Have you ever received a meal from someone due to a birth, death or family tragedy? If you have, you know what a blessing it can be. We have received many tasty meals from family, friends and church members since the birth of Ashlynn. It has been great not to have to worry about what is for dinner.
But what if your on the other end, your the meal maker. Does it make you nervous? Do you make excuses so you don't have to? God may be asking you to use a gift He has given you to be a blessing to others. I love to bake and cook, but I still get nervous over what to make. As a Deaconess at Church, my job is to make meals for families with new babies. I have several 'go to' recipes I use as well as these guidelines when I am making a meal...
My questions for you are:
What kind of meals do you like to receive the best?
What are your 'go to' recipes?
What are your most kid friendly dishes?
But what if your on the other end, your the meal maker. Does it make you nervous? Do you make excuses so you don't have to? God may be asking you to use a gift He has given you to be a blessing to others. I love to bake and cook, but I still get nervous over what to make. As a Deaconess at Church, my job is to make meals for families with new babies. I have several 'go to' recipes I use as well as these guidelines when I am making a meal...
- Don't experiment with a new recipe, unless you totally trust the source. Instead have several recipes you feel comfortable with, that are yummy, and pick the one that suits the family you are taking the meal to.
- Ask about allergies/special diets. You wouldn't want to take a dish with breading if someone in the family had Celiac disease...make a meat dish for a vegetarian...take peanut butter cookies to a family who had a child with a peanut allergy.
- Ask if there is anything they really don't like or have received numerous dishes of...fish...pasta...hamburger casseroles...
- If you are really ambitious, ask what their favorite food/vegetable/salad/dessert is. And make it.
- If there are children in the family, ask about their preferences. The last thing a mom wants is to have a meal delivered only to have children who won't eat it.
- Make it fun. A friend recently brought us a meal with cool whip in a can. I don't know when the last time was I bought that stuff. My kids thought they were in heaven!
- Take a meal, not just a dish. I include a main dish, a vegetable or lettuce salad, side salad, dessert and maybe applesauce or something else kid friendly.
- Make everything in disposable dishes. (disposable baking pans, baggies, glad ware...) You can even take paper plates and plastic silverware if you'd like.
- Ask when the best time to deliver is. Arrive on time and don't overstay your welcome.
My questions for you are:
What kind of meals do you like to receive the best?
What are your 'go to' recipes?
What are your most kid friendly dishes?
3 comments:
I like to recieve meals that are easily frozen that can be used when I just don't have time to make a meal. The kind I can pull out of the freezer on a whim.
As far as meals that I have brought that are easy to do, Mexican meals- Taco's with all the fixings seperated. Hamburger cooked and seasoned and individual containers for toppings. A bag of tortilla chips, soft shells, hard shells, and that wonderful cheese dipping sauce! We always have applesauce with our mexican meals too! Not sure why, it just seems to go good together! For dessert, cheesecake!
That is my favorite meal to do for others!
Okay i will give you some ideas of what I do for babies, etc. Meatballs, poor mans steak, grilled chicken breasts, million dollar spagethii, wet burritos, chicken enchilada ring. I'm not as good at all the sides, I always try but...one of my favorite sides is apple/snicker salad, green beans, bread, cottage cheese, potatoes, I'm much better at deserts. I try to make a desert and then have something they can stick in the freezer. Maybe I would take strawberries and angel food cake but also cookies that they can stick in the freezer, lunches or have on hand for those munchy moments.
But my ultimate meal to take, maybe more in cooler weather is cheese soup (your recipe) with little smokies wrapped in biscuits. Send some applesauce along and a desert. I like taking mexican also and then do the chips/salsa, and fried ice cream for desert.
Really like the paper plates idea. It isn't fun whem mom is stuck washing dishes and trying to care for kids and newborn etc.
i'm not always good about trow away contaioners. I just don't want to always spend the money on them. I might save cottage cheese/ cool whip containers for such a thing.
Thanks for the ideas ladies:)
Getting meals after having babies is a HUGE blessing. I received so many after my kids were both born and many from people I didn't even know. I do stress about taking meals to others though. i LOVE to do it because i know what a blessing it is, but always have a brain freeze as to what to make. It always works out somehow, but I should make an easy go to list so I don't haave to stree over it so much.
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