Ever wondered if you could transform your relationship with food and make it a celebrated part of your life? In today’s episode I’m joined by Brooke Eliason of Female Foodie, a true foodie with a vibrant love for all things culinary. Together we dive deep into her journey, exploring her heartfelt relationship with food, her experiences with diet culture, and her transformative trips to Italy.
We discuss the beauty of intuitive eating, the joy of food rituals, and how embracing food as a celebration can enrich your life and relationships. Whether you’re a seasoned foodie or someone looking to heal your relationship with food, this conversation is packed with insights, personal stories, and practical tips.
Referenced episodes: Here Lies Monica, How to Use It Not Abuse It, Intuitive Eating
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TRANSCRIPT
Monica Packer: Brooke Eliason, welcome to About Progress.
Brooke Eliason: Monica, thank you so much for having me here. I have been a And about progress listener for years. I’m not even exaggerating at least six years or more
Monica Packer: Oh,
Brooke Eliason: So it’s a huge honor to be here today. And seriously, thank you so much for having me.
Monica Packer: Oh, that means the world to me. And it’s so fun because years ago, we had a phone conversation about you who potentially starting a podcast.
I don’t know if you remember that, but we talked through your ideas and the direction you were headed. And several years later, you’ve now started it. And I have.
So loved your podcast and, you know, just you hearing you and talking to other, creators and food makers. I don’t even know if that’s the right word, but we’re just going to go with it. And as I’ve been listening, one of the things I’ve loved from you is just how much you love food.
It’s so like, it trickles down into everything you share, the way you talk about food, the way you make it, the way you teach how to make it. But I was curious about your own relationship with food, because it’s this time of year where we’re all getting that pressure, right? To be critical, to tighten things up to basically not love food, to not make it an important part of life, to more like shun it and push it away. So let’s start with your own relationship with food and what that’s been like and how you eventually cross over to foodie status.
I’d love to know that too. So tell us all about that.
Brooke Eliason: Okay, cool. Well, this is a topic that is just so fun and easy for me to talk about. I have loved food from the very beginning and I feel like I’m a little bit, I’m pretty even split of nature and nurture. I grew up in a household with an incredible mom who, a lot of people may know who my mom is.
Her name is Cy Foster and her Space online is called a bountiful kitchen, but, she loved food. And so that really translated to me. You know, it didn’t matter if it was like a weeknight dinner or making cookies or a big family gathering, like food was always super, super important. And so I feel like I kind of genetically got some of that, right? It just feels so natural to me, but I think I had the most perfect role model to kind of nurture that love for food. And even the, you know, there’s four of us kids in my family, even the boys like really love food. They’re a little more willing to like, you know, eat at Taco Bell or whatever.
But we come from a family that like food is a deal. And so, you know, I just think from a really young age, like, The easy bake oven was a big deal and making the chocolate chip cookies for the first time was a big deal. And I remember we had like a little cookbook from my elementary school that I would whip out and just, you know, I think a lot of people did that, right?
They either had like neighborhood or church cookbooks or whatever. And like, I would just try things. I was not scared. I was totally willing to just kind of. Corral the ingredients and test things out. And you’re talking about like a transition into a true foodie, I mean, even in junior high and high school, I’ve always loved documenting and I had one of those Canon power shots.
Did you ever have one of those? Like a little
Not like a
Monica Packer: I lost mine,
Brooke Eliason: camera,
I mean, I started taking pictures of food, like. In high school and just the worst, the, I still have some of them. They’re terrible, but I just think I loved my food so much that even then I wanted to like capture it, you know, it wasn’t like to show anyone, it was just like, this is art, which I’m honestly looking back and like, wow, it wouldn’t be like a bowl of ice cream.
Right. But just, it was there, right? That passion was there. And when I really, I mean, I think, you know, our family, we didn’t eat out a ton growing up periodically when we would like go to a game or something. But, once I went to school, I did a few years at Utah State University and then I transferred to the University of Utah in Salt Lake and what happened is I noticed that like all my spare money was going toward eating out and That’s for me when I actually started like blogging consistently on female foodie.
