Sara Floor Miller, MA
Sara Miller
About me:
Sara Floor Miller started using the MealsMatter.org in 2001 when she moved out of Manhattan and learned takeout was no longer a viable daily-dinner option. In 2006, when she joined Dairy Council of California as Communications Manager and was delighted to promote the very website that helped her learn how to cook and plan healthy, affordable meals.
Sara holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Wells College and a master’s degree in Public Communications from Fordham University. She is an active member of the Capitol City Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. In her free time, Sara enjoys reading, designing jewelry and volunteering at the River City Community Food Bank and Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary in Sacramento.
Follow Sara on Twitter: @saramiller928
Connect with Sara on LinkedIn
Mother's Day is around the corner. So while there is still time send your mom flowers or drop a greeting card in the mail, spending time together will likely be more treasured than any trinket or gift.
Recently, I asked the Meals Matter Moms and our colleagues at Dairy Council of California to share what role milk played in their favorite memories of their moms and of being a mom. As you may imagine, many of the responses revolved around time spent together in the kitchen, preparing dishes or lingering over a delicious family meal as they reflected on how they grew up with milk as an irreplaceable food in their homes. While this is a longer-than-usual blog post, we hope you enjoy these stories of lasting memories of mother's love.
Meals Matter Mom and Registered Dietitian Maureen Bligh was one of five kids growing up and she still recalls twice-weekly milk deliveries. "The wire container sat beside our back door and had six slots that fit half-gallon bottles. We had milk every night at dinner, and we never wasted a drop of milk. Pretty much the whole top shelf of our fridge was milk! Sometimes I don't know how my mom did it," says Maureen. "With two teenage boys of my own, my fridge pretty much looks the same as it did growing up! I'm happy to keep up her tradition as we still have milk every night with dinner."
Suzy O. Macatiag, M.P.H. and Dairy Council of California Territory Manager recalls her bedtime tradition fondly. "My mom would prepare a semi-warm glass of milk concocted with chocolate flavored Ovaltine. I remember pretending to be sleepy at 4 p.m. just so I could get my flavored chocolate milk already!" A mom herself, Suzy now keeps a close eye on the clock as she prepares the same warm milk for her son each night. "I want to continue that legacy, minus the pretending part!"
"Milk was a main staple in our household growing up, and with three brothers, you can imagine how much we went through," recalls Kim Beach, Administrative Support for Dairy Council of California. "When the local dairy stopped delivering milk door-to-door, they accommodated customers at the drive-through dairy. My mother would pile the four of us in the family station wagon and we would hit the drive-through to purchase at least four gallons of milk a week. Whoever was lucky enough to sit in the front seat got to order the milk and pay- we did fight for this position!"
"As we got older and learned to drive, this task was passed from mother to son, to the second son and then on down to me," continues Kim. "Driving mom's car to Holdener's dairy to buy milk became THE rite of passage. It was the only time she would loan out her car. It was a sad day when Holdener's closed just a few short months after I got my drivers' license. So while I did not get to make as many of those precious milk runs as my brothers, I cannot purchase milk in the grocery store without picturing my mom and my brothers all piled into the family station wagon."
Lori Hoolihan, Ph.D. and Nutrition Research Specialist, recalls her mother's forward thinking, "Like most teenagers, I went through a rebellious phase
where I wanted to distinguish myself from my parents. One of the results of
this was, I decided I no longer needed to eat breakfast. Being a cross-country
runner, on top of riding my bike to and from school each day, my mom recognized
that I needed the calories and nutrients that breakfast provided. But, instead
of engaging in a power struggle (which she would have lost), she started buying
me Carnation Instant Breakfast (made with milk) to get me out the door quickly
in the morning. This was her nurturing way of providing me with the nutrients
that a young, active adolescent needed... yet allowing me to assert my
independence at the same time."
"My mom is the best!" exclaims Candice Sainz-Lau, Territory Manager. "She would make fruit smoothies every morning with a grilled cheese or a quesadilla for lunch, packed with a little note on our napkins! Later, she admitted that she threw in some peas and other vegetables in our smoothies. We had no idea, other than that she cared so much for my brother and me!"
Customer Service Coordinator Leona Bettencourt tells a slightly different story of trying to continue family traditions with her own children. "I grew up in a poor family and powdered milk- we called it mixed milk- was the only milk I was ever given as a child. Many years later when my boys (five in all) were in elementary school, I tried mixing in some powdered milk at a 50/50 ratio and IT DID NOT FLY AT ALL! For my boys it's the real thing and that's it!"
Meals Matter Mom Tammy Anderson-Wise, Director of Program Services, fondly remembers her mom's after school snacks that always included milk. "I
never remember a time when we were 'out of milk' – it was a staple in our house
growing up and a tradition that my mom passed along to me and my kids. Another heartwarming memory is
homemade mac and cheese. I didn’t even know they made the 'boxed' type
until I was out on my own in college….my mother made the very best mac and
cheese…and now I duplicate that recipe for my family!"
"Every Mother’s Day I think about
how much I miss my grandmother, who was the heart and soul of our family," says Ashley Rosales, Registered Dietitian and Meals Matter Mom. "Like
my mother, she believed strongly that food brings the family together no matter
the circumstances. When she would stay with us for the summer we looked forward
to sitting around the table with an array of delicious and nourishing foods she
prepared for us; green beans, rolls, roast chicken, baked apples, and always
served with cold glasses of milk to wash it all down. In some ways it felt
like Thanksgiving every night. Some have heirlooms passed on as a way to remember a special
person by, but for me I have meal time memories so vivid that the smell of
apples baking makes me instantly want to grab a glass of milk and take a few
moments to honor her memory."
We hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane and peek into the lives of your Meals Matter Moms as much as we did. Happy Mother's Day!
Sara Miller, M.A.
Communications Manager