um, I'm gonna assume that's what was a bit in your bio where you talked a little bit about feeding everyone but your own family.
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Is that where that was feeling like that for you?
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And if so, how did that start getting shifted?
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How did you shift that?
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Well, it's been a process, but it really the story and my book, as you mentioned, thank you for mentioning it, um, starts off with a story about my son and him writing his college essay.
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Now, I jokingly gave him the idea for the topic, but I was really surprised when he wrote it.
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And I came home from work, I owned restaurants for years and years and used to work millions of hours, and came home to find his college essay written on my computer because way back then we only had one computer for the house.
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Yeah.
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And I open it up and I start reading the college essay, and it says, My dad works for a food company, my mom owns three restaurants, yet, there's never any food in the refrigerator or dinner on the table.
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And I was like, What did I just read?
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And it I started thinking about it at that point.
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It was absolutely true.
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I was feeding people at my own restaurants and outdoing that.
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And meanwhile, I wasn't running my house the way I was brought up with my mom, who was a stay-at-home mom.
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So she did have more time for us.
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But, you know, sitting around the kitchen table, um, the lesson she taught by taking us to farm markets, the way she just had a respect for food and family and conversation, I realized that I had a major fail.
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And that was really enlightening to me.
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And as I've worked when I got out of the restaurant business, I landed up going and working with some companies related to food insecurity, like food pantries, meals and wheels, and all those things.
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And I started realizing how much I had really taken food for granted.
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And as I've been working through the process and the book, I realized all the wonderful things that can be taught in the kitchen to our children.
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Respect, gratitude, you know, caring for others, eating healthy, of course, but it's just not physical, it's an emotional thing.
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And you can align with your values and teach your kids' values without um lecture, you know, conversation, dinner around the table.
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Yeah, that's that's really beautiful.
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Um, thank you for sharing that.
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And I I have just um, you know, I as a dietitian, I I talk to people all the time about what they eat and how they eat.
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And a lot of times that isn't just about them, it's about how it affects their family.
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And sometimes we will get into those types of conversations.
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And I think that the kitchen sometimes feels like a stressful place for many people.
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You know, it's it's where so much has to get done.
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And um, like planning meals and executing that and feeding so many people, it's or whoever, even one person, there's a fatigue that can occur, you know, doing that day in and day out.
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And um, I'm assuming too, when you were doing that at the restaurant, it was just you were ready to be done.
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So that might have been a reason why you didn't feel like coming home and doing that.
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But um, how do you get people to see that maybe that space in a bit of a different way?
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And um, I don't know, just kind of relax in that space or enjoy it, you know, because I I think, like I said, it could be a source almost of stress, like when they come into the kitchen, they know, oh, I gotta get all this done and I gotta get it done pretty quick because somebody's got practice in 15 minutes.
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Well, I think you hit the nail on the head, and that's what this book accomplishes.
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And to be honest with you, when I first like the the real reason I've got on this um this whole um idea of making the kitchen a place of mindfulness, belonging, and purpose was because I am very um environmentally conscious and I really want to keep the earth as wonderful as it is today for my grandchildren, well, my grandchildren, their grandchildren stuff.
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So that's where it all comes from.
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And I was actually working on something that was called the Family Food Waste Project.
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So I want people to be less wasteful because for those who might be listening that don't understand why it affects us so much, is that climate, um, food waste has a major contributor to climate change.
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And household food waste is the major contributor to food in our landfills.
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Okay, so it's a solvable problem to send less food from our households but to the landfill, but it takes respect.
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And first of all, let me just, I'm sorry, to go back a second.
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When food sits in the landfill, it lets off um greenhouse gases, which actually are the contributing factor to climate change.
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But then it came back to like I was gonna call it the family food waste challenge.
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And then I was like, wait a second, no one needs another challenge in real life.
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There's just it to your point with overwhelm and everything.
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And then I am very into mindful practices, and I always like to, I follow, I'm a very spiritual person, not religious, but spiritual.
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And with all my background, I started thinking that's the way to go because no one wants to be told what to do.
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I mean, everyone knows climate change is happening, and people say we got to do something about, but how do you do it?
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You have so much on your plate, like you are a set, and so that's the angle the book comes from.
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It's gonna it gets rid of the overwhelm, it makes it more of a self-help book.
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So it's about doing one small thing, that's the main title of the book.
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But do one small thing, if you do little tiny things in your kitchen that you know that you're doing that is gonna make you feel better because you're aligning with your values, or you're gonna make your teacher kids something, um you're working towards it.
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And if everyone does something little or just become more aware, it makes a difference.
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So that's what the book is about.
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It's a self-help book and the MMK method, the My Mindful Kitchen method.
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We're here with all you very busy moms and people do not need anything else on the plate, but would love to get a little bit more agency of the things that you're out of control feel out of control on, like uh inflation, politics, and program cut cuts, and also um teaching your kids values.
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So it's a positive way of going about it.
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And it's just I find that simple awareness can go so so far in making you feel do little things that make you feel good.
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You know, you throw you don't throw out that head of broccoli you were gonna throw out, you know, you buy a little less at the store.
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Um you bring up the conversation with your kids about some people don't have enough to eat, but it's those things that just slowly but surely I know you write a lot about ha I read an article of yours about habits, I think.
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And you know, the book talks a lot about how many things we do on autopilot.
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Yeah, and we just need to break that cycle, get off of autopilot and pause, think a minute, and choose what's gonna feel good to you.
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Yeah, there's so much there that I wanna like pick out, and I'm I don't know what I'll get to, so whatever comes here will not.
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But um, but yeah, I think I love the belonging word.
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I think that um obviously the kitchen is a place where people naturally gravitate to, and we spend so much time there as a family, and whether it's eating or even sitting at the table and doing homework, but there's opportunity for so many conversation.
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And um, and I love the book because I think it will help plant the seed of ways that we might start that conversation with a family member or um share what we're doing.
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You know, I as you were talking, I was thinking about the fact that my oldest son always forgets to put his stuff in the recycling.
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Well, my my husband too, actually, sometimes I'm constantly pulling it out, showing them this can be recycled.
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Yes, you do have to rinse it though, you know.
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Um and I love the small thing piece because it is so important.
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The minute that we start asking ourselves to do more or raise the bar, it just uh most people I know the bar is already too high.
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And so uh what we want to do is like lower the bar in a way that um intersects uh a more peaceful feeling around doing something that is attainable, recognizing that actions are positively impacting the people that we're engaging with, and also, of course, positively impacting our future world and not doing that with a sense of fear, you know.
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I mean, yes, fear might be present for us in the process at times.
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I know that when um here in in St.
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Louis, we just had day after day after day of heat, and it had never ever been like that as long as I had ever known.
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And I just everyone kept talking about the weather, and I in my heart, I just knew this isn't really about the weather, it's about the fear of the future if this keeps going.
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And um I I love that this is not fear motivating us, it's it's the it's the ability to connect and to contribute, you know.
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That's that's what it is.
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It's actually getting your mind off that fear and working towards something positive.
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And I just came back last week.
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I went to Climate Week in New York City.
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I went there in person one day and the rest I watched the stream.
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And it's really amazing to hear all these organizations that are working towards a healthier food system and working to this problem.
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But they are up here, and everyone in the room is the kind of um preaching to the choir, you know, whatever.
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They're uh what's that?
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Whoever's attending is already very interested in that.
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Yes, and they understand it, but we need to get regular people, I hate the word the consumer, the into the room in the conversation, and that's what they're struggling with.
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So the method that I've created and what I'm trying to accomplish is being able to get start the conversation with the people they need that these organizations need to support them, you know, they need the regular average family or person to understand what the problem is and how they can contribute so that they can be more effective.
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Because what they're doing is not gonna work if the general public doesn't understand what's going on.
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They need the support.
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So this book really bridges that gap in a way that is understandable and not a challenge.
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Is I I was talking to someone the other day, you know, we're talking about the feel-good feeling of not wasting food, for instance.
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Yes, you know, I related to when I can keep my broccoli fresh in the refrigerator for two weeks, it's like the feeling of when like you're doing laundry and you get back to the bottom of the laundry basket, and every single sock has a match.
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Right?
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You're laughing, but seriously, I get it.
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It's like or vacuuming, and you see how nice the floor looks.
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Those little wins is exactly by doing small things, and then I always say, I call it being a mindful foodie.
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You know, once a mindful foodie, always a mindful foodie, you can't go back because it makes you feel so good.
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Yeah, there's that intrinsic change that's happened and occurred, yeah, yeah.
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Yeah, I um I'm assuming that in your book you talk a lot about those small things that people can do.
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And something that occurred to me as well is maybe connecting with what means the most for that individual.
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So whether it is the climate, whether it is um saving money, um, whether it is not having to throw away food that they would like to be able to repurpose so they can stretch that meal, um, whether it's teaching your kids, you know, there's different motivators for us as individuals.
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And um, and so I'm assuming your book kind of gives like that will be there for everyone, you know, something will resonate.
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Um, and maybe you could share more of those examples with us if that would be more small things, you know, um, whether it's related to food waste or or recycling or or conversations in the kitchen, I would just love to like go through a several of those.
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I know um one thing that you said, one small thing and one of your articles a while back over the summer, which I I went, I went to uh Washington State for a solo hiking trip and I bought some olive oil and vinegar on my trip.
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And I brought those home and it was just like the best small little thing to elevate every meal.
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I think the small thing was just invest in like one nice ingredient that helps elevate everything else.
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And that really stuck with me because yeah, sometimes we might actually spend maybe a little bit more on one thing, but it does so much to help the rest of the meal come together.
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And that still lives on in my own.
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Well, I'm in my basement right now because we are remodeling our kitchens, which you have talked about too.
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Like you don't have to remodel your kitchen to have a good kitchen, but we're absolutely in that process.
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And I've been living out of our basement, you know, on a one-pot burner and a wash hand washing dishes since July.
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So anyway, you've done that.
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Yeah, but uh but just any more things like that, any more of those small things, I would love to just hear those.
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Well, whatever comes to mind for you.
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Yeah, there's just so much about building the awareness and what you were just talking about, you know, granted, food costs a lot of money right now, and you know some things she's like, well, do I buy that?
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But when you are more aware, I don't know if people realize that we throw out between 30 and 40 percent of the food we're produced in the country, okay?
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But that's on the outside.
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But in our own kitchens, we throw out so much.
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So if you become more aware of, and so you're not throwing out as much, you can afford more expensive foods.
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And you also will find yourself, once again, appreciating that olive oil.