I started it in 2010 as a blog, I didn’t really intentionally focus on it till maybe a few years later. And I just, you know, for example, like Thule Bakery in Salt Lake, like I would just like
Oh, it’s so good. I’m like, you know, over time I ate like everything in the case. And then I just, I really enjoyed like trying all these restaurants and like shopping wasn’t a big deal to me.
Right. But like, if I go to a new restaurant, that was pretty exciting. So that’s kind of how it. you know, came and I’ve had seasons of my life, right? Where eating out is just not as feasible. So even as like a freshman in college, I just love to cook and , my roommates did, this is kind of snarky, but my roommates had like a meal rotation.
I didn’t even, I don’t want anything to do with that because I wanted full control over like testing new recipes and trying things. And I was always happy to share too, but. But yeah, I’m the kind of person that I think about what I’m going to eat like days before and sometimes during another meal.
And I love Monica too, the way you kind of segued into this topic, because I do think it’s just, it’s very ingrained in our society. And it’s very natural, especially after the indulgent holidays for people to panic and feel like got to get on that diet, got to, You know, get ready for swimsuit spring break or whatever it is.
Monica Packer: Well, and that’s what we want to talk about. Like those people who are in that place where they’re, maybe they’re feeling that draw to heal their relationship with food, maybe they want what you have. Right. In terms of feeling like that comfort with it, that love with it, that appreciation of it, also the artistry of it.
And I even say the fun. of it, right? They want that and they want that to push against everything else that is flooding them right now. And I want to know first, if, as we’re going to speak to them on that, like how to make that more possible for them. Like, did you ever have some moments where, you know, are the diet culture that we live and breathe in, did it ever push against or challenge that foodie identity for you?
Or was that just something you always felt pretty strong in?
Brooke Eliason: Oh, I love that question. First and foremost, I feel like the biggest gift I was ever given by my food loving mother was just, she is the epitome of an intuitive eater. She is. Health is important in my family too. I mean, I’m not trying to suggest we just had like biscuits and gravy every night, you know, and these just indulgent and unhealthy foods.
I mean, my mom really tried to always have on most nights, something green on the table. You know, certainly she was she focused on nutrients and providing nutritious meals, but. Dessert was important too.
And the food tasting good. I mean, we wouldn’t ever dream of, you know, my mother would never have dreamed of like putting something on the table for caloric or dietary reasons.
If you know, over like taste, right. That just like, was never even a thought of, and food was never the enemy. And I, and my, so I feel like just foundationally and maybe that’s, you know, For people listening, that may not be your upbringing and that’s okay. But I think thinking about it in the lens of, you know, I’m assuming most of your listeners, Monica have children of their own.
It’s not too late. It’s not too late to be the best role model. And it may even be just be within the relationship that you’re in. But the gift that my mom really gave me was that food was to be celebrated.
It wasn’t the enemy. And that A woman’s body is not for most of us, because there’s some people that they just tend to be lean and that’s beautiful.
But for most women, we are curvy and if you go to these art museums in Europe, the women are not skin and bones. They’re fertile and they’re curvy. And I have a memory of, I don’t know how old I was. I could have been in high school, honestly, which is kind of sad, but I remember like, I probably had like a sports bra on or something, but I made a comment about not liking like some of the fat on my back or just the curviness of it. Right. And my mom just looked at me and she wasn’t rude. She never reprimanded me. But she said, That’s a woman’s body and that moment has always sat with me because It was like a moment of respect also.
I think that our society has really helped us view our bodies as just garbage. And, I think we’ve all kind of had experiences with people that have, they’ve passed too early, right? Things like cancer or accidents or whatnot. And it’s like, our bodies are such a gift, you know, when we can think about them that way and food too, like food is such a vehicle to, for me.
Like, when I think of some, not all, but a lot of them, the most, some of the most joyful moments in my life, more often than not, food is the vehicle. Think about the rituals, the things we look forward to, some of those most tender, special moments, right?
They’re around food experiences. Think about even just, You know, February, right? Tough month for me always. I’m oh man, what’s there to look forward to in February?
