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Meal ideas to make for me neighbor who just had a baby?

My neighbor is about to have her 3rd child, I want to be helpful and make a meal but not sure what to make. I would prefer not to make a pasta dish since I got so many of those when I had my son and I don't want to do a chicken casserole since thats so common. She is health concious and going to be breastfeeding so nothing spicy no broccoli or garlic etc ....

Public Comments

1. My mom has a standard meal that she brings people when they are sick or when they have a baby, etc. She puts a big beef roast in the slowcooker and makes shredded beef for sandwiches, she takes rolls, chips and homemade soup. Usually she takes broccoli cheese, but since you want to avoid broccoli, you could try any other nice cream soup, or make cauliflower cheese soup, just use the same recipe and substitiute the cauliflower for the broccoli, my mom did this once and it was quite tasty! She also brings a desert, usually cookies, but an apple pie or something sometimes. Hope that helps! ♥jes.marie
2. italian Soup... If you want meat add some ready made meatballs to it. INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2 carrots, sliced 2 stalks celery, sliced 1 (16 ounce) can diced plum tomatoes 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 2 cubes beef bouillon 6 cups water 2 zucchinis, quartered and sliced 2 cups sliced cabbage 1 teaspoon garlic salt salt and ground black pepper to taste freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional) DIRECTIONS Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, carrot, and celery until onion is translucent and vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and Italian seasoning, and cook 5 minutes more, stirring frequently. Dissolve bouillon cubes in water, and stir into vegetables. Adjust heat to a medium simmer, and cook approximately 10 minutes. Add zucchini and cabbage, sprinkle with garlic salt, and cook until tender, 5 minutes more. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and serve
3. meatloaf-the ultimate in down home comfort food!
4. Antipasto Salad Yields: 4 main-dish or 8 side-dish servings Prep Time: 15 minutes 2 quarts mixed salad greens 1 jar (10 oz.) marinated artichoke hearts, drained 1 package (8 oz.) mozzarella cheese, cut into strips 4 ounces salami or pepperoni, cut into strips 1 cup pitted ripe olives 1 medium tomato, cut into wedges 1/3 cup roasted red peppers, cut into strips 1 cup Wish-Bone® Balsamic Vinaigrette, Red Wine Vinaigrette or Olive Oil Vinaigrette Dressing 1. In large salad bowl, combine all ingredients except Wish-Bone® Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing; cover and chill. 2. Just before serving, toss with Dressing. Serve, if desired, with crusty Italian bread. Vegetable and Meatball Soup Serving: Serves: 12 Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 1 hour SOUP 6 cups water 4 cups canned tomatoes 1 1/2 cups chopped celery 2 cups sliced carrots 5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced 3 bay leaves 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 1 tablespoon sugar 4 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons ground oregano 2 teaspoons seasoned pepper 2 teaspoons ground basil 2 large onions, chopped 2 (16 ounces) cans cut green beans 1 (12 ounces) can whole kernel corn MEATBALLS 2 pounds ground beef 2 eggs 1/3 cup cracker crumbs 2 tablespoons milk 2 teaspoons seasoned salt dash pepper Combine water, canned tomatoes, chopped celery, sliced carrots, potatoes, onions, beans, bay leaves, chopped parsley, sugar, salt, oregano, seasoned pepper and ground basil in a large Dutch oven; cover and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, combine ground beef, eggs, crumbs, milk, seasoned salt and pepper. Mix well and shape into 1-inch balls. Drop meatballs into boiling soup and simmer 30 minutes. Drain beans and corn and add them during the last 10 minutes of cooking time. NOTES: Remove and discard bay leaves before serving. Soup may be frozen for later use. Barry's Beer Bread Serving: 8 3 cups All Purpose Flour 3 teaspoons Baking Powder 1 teaspoon Salt 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil 1 12 oz. can of Beer (less 1 sip for the baker) 1 cup White Sugar In a mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients. Preheat oven to 400F. Grease and flour bread loaf pan and put in the mixture. Bake 1 hour Chocolate Cocoa Cake For the Cake: 4 tablespoons margarine, plus more to grease pan 2 cups unbleached white flour, plus more for dusting pan 3 tablespoon cocoa 1 cup boiling water 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 egg whites For the Frosting 3 tablespoons margarine 3 tablespoons cocoa 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar 1 tablespoon milk For the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch tube pan with margarine and dust with flour. Place cocoa and margarine in a large mixing bowl and add boiling water. When margarine is melted, stir in sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in egg yolk and beat until smooth. Stir baking soda into buttermilk. Add to batter and mix well. Add flour and baking powder and mix well. Whip egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold into batter. Pour batter into pan and bake on middle rack of oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool. For the Frosting: In a mixing bowl, blend margarine and cocoa. Add vanilla. Beat in confectioners' sugar. Add milk. If too stiff, add more milk. If too runny, add more sugar. Frost top and sides of cake.
