"Take Them a Meal" Idea Needed

Sometimes the meals get overwhelming. You could put together a snack basket - granola bars, fruit, trail mix, crackers, pretzels - etc - things they can grab on the way in and out of the house.

Don't know if this has already been suggested but instead of a meal - why don't you take them a huge package of paper plates, plastic forks, etc, plastic cups, etc. That way they don't have to worry about dishes for awhile.

When I was in that situation I was happy with anything. Fast food and a hug. Pizza delivered to my house, ordered from a local pie shop by my family who were miles away. It was all appreciated.

I have a great dish that I always take and I actually double the recipe and serve it with a side of green beans and then make an easy dessert. It is always a hit:

Chicken Alouette
½ cup alouette or Kraft brand spreadable cheese (any flavor)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup sour cream (or leave out if you don’t have any)
3 chicken breasts steamed and cut up
1 package stuffing mix prepared
Mix together the first 3 ingredients then add the chicken. Place in a square baking pan and top with the stuffing. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Again -double this recipe so that they have left overs or else this recipe will only yield 4 adult servings. Also - I have substituted borsin cheese in this and found MSG free cream of mushroom soup and MSG free stuffing mix.

You can message me if you want with any questions.

What about a chef salad tray? Wash the greens and veggies and have them all bagged in separate ziploc bags. Maybe put the actual greens of lettuce in a tupperware type bowl, but the cukes, red onion, olives, carrots, red bell pepper, tomatoes, sunflower seeds?, cubed cheeses, peeled boiled eggs, rolled deli ham & turkey, etc... put in separate bags. That way, Mom or Dad can put only the individual items that the little ones will actually eat onto a plate for the kids, rather than you having to worry that they won't eat the salad if you include too many "good" things. :)
That is actually how I got my kids started enjoying salads. Just put the items separately on the plate, and they can dip each thing (or not) into ranch dressing.
You can just take over a small cooler with the items in it, or you can put it all in a plastic grocery bag so the items will be easy to pull out of the fridge all together.
Include a fresh bottle of ranch dressing, and a fresh loaf of bread from the bakery/deli and they are set.

Most little ones will eat rolled up deli meats, plain romaine lettuce, carrot slices (or baby carrots), cucumber (if it's peeled), and cubed mozzarella or mont jack cheese. And some LOVE black olives, boiled eggs, and sunflower seeds to boot. Very healthy meal for the whole family and doesn't even require reheating.

Or, maybe think about breakfasts instead? Bring 2 boxes of cereal (one kiddie variety, and one for the adults) and a gallon of milk, with some fresh fruit (already washed and ready to eat), or make a breakfast casserole that can be warmed up quickly in the morning (nuked casserole can be really good!).
And I too agree with the poster, that if they are getting that much food help, maybe you should consider another offer instead of food... like taking the 2 little ones for a few hours, if you can manage that. Do a load or two of laundry and get it dried and folded neatly. Or even just maybe sorting through the fridge for them and returning empty dishes? For that matter... if you are close enough to them... browse the pantry really quick and see if they are about to run out of a staple. The bread loaves can get moldy quickly without you realizing it~ A pack of hot dogs and some fresh buns can come in real handy when you can't think straight.

I just brought a friend dinner who also had a baby just days ago. It was a simple dinner...took me 10 minutes to throw together and they all loved it!!! She said it was awesome because she was sick of pasta/lasagna!!! Here's the general idea....no real recipe is needed.
Boil 4-6 chicken breasts in salted water and let them cool. Cut chicken into "chunks" (or shred) and season. (I use garlic salt, onion powder & black pepper) At the same time steam one large head of broccoli (or even easier- use the frozen broccoli that you just micro in the bag). In a 9x13 glass pan, put chicken on bottom, then broccoli. Mix 1 1/2 cans of cream of chicken soup with 1/2 container of sour cream and pour over chicken/broc. Top with generous shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour.

Having been in a similar situation about 2 years ago (on the receiving end), I've posted my opinion before and met some criticism.....but, here goes nothing.

Sometimes, the generosity is overwhelming. You run out of freezer/fridge space, the quantities are too great for what a family of small kids can handle, and you can only handle so many chicken pot pies and pasta.

Don't be afraid to call and ask. Ask what they need, ask what they're in the mood for. Maybe even ask if something like taking the older kids for the evening so Mom and Dad can spend some time alone is just as welcome of a gesture.