But just the ritual of like family dinner, like, okay, you know, or even maybe it’s even like a date night. That’s a ritual I love.
I think a disservice that we do to ourselves. is when we demonize food. I had an experience a few years ago with, I won’t mention who, but a couple came over to my house and I made a pretty like balanced dinner. It wasn’t like, you know, I didn’t make like fried chicken sandwiches, right?
Like it was just like a, it was like a fairly balanced meal, great flavors. Like I was really excited to serve it. And then, , I made cookies because duh, like I love cookies and cookies are so good. And you know, and I think this happens a lot and I don’t think people are ever trying to be malicious, but the, this particular woman kind of looked at the cookies and, oh, well, I guess it’s a blow it meal.
And that experience has also sat with me. First of all,
I think we need to be careful around the language we use when we are, when other people are cooking for us.
I’ve seen people. That I know for a fact either because of dietary restrictions or preference. They just say either, no thank you, or they take some for later.
So, first of all, I just think we need to be careful about when we demonize food, how rude it is. I mean, and I’ve let this go, but I just, it’s an experience that sat with me. But also, like, what that does for the room. If you’re with a group of girlfriends and you’re all like getting ice cream and like one or two people are like, I’m not going to have that.
Like, what does it do?
Monica Packer: Yes.
Brooke Eliason: It, and I’m not saying you need to make choices based off of peer pressure, but like there’s a thoughtful way to say things and But I’ve thought so much about that because I’ve thought about how, like, I’ve never looked at a cookie and thought, oh, my day. It’s a blow it day.
The day is ruined. And I think, Monica, think that’s how so many people look at food. Do you think that as well?
Monica Packer: I think, if not the high majority, the definitely the majority, like even if it’s a slim majority, I think most women, especially view food that way. And I think it really goes back to the culture that we were raised in. I mean, we were raised in. The skinnier, the better culture. And I was talking to someone else about how deep that goes. Even if you’re like a grown woman now, and you see things differently and you’ve shifted a lot of your relationship with food, you still have that part of you that thinks skinnier is better. And that food is not something to be enjoyed.
It’s bad. If you see it as an important part of your life, it’s like a shameful thing. I think you’re right. And it’s interesting how, I think we all have those kinds of experiences where it brings down the moment,
the joy, you know, so I hope that can be instructive for all of us as we’re listening, just what we want it to feel like.
And that actually leads to my next question for you. You know, if food was never the enemy for you, which I think honestly shifts the way you interact with it. And I just was curious about your thoughts on that. Do you see that happening? Like when you welcome food as a, like a beautiful celebrated part of your life, a gift, a source of fun, enjoyment, all those things. Have you seen that for others to that? It shifts the way you even engage in it. Like it gives
you freedom to. To eat differently.
Brooke Eliason: Yes. And let me be clear on two things. First of all, I have struggled, even though I had the most amazing role model, I’ve struggled I would say many times in my life with, you know, wanting to like be a smaller dress size, which is so silly, but it’s a part of being in our society or, Oh gosh, after having a baby, those are tough moments, right?
Where you’re like,
Monica Packer: It’s really tough.
Brooke Eliason: or maybe it’s like two years after a baby, right? And you’re like, okay, like you have these expectations. So I don’t want to I’ve struggled. And
Monica Packer: I,
appreciate hearing that.
Honestly, it helps to know like, you know, even if you’re you are working on healing that part or you’ve healed a lot of that part, you never even really struggled with that part. It still can be pressured.
Brooke Eliason: totally, and I, if I’m being honest too, I think it’s a lifelong pursuit, and I think health, and this is the other thing I wanted to call out, is health is super important to me too, so I think the thing that we’re kind of talking about, Monica it’s not an easy place to get to, but I think it’s a great place once you can arrive because what you can do is you can take care of your body, you can feel good, but you also aren’t at family dinner and everyone’s getting ice cream, but mom and your kids are looking at you like, What about mom?
