As we all know, being in the newborn fog is tough. You aren’t sleeping, you are feeding on demand, and you have turned into a human burp rag overnight. Your living room looks like a bomb went off, the kitchen is a disaster, and your hospital bag is still where you dropped it when you came home from the hospital a week ago. And if you are like me, you are still taking pain pills to recover from having the baby.
Needless to say, our standards for meals went down tremendously when we had our first baby. No longer were we preparing complicated recipes and being adventurous with dinner. We were just eating to survive. During those early days, the last thing I wanted to do was go to the grocery store or think about planning a meal.
Undoubtedly, one of the greatest gifts you can give to a new mom is food she doesn’t have to cook, shop for, or pay for. Whether it’s frozen, hot, homemade, takeout, breakfast, lunch, dinner, or an array of desserts – it doesn’t matter.
I took an informal survey of moms all over Houston to get a consensus for what moms really want to eat once home with their new family member, and some of the answers might surprise you…
TAKEOUT
A vast majority of moms agreed that takeout was their favorite meal splurge post-baby.
Ask your friends what their favorite local restaurant is and order a meal for them. Or better yet – drive straight there and have our friends over at DoorDash deliver it for you. {Pssst…we’ve got a promo code for you here.} As an added bonus, include an appetizer and dessert too. One of the best meals we got after our first baby was from Carrabba’s – we felt very loved and enjoyed having a nicer meal!
Local restaurants that have great take out options for new families {and that reheat well} include :: Collina’s, Fajita Willie’s, Pronto, Grimaldi’s, BB’s Cafe, Torchy’s Tacos, Star Pizza, Jackson Street BBQ, and Gringo’s.
Many Chick-fil-A locations deliver a New Mommy Meal when you are home from the hospital with your newborn. It’s a small nugget tray, fruit tray, a gallon of sweet tea and a gift for baby. You can sign up in their restaurant, or call your local Chick-fil-A to see if they participate in this program
Don’t have time to get over to visit your friend and drop off a meal? Have a MangoPan box delivered to their doorstep. It’s all the ingredients they need to prepare a meal!
HOMEMADE
Think about meals that are easy to eat right away, will keep well in the fridge, or that they can freeze. One-dish meals such as lasagna, king ranch chicken, and jambalaya are all great ideas.
My go-to meal delivery is this Mexican chicken spaghetti recipe. I always use this recipe, and it serves up to six, so they can freeze the leftovers or have it again the next day.
Many moms I surveyed were trying to eat healthy post-baby but didn’t have the time to prepare salads. Send these moms an assortment of salads – think pasta salad, chicken salad, fruit salad, and green salads. Include toppings and dressings, too!
Don’t forget about breakfast {that’s when new parents are really tired!}. One of the best meals we received was a pack of cinnamon rolls from Three Brothers Bakery that we could just pop in the microwave. Consider bringing a new family an assortment of breakfast items such as cinnamon rolls, Sister Schubert sausage rolls, muffins, a bowl of fresh fruit, and a carton of orange juice. This will go a long way to get the new parents jump started in the morning after a sleepless night.
Be a great friend and include dessert! For crying out loud, your friend just gave birth! Now, go buy her some chocolate, bake her a cake, or better yet – order her Tiff’s Treats. I have never met anyone who doesn’t like their warm cookies.
If you have several friends expecting, prepare meals in advance and store them in your freezer until it’s time to visit your friend. That way, it’s already done and ready to go. {Even better…get your friends together and start a Freezer Meal Cooking Club!}
HELPFUL TIPS
Remember that many new moms have to avoid certain foods if they are nursing, so check with the family and see if there are any foods you should avoid bringing or if there are any food allergies in the family.
Are there several people trying to bring you a meal? Have someone set up a Meal Train and let the group sign up online. My Sunday School class uses this website to organize meal deliveries, and it’s very easy to use – especially with their great mobile site.
If you are bringing a homemade meal, bring it in disposable containers so that the mom doesn’t have to keep up with returning containers.
If you are delivering takeout, tell the new mom to set her oven on low so that the food can stay warm until they are ready to eat.
Some moms mentioned that they love when friends would bring the older siblings healthy kid-friendly snacks, or even a book or special toy for the big brother or sister.