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You can, I like to say you can feel the love, you know, um, and you can taste it.
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And, you know, one of the things that was really brought out in Climate Week when I was there is talking about the farmers.
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And I don't think, you know, so many we go into the grocery stores and everything's it's perfect produce and abundance, but to take the time and go into the grocery store or go to a farmer's market and think about the process of how that food actually got from the farm to the table and the people involved.
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And what I listening to the farmers at Climate Week, you realize how much love they put into what they do.
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Okay.
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And when you can connect that to what you're eating on your plate, you will just naturally want to eat a little slower and you'll want to waste less.
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It's true, we just don't think about it.
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We're just too overwhelmed.
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But isn't that a you put it brought a smile to your face just thinking that, right?
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Yeah, absolutely.
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And I I have also been around people.
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I remember I went to uh a plant-based retreat, I don't know, five years ago, and there was a gentleman there who we were all eating as a community, and I was watching him eat, and there was just a comp uh, his name was Ollie, and Ollie just ate in this slow, thoughtful.
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You could just tell, you could see the appreciation on his face as he was eating.
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And I don't remember much about that retreat, but I do remember him, and um, and I wrote back, I came back and wrote about him because I just was so touched by seeing someone take the time with their food.
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And that is, you know, I mean, there's multiple reasons why it's helpful to take time with our food, but um, but yeah, I really you talked about the overwhelm.
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Um, yes, we are, but we need to take that pause because there's nothing more important to be able to appreciate what you have and show gratitude and get away from that stress.
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And the kitchen as a place of practice for mindfulness is really about awareness and thinking about what we just are talking about.
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The belonging is what does it feel like when your mom or someone makes the cake that you love or your Favorite dish on your birthday, or invites friends over and makes sure that everyone's happy.
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That's a sense of belonging, right?
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And then the purpose comes from feeling this greater good, that those little changes that you're making are actually giving you agency to make a difference in the world.
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And once again, the beautiful thing, like what I just told you about saving your broccoli for you know, a few weeks.
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When you do something like that, you want to tell someone else.
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And that's how we get the word out.
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We enjoy the feeling and it travels word of mouth.
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You know, it's it's so what you made from a leftover.
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You know, don't keep it to yourself.
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Enjoy it.
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Like, oh my goodness.
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It's and think of it as a creative process and saving you money, because once again, that's a big topic right now, right?
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I think that's I don't want to leave with that lead with that elephant in the room, or lead with climate change or any of those.
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That's not what the book is about, but they're there.
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And if to know that you have agency when you start thinking about your food differently, it's about a new respect for food.
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We all love food, let's respect it.
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It does so much for us, right?
00:23:13.759 --> 00:23:14.640
Yeah, yeah.
00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:30.000
And I and I think um, you know, I I recently led a silent silent retreat, and I was supposed to have someone there to help with the cooking, and um, that individual got sick, so I ended up being the the cook and the chef for that silent retreat.
00:23:30.319 --> 00:23:47.839
Um, and um the women were afterwards uh were talking about the meals because like if we if we had salmon, like one night we had salmon, and then the next night I um we had or the next day for lunch, we had black bean tacos, but I just like shredded the salmon that we had left over and put some chili seasoning on it and repurposed it.
00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:56.559
And then another day we had some tofu bowl tofu bowls, and like I took the tofu the next day with the roasted vegetables and we added it to our roasted red pepper soup.
00:23:56.640 --> 00:24:01.680
And they were just like, wow, I never thought about like taking this and turning it into this.
00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:11.039
And um, and I I think some of that is a natural gift of spending so much time in the kitchen that we accumulate with time to know how things go well together.
00:24:11.200 --> 00:24:13.680
And I don't know if you've talked about this in your post.
00:24:13.839 --> 00:24:29.680
I have a feeling that you have, but sometimes we just have to be a little bit adventurous and um with our leftovers and and be like and just try things and not worry about it not coming out exactly the way that we would want it to be, you know, to learn how to repurpose these things.
00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:34.079
Because I think sometimes we all come in with a different skill set of cooking.
00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:40.640
And so um, you know, how we're able to do that depends upon probably our confidence to some degree.
00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:43.039
We got it so easy these days.
00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:48.880
I go into my refrigerator, like I'm like you, I can just create things, but everyone does have a skill level.
00:24:49.119 --> 00:24:50.240
Open my refrigerator.
00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:52.640
Oh, look at that linguini I didn't use.
00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:54.720
I have a pepper that's about to go bad.
00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:55.839
I have a cucumber.
00:24:56.000 --> 00:24:57.359
These don't seem like they go.
00:24:57.599 --> 00:25:01.440
Put all those ingredients into Google or chat and say, what can I do?
00:25:01.519 --> 00:25:03.359
It'll come up with 10 different ideas for you.
00:25:03.519 --> 00:25:05.759
Yes, great for that, right?
00:25:05.839 --> 00:25:08.880
And you can say, you know what, and I'm in the mood for Mexican.
00:25:09.119 --> 00:25:12.000
Or can we do it with uh, you know, an Asian flair?
00:25:12.079 --> 00:25:13.519
And it it's there for you.
00:25:13.599 --> 00:25:18.079
We'll give you step-by-step cooking instructions, and it's so much fun.
00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:20.720
And like to get kids involved in that too.
00:25:20.960 --> 00:25:22.400
Yes, you know, huge.
00:25:22.559 --> 00:25:23.599
Yeah, it's huge.
00:25:23.759 --> 00:25:34.400
So uh once again, oh my goodness, I just made I I once interviewed David Burke, I don't know, Chef David Burke, and he's very into being mindful with food waste.
00:25:34.720 --> 00:25:40.160
And he calls meals that you make out of things you have in your refrigerator bonus meals.
00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:41.759
Yeah, it's great, right?
00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:43.440
Better than leftovers.
00:25:43.680 --> 00:25:44.400
It is, right?
00:25:44.559 --> 00:25:45.200
Bonus meals.
00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:51.359
I just made it, it didn't cost me a cent, but what would it have cost me to throw out all those ingredients?
00:25:51.519 --> 00:25:53.519
First of all, you're gonna feel guilty no matter what.
00:25:53.680 --> 00:25:54.960
Who wants that guilt?
00:25:55.200 --> 00:26:01.359
Instead, you replace it with woo-hoo, and you call your friend up and say, You wouldn't believe what I just made.
00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:03.680
Yeah, no, that's wonderful.
00:26:03.759 --> 00:26:14.000
It does, it does, it is that same feeling like you were describing earlier, like the last pair of socks in the laundry basket, like or squeezing the last little bit uh out of the toothpaste.
00:26:14.160 --> 00:26:17.039
You know, I um we this so funny.
00:26:17.119 --> 00:26:17.839
This is coming to mind.
00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:34.400
Like this morning, my husband had ordered some milk and soy milk and had it delivered to the house, and he ordered so many, and I was upset because I was like, we have no room in our refrigerator for anything else because you bought 10 of everything, you know, and some people have a tendency to be over buyers.
00:26:34.559 --> 00:26:38.799
I tend to be an under buyer, so I'm always like almost running out of things.
00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:42.559
But I think like kind of knowing that about yourself is also helpful.
00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:46.880
Do you come into play with that at all with personality types or the way that we do things?
00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:56.160
I've oh yeah, but yeah, and I've become better at buying less, you know, and but there are, and then there's that whole dilemma.
00:26:56.480 --> 00:27:14.000
Okay, I see the apples in a bag on the grocery store, and there's 12 of them in the bag, and it's five dollars, or I can go buy apples one dollar a piece, you know, which so the big bag seems like such a better deal, right?
00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:16.319
Right, but it's not if you don't use them, right?
00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:25.599
But if you do and figure out bonus meals or like, you know, you got those apples, I'm gonna make pork chops and I can put applesauce on, I'm gonna do this and that, then it's a real value.
00:27:25.680 --> 00:27:29.920
Then yes, it totally makes sense to buy the bulk.
00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:31.920
So it's deciding those things.
00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:47.680
And once again, it's not being perfect, you know, it's learning, but it's also fun because once again, all of a sudden you made that pork chops with your baked apples and sauerkraut, and you're like, whoa, what a win! I wasn't thinking even thinking of making that.
00:27:48.079 --> 00:27:49.440
Yeah, you did you really?
00:27:49.519 --> 00:27:55.200
Yeah, I had we had pork this week and I I had sauerkraut in the fridge, but I totally forgot to do that.
00:27:55.359 --> 00:28:03.759
I think something that's helpful to remember is just to always be aware of what you have on hand, you know, kind of look around a little bit more before you just go at it.
00:28:04.079 --> 00:28:06.799
Yeah, and everyone would say, like, that's another challenge, obviously.
00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:12.160
Oh my God, uh refrigerator or my pantry is such a mess.
00:28:12.480 --> 00:28:15.359
So you stress about it being a mess.
00:28:15.839 --> 00:28:26.880
And that when it will take you two hours to clean it, be more organized and be more mindful as you're loading things in or you know, have a eat first spin or whatever.
00:28:27.279 --> 00:28:29.279
So just go and do it.
00:28:29.440 --> 00:28:32.160
I mean, your freezer, the same thing.
00:28:32.319 --> 00:28:38.559
Maybe put an inventory list on that your freezer so you know what's in there and cross things out as they go and add things.
00:28:38.880 --> 00:28:48.319
But it's you stress about it and waste much more time than you do actually getting more organized and cleaning.
00:28:48.559 --> 00:29:03.440
You know, once again, you gotta we all fall behind sometimes, you know, all don't label something or whatever, but it's not about being perfect, but you realize how much easier your life is and how much money you save when you do.
00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:06.559
Yes, you know, same thing with meal planning, right?
00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:19.519
It's like, you know, gosh, if I have to think every single time I sit down at lunch, what am I gonna have versus just taking some time up front, thinking of my future self for what we're gonna have for either family meals or lunches.
00:29:19.599 --> 00:29:22.160
And it's I've had this conversation multiple times.
00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:23.279
Like we're very good.
00:29:23.440 --> 00:29:29.440
Well, we're better at planning for meals that include other people because we're planning for others.
00:29:29.599 --> 00:29:38.400
But when it comes to planning a breakfast for myself or a lunch for myself, well, I'm actually quite good at this because I've learned over time the importance of it.
00:29:38.480 --> 00:29:45.039
So I do this, but when I work with my clients, they'll be like, yeah, I just kind of like totally don't know what to have for lunch anymore.
00:29:45.119 --> 00:29:49.599
And so we're just like, put yourself back on the plate and plan lunches for yourself.
