Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Meal for moms

When my eldest was born we were living with my parents while my husband was finishing up re-modeling our house. As chaotic as it was, it was also nice to not have to cook, grocery shop, etc. for the first 5 weeks post-delivery. With our second, I was blessed with friends that made sure to fill our house with yummy food for the first week or so. It was amazing. I didn't have to think about what to have for dinner, I didn't have to waste precious energy and waking hours fixing meals for my family. And the even more amazing thing was that a dear friend of mine coordinated everything; people would just show up at my house and no one brought meals on the same night!

You don't have to be a gourmet chef to bequeath a meal to new parents. Bring over some take n bake pizzas (maybe one that doesn't have tomato sauce if it's a nursing mom) and salad (for dad...usually greens aren't easy on baby's tummy for nursing moms either). Or, take them anything you want along with a bottle of Gripe Water for baby in case it upsets little tummy.

Photo Credit from Recipe Dose here
Consider being a meal coordinator for a friend. Try to find friends/family that will cover 2+ weeks post birth. Any time someone says they would like to bring a meal to the new parents, tell them to come your way! You keep the calendar of who/when (and maybe even what) and dole out nights.

Bring some fresh fruit, milk, or lunch meat with you too :) Those are the top 3 things that new parents end up needing to run to the store for. If you bring something with you along with your meal, then it might save them a trip to the store. And don't forget...nursing mommies need more calories, so bring something sweet :)

Readers: Did you benefit from someone's delicious cooking after you had your baby? Do you pay it forward now and bring meals to other families? What was your favorite non-casserole meal you received? How about your favorite casserole?

8 comments:

  1. I always bring this: http://www.ashleyplus3.com/2010/09/best-ever-light-and-healthyish-easy.html

    It's a healthy version of lasagna and always a HUGE hit. Paired with a salad, bread and cookies or brownies it's enough to feed a family for several days.

    My friends did an organized food drop off for me after my 2nd and it was awesome!

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  2. Seriously! Could not agree more. Moms (and dads) need help! And the best way to help is to bring food, or clean the kitchen (or bathroom even!). I know everyone wants to hold and help "with" the baby but the baby is new to the parents and they want those precious moments. So unless they ask you to take and hold their baby, find other ways to be helpful until they're ready.

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  3. Seriously, best thing... especially since Jesse is back to work. I am tired the last thing I wanna do is cook.

    Thanks for coordinately this for me ;)

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  4. p.s. is this the recipe from last night cause its AMAZING!!!!! jesse and i both chowed!

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  5. Food is always welcome and I've found the best food is brought by recently new moms. They totally understand what is easy to eat one handed and what we really needed!

    I used to always bring people soup, which I will switch to something less dangerous to eat with a baby in your lap. I will also just bring a pack of diapers and plans to clean when I go to help new moms in the future ...

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  6. @Ashley--YUM! Can we live by each other if/when I have another baby ;)

    @Katie--I totally agree!

    @JesseandTaylor--You're welcome and yes :)

    @Amber--I love soup. But agree 100%. It's one of those things that you have to put baby down for (or should)...and who wants to put a new baby down. But then again, maybe that's why people bring it ;) Love your idea of bringing a pack of diapers!

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  7. I'm benefiting from your posted recipe. I instantly bookmarked it and I shall run to the market and grab the ingredients. YUM!

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  8. We sort of ate out a lot after our children were born.

    And I never brought food over for other people because, well, I didn't want to make them sick. I'm not the best cook in the world.

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