Some of our best meals were gift cards to Chipotle so we could just get out of the house (in our case, I went through chemo with a 2 year-old and 11 week old). In other cases, a take-it-home pizza from Papa Murphy's hit the spot.

All the kindness does not go unnoticed. The people who call and ask aren't crossing a line - it was appreciated to be able to say, "Oh, thank you for asking. Tacos really sound perfect this week!" We wanted to make it as effortless as possible so people could tend to their families.

My wonderful friends just recently did the same thing for me. I received tons of meals, so many that I was able to freeze some for later. What I really began to need was the basics. Milk, bread, butter, toilet paper, etc... I am not suggesting that you restock her pantry but often the very basics are forgotten about. However, with that said, one of my most favorite meals we receive was hamburgers with french fries, and a salad. I think that one stands out because everyone else did such a good job providing healthy foods that I began to crave a hamburger.:)

My friend's husband died in June. All the friends took meals to her too. By the time, my turn came around it was a good month later. I called and asked her what she really needed. Could I get her a gift certificate so she could go out to dinner? When I suggested that she was very excited. Her kids are older and have sports practices, so being able to afford a quick trip to a drive through was a huge treat for them. Since she is probably driving back and forth to visit the baby, a gift certificate from Visa or Mastercard, etc. may be really helpful as she squeezes in feeding herself.

Hi K.,

You indicated that your time is limited, and that I do understand. But why not take her older two children off of her hands for a short while...it might prove to be ideal. She needs a break in more ways than one, and you could probably use a distraction yourself. So why not take all of the children to the play area at the mall or to a kiddie movie...somewhere that you will not have to run behind them, but can rather just sit and watch, while tending your youngest. I know your 2.5 and her 2 and 4 year olds would love it. Then perhaps when her baby is a little older she'll return the favor. I accompany my daughter on these excursions all the time. We even take the children out to Swaders to play in the huge play area, and if we can get enough adults interested, we ride them in the go-carts. They love it and before you know it, 2-3 hours have passed. And all you had to do was sit and watch.

Hi there, you're so awesome for being such a great help to your friend right now. I have an idea to keep the pasta dishes to a minimum. It's called Foodtidings- www.foodtidings.com. It's an awesome website created to help coordinate the delivery of meals to others in a transitional time of their lives. There is a place when creating the schedule where you can put foods liked and disliked, allergies, and then another spot for "other" info. You can put in the types of dishes they'd like to get, and then when someone signs up to bring food, there is a spot to type in what they'll be bringing. This cuts down significantly on people doubling up on types of foods. Once the schedule is created, you invite people to it, and they sign up to bring food. It's so easy and I hope that helps!

Thanks,
L.

How about a big salad and a pizza? Or simply go to KFC and get a bucket of chicken, cole slaw and mashed potatoes? If you don't want to "cook"...cut up a watermelon and a cantaloupe, and get a great loaf of bread, cheese and meat for sandwiches. Bake a cake to go with it, or cupcakes. Toss in some paper plates and plastic silverware so Dad doesn't get stuck with the clean up duty.
You also might want to consider going in and offering to either take the children for a few hours so Dad can go and be with Mom and the NICU or offer to help with laundry or something else around the house that is being ignored in the chaos.

I have a VERY picky husband and two little ones, so when my friends/church were providing meals for the birth of my second they called and asked what we'd like. Some of the best suggestions are gift cards to local restaurants or fast food places.

What about breakfast? Pancakes, sausage, muffins, breakfast casseroles, etc. I assume dinner isn't the only meal they're eating. :)

I have had people bring us meals after a death in the family and you do get A LOT of pasta. If you aren't into cooking, put together a nice salad or even just the ingredients for one - include some grilled chicken and salad dressing (maybe make your own dressing for a "homemade" touch). A fresh, light salad is so nice after eating heavy pasta for days or along with pasta if you are still not sick of it! Also, a quiche is nice and can easily be frozen if it's not needed immediately. Look online - most quiche require just a couple of ingredients and you can use a frozen crust - easy! Also, you can go out and buy some nice deli meats, several cheeses and a loaf of nice bread (or make your own if you have a bread maker). Sandwiches are a break from pasta, kid friendly and require 0 cooking. Also, cheese, luncheon meat and bread can all be frozen if they have too much food right now. Finally, top it off with something fun for the kids at home - a few cookies or cupcakes would suffice. Refrigerated cookie doughs have gotten much better (try the Nestle Tollhouse brand). If you have a basket lying around somewhere, put the deli meats, cheeses, bread, cookies and a couple of flowers in it with a note - sweet, relatively inexpensive, quick, easy and, most importantly, heartfelt.

sometimes the take them a meal thing can be as simple as stopping at kfc and getting a bucket of chicken and some sides. order a couple pizza's from pizza hut (make one plain cheese for the little ones) or a bag of cheeseburgers lol. Last time it was my turn I got taco's from taco bell and made some spanish rice to go with it and a bag of grapes. you don't have to do big fancy meals. and as a former recipient of said meals let me tell you that pasta with a red sauce gets old when you have had it 6 times in the last 10 days lol your a good friend for worrying about this.

