Food Is Love.
When our daughters were born, we were so incredibly blessed to have lots of friends bring us home-cooked meals.
And I have never appreciated cozy, home-cooked meals more than I did in that season. I was tired and hungry, and I felt so loved.
Having someone cook you a meal when you are exhausted, physically recovering, emotionally all over the place, and trying your very best to adjust to your whole new outlook on life with this tiny human in your arms (and probably a little spit up on your shirt) – it is incredible. It is nourishing, it is healing, it is LOVE.
These meals are easy and comforting, and also taste really good. They are some of my favorites to bring to new parents – because these people are tired, and hungry, and postpartum meals deserve to be flavorful, too!
And don’t skip the bonuses – the cookies, muffins, energy bites, etc. – because we’re not just bringing food, we’re bringing JOY!
Best Meals To Make For New Parents
1
Easy Crockpot Carnitas
Easy, delicious, crowd-pleaser! I love making this one because it’s easy to make, and easy for people to customize how they want to eat it.
Special Instructions
- For You: Cook recipe as directed, but skip the broiling.
- For Your Friends: Reheat on a sheet pan until warmed, and then turn the broil on for a few minutes to get it crispy.
What To Pack With It
- Tortillas
- Cilantro and limes
- Avocado or guacamole or a fun green sauce
- Salsa
- Rice
- Maybe a margarita mix! (alcoholic or non-alcoholic)
2
Wild Rice Soup
I can’t think of anything more life-giving than receiving a container of homemade creamy wild rice soup with some crusty bread. This is one I love to bring to people – it’s straightforward and always gets a lot of love.
Special Instructions
- None! Make as directed. It’s super straightforward.
What To Pack With It
- No Knead Bread
- Toasted Bread and Parmesan Kale Salad (or a salad kit)
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
3
Shepherd’s Pie
Tons of veggies in a thick, luscious gravy, topped with creamy mashed potatoes. Comfort food to the max – and this one works for vegetarians!
Special Instructions
- For You: Assemble everything in a large oven-safe pan, but don’t bake yet.
- For Your Friends: Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes or until browned and bubbly.
What To Pack With It
- No Knead Bread
- Simple Green Salad (or a salad kit)
- Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars
4
Ricotta Meatballs with Crispy Topping
I have heard from many of you who have made this to deliver to friends. Homemade ricotta meatballs in tomato sauce, sprinkled with a crispy delicious topping. Super family-friendly – this is a great one for friends that might already have littles in the house!
Special Instructions
- For You: Bake the meatballs and cover with sauce. Mix up the panko topping separately, but don’t assemble it yet.
- For Your Friends: Sprinkle the panko topping on just before baking. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 5-7 minutes; broil for a few minutes at the end for crispiness.
What To Pack With It
- Avocado Kale Caesar Salad or a caesar salad kit
- Garlic Bread or cooked pasta (I vote garlic bread!)
- Party Brownies
5
Crockpot Chicken Bowls
After we had our daughter, a friend brought me prepped bowl ingredients and it was my absolute favorite of all the meals anyone brought me. This combo includes rice, chicken, cilantro pesto, all the good stuff. It’s PACKED with flavor to break up the monotony of that newborn haze.
This one works great for anyone who is dairy-free!
Special Instructions
- For You: Cook and prep all components of the bowls; store it all in separate containers.
- For Them: It’s a build-your-own adventure. Delicious.
What To Pack With It
The main components of the meal are the shredded chicken, yellow rice, and cilantro pesto, but these are the extras I’d pack alongside it:
- Pickled onions
- Sour cream or salsa
- Avocado
- Salad mix or Simple Green Salad
- S’mores bars
6
Sarah’s White Chicken Chili
My friend Sarah actually brought me this chili when our daughter was born, which is how it ended up on POY. Chili really feels like the ultimate postpartum meal – super filling, high in protein and fiber, endlessly comforting, and easy to ladle into bowls and reheat.
Special Instructions
- None! Straightforward and easy!
What To Pack With It
- Tortilla chips
- Cornbread
- Cilantro and lime
- Raspberry Crumble Bars
7
Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls
Another build-your-own recipe! This is perfect for a healthy and flavorful lunch that be scooped and served throughout the week. I love to send this with a rotisserie chicken or some other protein.
Another one that works well for anyone who is dairy free!
Special Instructions
- For You: Store everything in individual containers.
- For Your Friends: It’s a build-your-own!
What To Pack With It
- Cucumbers
- Olives or feta
- Rotisserie chicken or air fryer chicken
- Hummus
- Pita or naan
- Chocolate Caramel Oatmeal Bars
8
Best Easy Pasta Salad
Especially ideal for families welcoming summer babies! Veggies, carbs, protein, lots of flavor, no reheating necessary! And gets better with a few days in the fridge.
Special Instructions:
- For You: Toss half the dressing with the pasta salad so it can absorb and flavor everything; send the other half of the dressing for them to add fresh.
