I almost always now bring breakfast items. muffins, fruit salad, frittata "muffins"

Anonymous wrote:Great, thanks for all the ideas! Stupid question- if I drop off in mid morning, should I just prepare /assemble the meal and leave instructions on how long to bake.. say the Mac n cheese ? Or should I already have it baked and warmed?

Meatloaf PP here. I always bake meals and either deliver it warm or refrigerate and bring it to them fully cooked. Having to plan a meal 45-60 minutes in advance is hard for new parents who are often still in the sleeplessness of infancy. In those first few months, new parents tend to eat a lot of microwaved food, so fully cooked and ready to hit the microwave is the way to go.

As a member of an organization that regularly delivers meals to new mothers, I have always contacted the mothers via email and offered them a choice of 5-6 options. 5 out of 5 recipients have chosen meatloaf, mashed potatoes, vegetable side and salad. So, I make my meatloaf recipe which is a modified version of ATK's meatloaf and I separate into 6 portions which I pre-bake individually. Each piece is 1/3 lb of meat plus additions, so is large. Each can be split in two for small eaters or can be eaten individually for large eaters. A large container of mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, and usually steamed broccoli or green beans, then a salad. I put all into disposable containers that don't need to be returned.

My guess is that meatloaf is something that most everyone (or at least non-vegetarians :-/ ) enjoy and don't take the time to make for themselves. My family benefits because we love meatloaf, but I don't make it as often as we'd appreciate, so everytime I do one of these deliveries, I make a double batch and make a loaf for us and the individual ones for the new parents.

Deliver it baked. Having a new baby can keep parents busy, so if they can put a serving on a plate and heat it, that makes it super easy to grab a bite.

Great, thanks for all the ideas! Stupid question- if I drop off in mid morning, should I just prepare /assemble the meal and leave instructions on how long to bake.. say the Mac n cheese ? Or should I already have it baked and warmed?

Anonymous wrote:Quiche is a good meal that can be breakfast, lunch or dinner. Quiche, a salad, and a loaf of french bread.

Someone brought this to me. It was my favorite meal gift.

I usually make chili and bring a pan of cornbread and a bag of salad. I have also brought ziti, garlic bread, and salad.

I always try to bring a whole meal that is a little fun and festive. They are going to get so many blah lasagnas and casseroles. Here are some of my top two meals:

Pulled BBQ Chicken (or pork if you know they eat it), soft rolls, sautéed green beans, homemade mac and cheese, fresh baked cookies, beer and/or wine, muffins for breakfast tomorrow.

Enchiladas, chips and guacamole, mexican beer, rice and beans, charred corn salad, assorted cookies and brownies, muffins for breakfast tomorrow.


Wow! I'm due in a couple of months - can I get on your meal delivery list???

I do agree that I try to bring something special and cover most of the bases. I just make my family the same for dinner and double everything so that way I don't feel like I'm going to that much extra effort. My favorites are fried chicken, some potato salad, green bean or bean salad, and maybe a pineapple upside down cake. They'll all keep for a few days and are good eaten warm or cold!

I always try to bring a whole meal that is a little fun and festive. They are going to get so many blah lasagnas and casseroles. Here are some of my top two meals:

Pulled BBQ Chicken (or pork if you know they eat it), soft rolls, sautéed green beans, homemade mac and cheese, fresh baked cookies, beer and/or wine, muffins for breakfast tomorrow.

Enchiladas, chips and guacamole, mexican beer, rice and beans, charred corn salad, assorted cookies and brownies, muffins for breakfast tomorrow.

Quiche is a good meal that can be breakfast, lunch or dinner. Quiche, a salad, and a loaf of french bread.

We are in a babysitting co-op that does this whenever someone has a baby. All you "need" to bring is the main dish--some type of casserole like mac n cheese or lasagne will do. Anything else is extra.

I do remember devouring chocolate chip cookies that someone brought with their dish.

Make a whole meal (bag salad is fine) and u can splurge on calories

I loved pasta dishes with meat; I craved meat when I was pregnant and nursing. If you have a salad/veggie recipe that keeps well for a day or two, that would be gravy.

I usually bring cheesy mac (recipe below): it's pasta and meet (I use turkey):
http://traceysculinaryadventures.com/2011/05/cheesy-chili-mac.html
I also usually add bread, bake some cookies and throw in a drink of some kind.

Some moms in our DS preschool class recently had new babies and I have signed up to drop a meal off. What's a good go to recipe? Chicken enchiladas? Pasta? Do I bring a whole meal? Salad, main course and dessert? First time doing this. No one has any diet restrictions.