Aly from CA writes:
“I am constantly being asked to provide a meal for another Mom in our group who has just had a baby or has another life-changing event in their life. I LOVE to do this, and I love that doing so helps teach my 3 kids about helping others, giving, and compassion. My concern however, is doing so on a budget and in a way that doesn’t put more stress into my life than I already have!”
Aly is indeed in a dilemma. A dilemma that I too have faced a number of times! Let’s reduce the stress! And remove the frustration out of giving!
Here are a few meals that are not only frugal, but will freeze and transort well!
This is something that my aunt’s church does as part of their Hospitality Ministry. They call it “Cooks for Christ”.
Once a month, 6-7 women gather in the church’s kitchen (or someone’s home if no kitchen is available) to prepare easy freezer meals for the month. They prepare for those who they know will be needing a meal, as well as a few extras for those unexpected circumstances. They are stored in the church’s deep freezer (or someone’s personal deep freezer) until they are needed. The funds can come from the church’s budget or from donations collected from the congregation. This helps take the pressure off of one person to always be making meals or asking others to make meals.
Laura at OrgJunkie.com just did a great freezer meals round-up recently! You can check it out here.
Tips and Tricks:
I hope this list of recipes and tips/tricks helps take the stress and frustration out of making meals for others!
Our church is fairly small, so it’s not very often that we are asked to make a meal for a new mom. Whenever I am asked to do so, I like to make something that will knock their socks off and make them feel really special. My favorite dish to bring is Beef with Green Beans in Peanut Sauce served over Vermicelli Noodles: http://themealplanner.blogspot.com/2008/04/stir-fried-beef-with-green-beans-in.html. It’s really tasty for the parents and pretty kid-friendly because of the peanut butter, so I really aim to please the whole family with this one.
Thanks for those recipes! We have a large church and are social butterflies and seem to know all the pregnant people 🙂 We’re always making an extra meal! 🙂 I love it, but it does put a burden on the budget.
My favorite meal to make is Taco Bake – http://terrastreats.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/taco-bake/
thanks!
my chili recipe is very inexpensive.
depending on the price of ground beef, i can fix it for about $3-$4.
We label all of our dishes after remembering how hard it was to remember whose was whose. Another hint, if you are the recipient, wash it and write the thank you not immediately and put it in the dish! That is how I kept it straight!
If you want a dish returned, just put one of your address labels on the bottom! I do a lot of freezer meals for others and have found “real” metal baking pans at the dollar type stores for as little as 75 cents each.
Some lovely ideas! Thanks for sharing. :~) Remember though, if the meal is for a new mom and family, go easy on onions and peppers. If she is nursing it could upset her babies stomach.
This I, unfortunately, learned from experience. The poor wee thing so miserable because I’d had a bbq sandwich.
Thank you for sharing all of your great ideas! I appreciate you.
Blessings,
Kath
I always make beef enchilidas. This is not super expensive. I triple the recipe and it will make about 6 pans. I buy the disposable pans and have them ready in the freezer when I know that babies are coming and also opportunities to bless others. I add chips and salsa and sometimes a salad and brownies. If the familiy has small kids I will also put in chocolate pudding or something kid friendly.
Today I just took food to a friend who had a baby recently…wish I had read these tips earlier…you have some great ones. Thanks!
You’re my hero for writing this! I am VP of my local MOMS Club so every month it seems like I am trying to figure out what dish to take a new mommy!
🙂
This is exactly the information I have been looking for! Thank you! We have the same setup at my Church and once a month I cook up a batch of food (usually around 14 individual serves) and I’m always on the look out for variety!
Thanks 🙂
This is my fav to take to people, lil ones seem to love it a lot
Baked Spaghetti
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes, cut up
1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
1 (2-1/4 ounce) can sliced ripe olives
2 teaspoons oregano
1 pound ground beef, browned & drained
1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
16 ounces spaghetti, cooked
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Sauté onion and green pepper in butter until tender. Add next 6
ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Place half of spaghetti in
greased 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Top with half sauce mix and half
cheese. Repeat layers. Mix soup and water. Pour over casserole.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
40% off at Sprouts Market.
(cut in 1/2~so my family would have a meal over the weekend)
I made my first tri tip (brisket) for a family that had a loved one in the hospital.
Easy. Marinaded the night before. Wrapped in aluminum foil, with a disposable
(and recyclable aluminum foil pan). In addition to the main course, boiled frozen
veggies and made some yummy mashed potatoes to go along. Delivered everything
in small aluminum containers w/lids. Everything was recyclable.
Glad to have found this website~saw you on FoxNews.