00:29:49.680 --> 00:29:52.559
You know, I cook a meal just for myself for lunches.
00:29:52.720 --> 00:29:53.920
No one else gets to have it.
00:29:54.000 --> 00:29:55.839
It's like mom's lunch for the week.
00:29:56.000 --> 00:30:03.759
Um, and it's just so nice at in the busy time of day when you've got not as much time to have something available to yourself.
00:30:03.920 --> 00:30:09.440
And it's just, yeah, the same thing with like, I am so grateful when my cabinets are organized.
00:30:09.519 --> 00:30:15.279
And man, they are not organized very often, and certainly not right now while we're in the basement, but it is the best feeling.
00:30:15.359 --> 00:30:16.160
And I think you're right.
00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:29.200
It's like either we just have this constant stress of disorganization, disorganization and not planning, or we just bite the bullet and we turn on some music and we carve out some time and we get it done, and then man, we're so grateful.
00:30:29.599 --> 00:30:30.160
So grateful.
00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:34.319
It makes it all easier to meal plan and go, you know, make a shopping list.
00:30:34.400 --> 00:30:36.880
And I'm not great at any of that stuff.
00:30:37.119 --> 00:30:40.400
But I think also what you're talking about, different skill levels.
00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:47.279
Give yourself a chance to learn a new skill because what do we we love to eat, right?
00:30:47.519 --> 00:30:49.200
Like here, we're doing something we love.
00:30:49.279 --> 00:30:52.720
And I also like mentioned like the world's a crazy place right now.
00:30:52.799 --> 00:30:54.559
There's just no doubt, it's stressful out there.
00:30:54.640 --> 00:31:07.599
There's every day to day we live with challenges, but you have your kitchen that you can almost use as a retreat, but it's being mindful and looking at your kitchen uh differently and all, and that's what my book does.
00:31:07.680 --> 00:31:22.960
It tells a story about how my mom used her kitchen in a way I didn't use my kitchen at the time, and what you know I gained from it, and what unfortunately my kids lost, but um, you know, and I see them.
00:31:23.039 --> 00:31:28.720
So just to let you know, with writing this book, I have two grown children and they have families and kids.
00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:35.279
And I watch how they're overwhelmed with everything they need to do.
00:31:35.440 --> 00:31:37.359
And so I totally get it.
00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:47.039
And I can't even say my kids do anything different than every other parent who's overwhelmed out there, but they do make small little changes, you know.
00:31:47.119 --> 00:31:48.880
Once again, they're not perfect.
00:31:48.960 --> 00:31:59.279
Um, and they bring up conversations about food, you know, it's so great when you're in the kitchen having a kid help when you might say, Oh, don't have the, you know, it's just, I just want to get the job done.
00:31:59.359 --> 00:32:00.559
I don't need that.
00:32:01.200 --> 00:32:11.680
But if you could think about it as instilling values on your kids or having a conversation without a lecture, not yelling at them, that is a win-win.
00:32:11.920 --> 00:32:15.920
Yeah, you know, and they hear and they love spending time with you.
00:32:16.319 --> 00:32:18.960
Um and things don't have to be perfect.
00:32:19.039 --> 00:32:21.680
The dinner does not have to come out perfect.
00:32:21.920 --> 00:32:32.880
No, no, to get that no, that connection, yeah, and that that ability to um offer like the values that you're discussing.
00:32:33.039 --> 00:32:40.240
And yeah, and I think too, you know, for most parents, finding the time in which that makes the most sense.
00:32:40.480 --> 00:32:56.480
It might not be a weeknight, it might be on the weekends where they're you're asking for a bit more help, where you you have more bandwidth, you have more capacity, and when you invite them in, it's a true invitation, not an invitation because you feel like you should do something, you know.
00:32:57.440 --> 00:33:03.839
Um the other thing that I would just wanted to bring out a little bit because I think it's it's so important.
00:33:04.160 --> 00:33:18.000
Um, this this thought of belonging and uh having a positive environment of the kitchen is really so helpful when it comes to how we feed kids and um how we talk about food.
00:33:18.400 --> 00:33:26.000
And instead of, you know, are you gonna you need to finish four more bites or why are you eating so much?
00:33:26.240 --> 00:33:29.039
Or this person gets this and this person gets that.
00:33:29.200 --> 00:34:13.519
And I mean, those are pretty harsh, maybe harsher statements, but um, but there's sometimes we can be not neutral, you know, we can we can be um too encouraging or we can be like scared that our kids aren't eating right, and that's all that's all real fears and things, but but I really love the aspect of a mindset of being how can I create a feeling of belonging for all people in my kitchen and neutrality when and and positivity when we're feeding and asking, you know, thoughtful questions, um, and just kind of taking any kind of food judgment out of the out of the picture too, you know, calling foods, I I'm I'm a big fan of calling foods what they are.
00:34:13.679 --> 00:34:22.159
So instead of saying it's a healthy food or it's not a healthy food or it's junk food or it's too processed or any of that, just calling it what it is, you know.
00:34:22.400 --> 00:34:26.000
Would you like some more Cheez Its versus you know, whatever?
00:34:26.320 --> 00:34:32.480
So I just really appreciate this part of how you bring this into thinking.
00:34:33.119 --> 00:34:40.320
It becomes like once again, grocery store shopping, and you just said your husband just ordered Instacart or whatever, right?
00:34:40.719 --> 00:34:47.519
And there is a value, and a lot of parents need to bring their kids to the grocery store.
00:34:47.760 --> 00:35:00.719
But if you bring in them in them into the grocery store with the thought of making conversation, I wonder where this orange came from, you know, and figuring out, oh, look, it came from California.
00:35:00.960 --> 00:35:02.480
We live all the way in New York.
00:35:02.559 --> 00:35:09.519
I wonder how it got here and how much, you know, but gas or I wonder if there's anything in season that is local that we could substitute.
00:35:09.679 --> 00:35:22.000
So you start those conversations in the grocery store about where food comes from and like why, you know, you go into the grocery store around me right now, and there's tons of apples, right?
00:35:22.559 --> 00:35:27.280
But they've come from all over where apple season is in full force right here.
00:35:27.440 --> 00:35:38.800
Let's go to the apple orchard, let's stop and pick up apples from our farm and explain the reason why that's so important and make it, you know, that apple's gonna taste better, especially if someone if they pick it themselves.
00:35:39.039 --> 00:35:50.239
But even maybe they picked a bag of apples, it's just the conversation, and we all look for our kids to get off their screens and to be able to spend more quality time with them, right?
00:35:50.480 --> 00:35:54.960
Yes, and but we have to make an effort too and not dread it.
00:35:55.519 --> 00:36:03.679
Yeah, no, um, that speaking right to my heart is something that um like inherently I know, but I don't do very often.
00:36:03.840 --> 00:36:15.440
You know, the over the summer we visited the farmer's market a couple of times, and um one of my my youngest son, we were he's kind of an adventurous eater, but yet at the same time a fairly limited palate.
00:36:15.519 --> 00:36:20.000
It's interesting, like he'll try new things, but at home we kind of eat he eats a lot of the same things.
00:36:20.079 --> 00:36:26.480
But anyway, we were at the farmer's market and we were in this um sprout section, you know, little micro microgreens.
00:36:26.800 --> 00:36:32.719
And um the gentleman, you know, had all these different flavors, and he and he gave my son a spicy flavor.
00:36:32.800 --> 00:36:34.639
And my son, like, ooh, I really like that one.
00:36:34.719 --> 00:36:39.519
And he got so much, so much accolades from this farmer, like, wow, that's awesome that you like this.
00:36:39.599 --> 00:36:44.480
What an adventurous eater you are, and to this day, he is always like, Can I get sprouts from the store mom?
00:36:44.719 --> 00:36:46.320
You know, and I mean, I'm like, oh, okay.
00:36:46.400 --> 00:36:49.440
You know, it was just it made such a difference.
00:36:49.599 --> 00:37:03.760
Um, just having him connect with the person who grew the food, and then also getting reinforcement outside of me to share what an adventurous eater you are to try something new and what a cool palette you have.
00:37:03.920 --> 00:37:15.360
Anyway, I think that it is such a beautiful thing that we can do when the opportunity presents itself, but also thoughtfulness around, you know, a bit more intention on doing that.
00:37:15.440 --> 00:37:19.199
So that's that's certainly placed a seed here of reminding myself, you know.
00:37:19.280 --> 00:37:24.639
I mean, yes, we do have to order our groceries quite a bit, and that is very life-saving for me at times.
00:37:24.880 --> 00:37:36.400
But when there is an opportunity to just go to the store, um, it really is a nice when you get the store, when you get this stuff home to help them put it away.
00:37:36.639 --> 00:37:36.880
Yeah.
00:37:37.039 --> 00:37:42.480
And, you know, and sometimes conversations, you don't know the exact like, well, I have an eight-year-old grandson, and he asks me stuff.
00:37:42.559 --> 00:37:44.800
I'm like, oh my goodness, I can't answer that.
00:37:45.039 --> 00:37:50.559
Like, let's see if we can find a YouTube video on it or something, which is okay too.
00:37:50.719 --> 00:38:01.920
You might need a tool because parents don't know it all, and the kids come up with these questions, and instead of being, you know, like, let's learn this together, um, is really cool.
00:38:02.239 --> 00:38:03.199
It really is.
00:38:03.360 --> 00:38:03.920
It is.
00:38:04.079 --> 00:38:07.519
They they surprise you with things that they ask about.
00:38:07.760 --> 00:38:19.280
And I appreciate the time that you take to take that to the next level because sometimes, well, whether either lack of time or just what uh uh, you know, a quick, I don't know, what do you think?
00:38:19.679 --> 00:38:27.679
But taking the time to like take that question out and look at that and really building upon their own curiosities and letting that go somewhere is beautiful.
00:38:27.920 --> 00:38:29.599
Um, and yes, you're right.
00:38:29.760 --> 00:38:43.440
Like it's not that um going to the farmer's market is the solution and not bringing home the girl and not having deliveries is not, it's making the most out of whatever you can do, and that kind of goes back to your small, um, small shifts.
00:38:43.760 --> 00:38:50.800
Yeah, yeah, and just little tiny things that make you feel good, and that they do, you know, our kids are watching all the time.
00:38:50.880 --> 00:38:57.519
And so, as you said in my bio, I teach at the Culinary Institute, and what I teach is introduction to hospitality.
00:38:57.679 --> 00:39:06.960
It doesn't have anything to do with this topic, but I do talk to my kids, students about respect for food and food waste and stuff like that.
