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When I was cooking for my friend 6 wks after she had her baby, I made a big pot of chili and froze it in single-serving containers (glass, because you want to watch out for BPA in plastics). That worked really well.
What about a beef stew or hearty soup? You can take it over with a loaf of french bread, and leftovers can be portioned out and frozen pretty easily.
If she's BFng, nothing spicey! Beans will also give the baby gas, so something more bland is probably better. Chicken and dumplings? Any good casseroles you make? Potroast and veggies is always good too.
Thanks for the suggestions. I think I want to stay away from soups and chilis though. It's been upwards of 100 degrees here the last few days so I don't imagine either one of them will want anything to do with that! Great suggestion for fall or winter though!
Not sure if you consider this a "cold weather" item, but chicken pot pies are delish and freeze great.
I've used this recipe before for friends:
http://homesteadinghousewife.blogspot.com/2008/07/batch-cooking-chicken-pot-pie.html
Enchiladas freeze well
How about a sausage, onion, and pepper rice dish? Like a jambalaya http://www.zatarains.com/ makes a good rice box.
Since its so warm, giving them something fresh would be great too to eat righ away such as a fruit salad.
egg dishes like fritattas, quiches, stratas freeze well too
If they like meatloaf, that's really easy to freeze. You mix it up, press it into a loaf pan, then take it out and wrap it up and freeze it. You could also marinate some chicken and then freeze it.
Ok, how about pasta salad? It doesn't freeze, but it will keep in the fridge for several days.
Pancakes! Not really a dinner food, but I freeze left over pancakes all the time. Then pop them in the toaster.
What about a chicken salad with some croissants? My aunt made her famous one recently for my brother and SIL when they had my niece. It would be a good sandwich, go to when they need to eat something fast.
Let me clarify, I don’t have a problem with hot meals (casseroles and what not), I just think soup/chili may not be as appreciated right now since they’ll be sweltering in their barely air conditioned home.
I like the fruit and pasta salad suggestions. I also make a mean meatloaf!
@lefeymw: I made enchilads for our friends when they had their baby so maybe I'll do that again. Seemed like a crowd pleaser!
@bree72: That sounds good. Maybe I'll try that, too!
Thanks everyone!
@carrieknitscake: Good thinking!
@tranquility: I never thought about putting them in the toaster. Learn something new everyday! :)
you could also make some really nice burgers, they freeze extremely well, can be bbqed or just heated in microwave/ pan.
Pulled pork-- I make a batch in a slow cooker every other month and freeze most of it in 2 serving containers for lunches and quick dinners. You can make it as bland or spicy as you like, depending on the BBQ sauce you use.
In my experience, anything you can make in a slow cooker will freeze well.
Pasta sauces (pesto without the parmesan and basic tomato sauces) and roasted vegetables (and meat, if you're into it) are handy-- just freeze them and then FBIL & FSIL can heat them up and add them to fresh cooked pasta when they need a quick pasta meal... after they finish FMIL's lasagna or ziti.
I don't care much for frozen + re-heated bread (it usually tastes funny or develops a weird texture IMO). BUT, Trader Joe's makes excellent frozen baguettes. They come in a bag of 6, and each baguette feeds 1 person. The baguettes can either be set out and thawed, or you can pop them in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes. So handy if you have a TJ's near you, or if you can find something similar at your grocery store.
We made a non-spicy stir fry for SIL about a week after she gave birth, and she loved it. Garlic, Chicken, & whatever veggies sound good are in season, green beans, snow peas, red peppers, carrots, mushrooms, etc. I've never frozen it, but it'll keep in the fridge for many days.
We also prepped big bowls of fruit - cut up melon, grapes, apples, etc. Stuff that she could just snack on here and there, and she really appreciated that too.
Chicken Spaghetti! This freezes so well:
3 cups of broken spaghetti
3 chicken breasts, cooked
Boil the chicken and shred it. Cook the 3 cups of broken spaghetti noodles in the chicken broth, about 8 minutes or so (you want it slightly firm since it will bake). Drain the noodles reserving 1 cup of broth.
In a BIG ASS BOWL, mix the noodles, chicken, 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, 2 cans of cream of chicken and mushroom soup, the broth, 1 diced green pepper, 1 small drained jar of pimentos, and 1 small diced onion. Salt and pepper and some Lawry's seasoning, plus a little cayenne pepper. Pour this into a greased baking dish and top with more cheese. You can freeze it at this point, then bake it off at like 400 for 45-60 minutes.
@ohheavenlyday: The chicken spaghetti sounds delicious! I just wrote down the recipe to try it myself this weekend.
I know not everyone's a tuna fan, but if they do like it, DH and I do this tuna casserole recipe all the time and it's super yummy.
Boil one package of egg noodles, and drain. Add into the pot: half an onion, coarsely chopped, 1 cup frozen peas, 2 cans cream of mushroom and garlic soup, 2 drained cans of tuna, and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Mix until thoroughly combined, then press mixture into a 9x13" baking dish and top liberally with boxed chicken stuffing mix and more shredded cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes or until cheese is melted and just beginning to brown.
Quiche is really easy to make, plus you can whatever ingrediants they like. I've made this recipe and it freezes and heats up well:
I don't really know anything about whats okay and whats not with breast feeding but I feel like this recipe is super adaptable and you could easily add/subtract stuff:
Saute 1/2 onion and 2 crushed cloves garlic in a little olive oil, add 1 can chicken broth and 1 can diced tomatoes (I like the rotel ones but prob plain bc rotel is spicy). Bring to a boil then add 1/2 tspn cumin and 1/2 tspn chili powder, stir, and add a rounded cup of rice. Bring back to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook as long as rice says (like 25 min for white or 50 for brown). Once the rice is cooked add 1 cup black beans and 1 cup corn and stir.
*You can easily also add shredded chicken, beef, or pork to this, but its good enough we usually eat it vegetarian(ish).
This freezes SUPER well and its very adaptable. Some things you can do with it:
- Eat by itself! Or with tortilla chips
- Use as a topping for nachos with some cheese broiled on top
- Cut any color pepper in half and cook for 20 min until limp, then put a heaping spoonful of rice mix on it, top with cheese, and bake another 10 min (You can make the peppers and freeze them as well already stuffed)
- Put 1 cup rice mix into 3 cups boiling chicken stock, throw in some fresh spinach for a great soup
This is also super healthy until you start throwing cheese on it btw. :)
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Beekeeper
I think I asked this before when our friends were having their baby but I’m looking for some fresh ideas (and I’m too lazy to search for the other thread).
FBIL & FSIL are due to have their baby any day now and naturally I’d like to make a few dishes for them. I’m going to do the special delivery chicken (which, btw, is pretty delish even if you’re not bringing home a new baby!) but I’m thinking I’ll probably do 1 or 2 more dishes as well. I’m sure FMIL will be making a lasagna and/or ziti so I’d like to stay away from Italian if at all possible. Any suggestions for dinners that will freeze well and that new mom can eat (she’s BFing)?