I had the pleasure of spending a day with country singer Sara Evans, doing a satellite media tour from Full Circle Jerseys dairy farm in the panhandle of Texas. She’s an incredibly talented singer with a beautiful voice, but what some people may not realize is the common sense approach she takes when it comes to feeding her blended family of seven children.
Sara’s wisdom was born out of necessity, as she had a humble beginning growing up on a farm in Missouri in a family of seven children. I admired how Sara spoke from the heart about growing up on the farm, and about the work ethic she learned. There are no excuses; you get the job done!
Sara’s mom was her role model, making home-cooked meals every day – they didn’t eat out.
Nowadays, it seems we all fall into the trap of the convenience of eating out. Not that we can’t enjoy eating out, but we should also focus on eating together around the table at home. Although Sara has a jam-packed schedule with touring, creating music and taking care of her family, she still cooks a nourishing meal to bring her family together several times a week.
Her dedication inspired me, and I fortunately also found her approach to be very realistic.
Here are some of Sara’s simple tips:
- Always keep meat in the freezer like lean cuts of beef and chicken. It’s easy to defrost for a quick meal.
- Vegetables are always on the plate, so keep them stocked as well. Canned vegetables with no added salt are an easy option.
- Keep your pantry staples available like rice and whole-grain pasta.
- There are two choices for your drink: milk or water.
- Keep a variety of snacks on hand in the fridge that are also good for lunches like string cheese, single serve yogurts and low-fat chocolate milk.
- Smoothies are an easy way to blend fresh fruit and milk to start your day right in the morning!
Sara stressed you don’t need to be a fancy cook. You can go back to the basics and enjoy the simplicity of foods we all love.
Some additional benefits from eating at home are the conversations you have at the dinner table, having that time to connect and share how your day went, what made you happy or sad. There’s also a cost savings – eating out several days a week can take a bite out of your budget, but planning several meals at home can equal significant savings.
This is do-able for me, and I’ve committed to following Sara’s advice to cook at home more!
