What are you cooking for your homebirth??

[Sweetiemommy]

Hi Ladies,
I am one of those women who have long labors, so I have lots of time to cook...but I was wondering if anyone had ideas for easy meals or things to have on hand to feed yourself and your birth team for the big day? I have a roasted vegetable dish that I thought I would share:
3 carrots, 2 sweet potatoes, 2-3 white potatoes, 3 beets and a handful of brussel sprouts (optional). I chop all of those and add butter (or earth balance if you are sensitive/or vegan) and olive oil and a half cup of marsala wine (the salty cooking wine at the grocery store). I roast it in a covered casserole for 40 minutes, uncover the dish, stir and cook for another 20 min at 450. It is very good, the carbs are slow burning and most people really like it (I make this for fall parties and thanksgiving also).

Another idea: I make crockpot oatmeal - 1 cup of steel cut oats, 3 cups of water, 1/2 cup of milk, cream or substitute, and a handful of dried berries (I like cranberries or currants with a few cloves or cinnamon). This cooks in the crockpot on low all night and is ready in the morning. It is so yummy with maple syrup. (spray crockpot with oil first for easy clean up).

I have also made big pots of soup ahead of time that can be heated in a crockpot or stove or a frozen casserole that can be baked during the birth. I like to have things like hummus and vegetables or bagels and cream cheese on hand also.

I'd love to hear your ideas!! The last thing we want are starving midwives! (especially for those of us with looooong labors!)

[TSomm]

Sounds delicious! I might make that vegetable dish later this week.

I just baked some banana bread to freeze and have on hand for birthing, but I ended up eating a third of it in one sitting. I'll have to bake another....

At my shower my mother made a ton of sloppy joes and pulled beef for sandwiches. I happen to be vegetarian, so I froze that to pull out for the birth team as well. I hope I remember to send my husband out for rolls!

[Sweetiemommy]

That's usually my problem, I eat the birth food during the week and have to keep recooking until I deliver, that's why I like to keep a couple of frozen things on hand. Oh well, at least it motivates me to cook during those last weeks!

[sarahtdubb]

I just read The Birth House, and liked the idea of cooking a "groaning cake": http://www.thebirthhouse.com/recipes.htm

[limette]

At the beginning of my labors I send dh to the grocery store for whatever I'm craving and then I don't eat any of it because food just doesn't appeal during labor.

My midwives and doula don't require that I cook for them, they bring their own snacks.

[Tizzy]

At this moment, I honestly can't remember what I made to eat. I just remember that it tasted delicious afterwards
But my favorite part was baking a birthday cake! It was great fun to have cake with the midwives after the baby was born.

[Sweetiemommy]

Mmm, cakes...I wish I could make a cake now, instead of being on bed rest, yuck. My mom made rice krispie treats as a surprise during my first birth and mmmmm, those were good (despite my usual aversion to all things marshmallow).

[bclare]

Oh, I love the idea of the crockpot oatmeal-- I am going to try that before hand and see how my crockpot handles it. You put it on low all night and it doesn't burn or anything? And the cake is a delightful idea as well!
I made some giant lasagnas and froze them, and a turkey shepards pie. I also want to have a lot of fruit on hand and love the idea of chocolate covered strawberries....;-)

[laughymama]

I'm a ways off but I was actually thinking about this and I'm glad to know others do it! I was thinking of making veggie tortilla rollups and having a veggie/dip and fruit/dip trays available. I was thinking about using my slow cooker for something but hadn't gotten that far yet.

This is my first homebirth so I'm assuming when I go into labor I'll have lots of excited/nervous energy to burn off a little so making snacks for my people seemed like a nice idea.

I'll have to remember to freeze some stuff ahead of time as well.

[Sweetiemommy]

Oh, I forgot to mention that you should spray the crockpot with oil before adding the oatmeal ingredients, it makes clean up very quick and easy, otherwise it sticks. But it will not burn at all, just keep it on low.

[ShwarmaQueen]

I made butter beans and cornbread while in early labor and it was perfect for me and others to heat and eat.

