Janet Irizarry Reminds Us of What Matters as We Start the New Year

Janet Irizarry has been writing a bi-weekly blog for Hudson Valley News for over a year. Her goal is simple: to transform the way people think about food. After more than three decades in the restaurant industry, she founded My Mindful Kitchen (MMK) and The 3-Ingredient Kitchen — a movement rooted in the belief that the kitchen can be a catalyst for global change. Grounded in gratitude, environmental stewardship, and compassion, her work turns everyday food choices into meaningful acts of purpose. Please read this article below about her work and be sure to check out her column every other week. I know you will find useful tips and advice for you and your family. -- Risa Hoag, Editor. 

Most people do not see their kitchen as a place where change begins. It’s simply where meals are made, often quickly, sometimes with stress, and almost always with a familiar loop of nagging thoughts: groceries cost too much, I should be feeding my family healthier, and why do I throw so much away?

Janet Irizarry, founder of My Mindful Kitchen and creator of The 3-Ingredient Kitchen, sees it differently. She believes the kitchen is the most powerful and most overlooked room in the house, a place to feel in control when life feels anything but.

“The kitchen is where the small problems we feel every day live,” she says. “The stress around meals. The money we do not want to waste. The food we forget about. The decisions we make on autopilot. That mental load is real.”

Her solution begins with a simple idea: Do One Small Thing: Nourish What Matters. That single shift can spark a ripple effect, showing how simple choices grow into meaningful and lasting change.

The Small Problem: Everyday Food Stress

• The constant “What’s for dinner?” loop.
• Trying to use what’s in the fridge.
• Navigating sticker shock at the store.
• Feeling like you have to sacrifice quality.
• The guilt about waste.
• Eating on the run instead of together.
• Feeling unorganized.

This is the modern kitchen.

“It’s not that people don’t care,” Irizarry explains. “They’re overwhelmed. The quick, grab-and-go choices that lead to waste, overspending, and unhealthy patterns, and the unintentional food choices we make every day, create stress, cost money, and leave us feeling disconnected from our food and each other.”

Her philosophy doesn’t demand a diet overhaul, zero-waste perfection, or hours of meal prep. It asks people to start small.

The Big Problem: Waste, Inflation, and Disconnection

What feels like minor daily stress adds up to systemic issues:

• Nearly one-third of the food Americans buy is wasted.
• Food prices have risen faster than wages.
• Household food waste is a major contributor to landfill methane and climate change.
• Families are more rushed and spend less time connecting over meals than ever.

“When you eat like it matters, you recognize food as something of real value, something that impacts your health, your budget, your emotional well-being, your family connection, and the world outside your kitchen,” she says.

It’s a micro-action in our homes with the potential to become macro-change for the planet.

The Movement: The 3-Ingredient Kitchen

At the heart of Irizarry’s work is a simple framework using three ingredients that do not cost anything:

Mindfulness: Notice what you already have. Cook intentionally. Reduce autopilot choices.
Belonging: Sit down together. Share meals. Model gratitude. Build family culture.
Purpose: Make choices that align with your values, waste less, care more, save money.

“This isn’t just about parenting,” she clarifies. “It’s about being human. Everyone eats. Everyone feels stress around food. Everyone wants life to feel a little more meaningful.”

The Solution: One Small Thing

The strength of Irizarry’s movement lies in its simplicity. People do not need a new diet, a 30-step meal plan, or a subscription box. They need one small thing they can do today, a positive anchor to start the day, instead of waking up to the usual stream of bad news.

• Use what is already in the fridge: feel good about saving money and reducing waste
• Make a no-spend meal once a week: feel good about staying on budget.
• Sit down together once: feel good about quality time with your family.
• Turn leftovers into lunch: feel good about tomorrow being easier.
• Teach a child to help with dinner: feel good about sharing responsibility and building teamwork.
• Check the pantry before shopping: feel good about being prepared and intentional.
• Pause before tossing food: feel good about making mindful choices that matter

“One small shift changes the feel of the whole kitchen,” she says. “Once your mindset shifts, you start seeing new options and ways of being creative instead of obstacles.”

Why Now Is the Right Time

“The kitchen is not separate from the world,” Irizarry says. “It’s where climate change shows up in rising grocery prices and shrinking harvests. It’s where policy decisions echo in food insecurity and empty shelves.”

• People are exhausted.
• Families are stretched thin.
• Waste feels wrong.
• Everyone wants life to feel more grounded, connected, and purposeful.

Her work isn’t about cooking. It’s not about being perfect or feeling obligated. It’s about reframing the kitchen as the most accessible place to start living with intention and aligning with one’s values. It’s about finding something positive at a time when that isn’t always easy.

A New Way Forward

The idea that big change can start at the kitchen table isn’t new. But the way Irizarry packages it, simple, human, and deeply grounded in psychology and values, is striking a chord.

“People don’t need perfection,” she says. “They need a starting point. Something small enough to feel doable, but powerful enough to matter and make them feel good.”

Do One Small Thing. Nourish What Matters. And watch what happens next.

To learn more about Janet and her movement, visit My Mindful Kitchen | Bringing Food, Family & Values Together and follow her bi-monthly posts here on Hudson Valley News.