Food ideas for a new mom?

I brought a care package of food to a second-time mom not too long ago: Homemade olive oil and maple syrup granola, kale chips, minestrone soup (with the cannellini on the side), quart-sized jars of wild game bolognese sauce, and individually wrapped breakfast cookies (made with grated apple and almond flour) for the freezer. All the food was well-received by her toddler too, making life easier. They are both now addicted to kale chips!

You are such a kind, generous friend. This new mother is so lucky.

Braised meats (which by nature are usually more economical), such as pot roast or brisket or pork shoulder, when frozen in their sauce -- it's important to cool and freeze them in the sauce -- work really well. You can put portions for two in wide mouth pint jars (re-usable! handy for storage in the fridge!), well labeled.

Dark meat chicken from a roasted bird also freezes well in sauce, done the same way (but remove the bone to fit more in). An easy sauce would be simply to slice 2-3 onions that cook under the roast; add some herbs like thyme and parsley and a splash of white wine, if you have it, plus some water. The onions will melt down, and you can blend them up, thinning a bit, or leave rustic, to make a really easy but flavorful sauce.

Meatloaf can be baked to nearly done and then frozen; consider making mini-meatloaves in mini-loaf pans for easy re-heating.
Meatballs in sauce also work well for freezing. Make a double batch of everything. Freeze all but one dinner's worth, bring it all with you, so they can eat a just or recently cooked meal, but also have more in the freezer.

Also, this may sound kind of crazy, but make several big pots of brown rice, and put the cooked rice into pint-sized deli containers. Pack it in tightly, but leave head space. Having cooked rice and other grains on hand can be a godsend. (There were many times, when my babies were nursing and I was ravenous, all the time, that I just ate a big bowl of lightly salted brown rice with a touch of butter on it. It filled me up and tasted so, so good!)

And finally, the new dad isn't nursing, and the two don't always need to eat exactly the same thing. He might love some spicy chili! Consider making a nice Bolognese sauce, double batch, and put some of it in a separate pan with some kidney beans, chili powder, etc. And getting away from dinner and back to breakfast, how about a nice batch of homemade granola? ;o)

A friend of mine recently had her third baby! I made several things for her to freeze, and I portioned them into individual portions to make things easier. I made a few casseroles, soups such as beef barley and chicken (freeze them in two-person portions in zip-top bags laid flat), loaves of bread, and some breakfast items like muffins, pancakes, and waffles, all of which freeze really well.

A little off track, but when I was breastfeeding once upon a time (youngest is about to graduate college) word on the street was that an occasional beer helped milk production. No idea if this is still thought to be true, but if so - and she likes beer - a case of her favorite type(s) would be an unusual/fun donation along with the food.

Add some ground flaxseed, oats, and amaranth flour to the multi-grain muffins--those all help with lactation.

Don't forget breakfast, that can easily be overlooked! Maybe some nice multi-grain muffins that are easy to make, transport, and eat!

Keep in mind there is a chance she'll be nursing. Things like beans and curry aren't a great idea!

Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Foods to Avoid when Breastfeeding

* Shark, Swordfish, Tilefish, King Mackerel are the most important foods to avoid while breastfeeding. (These fish contain a high mercury content)

* Tuna. (No more than one tuna steak or two 170g cans a week)

* All fresh water fish that come from places that are known to be contaminated. Read more on eating fish while breastfeeding

* Stay away from artificial sweeteners like Saccharin.

* Stay away from processed foods; they contain too many additives.

* Alcohol is allowed in small amounts. (Read more on drinking alcohol while breastfeeding )

* The extra fat on meat should be cut off because it absorbs toxins.

* Foods that cause gas (broccoli) or spicy food that could cause heartburn can both affect the milk being passed to the baby.

Trust me, babies are gassy enough! You don't want to add to the problem ;)


What a nice thing to do! You're a lovely friend!

after I came home from the hospital all I wanted was hearty soups!!! it's easy to get dehydrated esp when breast feeding and to skimp out on veggies- soup helps to solve those issues! you are so thoughtful!

There is a thread from a while ago with pretty extensive discussion of this very thing. Search the hotline for "Favorite homemade "TV Dinners" (ie, freeze and bake meals)?" and you'll find it.

I'm going to assume they are omnivours because you didn't mention vegan or vegetarian.

For the first day, Roast chicken with veg. It's a nice mild tasting food and tastes great cold the next day. Maybe have one of the veg a casserole like cauliflower and cheese with bread crumbs, make lots for heating up the next day.

Next, I would do pork and beans, or even a curry (My favourite for this kind of thing: http://wholewheatfsm.blogspot.ca/2013/01/curry-saves-day-basic-goat-curry-recipe.html omit the meat to make it vegan) some nice bread (home made or artisan) and a salad. Last about 2 to 4 days. both beans and curry freeze well.

After that, maybe a slow cooked stew? Or lasagne, freezes well, and most people love it (keep it simple though, no mushrooms or zucchini, just a nice, home style, comforting pasta dish).

Just throwing ideas out there. It's basically the menu I did for my friend and her hubby when they brought their little one home. Of course, the weather was much colder that year, so I wanted to make things that were high in energy and made them feel warm inside.