What To Pack With It
- Rotisserie chicken for extra protein
- Strawberry White Chocolate Cookies
9
Lemon Rosemary Chicken Soup
I cannot think of something more bright and nourishing than this chicken soup. It’s packed with nutrition but also feels like a warm comforting hug.
Special Instructions
- For You: Make as directed, but hold the spinach (send it separately).
- For Your Friends: Reheat and add spinach in just before serving.
What To Pack With It
10
Cauliflower Walnut Meat
My favorite part of this cauliflower walnut meat (besides taste!) is that it freezes and reheats beautifully for future meals. It stays crumbly in the freezer so you can reach a measuring cup into a big frozen bag and just throw a cup at a time into a skillet to reheat!
Special Instructions:
- None! Easy peasy!
What To Pack With It
- Tortillas or cooked rice
- Avocado or guacamole
- Salsa
- Pickled onions
- Margarita mix (alcoholic or non-alcoholic)
- Golden Grahams Bars
Bonus: Stock Their Freezer!
There are two recipes that I love to bring to new parents that are perfect for stocking up their freezer for breakfast and lunch. They are a LIFELINE and are such a wonderful little bonus to receive.
- Meal Prep Breakfast Sandwiches: Sandwiches with eggs, bacon, spinach, and cheese, wrapped up and stored in the freezer to reheat in the oven or microwave.
- Chipotle Turkey Burritos: This makes a huge batch of burritos are not only delicious, but healthy too (ground turkey, sweet potatoes, greek yogurt, tons of veggies!). The perfect one-handed nutritious lunch.
If you want to dive further into prepping freezer meals for yourself or friends, check out our full list of 22 healthy freezer meals to make.
Baked Goods And Other Treats To Bring
Another happy surprise to bring along: a sweet one! Whether it’s muffins, energy bites, or even just a big bowl of fresh fruit, adding a little something extra is just a huge day-brightener. Here are some favorites:
- Mixed Berry Muffins with Sugary Tops
- My favorite blender muffins (pumpkin, banana, carrot, zucchini, or apple)
- Carrot Cake Coffee Cake
- Pistachio Loaf
- Energy Bites
Favorite Disposable Containers
One rule I live by for delivering meals to new parents: NO DISHES.
So I always deliver meals in disposable containers for easy cleanup. Many of these come in large packs / large quantities, but they’re useful to have on hand for just about anything (for example, sending leftovers home with friends), so they’re worth it to keep stored and ready to use.
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Containers For Soup
- Paper Soup Containers (preferred): I love these because they’re not plastic and transfer well to the freezer if needed.
- Plastic Deli Containers: These come in lots of different sizes! They’re great for soup and toppings.
Containers For Casseroles
- Foil Roaster Pans: These are great for larger casseroles, like the shepherd’s pie.
- Foil All-Purpose Pans: These are good for smaller casseroles or other meals to be reheated, like the ricotta meatballs. Also for dessert bars!
Miscellaneous All-Purpose Containers
- Ziploc Bags: An obvious choice! Great for storing cooked meat like the carnitas or cauliflower walnut meat.
- Mason Jars: Okay, so these aren’t disposable, but everyone can use another mason jar in their arsenal. Use these for sauces, dips, or toppings like the pickled onions!
- Plastic Deli Containers: Another shoutout for these, which come in so many sizes that make them perfect for sauces, toppings, and more.
Tips and Tricks For Delivering Meals
- Start A Meal Train: If your friend just had a baby and it hasn’t yet been started, put together a Meal Train for them! This allows yourself and their friends and family to coordinate meal delivery in a really easy, simple way.
- Include Instructions and Ingredients: Provide clear, written instructions on how to reheat the meal and serve it, as well as the ingredients that are in the recipe.
- Note Diet Restrictions: Some new moms may have specific diet restrictions outside of their usual habits, so be sure to ask about anything new to know what to bring!
- Add Special Extras: A lot of times when I bring people a meal, they comment specifically on the “extras” – the dessert, baked goods, fresh fruit, etc. I highly recommend grabbing one of these extras to package up as well!
- No-Contact vs. Visiting: Some new parents want to say hi and visit, and others might just want you to drop it off and run. Check in with them to see what they’d prefer before delivering the meal!
Thanks for the great recipes I made them for my daughter who recently had her first baby
Hi! This list was really helpful in planning for meals to bring my best friend. I would love to see an updated version of this post with newer recipes!
Although the food you suggest for new mothers looks good, as a life long baby nurse, my experience tells me, most of those meals would not be good if she’s breast feeding.
Just in case the baby has an immature colon, she shouldn’t start with anything spicy. No broccoli or very little. No chocolate, and especially NO PORK.
I always start my mothers with chicken soup, cooked with carrots and potato, some herbs and very little onion. I cook enough chicken that I can make her a chicken salad with a tiny bit of mayo, some raisins and a few nuts and peeled apple.
