Meal for a new mom

[KrisM]

I'm bringing dinner to a new mom tomorrow night. She has a 5 and 3 year old and now a 3 week old who was 10 weeks early and is still in the hospital. Anyhow, she says her kids like noodley things. I'm thinking spaghetti is just too boring for a meal to bring.

I made this one time and it was good: http://realmomkitchen.com/71/ham-and-cheesy-noodle-casserole/. But, I don't remember if I served it as a side or the main dish. I'm thinking I either need a main dish for it or some sides for it. Any ideas?

Or any other easy to make noodley recipe you want to share?

[DietCokeLover]

I like to make a baked spaghetti. So easy, but also hearty. Serve with some salad and crusty bread. Let me know if you need the recipe.

[KrisM]

I like to make a baked spaghetti. So easy, but also hearty. Serve with some salad and crusty bread. Let me know if you need the recipe.

Is it different than regular spaghetti? Do the noodles get crispy? I'd love the recipe to check out at least. I've never had it and don't know what to expect.

[KrisM]

bump?

:jammin: (just to make it long enough to post)

[DietCokeLover]

Is it different than regular spaghetti? Do the noodles get crispy? I'd love the recipe to check out at least. I've never had it and don't know what to expect.

Here is the recipe. If I am in a hurry, I will just use jar spaghetti sauce instead of making the sauce in the recipe. Also, if you want to make the noodles a little "creamy", you can mix some butter, parmesan and beaten egg in with the noodles and then press them into the pan.

The noodles do not get crispy, they stay moist just like a lasagna noodle would be.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/baked-spaghetti-recipe/index.html

[athompson]

How about some rotini pasta tossed with pesto, cherry tomatoes, chicken and mozzarella cubes? I cook the chicken in a pan, cube it and set aside. I cook the whole wheat rotini, drain it, pour back in pot. Add pesto and toss. Add tomatoes, cubed chicken and cubed mozzarella. Put top on pasta pot for a few minutes and then stir again. So easy, yummy and easily transportable. I use Kirlkland brand pesto from Costco.
All three of my children (6, 3 and 1) gobble this up.

[KrisM]

Thanks for both recipes. Once I wake up a bit more, I'll figure out what I'm going to do. I should have cooked last night when the kids were in bed, but I didn't. Oh well.

[egoldber]

If she has 2 older kids and a baby in the NICU, she will be grateful for anything. Something easy to eat on the run and does not require long cooking times is great.

My older DD and even DH are fairly picky, so we got a lot of casserole type things that no one would eat except me.

A couple people gave us essentially meals that were pre-prepped, but not assembled, so we could do it any way we wanted. One was tacos and we got: pre-seasoned ground beef, a jar of salsa, shredded cheese, and taco shells. I LOVED that. Takes 3 seconds to assemble and can be customized for each individual in the family. Another meal we got like this was baked chicken breasts (wrapped individually) and then a few side dishes where everything was pre-prepped, but not cooked.

[etaylor75]

Lasagne...and I make it in disposable pans so they don't have to worry about getting a dish back to me.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/the_best_lasagn/

Chicken Orzo Bake...easy to make, light and good for lunch or dinner.

http://www.pbs.org/everydayfood/recipes/chicken_lemon_dill_orzo.html

I also like to include a loaf of french bread and some cookies.

Erin

[bubbaray]

This is a rice bake that my kids love: http://www.cookwithcampbells.ca/en-ca/Recipes/chickenvegetablesandricebake.aspx

I keep meaning to try this variation: http://www.cookwithcampbells.ca/en-ca/Recipes/italianochickenandricebake.aspx

They aren't noodley per se, but they sure are a hit!

[hellokitty]

I do not cook noodle dishes for postpartum meals, b/c everyone tends to do that and the family gets REALLY sick of it, even families that typically like pasta. My go to postpartum meal that I bring now are sloppy joes. Yeah, sounds weird, but it is sooo easy (I use Hodie's Sloppy Joe receipe on allrecipes.com), cheap, I included a bag of baby carrots, some chips, a jar of applesauce as dessert and a bag of hamburger guns. No, it is not fancy, BUT out of the postpartum meals I got after I had DS3, it was DS1 and DS2's favorite one and it consisted of me just nuking the sloppy joe filling (I make it the night before, put it in one of those ziplock screw top containers, so it is refrigerated) when they are ready to eat. It's kid friendly, easy, inexpensive and tastes very good. Not too unhealthy if you get chips that are lower in fat or something like pretzels.

[KrisM]

Thanks for the ideas. I am going to try some here!

Hellokitty - I wish my kids would eat sloppy joes. I like them and they're easy enough to make, but they will not touch them at all. So, I wouldn't have even considered that for a meal :). I talked to the mom last night and she said noodles, so I wanted to go with that.

I ended up doing the ham/noodle thing with rotini. The kids looked at it and said Yum, so I hope they do like it. I added a salad, some bread and apple crisp. I thought about the baked spaghetti, but I chickened out on trying something new on others. I often screw up meals the first time and would hate to mess something up so it was awful :). I am going to make it here though.

[AbbysMom]

How about some rotini pasta tossed with pesto, cherry tomatoes, chicken and mozzarella cubes? I cook the chicken in a pan, cube it and set aside. I cook the whole wheat rotini, drain it, pour back in pot. Add pesto and toss. Add tomatoes, cubed chicken and cubed mozzarella. Put top on pasta pot for a few minutes and then stir again. So easy, yummy and easily transportable. I use Kirlkland brand pesto from Costco.
All three of my children (6, 3 and 1) gobble this up.

Having seen this and decided I HAD TO HAVE IT, I have a dumb question: how do you cook the chicken? I usually buy the prepared packs or buy a roasted chicken from the deli but chicken is B1G1 so it'll be cheaper to just cook the chicken. Do you bake it plain?

[Smillow]

I use Kirlkland brand pesto from Costco.

What section of Costco is this in? By the cheese?

[athompson]

What section of Costco is this in? By the cheese?
It's in the same section, one or two aisles over where the refrigerated soups and dips are.

[athompson]

Having seen this and decided I HAD TO HAVE IT, I have a dumb question: how do you cook the chicken? I usually buy the prepared packs or buy a roasted chicken from the deli but chicken is B1G1 so it'll be cheaper to just cook the chicken. Do you bake it plain?

I bake it plain for about 17-20 min. at 350 degrees in a greased dish. Sometimes I'll brush it with a little olive oil. You'll be able to tell if it's done by cutting the center of the thickest piece of meat. I use chicken breasts, but chicken thighs are a good option too.