5. I had asked the same question a few days ago and the best response was this: Things like lasagne are great, they are so easy to reheat & all they have to do is knock up a quick salad for a complete meal. I've also found that a dessert is a really nice idea, gives the new mum & dad a treat, so if they get a chance to themselves in the 1st week or so, they can sit together & enjoy something sweet. Apple pie or similar would be great, buy a small tub of ice cream & some custard too :) Other good idea's are things that can be frozen in portions, soups, stews, spag bog sauce, meatballs etc Roast is great & can be had cold for lunches too. So is meatloaf, or quiche. Just don't add alot of garlic or herbs. If you do make meals for a number of nights, it's helpful to seperate them into portion sizes for them, so all they have to do is pop them in the freezer. Just be sure they will have freezer room!! I have had friends & family do this for me in the past & it was a great help, even if i did feel a little embarrassed accepting them to start with. I always find i favour fresh meals, so something where i can have a salad on the side, or meals that will give me lasting energy, meals that contain many of the food groups are good to, your pretty strapped for time with a new bub. Even a pizza that i can just throw in the oven one night is good.
6. How about salad? I'm not talking just a bag of lettuce- but with lots of chopped veggies: peppers, radishes, mushrooms, carrots, etc. Maybe get everything prepped and chopped up but keep it separate. That way she can just dump what she likes in a bowl and voila! Salads seem simple, but take a lot of prep work. You can make a nice homemade dressing to go with it (for example, juice of an orange plus some olive oil and poultry seasoning (thyme rosemary, etc) would make a really refreshing dressing). You can also use the dressing above to marinate some chicken and then grill or pan sear some chicken breasts to go on top of the salad. Bake some Pillsbury breadsticks or rolls and that would be a nice healthy dinner (it's a favorite in our house). A nice fruit salad mix (canteloupe, berries, etc) would make a great healthy dessert, too.
7. A big fruit salad drizzled with chocolate!!! There's nothing more tasty then fruit and chocolate after you just had a baby.
8. You could make a platter of lightly seasoned broiled chicken breasts, a big bowl of mashed potatoes or rice made with a little olive oil and chicken broth, and some steamed veggies.
9. Home-made chicken noodle soup is the best thing, especially if shes not really feeling up to eating solid foods when she gets home, also this is a great meal for her children too, that way no-one has to worry about cooking additional food for the other children, (also bring some disposable plastic cups and bowls over because they are going to be very busy and tired and the last thing they are going to want to do is dishes) here is the recipe I use 1 or 2 ( depending on how much you want to make, it refrigerates well) large cans of chicken broth 1 bag of carrots peeled and chopped 1 head of celery chopped, be sure to use the leaves as well they are very good for you 2 bay leaves 1 large onion chopped salt and pepper a little fresh minced garlic 10-12 chicken tenders that have been browned and cooked through ( shred this with two forks in order for it to be easier for your friend to eat) egg noodles So bring your broth to about med to med high heat and then add veggies and spices, allow to cook for about 20-30 minutes or until you can pull out a carrot and it is soft all the way through, then add your chicken, and lastly the egg noodles. Allow to cook for an additional 6-8 minutes depending on the size of you noodles and serve. Good Luck, and I hope this helps!!
10. I made cheese soup with some hearty 7 grain bread and a fruit salad for my friend who was a new mom. She loved it! Easy to store and reheat in the microwave.
11. I don't think that women have to abstain from strong-tasting foods when nursing (I sure didn't, and the baby still liked the milk...and women from countries/regions with spicy foods don't necessarily abstain from them either). But if you want to be on the safe side, you can make a non-spicy chili. I recommend chili because it's convenient for you to make (all in one pot!) and for her to ladle out and re-heat when she wants some. More importantly, it's packed with protein, with all the beans and the meat. For a healthy option, use ground lean turkey instead of beef. An idea might be to make a vegetarian chili, and add the meat to it. (I find that meat chilis are usually just beans and meat, whereas veg. ones have a great variety of vegetables that aren't in conventional chilis.) Whenever I make chili, I always have a few types of beans, peppers, zucchinis, and corn. You can add carrots etc. To go with the chili, have a loaf of (homemade, if possible) wholemeal bread, preferably with added goodness like oats or flax, etc., to provide her with the whole grains she'll need. Also, have a bowl of grated cheese and/or light sour cream for the chili topping, which provides the calcium she will need too. If she likes desserts, I'm thinking something not too sugary or decadent. She's already tired and doesn't need to go on a sugar high/low. Maybe something like not-too-sweet oatmeal and raisin cookies--something she can grab now and then when she needs a snack? There are tons of food websites that have reviews and rating systems, so I think that you should use them to find a good base recipe and work from there. Good luck.