Simple Farmhouse Life – Episode 320

Why Family Dinner Still Matters (and How to Make It Work in Busy Seasons)
Host: Lisa Bass
Guest: Sarah Stutzman of Well Folk Revival
Date: December 16, 2025

Overview

In this heartfelt and practical episode, Lisa Bass welcomes Sarah Stutzman of Well Folk Revival to discuss the ongoing importance of gathering family around the dinner table—even amidst modern busyness, shifting schedules, and the realities of raising children. They share both the challenges and rewards of prioritizing family meals, offering listeners actionable strategies, realistic encouragement, and a peek inside their from-scratch, homesteading kitchens. They also touch on meal planning, dealing with snacks, involving children in meal prep, traditions, and hosting others without stress.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Decline & Importance of Family Dinner

• Historical Perspective

  • Sarah suggests the decline of regular family dinners started in the 1960s–1990s, largely due to more women working outside the home, increased convenience foods, and the drive for families to "do more, be more."
  • "That slow fade really started taking hold... and it's just becoming more of that trend." – Sarah [04:42]

• Why Fight for It?

  • Both Lisa and Sarah agree the effort is worthwhile, especially as children get older and life gets busier.
  • "It's a fight worth fighting for. It's a battle worth fighting is to gather people around the table." – Sarah [06:41]

• Setting Boundaries

  • Sarah recommends making at least one night a non-negotiable family dinner.
  • "We have to set those boundaries and stick to it... at the end of the day, we just want to give in. But we have to fight for that." – Sarah [06:41]
  • Lisa notes that instilling the habit when kids are young builds expectation and priority for later years.

Practical Obstacles & Solutions

• Activities, Schedules, and Shifting Rhythms

  • Activities and staggered schedules are the biggest challenge, especially with older children.
  • Lisa notes it’s normal for not every family member to be present every night, but anchoring dinner offers stability.
  • "It's that grounding place... there's just something different about having that common ground around the table in your home." – Sarah [10:35]

• Meal Prep, Planning, and Realistic Cooking

  • Both recommend simple meal components: “a meat, a whole food carb, and a veg.”
  • Sarah shares quick meal ideas—white chicken chili, pot roast with Italian peppers, etc.—and meal prepping on Mondays [11:14–12:52].
  • Lisa counters the myth that from-scratch cooking always takes lots of time:
    “My kitchen is just always going... there's always something simmering, thawing, bread rising... but that doesn't mean I'm in there all the time, hands-on.” – Lisa [13:54]
  • Routine ingredient prep and batch cooking are game changers for busy families.

• Involving Kids & Family Participation

  • As children get older, involving them multiplies efficiency and builds skills.
  • "It's all hands on deck in our kitchen. But it's always on, you know, it's a working kitchen." – Sarah [15:16]

Navigating Activities & Maintaining Connection

• Activity Balance

  • Sarah’s family currently keeps commitments minimal, but she would set limits if needed.
  • Drawing lines about how many nights are out is crucial:
    "If I did [have lots of activities], I think I would put a limit on that. I would draw the boundary line." – Sarah [23:36]

• Mealtime Connection with Young Kids

  • Tips for little ones: keep them at the table with non-negotiable participation, use stories and questions to foster engagement, and maintain consistency.
  • “We would just start a story... whether it was a made-up story, a lot of times it was a real story about aunt so and so... it was just something to keep their attention.” – Sarah [27:03]
  • Lisa encourages flexibility: if dinner doesn’t work, try breakfast or lunch as anchor mealtime [28:14].

• Realism about Mealtime Chaos

  • Neither host idealizes dinner—there’s room for chaos, fits, mess, and non-peaceful moments.
  • "Dinner is not peaceful... not even with teenagers. There's just always some kind of... gross language and always trying to stick their fingers in my candles." – Sarah [29:29]
  • Perfection isn’t required for mealtime connection.

Fostering Communication & Tradition

• Table Talk Tools

  • Use simple conversation starters or question cards (like Dr. Ashley Turner’s book, Cultivating the Restorative Table) for meaningful connection [31:05].
  • "Sometimes, if I notice that conversation is stagnant, we’ll pull this out... there’s some questions here like, 'What made you sad today? What made you happy today?'" – Sarah [31:05]
  • The dinner table becomes a "safe space" for important or silly conversation.