Right? Like, or you’re not like missing out on some of those experiences with joy, but to answer kind of the question, something I’ve heard over the years and. I’ve kind of have mixed feelings, but I actually agree with it is I’ve heard a lot of people that are in the, especially in the fitness industry say it you know, it’s about loving yourself and gosh, that sounds like the most fluffy thing, right?
It’s like, just love yourself to a six pack, you know?
And I’m like, Oh, how convenient. But I really think, first of all, you got to look at what are your goals? Like what, and not just, I’m not talking like fitness goals. What do you, What’s your goal? Let me tell you what mine are. My goals, I want to feel healthy.
I did a really great hike with some girlfriends this year. It’s called the Enchantments in Washington. It’s like a 22 mile hike. I know you love to hike too, Monica. That to me is like, I want to be able to do stuff
Want to be able to pick up, I went on a walk with my kids today.
I hoisted them up to pick, to touch the stop sign, you know? I want to feel good in my clothes. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. But I also want those food rituals. They’re a big deal to me. I want food to be a big part of my life. And so for me, the shift is like, it’s not I’m not a calorie counter.
I’m not it’s about learning about what makes me feel good. And that’s, Let me assure you, like, a chocolate chip cookie makes me feel really good. Now, eight chocolate chip cookies, it doesn’t make me feel good. I think a lot of the things I’m alluded to, they do go back to that intuitive eating, which did you talk about that on your podcast back in the day?
Monica Packer: Yes. Yes.
Brooke Eliason: And a lot of those principles I, Whether it’s intentionally or not, I kind of go back to because I think they’re such great guiding principles. But yeah just to kind of wrap up this thought, you know, I had I host these food tours to Italy for women, which is such a privilege. It’s so cool to have these women that seriously, they leave just, they’re like some of my dearest friends, but we had one girl come and She on the first night made a comment about like not being a foodie and I kind of thought okay I was like, well, you’re in for a treat this week, you know, we’re gonna have some fun and by the end of the trip She just talked about how she had never been around so many people that loved
Monica Packer: yeah.
Brooke Eliason: so much and it was a really like this life changing experience for her She talked about like just that shift of look going from like food is the enemy and How can I just like hurry and put something down the hatch and move on to like,
Monica Packer: And not think about it
too much and,
Brooke Eliason: Like this is a ritual and oh my gosh We’re going to this restaurant in three days and how exciting and oh like what well What did like the person that made this dish do?
So kind of just to reiterate, like, I think it’s a mindset shift of like, just loving yourself, whether it’s salad or cookies, like we need to be nourished. And so just being comfortable, like trusting yourself, I think, is what I’m getting at.
Monica Packer: And that’s actually what I wrote down. what you were describing, just your life goals and how, yeah. It’s not an either or thing. It’s not either you’re a foodie or you take care of your health. It’s both. It’s how embracing food is a part of your life enables you to. Engage with it, meaning eat it in ways that help reflect both, like how that can be a full and beautiful thing.
It’s not an either or thing. And that’s why I love your food tour so much. You’re totally on my bucket list because I always think about my study abroad that I went on that was life changing. But do you know what I was thinking about the whole time?
Brooke Eliason: Oh no, like,
Monica Packer: Yeah,
Brooke Eliason: calories, gaining weight, yeah,
Monica Packer: To the point where I was dreaming about food all night.
Because I wasn’t eating it during the day. Like I wasn’t allowing myself to have a baguette with dinner or a dessert after with everyone, or it wasn’t my treat day. So I couldn’t have the biscuits, you know, that
this is in London. And I want to go back. Like I want to go back and I want to have a dinner.
Different experience. And when I say go back, I mean like anywhere international, because one of the big parts of you talk, brought up intuitive eating. One of the big parts of healing for my eating disorders was actually welcoming food as a beautiful, wonderful part of my life and rebuilding my trust with it. And as part of that, allowing myself to enjoy it and love it,
Which I think is hard. When you’ve had so
many years and pressures of it being seen as bad,
you know?
Brooke Eliason: I had, so it’s been a year now, but I now have a daughter, which I feel like has like, changed. My world, because I have two boys and then I have a daughter. And I think a lot of times about like, well, what would I want for her? Would I want my daughter to just eat everything she sees in sight and just completely, cause I actually don’t agree.
There’s a big movement right now about just if it feels good, do it. And if it just,
Monica Packer: on intuitive
eating that way too, right?
Brooke Eliason: yeah. Like just impulsivity. I don’t agree with that. I think that
Monica Packer: It’s not hedonism. That’s
not what we’re describing,
Brooke Eliason: no I think moderation is good. I think it’s great to, you know, like, I think a good example is like Diet Coke. I love Diet Coke. I just, I love it.
I don’t like being reliant on it. I don’t like getting up at seven and being like, I need a giant Diet Coke to start my day. So I’ll try to maybe just like have it on the weekend or like, if it’s like a holiday, you know, which some people are like, oh my gosh, Diet Coke. But like, I can really, I’ve gotten, I’ve had seasons of my life where it’s gone.
Gotten out of hand, but you know, in the lens of looking at my daughter, what would I want for her?
I would want her to take care of her body. I would want her to exercise and find something she loves, right? I will, I would want for her to eat balanced meals. I wouldn’t want for her to count every last calorie.
I wouldn’t want for her to do a study abroad in England and deprive herself of some of the best foods. And so I think too, something that’s been a gift for me is like, Giving myself that same compassion and maybe similar expectations. Like, I think it’s good to challenge ourselves a little bit. Right. And for me, like something I’ve tried to do, I signed up for a CSA this year.
Monica Packer: Yes, I’ve loved seeing your boxes that you’ve been getting.
Brooke Eliason: been, it just ended last week and that’s CSA is community supported agriculture and. It’s available anywhere. You just find like a local farmer and you sign up for their boxes. And what it did for me is like, it was a positive shift instead of, I need to eat less bread. I need to eat less, you know, whatever it was.
I want more vegetables. And it challenged me. I was getting some rogue things like lots of bok choy and
garlic scapes. And Eggplant and it, what it did was it like really challenged me? Like, let’s figure out how to love these things. I S I love to say how we need more vegetables. Let’s actually do it.
So, yeah, going back to that point, I just think like. You know, going, looking at my at nutrition and health and food through that lens of like, how would I want my daughter to approach these things is what I hope to kind of expect and hope for myself as well.
Monica Packer: So we’ve been talking about how the way you view food changes your relationship with food. And since you’ve led so many tours in Italy, what does that mean? taught you about that relationship because so much of the problem that we’re bringing up right now is very United States based, right?
So how has that shown you this power of how having a different relationship with food helps you engage with it differently?
Brooke Eliason: totally. I think just when you look at food as something beautiful, then it becomes Like a beautiful part of your life, right? And if you look at it as like the enemy, then it becomes a negative thing in your life. And as I’ve really had just a really cool opportunity to really immerse myself in Italian culture, which I would venture to say is one of the best countries in the world when it comes to the way they interact with food.
I’ve learned so much. The Italian people specifically, they. First of all meals are never like this rushed thing. Okay, they don’t walk and eat I mean, maybe if they have like a gelato They’ll like kind of stroll and eat but like they do not like grab a piece of pizza or a sandwich and like walk and hustle To work.
So it’s like it’s a very sacred part of their day. It’s family oriented. So Meals are times where not only our mom and dad, aunt and uncle, grandmother, but also like the children. And that means even if it’s late at night, like it’s important, everyone’s going to be there. And then also something too, Monica, that like, I really have learned is that because this like food is so important in Italian culture, is that They put they have self respect.
You don’t see a lot of like processed foods in Italy, and don’t get me wrong, I’ve eaten my fair share of processed foods, but you’ll notice that they cook a lot with like seasonal ingredients, or they’ll take one or two things and really just do a couple tweaks or things to them to make them taste really amazing.
And and so they, it’s kind of like almost a celebration, right. Of like what’s in season or what’s available regionally. And so I think that the Italians, like what I’ve really learned is just that the food really is a vehicle, right. By like taking the time and using it to make your day special and to really give it like the respect it deserves.
