When it comes to bringing food to a new mom, sometimes it’s hard to think outside the lasagna box. Yes, lasagna is delicious and easy to carry, but casseroles and lasagnas are the default meal for many, and there are only so many baking dishes one can store in their refrigerator or freezer. Not to mention, dinner is only one meal a day, and in my experience, I was hungry for about 23 hours each day in the beginning.
Here are 15 simple meals to bring new parents to break the casserole conga line:
Breakfast
Breakfast may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about feeding a new family, which is why you should consider making it your signature dish.
Muffins
Homemade or fresh from a local bakery (or Costco), muffins are both filling and delicious. Drop them off with some coffee, tea, or juice and you’ll be a breakfast champ.
Breakfast burritos
It’s delicious, versatile, and can be worn with one hand at any time of the day or night. Divide the haul into portions of both fresh and frozen, and they’ll be eating them for weeks to come… if they don’t eat them all at once, that is.
Breakfast casserole
For those who want to make a casserole but want to stand out, this has been mentioned several times as a hit with our readers.
Granola with yogurt and fresh fruit
Whether you use homemade or store-bought granola, parfaits are fancy and will fill you up with the good stuff.
Egg and Cheese Bites
Protein packed, toddler-friendly, and can be eaten with one hand, these healthy breakfast snacks require zero dishes and leave zero mess for the new parent. Unless you’re a baby, in which case you’ll probably find them on your couch, your window and the cat.
Lunch or Dinner
Of course any meal can be served at any time of day, but some of these are lighter, more substantial lunch options if you want to stave off hunger as they approach the one-two punch of Witching Hour and bedtime.
Separate the quesadillas
Kid-friendly, easy to make, and can be filled with as much or as little as you like, these are basically cheesy cones of happiness. The fact that you can eat them with one hand, and don’t need more than a napkin is also a huge perk.
Slow cooker meals
From dump and go recipes to frozen soups, these have been brought up by our community time and time again. Throw it in the slow cooker in the morning and it’ll be ready to roll whenever they come up for air at dinner.
Stromboli or calzones
Delicious hot or cold, easy to eat with one hand, and can be filled with whatever ingredients new parents want. Both offer everything you love about pizza without the mess or giant box.
Empanadas
This is another pocket of deliciousness but with different flavor profiles than calzones. From hearty meat and vegetable stews to sweet options like pumpkin or sweet potato, the sky’s the limit on what you can put into these delicious dishes.
Above average sandwiches and salads
The sandwich fixings receive high marks in our community, as do the really good salads. If you go this route, getting primo bread and toppings and opting for a salad that doesn’t come out of a bag will make this meal stand out.
Snacks
Who doesn’t love a lot of snacks? Snacks are the perfect offering if you’re not sure what to make, or if you just want to throw together something quick to brighten their day.
Pre-cut fruits and vegetables
It’s very simple but also very clever. Great for parents who run out of fresh stuff on the newborn cloud and for toddlers who live on fruit and crackers. This simple offering is about as far from a casserole as you can get.
Energy balls
There are 90,000 different ways you can put them together, and they’re great for about 90,000 different reasons.
Charcuterie board
Swing it through a bottle of bubbles (or bubbly water if that’s more their jam) and let them feel *fancy* with a snack board, crackers, cheese and anything else that makes them ‘lunchable’ of adults.
Lactation cookies
Lactation cookies are really just cookies that contain ingredients like oats, brewer’s yeast, and flaxseed that help produce milk.
Snack packs
Containers of nuts, variety bars, dried fruit, pretzels – really anything she can eat with one hand and feel full is key. Here’s our post, 20 One-Handed Snack Ideas for New Parents for more inspiration.
Ways to Feed the Family Without Cooking
You don’t have to cook to treat someone to a meal. Take out from their favorite restaurant, Door Dash or Grub Hub gift cards, even a gift card for Amazon Fresh if they live in an area that can deliver groceries – any of these are all helpful to new parents .
Proper Good makes delicious meals for you with clean label ingredients delivered right to her door. You can get 6 meals for under $40 and they’re all shelf stable so she doesn’t have to search for a fridge room. Oatmeals are my favorite.
There’s always dessert, which of course, can be made or maybe a tub of ice cream and a tray of cookies. Anything that says, “Hey, we’re thinking of you, and here’s some Rocky Road to cry while you rock that baby for the 18th straight hour today.”
There are a few other things to consider before you go full Julia Childs:
- Allergies or intolerances – is there an allergy at home to anything? This will influence not only what you do but also how you do it, depending on the severity of the allergy.
- Diet restrictions – are there any dietary restrictions? This is different from allergies, but it’s very important to respect and/or disclose if you’ve cooked someone only to find out they can’t/can’t eat a certain ingredient.
- Picky kids – do they have toddlers or other children at home who may not be bothered by what you are doing? It’s nice to cook just for the new mom, but it’s not bad to think of something to feed the whole family.
- Dishes – Sending items in disposable containers or a dish you no longer need back will help reduce their mental burden trying to remember whose dish it is. Get a baking dish or tray from the thrift store so they won’t have to think about returning it.
- Ease of preparation and cleaning – the ideal dish is easy to prepare and leaves little or no mess for new parents to clean up afterwards. Paper plates and napkins are a great gift to cut down on cleanup when someone is in the thick of those early days.
To Sum up
There is no one-size-fits-all perfect diet. Some things make food more or less desirable, though. Focusing on foods that are quick to prepare and clean up afterward, easy to eat with one hand, and don’t add anything to the mental load of a new parent (like returning a dish) are all major pluses when planning what your will bring. Eating and enjoying them hot or cold is also a big perk.
What would you add?
What food should you bring to new parents, or what is something that someone you really loved brought you? Let us know in the comments below!
You may also like: 10 Thoughtful Gifts for a New Mom