00:39:07.119 --> 00:39:23.840
It comes up, and I have the students coming into the culinary who are unaware because I will go through like my LinkedIn bio and say, this is who I am, so they get to know me on the first day, you know, what my background is, and they'll say, So, why am I specializing in reducing household food waste?
00:39:23.920 --> 00:39:25.760
What why is food waste a problem?
00:39:27.039 --> 00:39:41.119
They don't know, they haven't had that conversation, and this is part of the reason for the book is we need to start our kids understanding the value of food at a younger age, if we are going to make a difference in the food system.
00:39:41.280 --> 00:39:47.199
And there's, you know, not to get heavy, there's a lot of stuff going on that we need to really mitigate.
00:39:47.519 --> 00:39:54.960
And um, once again, just teach them the positive way on the way to looking at food and not taking it for granted.
00:39:55.039 --> 00:40:01.119
It's a wonderful thing because it's too late to start them when they're already in college.
00:40:01.440 --> 00:40:01.679
Yeah.
00:40:02.079 --> 00:40:03.039
And we know how it's done.
00:40:03.119 --> 00:40:06.400
I mean, we just we live in a world of abundance abundance.
00:40:06.960 --> 00:40:14.960
It's a beautiful thing, but it also makes us not so um appreciative and resourceful.
00:40:16.800 --> 00:40:37.039
Yeah, I I know, and and just um like taking a minute before people start eating at the table, just to kind of um, you know, I'm I'm someone and I'm sure I'm like many other parents, where we might learn something or hear something, and then we do it for a little bit, but then we forget about it and it falls by the wayside.
00:40:37.199 --> 00:40:47.760
And I can remember a while ago, probably years ago, there would be a time where before we would eat, we would take a minute just to kind of offer gratitude for how the food got to the table to some degree.
00:40:48.079 --> 00:41:09.039
And um, we don't do that anymore right now, and that's just a good reminder again, like the value of just just a few seconds of pausing to take note of those things and for them to see our appreciation and for them to maybe see me eat a little bit more like Ollie and slow down and enjoy my food and um instead of rushing through it.
00:41:09.199 --> 00:41:16.159
And um, so yeah, and it's not as I say all those things, it's really not about like a guilt because I'm not getting something right.
00:41:16.239 --> 00:41:28.000
There's so much compassion for all of us who really are just um, you know, things are a little bit too tight, things are things are a little bit busier maybe than what we would like them to be.
00:41:28.159 --> 00:41:33.840
Um, and sometimes we have the the ability to change that, and other times we don't.
00:41:34.000 --> 00:41:47.760
Um, but I think that what you're offering doesn't really take more time, and in fact, it probably gives us back more time um because we we just get to connect with the intimacy of the moment that we're in.
00:41:48.159 --> 00:42:01.599
And um, we're not living from this rushing around headspace um when we do this, when we take the moment to say that we're grateful for the food, or we ask, uh follow the curiosity of a kid's question.
00:42:01.760 --> 00:42:06.800
Um, that really gives us back more than it than it takes from a time standpoint.
00:42:07.679 --> 00:42:08.239
Exactly.
00:42:08.320 --> 00:42:09.760
That's how I feel, at least.
00:42:09.920 --> 00:42:13.679
And um I love to eat.
00:42:13.760 --> 00:42:20.320
I've always like and my mom's home was always had people over and we were doing things, and I I did that for my kids.
00:42:20.400 --> 00:42:25.440
I would have company over, but I would never just no, I don't want to say never just cook for them.
00:42:25.679 --> 00:42:32.480
But also when I came home, I wanted to have quality time for them, and I didn't think going shopping with them or cooking with them was the thing.
00:42:32.639 --> 00:42:44.159
But interestingly enough, when my son became 13 or that age where he didn't want anything to do with me, um we started cooking together.
00:42:44.480 --> 00:42:53.280
And I would brought that up to him the other day when I well, it was like six months ago when I wrote that origin story about him finding me finding the college essay.
00:42:53.519 --> 00:42:57.840
And I go and but then again, when he was 13, we started cooking together.
00:42:58.079 --> 00:43:01.519
And he goes, Mom, you know what I remember about that most?
00:43:01.679 --> 00:43:02.800
I'm like, No, what?
00:43:02.960 --> 00:43:06.480
He goes, I remember going grocery shopping and picking out the ingredients.
00:43:06.559 --> 00:43:10.639
And I looked at him, I go, Jeffrey, are you crying as you're telling me this?
00:43:11.199 --> 00:43:11.840
Because I really loved it.
00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:12.639
It was so much fun.
00:43:12.880 --> 00:43:14.880
I was like, Oh, sweet.
00:43:15.119 --> 00:43:18.480
We just never know what like sticks in a kid's memory, do we?
00:43:19.280 --> 00:43:20.000
That's wonderful.
00:43:20.159 --> 00:43:21.840
It's all we tear up.
00:43:22.079 --> 00:43:23.280
Oh, it's such a joy.
00:43:23.360 --> 00:43:26.880
I'm so so grateful for the work that you're putting out into the world.
00:43:26.960 --> 00:43:31.280
And do you have a sense of no of time of when we should be looking for the book to come out?
00:43:32.000 --> 00:43:35.119
Well, um, it's in its final revisions.
00:43:35.280 --> 00:43:41.840
Um, the book should be totally done as far as written and ready to be go out to publish at the end of this month.
00:43:42.079 --> 00:43:42.400
Okay.
00:43:42.639 --> 00:43:44.639
So um I'm really excited about it.
00:43:44.719 --> 00:43:46.880
I had, yeah, I'm very excited.
00:43:47.039 --> 00:43:55.760
Then it depends on whether I self-publish or if I can find um a publisher or so, but it's going out.
00:43:55.840 --> 00:43:57.519
It's getting out in the world somehow.
00:43:57.679 --> 00:43:58.639
The sooner the better.
00:43:58.880 --> 00:44:00.639
We'll be happy to share it for sure.
00:44:00.960 --> 00:44:01.119
Really?
00:44:01.679 --> 00:44:03.519
A little little that we can do.
00:44:03.760 --> 00:44:06.880
So um, I appreciate you so very much.
00:44:07.039 --> 00:44:22.880
Thank you for this conversation and thank you for all of the little sweet reminders that have been here today for me personally, and I'm sure anyone who listens to this is going to take home their um their little personal take homes too.
00:44:23.119 --> 00:44:27.199
But um, you're a joy, and we will be looking forward to sharing your book.
00:44:27.519 --> 00:44:30.639
Oh, I'm looking forward to sharing it with you.
00:44:31.280 --> 00:44:32.800
Thanks so much for having me on.
00:44:32.880 --> 00:44:35.360
It's been really a pleasure speaking with you.
00:44:35.599 --> 00:44:36.639
Thank you, Janet.
00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:03.040
Welcome to the Here and Human Wellness Podcast.
00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:09.439
My name is Jennifer McDaniel, and I am here with a beautiful guest today, Janet Irizzari.
00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:19.359
Um Janet spent more than 25 years owning and operating restaurants before she realized she had been feeding everyone except her own family.
00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:22.960
That contradiction became the turning point that changed everything.
00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:28.879
It is a lived experience at the heart of her new book, which is in its um finishing stages, I hear.
00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:30.559
We'll learn more about that in a minute.
00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:47.200
And the reason she is uniquely positioned to write it, today Janet works at the intersection of behavioral sciences, food systems, and values-driven living as a faculty member in the food business school at the Culinary Institute of America, where she has taught for eight years.
00:00:47.359 --> 00:01:00.560
She holds a master's of education in instructional design and technology, giving her both a practical experience of a seasoned food professional and the instructional framework to translate that expertise into lasting behavior change.
00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:07.599
Her central insight is this: the gap between what people value and how they actually live is not a knowledge problem.
00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:09.200
It is a practice problem.
00:01:09.359 --> 00:01:12.719
And the kitchen is where that gap either widens or closes.
00:01:12.879 --> 00:01:23.040
She called the MMK method a framework built on the belief that personal transformation and living towards a more sustainable future are not separate conversations.
00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:24.560
They both begin at home.
00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:25.599
That is so beautiful.
00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:26.079
Welcome.
00:01:26.159 --> 00:01:28.000
It is so nice to have you, Janet.
00:01:28.480 --> 00:01:29.920
Thank you so much for having me.
00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:31.359
I'm very glad to be here.
00:01:31.680 --> 00:01:35.599
Yeah, I have just been following your work for quite some time.
00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:48.719
And um, so as you just said a minute ago before we started recording, there's just so much that you and I, I think, share in terms of our curiosities around sustainability and mindfulness and family and food.
00:01:48.959 --> 00:01:52.400
And um I'm really looking forward to um our talk.
00:01:52.560 --> 00:02:08.639
So um the first question that I'm asking with our new branded podcast from the Here in Human Wellness podcast, uh, which used to be the Love You More podcast, um, is a little bit about what are you learning about being human right now or what is just making you feel really alive?
00:02:10.319 --> 00:02:11.439
So many things.
00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:13.120
Um, a lot going on.
00:02:13.599 --> 00:02:23.199
Um, first of all, it's a beautiful day here and having the sun out for the first time in five days is really making me feel good.
00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:46.240
But um I think connecting with people who are looking to improve our well-being and realizing that there's no need to be perfect or feel obligated to do certain things, but to want to align with their own values because they realize that the world's a crazy place right now.
00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:54.080
And over the years, and this is part of my story, you find that you get away from your values.
00:02:54.319 --> 00:03:02.240
And I think every time we turn on the news right now, which does not make you feel alive, it makes you feel pretty bad.
00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:11.919
I think people are realizing that that's not a way to live, and they need to, you know, find ways of making themselves feel better.
00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:23.039
So the, as you said, the MMK method is actually my mindful kitchen method, and it's using the kitchen as a place of practice for mindfulness, belonging, and purpose.
00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:41.199
And it's person I created through my own journey, and that's what keeps me feeling good because I have these little wins, I have something positive to focus on instead of looking at all the stuff that can make you a little bit crazy.
00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:42.719
Yeah, sure.
00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:49.439
I'm really curious about that moment that you noticed that you weren't living aligned to your values.
00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:56.319
Um, I'm gonna assume that's what was a bit in your bio where you talked a little bit about feeding everyone but your own family.
00:03:56.479 --> 00:03:58.560
Is that where that was feeling like that for you?
00:03:58.639 --> 00:04:01.599
And if so, how did that start getting shifted?
00:04:01.919 --> 00:04:03.360
How did you shift that?
