This has been the season of bringing meals to people. Since I quit my job to stay home, I've come to know more of the moms at church, so I've been added to more and more lists. I'm generally pretty glad to help out in this way, and I know how much it means to new moms. However, with so many just past and so many coming up, I am in need of a little variety from my go-to meal. I have a few ideas, but I'd really like to know what meals you love to bring.
To jog your minds, here are a few I've brought in the past:
* Spice-rubbed BBQ chicken (not thermally spicy, just herb-y spicy) with veg. and bread
* Sage Pork Chops from Everyday Food, oven-roasted broccoli and parmesan rice,
* Linguini Marvini with Chicken (from Real Simple), with pan sauteed green beans
I love bringing some of our most yummy meals because I feel like I really want to congratulate these moms. But occasionally these meals can be a little frantic to prepare in the last few minutes. This is especially true because I have to get them done early, before Steve is home, and during "the poison hours" with Lu. I worry about bringing lasagne or salad because I wonder if they get a lot of that. So hard to tell! I've thought of borrowing their crock-pot, making the meal in it (with a crock-pot liner, of course, so they don't have to clean it!), and bringing it early in the day so they can eat whenever. But then that means two trips to their home, which gets tricky, too.
So what are all your meal-bringing secrets?
P.S. Just as I was writing this I literally got an additional request for meals to bring!
4 comments:
I have a hard time with this because of how picky my own household is. The meals I make for others are pretty simple. I've done a chicken, cheese, stuffing casserole with salad - people loved that one, which surprised me. My sister's salisbury steak with mashed potatoes and gravy - good old comfort food. Or my mom's homemade spaghetti sauce (yum!) which I cook all day in the Crockpot and then just transfer to a disposable container - I delivered that with Artisan bread, and an uncooked box of spaghetti. Someone once brought me a homemade unbaked BBQ chicken pizza, and I just had to pop it in the oven return their pizza stone. I'd consider taking a black beans, rice, and chicken dish with some tortillas if they liked Mexican since it's not spicy. Maybe a slow cooked roast or chicken with some veggies? I'm always stumped. And when you ask what they like they are usually being gracious and don't make any specific requests. It can end up being as frustrating as buying Christmas gifts!
We had a couple of new moms at work and we came up with a schedule for meals to bring over every week. We'd bring one freshly made meal and one meal we made that was frozen, with instructions on how to reheat. That way, they can have a stockpile of goodies. I always made something that was easily reheatable that can just go in the fridge like curried pumpkin or carrot or minestrone soup (with some yummy fresh bread), someone made chicken nachos and just had some grilled, spiced chicken breast in a bag and gave some nachos, cheese and salsa. You could do burrittos and bring the fixins and cook up the insides. Fried rice can be easily frozen and reheated. Spanish omlettes are good cold and can be for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our new moms really appreciated the meals and also asked for the recipes!
Oh my, these are all such great ideas here. Glad you posted about this! I like to do chicken enchiladas (not spicy with peppers, etc and with a white sauce.) I like that because I can even make it the night before and just have it in the fridge, and they bake it. I've also done Hawaiian Meatballs (meatballs, pineapple, red & yellow peppers with a sauce) and white rice. I make everything and then they just reheat. That one is REALLY yummy.
I think you've heard most of my ideas but I've done baked chicken with rice, veggies, and fruit; taco soup or chili with corn bread and fruit; honey ginger salmon with rice, salad, and fruit; the traditional lasagna, salad, and bread; a taco macoroni dish with bread, fruit, and salad; and a bbq chicken salad with bread. I usually try to include a small token dessert like a dozen cookies and then try to use packaging that doesn't require being returned- ziploc bags or disposable tupperware. I think people are generally thrilled to receive a meal and don't tend to be too picky. I like the crock pot idea.
-Mandi
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