Need a Good Dinner Idea to Make and Take to a Friend Who Just Had a Baby

One thing I found helpful both to give and receive was frozen meals. That way I could thaw & cook/reheat at my convenience. Tape the directions on top and take it in something you don't want/need back.

I take taco soup for occassions like this - it freezes well, is easy to double or triple for extra meals and is almost better the next day! Message me if you want the E-A-S-Y recipe!! This is a great idea - families w/ new babies have a lot going on - not having to worry about meals for a few weeks is a HUGE help. You're a great friend!!

Someone brought me bagels with all different cream cheeses, jellies and cold cuts. I was able to use them as I pleased...for sandwiches or breakfast. I even sliced some in half a froze them for hectic mornings down the road!

Someone else mentioned fruit. This was also great, because you forget to be healthy sometimes...remembering to eat is hard enough. One more thing...bring drinks, especially if your friend is breastfeeding. She will be so grateful...no matter what you bring!!

The following are freezer crock pot meals. You throw everything raw in a gallon zip bag, freeze. Take out the night before you want to eat, thaw overnight and then add to crockpot in the morning. These are super easy for new moms to do. Double them and keep in the freezer when you don't want to cook! I have several word docs that have more of these from a couple blogs that post them often. If you or anyone else wants a copy, just message me your email address and I'll send it. =)

Beef Pepperoncini Sandwiches
 2 lb Chuck Roast
 16 oz Jar Peperoncinis
 1 Good Seasons Italain Seasoning Packet
Add all three ingredients into a Gallon Size Freezer Bag and put in freezer. When you are ready to cook this, put all ingredients into crockpot and let cook for 8 hours on low. Once the meat is cooked, shred it and serve on rolls or hogies with swiss or provolone cheese. YUM!

Brown Sugar Chicken
 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, I did 4
 1 cup Brown Sugar
 1/4 cup Sprite (I will add this once I add everything to the crockpot)
 2/3 cup Vinegar
 3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
 2 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
Add all ingredients to Gallon Size Freezer Bag, except for the Sprite. When you are ready to cook this, put all ingredients into a crockpot, add the sprite and let cook for 3-4 hours on high.

Honey Garlic Chicken
 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breats, I used 4
 3 Garlic Cloves, smashed and chopped
 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil (I used Fresh)
 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
 1/2 cup Ketchup
 1/3 cup Honey
Add all ingredients to Gallon Size Freezer Bag. When you are ready to cook this, put all ingredients into a crockpot and let cook for 3-4 hours on high.

BBQ Chicken
 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breats, I used 4
 Chopped Green Pepper
 Chopped White Onion
 BBQ Sauce, I used Sweet Baby Rays (but use whatever you have in your stockpile)
Combine all ingredients in a Gallon Size Freezer Bag. When you are ready to cook this, put all ingredients into a crockpot and cook for 3-4 hours on high.

Veggies in a Bag
 Chopped Onion
 Chopped Banana Squash
 Chopped Red Potatoes
 Chopped Green Pepper
 Garlic
 Fresh Basil
Put all ingredients in a Gallon Freezer Size Bag. When you are ready to cook this, cook the veggies by themselves (if you are going to Grill Meat) or add meat to the crockpot as well.

Baked chicken with rice, one of my famous dishes! And a favorite of my friends. Bake the chicken with a little butter and seasoning, stuff chicken with fresh garlic, add a little lemon juice. Right before chicken is done, make a pot of white rice. When rice is done, add to chicken dish and add a little more butter/margerine and bake some more. You can also add onion and other veggies. Good Luck

Buy a whole chicken. Insert about 10 cloves of garlic in cavity. Sprinkle Adolphs tenderizer in cavity and then sprinkle Adolphs all around outside of chicken. Roast for about 2-1/2 hrs.

Make rice. Put chicken in middle of large pretty platter and then put rice around the outside of the chicken. It is just beautiful. People love when I bring this, as it is so tasty.

Add a side veggie and a dessert and you have a wonderful meal! Good luck!

This is my go to recipe everytime, and everybody loves it!

Italian Crescent Bake

Ingredients:

2lbs. Hamburger
1/3 Cup Onions (optional)
1 Small jar Prego Three Cheese Spaghetti Sauce
1 Small jar Prego Ricotta Parmesan Cheese Spaghetti Sauce
16 Original Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (2 Rolls Total)
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese
16 oz. Daisy Sour Cream
3-4 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
Wax Paper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown hamburger and onions in 12inch pan, drain, put back in pan, add both spaghetti sauces and bring to boil, turn heat down and simmer 10 minutes. Pour sauce mixture into a 13x9 baking pan, sprinkle Mozzarella cheese over sauce mixture. Lay wax paper on counter top to fill the crescent rolls. Mix sour cream and Italian Seasoning together until well blended. Lay four crescent rolls onto the wax paper, place about a tablespoon of the sour cream mixture at the large end of the roll, roll into a crescent roll and place on top of cheese and sauce mixture. Repeat until all 16 rolls are done. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

NOTE: I usually start filling the crescent rolls while the sauce is simmering. This cuts the preparation time down a little.

You can also do a half recipe by deviding all in ingridients in half.

I promise they will love this and it reheats very well!!

