Five Meals to Bring to a New Mom (or anyone!)

giving the gift of nourishment

She pulled me aside into the dining room before everyone else arrived, started unpacking several bags and explained, “Here—this is for tomorrow.”

I looked at my friend, my head tilting to the side and my eyebrows slightly furrowed. She quickly interpreted my puzzled look and said, “It’s a lot of work to have people over. Now you don’t have to worry about breakfast in the morning.”

I could have cried right then and there. I’d been the grateful recipient of meals after every birth, but this was just an ordinary Tuesday night. My friend knew after a late evening of hosting people in our home, it’d be nice to have breakfast covered the following day. So she brought over a grocery bag chock-full of muffins and other goodies—just because.

That was years ago, and I’ve never forgotten it.

I could tell you story after story of people offering us meals. The time a neighbor brought over homemade custard for my mom, the only thing her cancer-ridden body could stomach for a while. The time family friends supplied a beautiful dinner for every out of town guest the evening before Mom’s funeral. The time I had twins and my sisters cooked all my favorite dishes. The time a neighbor fed my kids lunch on a whim while I was trying to get the baby down for a nap.

During periods of grief, food can be a stand-in for the words we can’t come up with. Food can be an offering of gratitude, a way to celebrate, or a means to simply say, “I see you.”

We hope these recipes can be a resource for all kinds of seasons–seasons of heartache or joy, or the seasons when you aren’t sure what else to do or say. We tried to provide a variety: granola you can make in advance, freezer meals, breakfast that also works for dinner, and vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free options. Hopefully, there’s something for everyone in these five dishes. We hope the act of preparing these meals is nourishing to you, as you step out and nourish others.

Enjoy!

Much Love,
Sarah and the C+C Team

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Honey Almond Granola

Yields 5-6 Cups

Ingredients

1 egg white, beaten until slightly frothy
3 cups old-fashioned, rolled oats
1 cup roughly chopped almonds (raw, unsalted)
½ cup honey* (plus more or brown sugar if you want it sweeter–see note below)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Add all the ingredients to a large bowl. Stir until everything is thoroughly mixed.

Spread the granola mixture out onto the baking sheet. For larger clumps of granola, using the back of a large spoon or a spatula, press down on the mixture to help it stick together.

Bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes, rotating the pan (most ovens don’t heat evenly) and turning the granola over halfway through. For nice, big pieces of granola, use a large spatula to turn large chunks of the granola over at a time. If you don’t want the big pieces, you can just give it all a quick toss before returning the pan to the oven.

When the granola has browned and feels mostly dry to the touch, remove it and set it aside to cool completely. (If you’re using the brown sugar, it may not feel quite as dry until the sugar cools and hardens.) Resist the urge to stir, otherwise you’ll lose all those glorious big chunks!

Once it’s cooled, break it into whatever sized bits you prefer. Serve with yogurt, fruit, or any other toppings you like!

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple weeks, or freeze for several months.

Notes

*The recipe as written makes a lightly sweetened granola. If you want it sweeter, add additional honey or up to a ¼ cup of brown sugar. With the brown sugar, you’ll get a rich, sweet, and slightly sticky granola that’s rather addicting.

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Slow Cooker Curry Stew with Chickpeas, Sweet Potatoes + Kale

Adapted from The Kitchn

Yields 8 Servings

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided (plus more to taste)
2 Tablespoons curry powder
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced (or sub ¼ to a ½ teaspoon ground ginger)
3 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
2 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth, divided
1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
2 (15.5 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 (5 ounce) bag kale (or a few big handfuls of chopped kale)
1 (13-14 ounce) can coconut milk

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a medium to large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and 1½ teaspoons of the salt, and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the curry powder, ginger, garlic, and cayenne pepper (if using) to the pan. Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in 2-3 tablespoons of the vegetable broth, and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.*

Pour the onion, spices, and all the liquid from the skillet into the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the potatoes, the rest of the broth, chickpeas, bell peppers, tomatoes, black pepper, and another teaspoon of salt. Give everything a good stir. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3 ½ - 4 hours, or until the potatoes are tender.

Stir in the kale and the can of coconut milk. Replace the lid and allow cook about 10 minutes more, until the kale is wilted. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice or naan and enjoy!

Notes

I have made this recipe by completely skipping the sautéing step, omitting the olive oil, and just tossing the raw onion, potatoes, and spices directly into the slow cooker. It does work and the recipe will still taste good, so that’s an option if you want to cut down on prep time. However, I highly suggest taking the extra few minutes to sauté the onions, potatoes and spices. You’ll get a richer, sweeter, and more flavorful finished dish.

**This recipe does freeze decently, although the potatoes can tend to fall apart a bit. But it still tastes delicious!

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Bacon, Asiago + Spinach Breakfast Casserole

Yields About 8-10 Servings

Ingredients

12 ounces thick-cut bacon, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
5 ounces spinach or other mix of tender greens
12 large eggs
2½ cups whole milk
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup shredded Asiago cheese
5-6 cups of cubed, day-old bread

Directions

Grease a 9×13 baking dish and set aside. Cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate.

Remove all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the skillet. Add the onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, and add the spinach. Stir until wilted, about another 2 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Add the sautéed bacon, onion and spinach. Stir in the cheese and bread cubes.

Pour into the prepared baking dish, cover, and let sit for at least 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight. If it’s been in the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for about a half hour before baking.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Bake the casserole for about 45-55 minutes, uncovered, or until the eggs are just set and the top of the casserole is slightly browned. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. Slice, serve and enjoy!

Notes

You can sub a variety of different cheeses like cheddar or Gruyere. You could also use different kinds of bread (my favorite is a leftover baguette or other crusty bread!).

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Find the full five recipes (in a printable PDF!) here: