TIME SENSITIVE Is this enough food?

amother

Amber

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 10:02 am

Theres enough food if there's enough quantity. With my most recent kid (we needed food for 2 adulrs and 1 child who is not a toddler) someone sent chicken and rice and salad but there were only 3 thighs. bH I had leftover chicken in the fridge to suppliment with.

amother

Papaya

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 10:04 am

amother OP wrote:

I’m making a meal for a postpartum
It’s 3 adults
She went through a very hard labor and delivery

Is this enough food

Chicken & Rice with peas &carrots (I make it really good
Salad
Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies

I'd add a soup to make it a real filling meal. I'm famished postpartum, and I'd need something more to really fill me up.
When I send a meal, it's generally soup, salad, main, side, baked good.

lucky14

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 10:05 am

Soup is not needed. I don’t know why people are telling you to add more things and make it more complicated. What you had originally planned is plenty. Huge chessed and so sweet of you.

amother

Iris

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 10:37 am

I think it's plenty. If you're going to add anything, add simple disposable plates, napkins, cups and cutlery.

Of course, it's always nice to be pampered. If you have the time and energy, go for it.

TravelHearter

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 10:48 am

In general, people need to figure out why they are sending a meal. Usually, it’s to provide dinner for a mom who can’t make. Dinner means protein carb veg. That’s dinner.
Anything else is pampering. It’s really nice but if you don’t have the extras you are still being helpful to the mom!
(OP you have plenty)

funkyfrummom

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 10:56 am

When I was post-partum (cc section) folks provided for a week (or maybe it was 2 weeks)... but it was soup, and a main which was sometimes something like baked ziti and other times was chicken and a starch. A couple times I think there was also some fruit compote as a dessert.

The main dishes were great for my husband and was such a relief to not need to cook, but I LIVED on the soup. It was really all I ate those initial weeks. So I just wanted to throw in a belated vote for soup for the new mommy. (It wasn't a fancy soup, more of a creamy vegetable soup with pea, carrots, and some barley).

amother

Marigold

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 10:57 am

Why are people here suggesting OP make a king's feast/yom tov meal?? I am laughing at some of these posts.
I would never in my life cook for a postpartum mom if I had to do so much- soup, protien, carb, salad, cooked veg, dessert, drink, disposables...LOL I would have to take off work for two days before to get this all done.

Please don't even suggest this- OP already wrote what she made. You are just adding unneeded pressure.

amother

Cherry

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 11:05 am

amother Geranium wrote:

Personally I would send another cooked veggy, a soup, and cut up fruit.

This is exactly why I stopped making supper for people.

When I sent supper I send a starch, a vegetable, and a protein and I would throw in a box of ice cream sandwiches for dessert.

When I have to start shopping special to cut up fruit or putting up a soup, I just wouldn't send.
You want to send that, that's totally fine, but the answer to her question of is this enough should be a resounding yes.

amother

Mintgreen

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 11:12 am

Sounds perfect!

You have:
A main (chicken)
A side/starch (rice)
A veggie (peas and carrots)
A dessert (cookies)

Perfect meal.
The main thing is to send so that if someone wants doubles, there is enough.

Hopefully they will freeze leftovers (if there is any) in portions. That will be very helpful to her as time goes in and the help subsides.

Tizke lmitzvos.

ETA: Now I see you also added:
A fruit: caramelized apple!

Wow, way more than enough. Great meal!

amother

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 11:40 am

amother Slateblue wrote:

Can I have your chicken and rice recipe? Tia

The secret is badia sazón tropical in the orange box
Also I spatchcocked a chicken.
I know a whole chicken is a lot for 3 ppl, but
I don’t know if they are big eaters,
Also the leftovers are freezable
IMHO - it’s 6 generous adult portions.

1.5 cups of Jazmine rice
2.25 cups of water
3 pks sazon tropical
salt to taste
1 ok frozen peas and carrots
Spatchcocked chicken (seasoned with the 3rd pk of sazon tropical) or chicken pieces

Mix everything except seasoned chicken.
Lay chicken on top.
Lay a piece of wet parchment paper on top.
Foil tightly.
Bake 350 until rice absorbed all the water about 1.5 -2 hrs.
Unfoil- raise temp and bake until desired color on chicken.

amother

Geranium

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 11:43 am

amother Cherry wrote:

I hear you. The reason why I responded that is because to me frozen peas and carrots in rice are not a cooked veggy and I make a cooked veggy with every meal. In addition, I serve soup almost every night and my kids as well as I enjoy soup very much. I add fruit since it washes down the meal nicely.

This is what I would add if I was making for my own family, nothing to do with sending it out.

watergirl

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 11:50 am

amother Cherry wrote:

100% I agree with you. When the meal expectations are beyond the veg, starch, and protein, in some communities, it will mean less people can participate in this mitzvah.
YES! The basics are perfect. Soup, a second veg, dessert - that's all a nice plus but in no way is it needed. If the mother (who the meal is actually for) needs soup, as some women mentioned above, then that request should go to the mealtrain coordinator to make sure she gets it.

amother

Mintgreen

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 12:08 pm

amother Geranium wrote:

We’re coming to your house for supper nightly… Please add some settings, lol!

amother

Anemone

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 12:20 pm

I make a protein, starch, vegetable when I make a meal.
Like meatballs, spaghetti, and broccoli.

I think dessert is so nice (though I'd prefer fruit over cake and cookies because too much of that is sent and eaten).
I've also made soup if I'm up to it.

But I work and I'm not a geshikt balabusta, so I just send the three main components.

amother

Oldlace

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 12:41 pm

Sounds like enough and super yummy!!
I just had a baby and got a few meals... one meal I got was shocking and so not helpful we ended up eating cereal. Me, my husband and toddler. I got leftover brisket slices from shabbos (not enough), 5 chocolate chip cookies, half a container of broccoli (not enough), and.... one corner piece of potato kugel. She sent shabbos leftovers which wasnt a big deal but at least send enough.

amother

Bluebonnet

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 12:52 pm

amother OP wrote:

This is definitely enough!

I don't have 3 course meals for supper every day, so in my opinion extra soup or fruit or dessert isn't needed. If you want to add one, it is a nice gesture.

amother

Stone

Wed, Feb 14 2024, 1:21 pm

watergirl wrote:

If it's three adults and you did not mention any other kids, it's safe to assume this is their first baby? So you are making a meal essentially as a gesture of good will. The other two adults are fully capable of making dinner.

This is to say, YES, you are sending MORE than enough food for dinner and dessert! If they need more, one of the other two adults can make it. Even if this was a fifth baby and the dad can't cook and there was not another adult there to help, I would STILL say this is a perfect meal to send.

I used to think very similarly. Until my husband was sitting shiva and I was incapacitated with a horrible back pain. And I'm sure some people thought "He has a wife, why can't she cook?", but I truly couldn't even stand for 5 minutes or sit. So when mealtrain was made, I was very grateful. BH, people who sent us food didn't judge me and even more. A lot of people complained that the mealtrain was filled so quickly that they didn't have a chance to participate.

And as we see here, the one of the adults is a baby nurse. It's not their responsibility to make dinners.

To the OP.

Yes, it's enough food. Don't worry.