TRISHA YEARWOOD TALKS FOOD WITH WOMANS DAY

Trisha Yearwood

Trisha Yearwood covers the September issue of Woman’s Day, on newsstands nationwide August 12th. The country singer, chef, and wife of Garth Brooks talks about how to curb weeknight chaos and spend more time together as a family eating healthy meals.

On weeknights with husband and country music artist Garth Brooks, along with his three children:

“First of all, we’re musicians, so there’s no ‘routine.’ All those years of three girls and their activities? Even with only one still at home, there are a million things going on every night. Taylor and August are in college now, but they live nearby, and if I send out a text that says, ‘Hey, it’s veggie night,’ they’ll show up. They know it means I’m roasting all their favorite vegetables and probably serving a meat loaf, too.”

On the importance of family meals together:

“I’m always fighting hard to make sure family meals don’t get lost in the shuffle, because cooking for the kids means I have one more dinner at home with them. We’re all so busy these days that sometimes the family meal gets shortchanged. But food is what brings us together. These girls are growing up and who knows where we’re all going to land, so we need to make that time now. Having all of us under one roof? That’s like heaven.”

On the fancy chili recipe she makes for husband:

“I came up with this one because Garth loved his mom’s chili, and I didn’t want to get it wrong. So I decided to make a completely new recipe rather than mess with her classic. I can throw this one together on a weeknight. I put in black beans, plus a can of refried beans, which makes it thick the way he likes it, but doesn’t require a lot of simmering to get that consistency.”

On troubleshooting breakfast:

“The girls never want to eat in the morning, but I knew I couldn’t ignore it because I’ve seen studies linking performance in the classroom to eating breakfast. So, I make a few batches of waffles on a Sunday and stick them in the fridge or freezer. I found that if I had waffles out, the girls would eat them.”