1. spinach and feta quiche (if you know she likes that).
2. Slow cooker pulled pork. Just put it into an aluminum disposable pan, covered, and bring with a container of cole slaw and kaiser rolls.
3. I also like the idea of a taco salad or enchiladas.

sloppy lasagna from rachel ray. its super easy reheats great and you can freeze too. I just substatuted the sauce for jar sauce but you do need it to be wet so you may need 1 1/2 jar so when it bakes it wont dry out.

I make stone soup. You can buy several different versions of the children's book but I like the one that is more modern. It is one soldier and one old lady. They make the most amazing soup buy just boiling water and putting a stone it it.

I used an actual rock in my child care center and each child got to add something to the crock pot. Then the stone went through the dishwasher to get clean and be reused.

The idea is that with a little of this and a little of that you can make a wonderful meal.

I use HB meat, about 1-1 1/2lbs at most for a huge crock pot. I cook it with garlic and onion chopped in it. The garlic is in the produce area in a little jar, the onions are in the frozen section in a bag, by the frozen peas and corn.

Drain the meat in a tiny holed strainer so the chopped stuff doesn't go down the drain....lol.

Then I add a can of this and a can of that. Corn, green bean, sweet potatoes (A must in my house), a can of original Ro-Tell chopped tomatoes, a can of the small size chopped Veg-All. I like the ingredients, chopped celery, carrots, potatoes, etc...but not big chunks.

The sweet potatoes and the Ro-Tell tomatoes really make the soup a special taste. IF they like a bit more spicy then they do have other options of spice levels.

Then I sometimes will use Beef Broth and other times I will use V-8 juice to finish off the mix. It should be soupy but not runny.

If you do add a rock please make sure it is smooth and not porous so that the food will not get food particles in the tiny holes. Tell them there is a rock in the bottom so they won't be surprised when they find it. The whole experience is a fun one for families with kids and you can make it how you like it each time.

I think the book and the crock pot of soup is a fun idea and it has more than one dimension.

Then for dessert you can do many things. I don't know much about the GF sorry if this isn't something they can have.

Meatloaf (if you can make it with GF bread crumbs), mashed potatoes and a tossed salad. Fresh fruit for dessert.

I usually make baked spaghetti, salad, and brownies.

Yeah I would go with enchiladas!!

Home made Red Beans and Rice with Sausage. That is always my go to meal. Super simple and travels well. I put rice in a foil pan by its self and beans in a seperate foil pan as well. You can add a salad or dessert.

Don't most things reheat pretty well? (ok, some things really don't ... like french fries) I would try not to worry too much and just make something that you know you like and/or your family likes. I have a chicken and rice casseroll that I love! So that's what I made for a neighbor. I have gotten some great feedback on another dish, so that would be another I would do.

Don't put too much pressue on yourself to come up with the "perfect" meal and just make something you like. I'm sure they will be very pleased.

A casserole of chicken enchiladas would probably be good. You can make it right up to the point where you pop it in the oven, just cover it with foil & let them heat it through!

I'm gluten intolerant. I like to make Rachel Ray's "Smoky Turkey Shepard's Pie". Google the recipe. Also, Southern Living's "King Ranch Chicken" which is time consuming, but so worth it!

Also, enchiladas made with corn tortillas, or any enchilada style casserole with corn tortillas.

I always love casseroles because they are an all-in-one dish and you can load extra veggies into them. If you could find some gluten free egg noodles you could do a chicken noodle casserole. This is one of our favorites and I put tons of veggies in it to make it healthier and stretch the dish to make it last longer.

Another one of our favorites is cabbage stroganoff and you can serve it over mashed potatoes or rice.

Get some gluten free pasta and make baked ziti. Skip the bread and take a salad with it instead.

Do you have a Costco near you? They have great rotisserie chickens and they're really inexpensive - about $4 - $5 if I remember right. You could get one of those and make some mashed potatoes and veggies on your own to go with it.

I know it's hot already, but what about some kind of stew?

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Cabbage Stroganoff

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped green onions
1 lb. ground beef
1 head of cabbage
1 cup water – separated
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Heat oil in skillet.
2. Sauté green onions.
3. Add beef and cook until browned.
4. Add cabbage and 3/4 cup of water. Cover and cook until cabbage is wilted.
5. Add onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, and remaining 1/4 cup of water. Mix thoroughly and add sour cream. Stir and cover. Simmer for 45 minutes or until cabbage is tender.

go to allrecipes.com and type in hamburger potato casserole... its yummy!

Chicken spaghetti is fabulous and reheats better than it was the first time. That, some garlic bread and a salad?? Made with GF pasta??
You're a sweet friend to do this....

My favorite things that were brought to me were homey casseroles. :) What about some kind of an enchilada in corn tortillas? That would help with the gluten intolerance. Throw in a salad and some spanish rich...done.

Soup and fresh bread would also be nice...although it may be getting too warm for that. Taco salad can be done GF - just check the taco seasoning. I think McCormick is GF.

I'm trying this recipe next week - haven't yet, but it sure looks delish!

http://faithfulprovisions.com/2010/11/01/cream-cheese-chi...

Good luck!

The best thing I received as a food item was a fruit tray/vegetable tray. There was no time to eat and grabbing a banana between naps,baby changes, burps, and crying. A tray from Chick fa la (sp) of nuggets is a pretty good deal and can last a few days. Not to mention yummy!

Sorry I did not have some great cooking ideas. I am not a great chef! Gluten free pizza. pizza is still yummy left over- to me at least.