00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:21.600
Well, it's been a process, but it really the story and my book, as you mentioned, thank you for mentioning it, um, starts off with a story about my son and him writing his college essay.
00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:30.000
Now, I jokingly gave him the idea for the topic, but I was really surprised when he wrote it.
00:04:30.079 --> 00:04:42.879
And I came home from work, I owned restaurants for years and years and used to work millions of hours, and came home to find his college essay written on my computer because way back then we only had one computer for the house.
00:04:42.959 --> 00:04:43.279
Yeah.
00:04:43.519 --> 00:04:58.079
And I open it up and I start reading the college essay, and it says, My dad works for a food company, my mom owns three restaurants, yet, there's never any food in the refrigerator or dinner on the table.
00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:03.839
And I was like, What did I just read?
00:05:04.240 --> 00:05:07.120
And it I started thinking about it at that point.
00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:08.319
It was absolutely true.
00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:12.639
I was feeding people at my own restaurants and outdoing that.
00:05:12.959 --> 00:05:22.319
And meanwhile, I wasn't running my house the way I was brought up with my mom, who was a stay-at-home mom.
00:05:22.560 --> 00:05:24.160
So she did have more time for us.
00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:39.759
But, you know, sitting around the kitchen table, um, the lesson she taught by taking us to farm markets, the way she just had a respect for food and family and conversation, I realized that I had a major fail.
00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:42.639
And that was really enlightening to me.
00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:55.439
And as I've worked when I got out of the restaurant business, I landed up going and working with some companies related to food insecurity, like food pantries, meals and wheels, and all those things.
00:05:55.600 --> 00:06:00.240
And I started realizing how much I had really taken food for granted.
00:06:01.199 --> 00:06:13.680
And as I've been working through the process and the book, I realized all the wonderful things that can be taught in the kitchen to our children.
00:06:14.079 --> 00:06:23.199
Respect, gratitude, you know, caring for others, eating healthy, of course, but it's just not physical, it's an emotional thing.
00:06:23.360 --> 00:06:32.560
And you can align with your values and teach your kids' values without um lecture, you know, conversation, dinner around the table.
00:06:33.839 --> 00:06:36.639
Yeah, that's that's really beautiful.
00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:38.240
Um, thank you for sharing that.
00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:47.040
And I I have just um, you know, I as a dietitian, I I talk to people all the time about what they eat and how they eat.
00:06:47.279 --> 00:06:52.240
And a lot of times that isn't just about them, it's about how it affects their family.
00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:55.600
And sometimes we will get into those types of conversations.
00:06:55.759 --> 00:07:01.839
And I think that the kitchen sometimes feels like a stressful place for many people.
00:07:02.079 --> 00:07:05.920
You know, it's it's where so much has to get done.
00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:18.879
And um, like planning meals and executing that and feeding so many people, it's or whoever, even one person, there's a fatigue that can occur, you know, doing that day in and day out.
00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:23.680
And um, I'm assuming too, when you were doing that at the restaurant, it was just you were ready to be done.
00:07:23.759 --> 00:07:27.680
So that might have been a reason why you didn't feel like coming home and doing that.
00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:34.079
But um, how do you get people to see that maybe that space in a bit of a different way?
00:07:34.319 --> 00:07:52.000
And um, I don't know, just kind of relax in that space or enjoy it, you know, because I I think, like I said, it could be a source almost of stress, like when they come into the kitchen, they know, oh, I gotta get all this done and I gotta get it done pretty quick because somebody's got practice in 15 minutes.
00:07:52.720 --> 00:07:56.399
Well, I think you hit the nail on the head, and that's what this book accomplishes.
00:07:56.480 --> 00:08:26.319
And to be honest with you, when I first like the the real reason I've got on this um this whole um idea of making the kitchen a place of mindfulness, belonging, and purpose was because I am very um environmentally conscious and I really want to keep the earth as wonderful as it is today for my grandchildren, well, my grandchildren, their grandchildren stuff.
00:08:26.480 --> 00:08:28.480
So that's where it all comes from.
00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:33.840
And I was actually working on something that was called the Family Food Waste Project.
00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:46.399
So I want people to be less wasteful because for those who might be listening that don't understand why it affects us so much, is that climate, um, food waste has a major contributor to climate change.
00:08:46.559 --> 00:08:52.000
And household food waste is the major contributor to food in our landfills.
00:08:52.240 --> 00:09:03.120
Okay, so it's a solvable problem to send less food from our households but to the landfill, but it takes respect.
00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:05.759
And first of all, let me just, I'm sorry, to go back a second.
00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:14.639
When food sits in the landfill, it lets off um greenhouse gases, which actually are the contributing factor to climate change.
00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:19.840
But then it came back to like I was gonna call it the family food waste challenge.
00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:24.159
And then I was like, wait a second, no one needs another challenge in real life.
00:09:24.240 --> 00:09:27.679
There's just it to your point with overwhelm and everything.
00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:37.919
And then I am very into mindful practices, and I always like to, I follow, I'm a very spiritual person, not religious, but spiritual.
00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:44.159
And with all my background, I started thinking that's the way to go because no one wants to be told what to do.
00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:50.399
I mean, everyone knows climate change is happening, and people say we got to do something about, but how do you do it?
00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:56.720
You have so much on your plate, like you are a set, and so that's the angle the book comes from.
00:09:56.879 --> 00:10:02.320
It's gonna it gets rid of the overwhelm, it makes it more of a self-help book.
00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:06.720
So it's about doing one small thing, that's the main title of the book.
00:10:07.440 --> 00:10:26.720
But do one small thing, if you do little tiny things in your kitchen that you know that you're doing that is gonna make you feel better because you're aligning with your values, or you're gonna make your teacher kids something, um you're working towards it.
00:10:26.799 --> 00:10:32.159
And if everyone does something little or just become more aware, it makes a difference.
00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:33.360
So that's what the book is about.
00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:38.240
It's a self-help book and the MMK method, the My Mindful Kitchen method.
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We're here with all you very busy moms and people do not need anything else on the plate, but would love to get a little bit more agency of the things that you're out of control feel out of control on, like uh inflation, politics, and program cut cuts, and also um teaching your kids values.
00:11:02.559 --> 00:11:08.159
So it's a positive way of going about it.
00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:20.399
And it's just I find that simple awareness can go so so far in making you feel do little things that make you feel good.
00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:26.559
You know, you throw you don't throw out that head of broccoli you were gonna throw out, you know, you buy a little less at the store.
00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:43.200
Um you bring up the conversation with your kids about some people don't have enough to eat, but it's those things that just slowly but surely I know you write a lot about ha I read an article of yours about habits, I think.
00:11:43.600 --> 00:11:48.399
And you know, the book talks a lot about how many things we do on autopilot.
00:11:50.000 --> 00:12:01.519
Yeah, and we just need to break that cycle, get off of autopilot and pause, think a minute, and choose what's gonna feel good to you.
00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:10.080
Yeah, there's so much there that I wanna like pick out, and I'm I don't know what I'll get to, so whatever comes here will not.
00:12:10.559 --> 00:12:15.120
But um, but yeah, I think I love the belonging word.
00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:30.799
I think that um obviously the kitchen is a place where people naturally gravitate to, and we spend so much time there as a family, and whether it's eating or even sitting at the table and doing homework, but there's opportunity for so many conversation.
00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:42.000
And um, and I love the book because I think it will help plant the seed of ways that we might start that conversation with a family member or um share what we're doing.
00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:49.200
You know, I as you were talking, I was thinking about the fact that my oldest son always forgets to put his stuff in the recycling.
00:12:49.440 --> 00:12:55.679
Well, my my husband too, actually, sometimes I'm constantly pulling it out, showing them this can be recycled.
00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:58.639
Yes, you do have to rinse it though, you know.
00:12:59.120 --> 00:13:04.559
Um and I love the small thing piece because it is so important.
00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:13.440
The minute that we start asking ourselves to do more or raise the bar, it just uh most people I know the bar is already too high.
00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:38.320
And so uh what we want to do is like lower the bar in a way that um intersects uh a more peaceful feeling around doing something that is attainable, recognizing that actions are positively impacting the people that we're engaging with, and also, of course, positively impacting our future world and not doing that with a sense of fear, you know.
00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:42.240
I mean, yes, fear might be present for us in the process at times.
00:13:42.399 --> 00:13:45.440
I know that when um here in in St.
00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:52.480
Louis, we just had day after day after day of heat, and it had never ever been like that as long as I had ever known.
00:13:52.559 --> 00:14:01.519
And I just everyone kept talking about the weather, and I in my heart, I just knew this isn't really about the weather, it's about the fear of the future if this keeps going.
00:14:01.840 --> 00:14:12.639
And um I I love that this is not fear motivating us, it's it's the it's the ability to connect and to contribute, you know.
00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:14.080
That's that's what it is.
00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:19.679
It's actually getting your mind off that fear and working towards something positive.
00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:23.279
And I just came back last week.
00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:25.440
I went to Climate Week in New York City.
00:14:25.840 --> 00:14:28.480
I went there in person one day and the rest I watched the stream.
00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:37.519
And it's really amazing to hear all these organizations that are working towards a healthier food system and working to this problem.
00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:43.759
But they are up here, and everyone in the room is the kind of um preaching to the choir, you know, whatever.
00:14:43.840 --> 00:14:44.399
They're uh what's that?
00:14:44.879 --> 00:14:46.960
Whoever's attending is already very interested in that.
00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:59.919
Yes, and they understand it, but we need to get regular people, I hate the word the consumer, the into the room in the conversation, and that's what they're struggling with.
00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:30.080
So the method that I've created and what I'm trying to accomplish is being able to get start the conversation with the people they need that these organizations need to support them, you know, they need the regular average family or person to understand what the problem is and how they can contribute so that they can be more effective.
00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:38.000
Because what they're doing is not gonna work if the general public doesn't understand what's going on.
00:15:38.159 --> 00:15:39.039
They need the support.
00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:46.320
So this book really bridges that gap in a way that is understandable and not a challenge.
00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:53.919
Is I I was talking to someone the other day, you know, we're talking about the feel-good feeling of not wasting food, for instance.
00:15:54.240 --> 00:16:12.480
Yes, you know, I related to when I can keep my broccoli fresh in the refrigerator for two weeks, it's like the feeling of when like you're doing laundry and you get back to the bottom of the laundry basket, and every single sock has a match.
00:16:13.519 --> 00:16:13.840
Right?
00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:16.000
You're laughing, but seriously, I get it.
00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:18.720
It's like or vacuuming, and you see how nice the floor looks.
