I recently shared some ideas for cooking for others (aka homemade meals and food truck ideas) and many of you are looking for more ideas, have ideas to share, and are interested in checking out the guides about it as well as my usual Just do it!
I'm so excited to share this post with you today because I truly think it's a helpful tool and resource and is full of great recipes that can help you and help others in need! I've been doing a lot of cooking for various families lately, so before I get started with the recipes, here are some tips I've gathered.
A few things to note about food delivery:
- Control your diet: Always ask about dietary restrictions before planning your meals! What do children hate? What would you like your children to eat more of? Does everyone eat meat? ETC.
- delivery time: Send a text/email/call the coordinator or family to find out the best time to deliver dinner. Keep in mind that the family is dealing with an important issue (a good one with a newborn, a difficult one with an illness) and may not want to visit friends, so plan a porch drop-off.
- No-rinse containers: I always use disposable food containers/trays so family members don’t have to clear dishes for me to retrieve!
- Make it special: If I have time, I'll add chocolate, wine, flowers, or something special, depending on the occasion. If it's a new baby, it's always a good idea to get something special for your brother or sister, such as a coloring book, stamps, stickers or a little game to make them feel extra special. If I knew the person and was communicating with them, I would ask them if they needed any groceries on the way (milk, etc.)
- No time to cook? Check out your local food delivery service or restaurant and get your food delivered! Work with a friend to create a workable schedule.
PS I don’t know what it is dining car yes? Mealtrain.com is a crowdsourcing platform that helps organize homemade a meal Giving a gift to a friend during a birth, surgery, or illness, also known as a “donation” dining car! It's essentially just a website that helps you organize the process and allows people to sign up on different dates, etc.
breakfast:
- Granola
- Chopped fresh fruit and yogurt
- Freezing Smoothie Packaging: Place a serving of smoothie ingredients into a freezer-friendly ziplock bag, label with shelf life (approximately 6 months for frozen fruit), and store in the freezer until ready to use!
- Frozen waffles: Pumpkin Muffins, Double Chocolate Banana Wafflesor my recipe for the best waffles
- Pancakes suitable for freezing
- Frittata: Potato, Leek and Beet Frittata, Sweet Potato BLT Frittata
- Quiche
- French Toast Cup
- Breakfast Burritos (Suitable for Freezers)
- Mini Mason Jar Breakfast Parfaits
- muffin: cinnamon buns, banana berries, Pumpkin Sticky Bread Muffins, Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Muffins, Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins, Coffee Crumb Cake Muffins
- breakfast cookies
- Portable Egg Baking Nest
Main meals: lunch and dinner
- frozen burritos
- Pasta Dishes: Pesto Pasta Salad, Spaghetti Bolognese, Sausage and vegetable pastamacaroni and cheese
- protein: roast chicken, Steak, shrimp, fish
- meatball: Thai meatballs, Filled with turkey meatballs, Nanny sweet and sour meatballs
- One batch of soup: Chicken and Kale Soup, Türkiye chili, Game Day White Chicken Chili, Healthy Broccoli Soup, Green pepper and vegetable soup, Feel-good vegetable soup, Classic Chicken Soup, Butternut Squash Curry Soup, Tomato Basil Soup (Served with grilled cheese)Slow Cooker French Onion Soup (and a loaf of bread as a gift)
- Chicken Nuggets: Delicious chicken bites, Pecan Popcorn Chicken
- Sheet Pan Dinner: Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken, Pan Chicken and Vegetables
- One pot meal: lemon garlic chicken rice, One Pot Indian Spiced Chicken and Cauliflower, One Pot Fiesta Chicken
- DIY Taco Bar OR Taco Salad
- Casserole: Spaghetti Squash Bake, Creamy Pumpkin Casserole, Sweet Potato Casserole
- Slow Cooker Dishes: Caribbean Salad Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Thai Chicken Curry, Beef Babaka, barbecue, Slow Cooker Baked Potato Fries
- sausage, peppers and onions
- Mason Jar Salad
- DIY lunch pinwheel
- egg salad
- Copycat Chipotle Burrito Bowl
- stir fry
- Premade and packaged sandwiches
- A plate of lasagna
side dishes
- Roasted Vegetable Plate: Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Spiced Roasted Cauliflower, Perfect roasted vegetables, Garlic Roasted Vegetables
- salad: Arugula Salad with Mint Chia Dressing, Steak Cobb Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette, Grilled Caesar Salad
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- israeli salad
- Pasta Salad: Appetizer Pasta Salad, BLT Pasta Salad, Cold Asian Noodle Salad
- Sweet Potato Fries, Zucchini fries, Eggplant fries, or regular fries
- Instant Pot Risotto
- Beet Salad
- Greek Three Bean Salad
- hash browns (did much)
- Mediterranean Churros (did much)
snacks/snacks
- Chop vegetables and serve with hummus or other dip: Tzatziki Sauce, Spanish Eggplant Sauce, Buffalo Chicken Dip, Spinach and Artichoke Dip
- mini patties
- chips and salsa
- salad rolls
- Trail Mix (a homemade mix of nuts, dried fruits, seeds and chocolate chunks)
- granola bars
- No-Bake Energy Balls: Nut-Free Powerful Bite, mint chip bites, Chocolate Chip Cookie Energy Bites
- cookie: Double Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, chocolate chip cookies, Chai Cookie Sticks, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Secret ingredient brownies (Also comes with a pint of ice cream)
- Cup cake
- Chocolate dessert cup + fresh fruit
- Fruit bowl (pre-cut)
Miscellaneous.
- Cold brew iced coffee
- a pot of iced tea
- pitcher of lemonade
- Chia Seed Jam
- Paleo Sandwich Bread or a loaf of bread
- DIY chicken rub
- wine
- chocolate
- flowers
- Fresh milk (or other groceries)
- Non-food related: Hang out with friends and hire a cleaning service!