It’s a vehicle to like bringing joy and meaning and fostering those really beautiful connections. And it goes from just, you know, inhaling something, throwing down a protein shake or whatever, which I’ve had plenty of those, but you know, it, It takes food from either the enemy or maybe not even the enemy, but just something rote and kind of lifeless to like, it kind of breathes life into the monotony of our day to day routines.
Monica Packer: Yeah, I loved your interview on That Was Delicious with, is it Gileppi? Like, I was trying to look up his name really quick. I always get this wrong. He was the Italian on the British Bake Off.
Brooke Eliason: Yes, Giuseppe, he was season four or not four, gosh, season twelve, sorry, season twelve winner.
Oh my gosh. Yeah. And he’s through and through an Italian, right?
Monica Packer: Yeah, I love that conversation, so I would refer them to listen to that if they want more examples on this.
Brooke Eliason: Oh, thank you so much. Well, they just, it’s just such a part of their culture there. It’s just so natural to them. They, Italians wouldn’t dream of doing some of the things that we do. They wouldn’t dream of eating as many packaged and processed foods as we consume. They wouldn’t dream of focusing so much on Calories, right.
And
macronutrients. And they also too, kind of on the other side of the pendulum, they’re really active. Right. And so they’ve kind of naturally built in, like they walk a lot. They they’re not sedentary, you know, they they’re out and about and they like to do things outdoors. And so it’s just, I think that there’s a lot to learn about their pace and the rhythm.
And they also too, one thing I want to add is that They’re really good at connecting generations through food, right? Food isn’t just, yes, it’s about the food tasting good and eating it together, but it’s like, you know, each Italian has like their own, their nonna’s pasta dish, whatever that is like a piece of family culture.
So I think they’re really great at, you know, using food to just to connect generations and to show like devotion to those that came before them.
Monica Packer: I love hearing that too
You’ve given us so many great tips here along the way. So I’m just going to highlight a couple of them and see if you have any more you want to add to
someone who’s interested in adopting more love and appreciation of food, again, not as an either or paradigm, but as part of living a rich and healthy life you’ve talked about. Shifting your mindset towards food, seeing it as a gift and something to be celebrated to acknowledge your bigger life goals, including how you want to feel in your body and how you want to engage with food and to lead with compassion, just like you talked about with your daughter, you know, just modeling that compassion towards all of it.
Is there anything else that you would recommend if someone’s like, okay, I’m ready for this shift.
Brooke Eliason: Yeah. I think, you know, it’s so interesting, Monica, I’m a think ahead person and I’m always thinking ahead about like, well, what am I going to care about in five years, in 10 years or at the end of my life? And one of the most impactful pieces I ever read online was by you.
Ironically, it was this here lies Monica. She had a great body
and I
Monica Packer: my only viral post.
Brooke Eliason: you still have it online.
Monica Packer: Yeah, it’s yeah, it’s somewhere on there.
Yeah.
Brooke Eliason: I saw this. I saw this. I mean, what year did you publish that, Monica?
Monica Packer: think it was 2017, 16 or
Brooke Eliason: a long time.
Monica Packer: It’s been a long
Brooke Eliason: It’s been a long time, but
Monica Packer: It’s back when I wrote, I don’t think I had a podcast
Brooke Eliason: yeah, I don’t think you did either. What I love about the, I mean, correct me if I’m wrong, but what I remember from that article is you talked about like, when you die, what are people going to remember about you? What are people, are they going to be like, Oh, she had the best body. She had six pack.
Right. And that’s what she always fit in a size three or two, whatever, you know? And that’s what your premise was like, here lies Monica. She had a great body. And I think about that so much. And I think too, I think just to kind of tie a bow on all of this is like, what do you. What do you care about?
Like, what do you want your legacy to be? What do you want, what do you want to have when you look back on your life? And again, I don’t think what we’re talking about is a super easy thing. I think that you, I think it takes intentionality. It takes changing the language we use around food, especially for coming from one of those negative places.