If the baby is adjusting well, the next meal is beef stroganoff, made with very few onions and light garlic.
For breakfast, I rotate between oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts one day, and scrambled eggs with toast.
It’s not just the baby who needs to be considered, the mother is very tender and doesn’t wanna have spicy, or constipating foods like cheese. And corn chips, make sure they are GMO free!
Please, if you’re going to bill your recipes as being for new mothers, do them the service of recommending foods that will help them, not hurt them!
My daughter is having a baby soon and I want to bring her meals, pre prepared.
My recipe repertoire is zero.
They eat some meat but not a lot.
Looking forward to your recipes.
Hi Lindsay. I’m Eloiza and I love the recipes. I hope I can see more of your delicious recipe blog. More power to you and to all mothers out there that love healthy delicious food preparing for their families.
Spaghetti and meatballs, with a great garden salad and garlic mozzarella bread. I like to take that to anyone that had a baby, illness or accident, etc. I didn’t come with this meal myself. When I had my first baby, my best friend brought that to us and it was wonderful! She made it from scratch and she also made it without much spice in it since I was nursing my baby. Everyone that I’ve taken this meal to, loves it. I also bring something sweet like cookies or brownies, so they can just pick it up and eat them at anytime .
(My friend brought us the best cookies-they had white and milk chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, made from scratch also.) They didn’t last very long -they were THAT good!🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
Great ideas for meals. I am going to start a meal train and I needed ideas for folks that want to make a special meals for our new arrival’s mum and dad.
Everything looks so so good!
K
Shout out to the women like me who aren’t privileged enough to have a solid support system so they are desperately looking for meals to prep while being full term since no one is even around to change a diaper, never mind waste food on a whole meal for us!
Am loving this recipe round up, THANKS!
I remember when I had my baby, my sister-in-law made me some coconut rice! YUM
I love making a big batch of mushroom risotto. It’s such an easy dish, once you get the hang of it, it keeps well in the fridge for up to a week and even freezes well. This has been a pretty big hit the past few years.
Thanks so much for the perfect recipes and tips
Thanks so much for these beautiful recipes Lindsay. I’m a new grandma so they’re just what I need.
Kate
Have you frozen any of these? Wondering how they turn out/any difference in steps. My second will be here in about 2 weeks.
Thanks!
GREAT round-up of food to deliver! I don’t have any new moms in my life but I have a dear friend whose son has surgery this week. Food is wonderful and healing in all stages of life so I’ll use this list for new moms, exhausted moms, moms who just got divorced, moms who have gone back to school, anyone who could use a home cooked meal. Thanks for the ideas❤️
I’m a mom and I was lucky enough to have dear friends to bring me chicken soup and chocolates after I had my second daughter. I really appreciated it because I didn’t have time to cook. I love all your food ideas. But my favorites were The Creamy Chicken Quinoa and Broccoli Casserole and the Dark Chocolate Coconut. Great blog post!
Can you tell me if these recipes freeze well- or if some are better to freeze than others ? Thanks!
These recipes look delicious. I’m a mom of two and I love to take a meal to the family of a newborn because it was such a help for me when my children were born. I have one suggestion, though. Find out if the new mom is nursing and if so, be careful to avoid bringing acidic or spicy foods, or gas-producing foods like cabbage, peppers, onions, broccoli, or beans. If a nursing mom eats these things, they can upset the baby’s tummy. Stick with something mild like your chicken and wild rice soup, or a simple roasted chicken, mac and cheese, etc.
Thanks for this! I’m headed to a baby shower with a gift of some homemade meals. I made a menu using these pictures and recipes. I added a checklist of options (e.g., white rice or brown rice), things to avoid (e.g., “No cilantro, please!”), and a way to indicate whether they have room in their freezer or not. I love cooking, and I think this will make a nice gift presentation.
You have such wonderfully thoughtful meal ideas. I needed inspiration to send a beautifully well planned meal to some friends that just had a baby and you just inspired me and lightened the task. We have miserable weather up in Southwestern Canada and the comfort foods sound so perfect!
THANK YOU your website is beautiful
I’m a new mum and just reading this and how much you love the new mummas around you and help by baking (the best thing you could possibly do) blessed me! I’m sure those in your life will never let you go, what a beautiful heart, what a woman! x
Our son and his girlfriend are having their 1st child. I’m so excited to make them most of these recipes. She doesn’t work and I’m not sure he can cook! Lol
I came across your blog while searching google for recipes to make for my new mom friend, and it’s friggen hilarious. I don’t even usually read the blog crap on Pinterest but yours is too funny I’m dying!
I LOVE Charlie’s hat!
ALL of these look DELICIOUS!! I’m pinning this to make for us AND to bring to a friend. Thank you!!
Broccoli and colliflower can give babies gas. I would do the same reception but ask the mom if she can eat broccoli or colliflower.