I don't know how picky they are, but I have a really simple chicken recipe that I use when I do not have a lot of time to cook. I'm sorry measurement ingredients are not specific. You can use more than one can of sauce if you're making a lot, maybe 1 1/2 cans, but that is up to you.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded not too thick, not too thin (I would buy as many as you think they need. 1-2 pieces per adult, maybe)

1 - 16 oz. can (whatever is closest) tomato sauce with Italian Herbs (DelMonte or whatever your preference)

shredded mozzerella cheese

2 cans of French cut green beans

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Put some of the sauce on the bottom of the baking pan, just enough to cover it.

3. Put some shredded mozzerelly in the middle of each chicken breast. Close with a toothpick. Place in baking dish. Do this for all of the chicken.

4. Fully drain one can of greenbeans, and let out a little liquid from the other. Pour both cans on gren beans on top of the chicken.

5. Pour rest of the can of sauce over the kitchen and greenbeans. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Sprinkle some shredded mozzerella and grated cheese (grated cheese is optional) on top.

7. Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

I usually take the really easy way out, and get the premade mashed potatoes.

I have a chicken and rice casserole recipe that is so easy! Take 2 cups of instant rice, 2 cups of water, 2 cans of chicken, and 2 cans of some kind of cream of soup. (I typically do 1 can cream of chicken w/ herbs and 1 can cheddar cheese soup.) Mix them all together in a 9x13 pan and cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. If desired, sprinkle some shredded cheddar on top and cook a few minutes more until melted. Give them a bag of pre-made salad, some rolls if you wish, and a pan of brownies and they'll be set for a meal!

To make it really easy, double up on whatever you're feeding your family and take half to your friend. Put it all in containers that do not need to be returned and bring along disposable dining ware and drinks. For her little ones you could get a 3 pack of Horizon milks. They come in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Maybe a nice bottle of wine for Mom and Dad if you think it's appropriate. If you feel you can, when you drop off the meal, wash up any dirty dishes, wipe the counters, in other words, the small things that add up quickly and that Dad's sometimes don't notice.

It depends on what they like. Here are 2 easy ones:

1- Greck raviolis
Buy 2 cans of tomato sauce raviolis (like the chef boyard ones), an eggplant and crumbled feta cheese. Wash or peel the eggplant (depending if you want the to eat the skin) and dice it, heat some olive oil in a pan and add the eggplant. Cook for about 5-10 minutes. In a pan going to the oven mix the eggplant and raviolis, cover with feta. Bake for about 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees and broil for the last couple of minutes to have it golden.

2- Spinach risotto.
Cut a couple of slices of bacon into squares. Heat a frying pan. Add the bacon. Add arborio/risotto rice. Cover with water. Add one cube of bouillon. Each time the rice has drunken the water, add some water to cover and mix a little. When the rice is done, add baby spinach and mix. for 1-2 minutes. Stop the heat. Add parmesan cheese. You can replace bacon by olive oil and spinach by basically anything that comes to your mind (some veggies like zucchinis need to be cook a little before or added at the beginning with the rice)

In situations like this I have occasionally relied on Costco or Sam's. You can purchase a rotisserie chicken, pair it with some pre-made mashed potatoes and a veggie....quick, easy, no too expensive.

Does she own a crock-pot, or do u (one that she can borrow?)? U can make alot in crock-pots. Put whatever in it in the morning and by the evening its ready to eat. I have a couple good recipes that I use, let me know if u would like them.

How about roasting a turkey breast and bringing it over, cooked, with some rolls and a bag of salad? That way your friend can make sandwiches whenever she wants. Easy to roast a turkey breast, it's 15 min per pound at 375 degrees. You can shove it in the oven and do other things while it cooks. You can round it out with cookies from a bakery. Good luck to your friend and it's really nice of you and your other friends to pitch in like this.