• Cherished Traditions

  • Homeschool morning meetings: everyone gathers with a drink, receives tasks, and grounds the day together.
  • Christmas “Elving:” crafting all their homemade gifts together while watching Hallmark movies.
  • "That's a tradition... my husband goes hunting one weekend in November and we just get all the stuff out—the beeswax, we make soap, candles, the chapstick..." – Sarah [34:07]

Balancing Meals with Young Children & Little Time

• Batching Tasks & Lowering Expectations

  • Both encourage prepping dinner ingredients during breakfast or lunch, using downtime (“cracks of time”), and not striving for gourmet every night.
  • "I had to really lower my expectations... I don’t have a long list anymore; it’s just the three non-negotiables that need to get done today." – Sarah [39:55]
  • Accept the "choppy" flow—little bits of progress add up to a nourishing meal [38:39–39:55].

• Making Simple Meals Special

  • Basics like well-cooked meat, veg, and good bread make a great dinner.
  • Creativity lies in seasoning, sides, and using what’s on hand—not always elaborate recipes.

Snacks & Transitioning to Whole Foods

• Handling Snacks
  • Both hosts transitioned from processed snacks to nutrient-dense, home-prepped snacks (homemade granola, fruit, peanut butter, yogurt).
  • The less their kids snack, the more they reliably eat what’s served at dinner: "We call it hunger sauce. Hunger sauce makes everything delicious." – Lisa [51:27]
  • Occasional packaged snacks are fine for special treats or travel [50:20].
  • Focus on wholesome, hearty meals and avoid over-complicating the snack routine.

Hosting Without Stress

• Hosting Mindset: Simplicity Over Perfection
  • Sarah and Lisa both encourage "extra portions of what you’re already making" over elaborate spreads.
    "It's the same thing that I would cook for dinner that week... I'm not doing anything special. I just make extra." – Sarah [54:40]
  • Guests appreciate the time together, not complicated menus or Pinterest-worthy decor: “If we invite someone for dinner, it’s just the same dinner, just more of it. I don’t complicate it at all.” – Sarah [54:40] "I'm not picky when someone else is cooking for me." – Lisa [55:13]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It's a fight worth fighting for... gather your people around the table at least one night a week.”
  – Sarah [06:41]

• “You can design it, right, when your kids are little. And then once you go through... it’s a whole different thing... it’s probably even more important when they're older.”
  – Lisa [08:48]

• “It's that grounding place... that common ground around the table in your home that is a given every single night.”
  – Sarah [10:35]

• “My kitchen is just always going... but that doesn’t mean that I’m in there all the time, hands on at all times.”
  – Lisa [13:54]

• “You can’t overdo it with the size of family I have... Just, just make. If you’re in the kitchen, mix up a little bit of starter, get something thawing, keep that momentum for the sake of options.”
  – Lisa [15:16]

• “We do overcomplicate that. It is just the basics. A meat, a good meat... bread and a veg.”
  – Sarah [43:34]

• "We call it hunger sauce. Hunger sauce makes everything delicious."
  – Lisa [51:27]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• The decline of family dinner & why it matters – [04:42], [06:41]
• Obstacles (activities/overcommitment) and solutions – [06:41]–[10:35]
• Quick meal tips & batch prepping – [11:14]–[18:46]
• Fostering connection with young and older kids at the table – [25:43]–[29:51]
• Book recommendation: Cultivating the Restorative Table – [31:05]
• Traditions: Homeschool morning meetings & “Elving” – [32:59]–[34:22]
• Meal prep & daily kitchen routines – [36:16]–[41:40]
• Handling snacks & transitioning to whole foods – [47:13]–[51:50]
• Hosting without stress – [53:21]–[54:47]

Resources & Follow-Up

• Sarah Stutzman / Well Folk Revival:

  • Website: wellfolkrevival.com
  • Instagram: @wellfolkrevival
  • Online Membership: Greenhouse Groups (monthly homestead kitchen skills)
  • Book: Homemade (DIY gifts guide)

• Mentioned Book:

  • Cultivating the Restorative Table by Dr. Ashley Turner

Conclusion

Lisa and Sarah’s conversation is both inspiring and grounding—reminding listeners that family dinnertime is less about perfection than about presence, rhythm, and nourishment. Whether you’re wrangling toddlers, taxiing teens, or simply looking to reclaim meaningful connection over simple food, their stories, tips, and affirmations light the way back to the table. In their words: keep it simple, keep it grounding, and keep showing up.