00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:28.000
Those little wins is exactly by doing small things, and then I always say, I call it being a mindful foodie.
00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:35.360
You know, once a mindful foodie, always a mindful foodie, you can't go back because it makes you feel so good.
00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:41.279
Yeah, there's that intrinsic change that's happened and occurred, yeah, yeah.
00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:49.840
Yeah, I um I'm assuming that in your book you talk a lot about those small things that people can do.
00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:57.120
And something that occurred to me as well is maybe connecting with what means the most for that individual.
00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:18.480
So whether it is the climate, whether it is um saving money, um, whether it is not having to throw away food that they would like to be able to repurpose so they can stretch that meal, um, whether it's teaching your kids, you know, there's different motivators for us as individuals.
00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:27.680
And um, and so I'm assuming your book kind of gives like that will be there for everyone, you know, something will resonate.
00:17:27.839 --> 00:17:44.000
Um, and maybe you could share more of those examples with us if that would be more small things, you know, um, whether it's related to food waste or or recycling or or conversations in the kitchen, I would just love to like go through a several of those.
00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:58.960
I know um one thing that you said, one small thing and one of your articles a while back over the summer, which I I went, I went to uh Washington State for a solo hiking trip and I bought some olive oil and vinegar on my trip.
00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:06.640
And I brought those home and it was just like the best small little thing to elevate every meal.
00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:13.759
I think the small thing was just invest in like one nice ingredient that helps elevate everything else.
00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:25.039
And that really stuck with me because yeah, sometimes we might actually spend maybe a little bit more on one thing, but it does so much to help the rest of the meal come together.
00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:28.000
And that still lives on in my own.
00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:33.200
Well, I'm in my basement right now because we are remodeling our kitchens, which you have talked about too.
00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:37.119
Like you don't have to remodel your kitchen to have a good kitchen, but we're absolutely in that process.
00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:42.880
And I've been living out of our basement, you know, on a one-pot burner and a wash hand washing dishes since July.
00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:44.880
So anyway, you've done that.
00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:51.039
Yeah, but uh but just any more things like that, any more of those small things, I would love to just hear those.
00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:53.839
Well, whatever comes to mind for you.
00:18:54.240 --> 00:19:06.319
Yeah, there's just so much about building the awareness and what you were just talking about, you know, granted, food costs a lot of money right now, and you know some things she's like, well, do I buy that?
00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:16.640
But when you are more aware, I don't know if people realize that we throw out between 30 and 40 percent of the food we're produced in the country, okay?
00:19:16.880 --> 00:19:17.920
But that's on the outside.
00:19:18.000 --> 00:19:22.160
But in our own kitchens, we throw out so much.
00:19:22.319 --> 00:19:31.920
So if you become more aware of, and so you're not throwing out as much, you can afford more expensive foods.
00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:36.079
And you also will find yourself, once again, appreciating that olive oil.
00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:42.240
You can, I like to say you can feel the love, you know, um, and you can taste it.
00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:48.160
And, you know, one of the things that was really brought out in Climate Week when I was there is talking about the farmers.
00:19:48.319 --> 00:20:06.400
And I don't think, you know, so many we go into the grocery stores and everything's it's perfect produce and abundance, but to take the time and go into the grocery store or go to a farmer's market and think about the process of how that food actually got from the farm to the table and the people involved.
00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:13.279
And what I listening to the farmers at Climate Week, you realize how much love they put into what they do.
00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:14.000
Okay.
00:20:14.400 --> 00:20:26.799
And when you can connect that to what you're eating on your plate, you will just naturally want to eat a little slower and you'll want to waste less.
00:20:27.200 --> 00:20:28.720
It's true, we just don't think about it.
00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:30.079
We're just too overwhelmed.
00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:33.920
But isn't that a you put it brought a smile to your face just thinking that, right?
00:20:34.160 --> 00:20:35.119
Yeah, absolutely.
00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:37.599
And I I have also been around people.
00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:57.200
I remember I went to uh a plant-based retreat, I don't know, five years ago, and there was a gentleman there who we were all eating as a community, and I was watching him eat, and there was just a comp uh, his name was Ollie, and Ollie just ate in this slow, thoughtful.
00:20:57.680 --> 00:21:02.160
You could just tell, you could see the appreciation on his face as he was eating.
00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:16.880
And I don't remember much about that retreat, but I do remember him, and um, and I wrote back, I came back and wrote about him because I just was so touched by seeing someone take the time with their food.
00:21:17.119 --> 00:21:27.839
And that is, you know, I mean, there's multiple reasons why it's helpful to take time with our food, but um, but yeah, I really you talked about the overwhelm.
00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:42.799
Um, yes, we are, but we need to take that pause because there's nothing more important to be able to appreciate what you have and show gratitude and get away from that stress.
00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:51.039
And the kitchen as a place of practice for mindfulness is really about awareness and thinking about what we just are talking about.
00:21:51.279 --> 00:22:05.599
The belonging is what does it feel like when your mom or someone makes the cake that you love or your Favorite dish on your birthday, or invites friends over and makes sure that everyone's happy.
00:22:05.680 --> 00:22:07.759
That's a sense of belonging, right?
00:22:07.920 --> 00:22:19.839
And then the purpose comes from feeling this greater good, that those little changes that you're making are actually giving you agency to make a difference in the world.
00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:25.519
And once again, the beautiful thing, like what I just told you about saving your broccoli for you know, a few weeks.
00:22:25.759 --> 00:22:28.319
When you do something like that, you want to tell someone else.
00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:30.640
And that's how we get the word out.
00:22:30.799 --> 00:22:34.240
We enjoy the feeling and it travels word of mouth.
00:22:34.640 --> 00:22:38.319
You know, it's it's so what you made from a leftover.
00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:40.640
You know, don't keep it to yourself.
00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:41.519
Enjoy it.
00:22:41.599 --> 00:22:42.799
Like, oh my goodness.
00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:50.400
It's and think of it as a creative process and saving you money, because once again, that's a big topic right now, right?
00:22:50.480 --> 00:22:58.960
I think that's I don't want to leave with that lead with that elephant in the room, or lead with climate change or any of those.
00:22:59.200 --> 00:23:02.160
That's not what the book is about, but they're there.
00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:09.119
And if to know that you have agency when you start thinking about your food differently, it's about a new respect for food.
00:23:10.079 --> 00:23:11.920
We all love food, let's respect it.
00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:13.519
It does so much for us, right?
00:23:13.759 --> 00:23:14.640
Yeah, yeah.
00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:30.000
And I and I think um, you know, I I recently led a silent silent retreat, and I was supposed to have someone there to help with the cooking, and um, that individual got sick, so I ended up being the the cook and the chef for that silent retreat.
00:23:30.319 --> 00:23:47.839
Um, and um the women were afterwards uh were talking about the meals because like if we if we had salmon, like one night we had salmon, and then the next night I um we had or the next day for lunch, we had black bean tacos, but I just like shredded the salmon that we had left over and put some chili seasoning on it and repurposed it.
00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:56.559
And then another day we had some tofu bowl tofu bowls, and like I took the tofu the next day with the roasted vegetables and we added it to our roasted red pepper soup.
00:23:56.640 --> 00:24:01.680
And they were just like, wow, I never thought about like taking this and turning it into this.
00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:11.039
And um, and I I think some of that is a natural gift of spending so much time in the kitchen that we accumulate with time to know how things go well together.
00:24:11.200 --> 00:24:13.680
And I don't know if you've talked about this in your post.
00:24:13.839 --> 00:24:29.680
I have a feeling that you have, but sometimes we just have to be a little bit adventurous and um with our leftovers and and be like and just try things and not worry about it not coming out exactly the way that we would want it to be, you know, to learn how to repurpose these things.
00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:34.079
Because I think sometimes we all come in with a different skill set of cooking.
00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:40.640
And so um, you know, how we're able to do that depends upon probably our confidence to some degree.
00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:43.039
We got it so easy these days.
00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:48.880
I go into my refrigerator, like I'm like you, I can just create things, but everyone does have a skill level.
00:24:49.119 --> 00:24:50.240
Open my refrigerator.
00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:52.640
Oh, look at that linguini I didn't use.
00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:54.720
I have a pepper that's about to go bad.
00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:55.839
I have a cucumber.
00:24:56.000 --> 00:24:57.359
These don't seem like they go.
00:24:57.599 --> 00:25:01.440
Put all those ingredients into Google or chat and say, what can I do?
00:25:01.519 --> 00:25:03.359
It'll come up with 10 different ideas for you.
00:25:03.519 --> 00:25:05.759
Yes, great for that, right?
00:25:05.839 --> 00:25:08.880
And you can say, you know what, and I'm in the mood for Mexican.
00:25:09.119 --> 00:25:12.000
Or can we do it with uh, you know, an Asian flair?
00:25:12.079 --> 00:25:13.519
And it it's there for you.
00:25:13.599 --> 00:25:18.079
We'll give you step-by-step cooking instructions, and it's so much fun.
00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:20.720
And like to get kids involved in that too.
00:25:20.960 --> 00:25:22.400
Yes, you know, huge.
00:25:22.559 --> 00:25:23.599
Yeah, it's huge.
00:25:23.759 --> 00:25:34.400
So uh once again, oh my goodness, I just made I I once interviewed David Burke, I don't know, Chef David Burke, and he's very into being mindful with food waste.
00:25:34.720 --> 00:25:40.160
And he calls meals that you make out of things you have in your refrigerator bonus meals.
00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:41.759
Yeah, it's great, right?
00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:43.440
Better than leftovers.
00:25:43.680 --> 00:25:44.400
It is, right?
00:25:44.559 --> 00:25:45.200
Bonus meals.
00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:51.359
I just made it, it didn't cost me a cent, but what would it have cost me to throw out all those ingredients?
00:25:51.519 --> 00:25:53.519
First of all, you're gonna feel guilty no matter what.
00:25:53.680 --> 00:25:54.960
Who wants that guilt?
00:25:55.200 --> 00:26:01.359
Instead, you replace it with woo-hoo, and you call your friend up and say, You wouldn't believe what I just made.
00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:03.680
Yeah, no, that's wonderful.
00:26:03.759 --> 00:26:14.000
It does, it does, it is that same feeling like you were describing earlier, like the last pair of socks in the laundry basket, like or squeezing the last little bit uh out of the toothpaste.
00:26:14.160 --> 00:26:17.039
You know, I um we this so funny.
00:26:17.119 --> 00:26:17.839
This is coming to mind.