But like, just I think keeping the end in mind, like,
What do I want my kids to look back and think about on like what kind of mom I was? What do I want to remember about the holidays? It’s like, I think the study abroad example is so good. I’ll tell you some of the memories I have. I have memories of Feeling so loved every Thanksgiving and Christmas because my mom just like slaved over food.
There was not even a talk about calories, right? I remember feeling so loved every time like my grandma came into town and made her fat her fried rice, excuse me, for us. I remember just, you know, I have so many great, Memories. And then I’m looking forward into my own little family of just like, what do I want to leave them?
And what do I, you know, what is really important at the end of the day? So that’s kind of my just summation to all of this is like, kind of begin with the end in mind,
Monica Packer: And I think the rest will follow suit. That’s one thing Michael Hyatt says is when you know, you’re why you’ll know your way. And so keeping that end in mind, I think will help, you know, better. Well, what can I tangibly do? And I think if it’s even starting with just making space to have more fun with food, just even starting there, like having, you know, when I go back to one of the reasons that first do something list I made changed my life was because I had make 20 new recipes on there. And. And bringing that in just added so much fun and
a, you know, a break and something to look forward to that really was a big part of reconnecting to myself and that’s what I, we can even just start there, but I would actually love to know what you think. Like we’ve talked a ton, we’ve had a lot of great tips here, but if there’s one thing women can do starting today, what do you think that would be?
Brooke Eliason: I think. It’s I mean, I love the example you just brought up, but I think it’s find one ritual and stick with it. And maybe it’s and I know I briefly touched on that, but maybe you love baking, right. And maybe just like baking is your happy place. Maybe it’s like every Sunday you try something new. Maybe it’s like you like to take, you know, bake for other people right in the neighborhood and so every like once a month you do that with like maybe you have a kid that’s in the age where they can like kind of help out.
And that’s like something you do together. Or again, maybe it’s a date night. I would just pick one thing that you know that you. Love that like kind of feeds that part of your soul. I think we all know what we’re talking about, where it just, it kind of lights you up, makes you feel light, brings you back to kind of almost like feeling like a child again.
I’m pretty good at this with food, but a recent experience I have is like, I’ve been taking tennis lessons and
Monica Packer: Oh, yes.
Brooke Eliason: terrible at it, but it is, it’s the wildest thing, Monica, like. I feel like it just, it’s so fun because I’m purely doing it for fun. There is, I will never compete. I will never be like amazing, right?
I’m just doing it for fun. And so food for me, that’s been a little more natural, right? For a long time, but like kind of channel that kind of energy. Just for fun. Just keep it simple. If you’re like, if you get overwhelmed easily, find a simple cookbook. There’s plenty of them out there. If cooking intimidates you and you just want to stick with baking, do that.
If you need to get some help, right. If you feel more comfortable, like don’t be afraid to vocalize to your partner. Like, would you be willing to pick up the groceries on this day? Or can we like have a, like a date night in at home and we could like kind of tag team this together? I just think like the ritual.
You know, there’s a quote that I’ll end on because someone said it better than I did, but it’s a Greg McKeown quote. Are you a Greg McKeown fan?
Monica Packer: Yes.
Brooke Eliason: So it’s yeah, he says in his book Effortless, our rituals are habits with a soul. And I think that’s what we’re alluding to with food is like bringing the, just the beauty and the wonderment and the passion back into it.
Monica Packer: Oh, there’s no better note to end on than that. Brooke, where should they go if they want to get into all things foodie and female foodie at that?
Brooke Eliason: Well, we’d love to have you join us. We’ve. I actually recently just transitioned to a sub stack. So that’s where I’ll be sharing a lot of my content moving forward, female foodie dot sub stack. com. And you can, it is a paid subscription so people can try their first recipe out for free, but I have endless free resources on both my social media, female foodie and my website, female foodie.
And I would just love to, to see you there.
Monica Packer: We’ll also link to your podcast and your Instagram in the show notes. This has been brilliant. Thank you so much. Oh
Brooke Eliason: Thank you, Monica. It’s been a really a privilege to talk about something that I think is really important. So thanks for inviting me on.
Monica Packer: gosh. That means so much to me.
Brooke Eliason: Okay, perfect.