[Peace+Hope]

i'm going to make and freeze a couple of one dish meals ahead of time, chicken pot pie (my fav!) and probably a pretty heavy (packed with veggies or beans or barley) ham soup/stew with the bone, or maybe gumbo. i think i'll freeze bread too, presliced and buttered, so it can be thrown in the oven as-is. i'd love to cook one of those things during early labor, so i'll try to keep groceries for that, but will have stuff to defrost just in case that doesn't work out!

gonna enlist my husband to keep the fridge stocked with fruit and eggs and bacon, and some other necessities that could be easily made into a protein-rich meal after the birth for all of us.

[sattygirl99]

I never thought about cooking! I'm glad I saw this!!

I don't have a crock pot (well I do, but it's oooool and probably lead ridden... LOL. We'll be using it for perinial warm cloths) but I'm hoping to make several one dish meals to freeze ahead of time (for birth and the week after)... I'm also going to premake some things (like cooking/marinating chicken for soups, browning ground beed for tacos or spaghetti) for easy meals.

Another good idea is home made mac and cheese with beef, ham or tuna (for protien) and peas. We do this for meals but it freezes well and you can toss some more cheese on it and bake it for 30-45 min until hot.

I REALLY need to get back into making meals ahead of time... LOL!

[Comtessa]

My mom made black beans and tomatoes over rice. Two days in labor and still no baby... I needed serious protein. I think it was the best thing I ever ate!!!

[laughingfox]

I plan on having plenty of fresh veggies/fruits that I like raw, like cantaloupe, pineapple, apples, tangelos, cucumbers, carrots.
I'm also planning on making a whole wheat pasta salad with veggies, and some finger-food size falafel. I'm imagining that this labor will be long like my last one, so I should have time.
I'll probably get some hummus and whole wheat pita, too, just in case I don't have time to cook or feel inclined to do so.
I really like the idea of a cake, but I'd probably wind up hitting transition when it should be coming out of the oven and we'd forget all about it.

[Sweetiemommy]

Yum, yum and yum!

[lizvt]

I had big plans for our first birth, and nothing went according to plan!
Our DS came a week "early", so I spent the beginning of labor grocery shopping and everything moved along so quickly that I never got to baking a cake or making the other yummy food I had envisioned. I do remember the ricotta scambled eggs my DH made tasting like the best thing ever!
This time around I am planning on freezing more meals, muffins, and scones, so I can just pull something out of the freezer if need be. I'm also thinking about making and freezing a cake, cupcakes, or cinnamon rolls that can be pulled out in early labor and celebrated with later (since I have a feeling this LO will come even faster)
This babe will be arriving in June, so I'm thinking of having lots of fruit and fresh veggies cut and waiting....it is really hard for me to think of soup in June!
I'm loving hearing everyone's food ideas! Good for getting out of the same ol same ol rut

[MyFillingQuiver]

Like lizvt, our baby is also due in the summer. I REALLY try to not use the oven much/at all during the summer, as I have a big pro-range (lotsa kids and I love to cook) and it really heats up the house...counterproductive to the AC when we need to use it!

So, I was thinking tons of stuff that can be easily grilled on the BBQ. I was going to have shish-ke-babs ready to skewer and grill. Fresh pineapple chunks, peppers, onions, mushrooms, sirloin, chicken, shrimp, tomatoes. Have the sauce ready, and either re-heat or cook some brown rice or pilaf.

Then, in the freezer, I am thinking some sweet baked goods, frozen berries for yogurt smoothies, and perhaps some starters of lighter things for the slow cooker. We have heavy winters here, so usually by March I'm tired of all the soups and stews I make...I BBQ nearly every night..so just have to convert it to things assembled and ready to go. Homeade baked beans for the crock pot with chicken on the BBQ, and steamed veggies.

Breakfast food always seems divine after giving birth! Fluffy eggs and bacon and potatoes..I'll have to make sure that's on hand, too!

GREAT suggestions, ladies. To the PP who talked about the black beans and tomatoes over rice...that does sound like it would sure be good in labor/PP!