00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:34.400
Like this morning, my husband had ordered some milk and soy milk and had it delivered to the house, and he ordered so many, and I was upset because I was like, we have no room in our refrigerator for anything else because you bought 10 of everything, you know, and some people have a tendency to be over buyers.
00:26:34.559 --> 00:26:38.799
I tend to be an under buyer, so I'm always like almost running out of things.
00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:42.559
But I think like kind of knowing that about yourself is also helpful.
00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:46.880
Do you come into play with that at all with personality types or the way that we do things?
00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:56.160
I've oh yeah, but yeah, and I've become better at buying less, you know, and but there are, and then there's that whole dilemma.
00:26:56.480 --> 00:27:14.000
Okay, I see the apples in a bag on the grocery store, and there's 12 of them in the bag, and it's five dollars, or I can go buy apples one dollar a piece, you know, which so the big bag seems like such a better deal, right?
00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:16.319
Right, but it's not if you don't use them, right?
00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:25.599
But if you do and figure out bonus meals or like, you know, you got those apples, I'm gonna make pork chops and I can put applesauce on, I'm gonna do this and that, then it's a real value.
00:27:25.680 --> 00:27:29.920
Then yes, it totally makes sense to buy the bulk.
00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:31.920
So it's deciding those things.
00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:47.680
And once again, it's not being perfect, you know, it's learning, but it's also fun because once again, all of a sudden you made that pork chops with your baked apples and sauerkraut, and you're like, whoa, what a win! I wasn't thinking even thinking of making that.
00:27:48.079 --> 00:27:49.440
Yeah, you did you really?
00:27:49.519 --> 00:27:55.200
Yeah, I had we had pork this week and I I had sauerkraut in the fridge, but I totally forgot to do that.
00:27:55.359 --> 00:28:03.759
I think something that's helpful to remember is just to always be aware of what you have on hand, you know, kind of look around a little bit more before you just go at it.
00:28:04.079 --> 00:28:06.799
Yeah, and everyone would say, like, that's another challenge, obviously.
00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:12.160
Oh my God, uh refrigerator or my pantry is such a mess.
00:28:12.480 --> 00:28:15.359
So you stress about it being a mess.
00:28:15.839 --> 00:28:26.880
And that when it will take you two hours to clean it, be more organized and be more mindful as you're loading things in or you know, have a eat first spin or whatever.
00:28:27.279 --> 00:28:29.279
So just go and do it.
00:28:29.440 --> 00:28:32.160
I mean, your freezer, the same thing.
00:28:32.319 --> 00:28:38.559
Maybe put an inventory list on that your freezer so you know what's in there and cross things out as they go and add things.
00:28:38.880 --> 00:28:48.319
But it's you stress about it and waste much more time than you do actually getting more organized and cleaning.
00:28:48.559 --> 00:29:03.440
You know, once again, you gotta we all fall behind sometimes, you know, all don't label something or whatever, but it's not about being perfect, but you realize how much easier your life is and how much money you save when you do.
00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:06.559
Yes, you know, same thing with meal planning, right?
00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:19.519
It's like, you know, gosh, if I have to think every single time I sit down at lunch, what am I gonna have versus just taking some time up front, thinking of my future self for what we're gonna have for either family meals or lunches.
00:29:19.599 --> 00:29:22.160
And it's I've had this conversation multiple times.
00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:23.279
Like we're very good.
00:29:23.440 --> 00:29:29.440
Well, we're better at planning for meals that include other people because we're planning for others.
00:29:29.599 --> 00:29:38.400
But when it comes to planning a breakfast for myself or a lunch for myself, well, I'm actually quite good at this because I've learned over time the importance of it.
00:29:38.480 --> 00:29:45.039
So I do this, but when I work with my clients, they'll be like, yeah, I just kind of like totally don't know what to have for lunch anymore.
00:29:45.119 --> 00:29:49.599
And so we're just like, put yourself back on the plate and plan lunches for yourself.
00:29:49.680 --> 00:29:52.559
You know, I cook a meal just for myself for lunches.
00:29:52.720 --> 00:29:53.920
No one else gets to have it.
00:29:54.000 --> 00:29:55.839
It's like mom's lunch for the week.
00:29:56.000 --> 00:30:03.759
Um, and it's just so nice at in the busy time of day when you've got not as much time to have something available to yourself.
00:30:03.920 --> 00:30:09.440
And it's just, yeah, the same thing with like, I am so grateful when my cabinets are organized.
00:30:09.519 --> 00:30:15.279
And man, they are not organized very often, and certainly not right now while we're in the basement, but it is the best feeling.
00:30:15.359 --> 00:30:16.160
And I think you're right.
00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:29.200
It's like either we just have this constant stress of disorganization, disorganization and not planning, or we just bite the bullet and we turn on some music and we carve out some time and we get it done, and then man, we're so grateful.
00:30:29.599 --> 00:30:30.160
So grateful.
00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:34.319
It makes it all easier to meal plan and go, you know, make a shopping list.
00:30:34.400 --> 00:30:36.880
And I'm not great at any of that stuff.
00:30:37.119 --> 00:30:40.400
But I think also what you're talking about, different skill levels.
00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:47.279
Give yourself a chance to learn a new skill because what do we we love to eat, right?
00:30:47.519 --> 00:30:49.200
Like here, we're doing something we love.
00:30:49.279 --> 00:30:52.720
And I also like mentioned like the world's a crazy place right now.
00:30:52.799 --> 00:30:54.559
There's just no doubt, it's stressful out there.
00:30:54.640 --> 00:31:07.599
There's every day to day we live with challenges, but you have your kitchen that you can almost use as a retreat, but it's being mindful and looking at your kitchen uh differently and all, and that's what my book does.
00:31:07.680 --> 00:31:22.960
It tells a story about how my mom used her kitchen in a way I didn't use my kitchen at the time, and what you know I gained from it, and what unfortunately my kids lost, but um, you know, and I see them.
00:31:23.039 --> 00:31:28.720
So just to let you know, with writing this book, I have two grown children and they have families and kids.
00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:35.279
And I watch how they're overwhelmed with everything they need to do.
00:31:35.440 --> 00:31:37.359
And so I totally get it.
00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:47.039
And I can't even say my kids do anything different than every other parent who's overwhelmed out there, but they do make small little changes, you know.
00:31:47.119 --> 00:31:48.880
Once again, they're not perfect.
00:31:48.960 --> 00:31:59.279
Um, and they bring up conversations about food, you know, it's so great when you're in the kitchen having a kid help when you might say, Oh, don't have the, you know, it's just, I just want to get the job done.
00:31:59.359 --> 00:32:00.559
I don't need that.
00:32:01.200 --> 00:32:11.680
But if you could think about it as instilling values on your kids or having a conversation without a lecture, not yelling at them, that is a win-win.
00:32:11.920 --> 00:32:15.920
Yeah, you know, and they hear and they love spending time with you.
00:32:16.319 --> 00:32:18.960
Um and things don't have to be perfect.
00:32:19.039 --> 00:32:21.680
The dinner does not have to come out perfect.
00:32:21.920 --> 00:32:32.880
No, no, to get that no, that connection, yeah, and that that ability to um offer like the values that you're discussing.
00:32:33.039 --> 00:32:40.240
And yeah, and I think too, you know, for most parents, finding the time in which that makes the most sense.
00:32:40.480 --> 00:32:56.480
It might not be a weeknight, it might be on the weekends where they're you're asking for a bit more help, where you you have more bandwidth, you have more capacity, and when you invite them in, it's a true invitation, not an invitation because you feel like you should do something, you know.
00:32:57.440 --> 00:33:03.839
Um the other thing that I would just wanted to bring out a little bit because I think it's it's so important.
00:33:04.160 --> 00:33:18.000
Um, this this thought of belonging and uh having a positive environment of the kitchen is really so helpful when it comes to how we feed kids and um how we talk about food.
00:33:18.400 --> 00:33:26.000
And instead of, you know, are you gonna you need to finish four more bites or why are you eating so much?
00:33:26.240 --> 00:33:29.039
Or this person gets this and this person gets that.
00:33:29.200 --> 00:34:13.519
And I mean, those are pretty harsh, maybe harsher statements, but um, but there's sometimes we can be not neutral, you know, we can we can be um too encouraging or we can be like scared that our kids aren't eating right, and that's all that's all real fears and things, but but I really love the aspect of a mindset of being how can I create a feeling of belonging for all people in my kitchen and neutrality when and and positivity when we're feeding and asking, you know, thoughtful questions, um, and just kind of taking any kind of food judgment out of the out of the picture too, you know, calling foods, I I'm I'm a big fan of calling foods what they are.
00:34:13.679 --> 00:34:22.159
So instead of saying it's a healthy food or it's not a healthy food or it's junk food or it's too processed or any of that, just calling it what it is, you know.
00:34:22.400 --> 00:34:26.000
Would you like some more Cheez Its versus you know, whatever?
00:34:26.320 --> 00:34:32.480
So I just really appreciate this part of how you bring this into thinking.
00:34:33.119 --> 00:34:40.320
It becomes like once again, grocery store shopping, and you just said your husband just ordered Instacart or whatever, right?
00:34:40.719 --> 00:34:47.519
And there is a value, and a lot of parents need to bring their kids to the grocery store.
00:34:47.760 --> 00:35:00.719
But if you bring in them in them into the grocery store with the thought of making conversation, I wonder where this orange came from, you know, and figuring out, oh, look, it came from California.
00:35:00.960 --> 00:35:02.480
We live all the way in New York.
00:35:02.559 --> 00:35:09.519
I wonder how it got here and how much, you know, but gas or I wonder if there's anything in season that is local that we could substitute.
00:35:09.679 --> 00:35:22.000
So you start those conversations in the grocery store about where food comes from and like why, you know, you go into the grocery store around me right now, and there's tons of apples, right?
00:35:22.559 --> 00:35:27.280
But they've come from all over where apple season is in full force right here.
00:35:27.440 --> 00:35:38.800
Let's go to the apple orchard, let's stop and pick up apples from our farm and explain the reason why that's so important and make it, you know, that apple's gonna taste better, especially if someone if they pick it themselves.
00:35:39.039 --> 00:35:50.239
But even maybe they picked a bag of apples, it's just the conversation, and we all look for our kids to get off their screens and to be able to spend more quality time with them, right?
00:35:50.480 --> 00:35:54.960
Yes, and but we have to make an effort too and not dread it.
00:35:55.519 --> 00:36:03.679
Yeah, no, um, that speaking right to my heart is something that um like inherently I know, but I don't do very often.