Depends on what they like, but I find at times like that fresh fruit and vege-rich meals are just what the doctor ordered. A bit healthier than carbo-loading and with all the stress of the NICU, I'm willing to bet the adults are a little.... backed up?

I love making sweet potato fries and my son adores them. I find they are a healthier alternative to regular fries and they reheat beautifully in the oven. It's a great way to sneak veges into the diet of younger ones.

A big beautiful salad with grilled chicken (on the side) and a nice dressing (also on the side) that they can put together as the mood strikes them to eat is also a cool idea. With emotions running high and visiting schedules being what they are, they may not all have time to sit down and eat together these days.

I always feel a basket of fresh fruits is appreciated. They are ready-to-go snacks that provide a nice boost of energy that can really take the edge off. Most of these foods are also mild enough that if the mom is pumping, it shouldn't mess with her milk. Best of luck to her family and Kudos to you for being a caring friend.

My go-to dish for new mamas is this very simple and very yummy chicken and biscuit recipe.
Ingredients:
1.5 cups Perdue Chicken Shortcuts (original roasted)
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup Milk
1.5 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 cans Pillsbury Grand Rolls (4 will be left over - not used in the recipe)
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line the botton of a 9x13 casserole dish with the strips of chicken
Over medium heat combine the soup, milk and pepper until boiling (it will be thick).
Pour soup mixture over the chicken.
Sprinkle the cheese over the whole casserole
Bake for 25 minutes
Place the biscuits on top of the casserole and cook for 10 more minutes until biscuits are a golden brown.

I usually serve green beans on the side. It is a very quick, easy, and tasty meal that is one of our family favorites.

I used to pick up meals at a restaurant for friends when I was too busy to cook a meal. BBQ is usually served family style and is a good choice. Also the fried chicken suggestion is good.

Just do not forget... they will really need this when baby comes home. So do not overload them now. Actually make sure you guys are spacing the meals out and that they are not being stock piled. Right now, I think it would be a bigger hit to scoop up the older kids and head the preschooler and toddler off to Pizza Hut while mommy pumps milk and dady regroups.

Try Swiss Chicken Casserole... it is very easy and can be frozen... here's a link to the recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Swiss-Chicken-Casserole-II/D...

I have a 4 and 2 year old and both of my kids love this dish. It can easily be cut in half and put in 2 dishes (which is what we do) to make 2 separate dinners for our 4-person family.

Hope this helps:-)

Mealoaf is always super easy

First, spray a glass 9x9 or 8x8 (metal works too, I just always use glass) with Pam

Next put the following in a bowl

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 can campbells vegetarian vegetable soup
a few shakes of worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup ketchup

mix it all together in a bowl with clean hands. Squish all together until well blended. Plop it all in the pan and shape however you like (I always make a heart shaped one for Valentine's Day for example, but mostly I just make it round), cover with a thin layer of ketchup and cook in the oven at 350 for at least an hour. Viola! I just serve it with buttered bread and green beans out of a can.

It's super simple and I've never had anyone NOT like it. Even kids.

Pasta is inexpensive and tends to reheat well. Perhaps to add a little variety to the offerings- bring a rice casserole.

this is decently easy to make and tastes great- it goes over really well with kds too!

Very kind of you to help care for this family in a time of need.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/chicken-and...

How about a roasted chicken. Lots of markets now carry the cooked birds. You can add a bagged salad or another side.

hi i make a shepards pie using chicken or turkey rather than lamb or beef.
1 pkg minced chichen/turkey
1 small onion
2-3 carrots diced
handful parsley
2 -3 tbs plain flour
mushrooms finely diced (optional)
mash potaoes from 4 - 5 medium potatoes
1 tomatoe chopped
minced garlic i use about 2 tsp
1/4 tsp marjoram or any other herb you like

brown the meat and and separate witha back of a wooden spoon so that you dont have any big lumps ( i just run the whole thing in a food processor) remove and set aside in same pan saute onions till translucent add mushrooms cook till cooked add garlic cook further for a few seconds then add in the tomatoes cook furthe for a few more mins add the meat and stir , sprinkle the plain flour over the meat and stir for about 1 mins add about 1 - 1/1/2 c hot water or stock add carrots and season with salt and paper, add some brown gravy granules/mix and let simmer tile thick if dries out can add more liquid , when done add the parsley and transfer to a casserole/ lasagna pan and cover with mashed potatoes and bake at 350 - 375 for 15 - 20 mins till bubbling or browned slighty on top my kids love this