What is the easiest way to help a new mom out? Take her family a meal! Seriously. No woman who has just birthed a baby wants to come home, meal plan, and schlep the kids to the grocery store. Her husband might be gifted in the kitchen, but chances are he will also be exhausted from helping her, taking shifts with the newborn, or busy corralling and caring for the rest of the kids and/or family needs! The first few weeks should be a period of ease and adjustment so if you have a friend, co-worker, church member, cousin, or neighbor who has just had a baby, don’t hesitate to offer a meal. I promise they won’t turn you down!
I am no skilled chef so these are my easy go to meals to take to friends with newborns. What I love about each of them is there is plenty to split the recipe in half so I can cook just once and have a meal for my family as well as another and usually both of us can have leftovers!
Pulled Pork (serves 8-12)
Ingredients: 2-3 lbs of boneless pork rump roast, a can of root beer (maybe two cans), BBQ sauce of your choice
Directions: Place meat in your crock pot, pour in root beer (it doesn’t have to cover the meat), slow cook for 8-10 hours (turn meat half way through if your home…if not don’t worry about it), pull apart with fork when done, mix with BBQ sauce
You can take this meal over with buns, potato salad, slaw, beans, or corn.
(This is also a super easy meal to serve a lot of people at your house. You can put the meat on slider buns to serve more)
Taco Soup (serves 8-10)
Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef, 1 chopped onion, 1 can ranch beans, 1 can pinto beans, 1 can rotel, 2 cans diced tomatoes, 1 can corn, 1 pkg taco seasoning, 1 pkg ranch seasoning
Directions: Brown meat in a pan and add diced onion. While meat is browning dump the cans and seasonings in a large pot on the stove and heat to medium. When meat and onions are done, add to pot. Stir and let simmer until warm and bubbly throughout.
You can take this meal over with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream.
(This is a great freezer meal. I like to eat it in the cooler months, but I guess it can be a year round food)
Meatballs (yields about 40 large meatballs)
Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef, 1.5 lbs ground turkey, 1/3 cup almond flour, 15 oz. jar of roasted red peppers, 2 zucchini, 2 cloves garlic, 1 yam, 2 eggs, 4 cups spinach
Directions: Put all vegetables into the food processor and chop until minced well. Dump into large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and blend with your hands (ewww! Raw meat!) Roll into balls and place in baking pan however many you want to cook. (The others can be put into freezer bags for later!) Cook at 375 for 45 minutes.
These really can go with all sorts of dishes. I like to top it with spaghetti sauce over quinoa with salad, but it would also work well with whatever pasta you might like to take. There’s so many veggies in the meatballs you don’t really need side items but you can take just about anything!
(This is a great way to hide veggies in your kids food if they are picky eaters. You can’t taste them at all!)
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