00:36:03.840 --> 00:36:15.440
You know, the over the summer we visited the farmer's market a couple of times, and um one of my my youngest son, we were he's kind of an adventurous eater, but yet at the same time a fairly limited palate.
00:36:15.519 --> 00:36:20.000
It's interesting, like he'll try new things, but at home we kind of eat he eats a lot of the same things.
00:36:20.079 --> 00:36:26.480
But anyway, we were at the farmer's market and we were in this um sprout section, you know, little micro microgreens.
00:36:26.800 --> 00:36:32.719
And um the gentleman, you know, had all these different flavors, and he and he gave my son a spicy flavor.
00:36:32.800 --> 00:36:34.639
And my son, like, ooh, I really like that one.
00:36:34.719 --> 00:36:39.519
And he got so much, so much accolades from this farmer, like, wow, that's awesome that you like this.
00:36:39.599 --> 00:36:44.480
What an adventurous eater you are, and to this day, he is always like, Can I get sprouts from the store mom?
00:36:44.719 --> 00:36:46.320
You know, and I mean, I'm like, oh, okay.
00:36:46.400 --> 00:36:49.440
You know, it was just it made such a difference.
00:36:49.599 --> 00:37:03.760
Um, just having him connect with the person who grew the food, and then also getting reinforcement outside of me to share what an adventurous eater you are to try something new and what a cool palette you have.
00:37:03.920 --> 00:37:15.360
Anyway, I think that it is such a beautiful thing that we can do when the opportunity presents itself, but also thoughtfulness around, you know, a bit more intention on doing that.
00:37:15.440 --> 00:37:19.199
So that's that's certainly placed a seed here of reminding myself, you know.
00:37:19.280 --> 00:37:24.639
I mean, yes, we do have to order our groceries quite a bit, and that is very life-saving for me at times.
00:37:24.880 --> 00:37:36.400
But when there is an opportunity to just go to the store, um, it really is a nice when you get the store, when you get this stuff home to help them put it away.
00:37:36.639 --> 00:37:36.880
Yeah.
00:37:37.039 --> 00:37:42.480
And, you know, and sometimes conversations, you don't know the exact like, well, I have an eight-year-old grandson, and he asks me stuff.
00:37:42.559 --> 00:37:44.800
I'm like, oh my goodness, I can't answer that.
00:37:45.039 --> 00:37:50.559
Like, let's see if we can find a YouTube video on it or something, which is okay too.
00:37:50.719 --> 00:38:01.920
You might need a tool because parents don't know it all, and the kids come up with these questions, and instead of being, you know, like, let's learn this together, um, is really cool.
00:38:02.239 --> 00:38:03.199
It really is.
00:38:03.360 --> 00:38:03.920
It is.
00:38:04.079 --> 00:38:07.519
They they surprise you with things that they ask about.
00:38:07.760 --> 00:38:19.280
And I appreciate the time that you take to take that to the next level because sometimes, well, whether either lack of time or just what uh uh, you know, a quick, I don't know, what do you think?
00:38:19.679 --> 00:38:27.679
But taking the time to like take that question out and look at that and really building upon their own curiosities and letting that go somewhere is beautiful.
00:38:27.920 --> 00:38:29.599
Um, and yes, you're right.
00:38:29.760 --> 00:38:43.440
Like it's not that um going to the farmer's market is the solution and not bringing home the girl and not having deliveries is not, it's making the most out of whatever you can do, and that kind of goes back to your small, um, small shifts.
00:38:43.760 --> 00:38:50.800
Yeah, yeah, and just little tiny things that make you feel good, and that they do, you know, our kids are watching all the time.
00:38:50.880 --> 00:38:57.519
And so, as you said in my bio, I teach at the Culinary Institute, and what I teach is introduction to hospitality.
00:38:57.679 --> 00:39:06.960
It doesn't have anything to do with this topic, but I do talk to my kids, students about respect for food and food waste and stuff like that.
00:39:07.119 --> 00:39:23.840
It comes up, and I have the students coming into the culinary who are unaware because I will go through like my LinkedIn bio and say, this is who I am, so they get to know me on the first day, you know, what my background is, and they'll say, So, why am I specializing in reducing household food waste?
00:39:23.920 --> 00:39:25.760
What why is food waste a problem?
00:39:27.039 --> 00:39:41.119
They don't know, they haven't had that conversation, and this is part of the reason for the book is we need to start our kids understanding the value of food at a younger age, if we are going to make a difference in the food system.
00:39:41.280 --> 00:39:47.199
And there's, you know, not to get heavy, there's a lot of stuff going on that we need to really mitigate.
00:39:47.519 --> 00:39:54.960
And um, once again, just teach them the positive way on the way to looking at food and not taking it for granted.
00:39:55.039 --> 00:40:01.119
It's a wonderful thing because it's too late to start them when they're already in college.
00:40:01.440 --> 00:40:01.679
Yeah.
00:40:02.079 --> 00:40:03.039
And we know how it's done.
00:40:03.119 --> 00:40:06.400
I mean, we just we live in a world of abundance abundance.
00:40:06.960 --> 00:40:14.960
It's a beautiful thing, but it also makes us not so um appreciative and resourceful.
00:40:16.800 --> 00:40:37.039
Yeah, I I know, and and just um like taking a minute before people start eating at the table, just to kind of um, you know, I'm I'm someone and I'm sure I'm like many other parents, where we might learn something or hear something, and then we do it for a little bit, but then we forget about it and it falls by the wayside.
00:40:37.199 --> 00:40:47.760
And I can remember a while ago, probably years ago, there would be a time where before we would eat, we would take a minute just to kind of offer gratitude for how the food got to the table to some degree.
00:40:48.079 --> 00:41:09.039
And um, we don't do that anymore right now, and that's just a good reminder again, like the value of just just a few seconds of pausing to take note of those things and for them to see our appreciation and for them to maybe see me eat a little bit more like Ollie and slow down and enjoy my food and um instead of rushing through it.
00:41:09.199 --> 00:41:16.159
And um, so yeah, and it's not as I say all those things, it's really not about like a guilt because I'm not getting something right.
00:41:16.239 --> 00:41:28.000
There's so much compassion for all of us who really are just um, you know, things are a little bit too tight, things are things are a little bit busier maybe than what we would like them to be.
00:41:28.159 --> 00:41:33.840
Um, and sometimes we have the the ability to change that, and other times we don't.
00:41:34.000 --> 00:41:47.760
Um, but I think that what you're offering doesn't really take more time, and in fact, it probably gives us back more time um because we we just get to connect with the intimacy of the moment that we're in.
00:41:48.159 --> 00:42:01.599
And um, we're not living from this rushing around headspace um when we do this, when we take the moment to say that we're grateful for the food, or we ask, uh follow the curiosity of a kid's question.
00:42:01.760 --> 00:42:06.800
Um, that really gives us back more than it than it takes from a time standpoint.
00:42:07.679 --> 00:42:08.239
Exactly.
00:42:08.320 --> 00:42:09.760
That's how I feel, at least.
00:42:09.920 --> 00:42:13.679
And um I love to eat.
00:42:13.760 --> 00:42:20.320
I've always like and my mom's home was always had people over and we were doing things, and I I did that for my kids.
00:42:20.400 --> 00:42:25.440
I would have company over, but I would never just no, I don't want to say never just cook for them.
00:42:25.679 --> 00:42:32.480
But also when I came home, I wanted to have quality time for them, and I didn't think going shopping with them or cooking with them was the thing.
00:42:32.639 --> 00:42:44.159
But interestingly enough, when my son became 13 or that age where he didn't want anything to do with me, um we started cooking together.
00:42:44.480 --> 00:42:53.280
And I would brought that up to him the other day when I well, it was like six months ago when I wrote that origin story about him finding me finding the college essay.
00:42:53.519 --> 00:42:57.840
And I go and but then again, when he was 13, we started cooking together.
00:42:58.079 --> 00:43:01.519
And he goes, Mom, you know what I remember about that most?
00:43:01.679 --> 00:43:02.800
I'm like, No, what?
00:43:02.960 --> 00:43:06.480
He goes, I remember going grocery shopping and picking out the ingredients.
00:43:06.559 --> 00:43:10.639
And I looked at him, I go, Jeffrey, are you crying as you're telling me this?
00:43:11.199 --> 00:43:11.840
Because I really loved it.
00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:12.639
It was so much fun.
00:43:12.880 --> 00:43:14.880
I was like, Oh, sweet.
00:43:15.119 --> 00:43:18.480
We just never know what like sticks in a kid's memory, do we?
00:43:19.280 --> 00:43:20.000
That's wonderful.
00:43:20.159 --> 00:43:21.840
It's all we tear up.
00:43:22.079 --> 00:43:23.280
Oh, it's such a joy.
00:43:23.360 --> 00:43:26.880
I'm so so grateful for the work that you're putting out into the world.
00:43:26.960 --> 00:43:31.280
And do you have a sense of no of time of when we should be looking for the book to come out?
00:43:32.000 --> 00:43:35.119
Well, um, it's in its final revisions.
00:43:35.280 --> 00:43:41.840
Um, the book should be totally done as far as written and ready to be go out to publish at the end of this month.
00:43:42.079 --> 00:43:42.400
Okay.
00:43:42.639 --> 00:43:44.639
So um I'm really excited about it.
00:43:44.719 --> 00:43:46.880
I had, yeah, I'm very excited.
00:43:47.039 --> 00:43:55.760
Then it depends on whether I self-publish or if I can find um a publisher or so, but it's going out.
00:43:55.840 --> 00:43:57.519
It's getting out in the world somehow.
00:43:57.679 --> 00:43:58.639
The sooner the better.
00:43:58.880 --> 00:44:00.639
We'll be happy to share it for sure.
00:44:00.960 --> 00:44:01.119
Really?
00:44:01.679 --> 00:44:03.519
A little little that we can do.
00:44:03.760 --> 00:44:06.880
So um, I appreciate you so very much.
00:44:07.039 --> 00:44:22.880
Thank you for this conversation and thank you for all of the little sweet reminders that have been here today for me personally, and I'm sure anyone who listens to this is going to take home their um their little personal take homes too.
00:44:23.119 --> 00:44:27.199
But um, you're a joy, and we will be looking forward to sharing your book.
00:44:27.519 --> 00:44:30.639
Oh, I'm looking forward to sharing it with you.
00:44:31.280 --> 00:44:32.800
Thanks so much for having me on.
00:44:32.880 --> 00:44:35.360
It's been really a pleasure speaking with you.
00:44:35.599 --> 00:44:36.639
Thank you, Janet.
