Sharing some of my favorite baby meals! These are my favorite meals to take a family with a new baby and something I always look forward to doing for friends and family. I’d love to hear your faves, too, if you’d shout them out in the comments below.
Hi friends! How’s the week treating you? I hope it’s off to a great start and hope you’re having a wonderful week. P had her first soccer game – the cutest ever! – the girls had horse lessons, and I made a meal for a family who just had a baby. I looooove making baby meals because I remember how much they saved the day when Liv was born. (In our military squadrons, we always have a Meal Train going for families who have a new baby at home!) When P was born, we didn’t have a real squadron in San Diego – the Pilot was doing more liaison type work – and I definitely missed them haha. Thankfully Postmates was a thing, but there’s something really nurturing about enjoying meals that were lovingly made for you.
For today’s post, I thought I’d share some off my go-to baby meals to make for others! I’ll usually just double the recipe and that serves for our dinner, too. Spoiler: many of them are Ina Garten recipes. <— the queen
It’s easy to get into ruts, so I’d love to hear about your faves in the comments section.
My favorite baby meals:
Cheesy enchiladas with rice and beans, chips, salsa and guacamole
Ina Garten’s chicken parmesan with arugula salad and mashed potatoes
Lemon-roasted skillet chicken with mashed sweet potatoes (I just use salt, pepper, almond milk, and butter and whip them with the stand mixer) and a chopped salad (dressing in a mason jar)
Coconut shrimp curry with basmati rice (or cauliflower rice for Paleo friends) *recipe coming in Friday Faves!
This autumn soup with fresh sourdough and a salad (romaine, roasted red pepper, kalamata olives, feta, cucumber, red onion)
Lasagna or eggplant parm with roasted veggies
Takeout! Even if you’re not a cook, you can absolutely surprise a family with a takeout meal.
Tips for making meals for new moms:
– Use foil containers either sealed with aluminum foil (for hot food) or press and seal (disposable). This way you don’t have to stock up on expensive plastic containers and they can dispose of them when they’re finish. In the garage, I have a stash of round, square, and rectangular foil pans just for baby meal purposes.
– Choose meals that can be easily reheated later. Casseroles are an obvious choice, but I also like to do soups, chicken dishes, and curries. This is why I tend to stay away from fish unless I know they’re going to eat the meal that night.
– Always include alcohol (unless they don’t partake, of course). I always include margarita mix and tequila, beers, or a bottle of wine.
– Include things that are pre-chopped that they can snack on later. Some ideas: fresh green salads with lots of veggies or chopped fruit (this is AMAZING when you’re starving and don’t have time to prep anything).
– If you can, include some snacks! Bars, protein balls, almond butter packs, trail mix, homemade lactation cookies, dried fruit, Mother’s Milk tea, jerky, anything they can nosh on in between constant feedings and diapers changes
– Dessert! I always like to include a sweet treat with a baby meal. My current go-to are these cookie brownie Oreo situations (I use the boxed blondie mix and brownie mix from Trader Joe’s). I also like to make brownies with peanut butter frosting, or chocolate chip cookies. Another idea: grab ice cream on the way. One of our friends brought prickly pear sorbet along with a meal when Liv was born and it.was.magical.
How to support new moms who don’t live near you:
– Postmates a meal to them! I’ll often Postmates a sushi dinner to new parents who don’t live closeby.
– Surprise them with a gift card for a pedicure or cleaning service
– Put together a little care package with their favorite snacks or some loungewear
– Grocery delivery! DUDE, I wish this was a thing when our babies were born. Offer to order some of their staples and have them delivered to their doorstep.
What are some of your favorite meals to take to others? Anything you received or noticed when you were postpartum that made a huge difference?
xo
Gina
