Meal Ideas for Midwife/Birth Assistants

[elyag]

I tried doing a search but it's been down for a few days now. So I thought I would just post to see what kind ideas I could get.

My midwife is trying not to eat meat or dairy. The birth assistant is okay with them. Of course, nothing processed.

Can you give me some ideas on meals/food I can have on hand? It's my first HB so I'm having a hard time trying to think of something I can buy and have on hand but also won't go to waste waiting for the baby to come.

The birth assistant suggested fruit and veggies but I feel like I need to serve them more than that! I think I am going to buy some hummus and some tasty bread/crackers. Anything else? Any suggestions would be very helpful - thanks!

[rype]

My midwife gave me a list since even though it's not necessary she knows moms are likely to want to have food for her anyway.

Hummus or other veggie dips, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, peanut or almond butter, cheese, crackers or bread, dark or chocolate, coffee and half & half, fruit, cereal.

Maybe you could do coconut milk yogurt. I dunno, just think about what you eat as a snack.

[elyag]

Originally Posted by rype

My midwife gave me a list since even though it's not necessary she knows moms are likely to want to have food for her anyway.

Hummus or other veggie dips, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, peanut or almond butter, cheese, crackers or bread, dark or chocolate, coffee and half & half, fruit, cereal.

Maybe you could do coconut milk yogurt. I dunno, just think about what you eat as a snack.

oooo..those are some great ideas - those sound yummy! I just needed something to get my brain working since I've never done this before. Thanks!!!!

[ShwarmaQueen]

We had butter beans and cornbread during my early labor. Everyone loved them.

[triana1326]

I'm running into the same issue - but two of my mw are gluten-free, one mw and the assistant are vegetarian, and the other mw does eat meat. So I'm at a complete loss as to what to make for them. At my first birth, with different midwives, we had pulled pork sandwiches, lemonade, and fruits and veggies. Not a clue as to what to eat at this one...

sorry to hijack the thread...but I'll keep an eye out for any good suggestions anyone has...

[laneysprout]

Soup!

I also second things like nut butters, crackers, hard-boiled eggs, trail mix - easy, nutrient dense, and easy to grab.

[elyag]

Originally Posted by laneysprout

Soup!

I also second things like nut butters, crackers, hard-boiled eggs, trail mix - easy, nutrient dense, and easy to grab.

Yeah I was actually thinking about having some of this awesome black bean soup that my Mom makes on hand. It's so yummy! And then throw in some healthy snack foods too. So if they get extra hungry then there is the soup.

[elyag]

Originally Posted by triana1326

I'm running into the same issue - but two of my mw are gluten-free, one mw and the assistant are vegetarian, and the other mw does eat meat. So I'm at a complete loss as to what to make for them. At my first birth, with different midwives, we had pulled pork sandwiches, lemonade, and fruits and veggies. Not a clue as to what to eat at this one...

sorry to hijack the thread...but I'll keep an eye out for any good suggestions anyone has...

Wow! That is a variety - I wouldn't have a clue what do server for gluten free! I hope you can get some ideas!

[CoBabyMaker]

My MW doesn't do meat or dairy either, I keep forgetting to ask her assistant!
I am planning on freezing some enchiladas. I am going to fill some with black beans and roasted veggies (probably zucchini and peppers) and some with chicken (mostly for DH). They can easily be heated and people can add cheese on top at that point if they want. Other than that just regular snacky thing like other people said. I am hoping to have some strawberries and coconut "whipped cream" to celebrate after the birth but we'll see how things go.

[elyag]

Originally Posted by CoBabyMaker

My MW doesn't do meat or dairy either, I keep forgetting to ask her assistant!
I am planning on freezing some enchiladas. I am going to fill some with black beans and roasted veggies (probably zucchini and peppers) and some with chicken (mostly for DH). They can easily be heated and people can add cheese on top at that point if they want. Other than that just regular snacky thing like other people said. I am hoping to have some strawberries and coconut "whipped cream" to celebrate after the birth but we'll see how things go.

mmmmm..... those sound so yummy! And a good idea too! hmmmm.....
Knowing my luck, I'll do all this planning and then I'll go so fast that no one will have a chance to eat anything. At least I'll have food though!

[at_the_hip]

With #3 I had prepared burritos ahead of time for them to heat. Dh and mw ate while I labored late into the night.

With #4 dh called them here just after lunch so he made stir fry for them to eat when they got here.

This time around I may plan to put something in the crock pot earlier in labor. It'll be a distraction and there will be hot food available whenever! I would love a good crock pot recipe if anyone has one!! (minus lentils or couscous...dh hates them :P )

[sattygirl99]

What kind of recipe do you want? I have 2 kick butt (IMO) crock recipes... One is a chicken tortilla stew (LOVE!) and one is a cajun chicken stew... The cajun chicken stew is made with cream of mushroom soup so it's not completely 'healthy' but it's good, filling and goes a looong way. I'm thinking I may see if I can get my hands on 2 crock pots near birth and make them both so we have a choice, plus leftovers.

OP - What about a simple spaghetti bake? You can split it into 2 pans if you want meat and cheese on one (we have to do this since dd is sensitive to dairy). Boil your pasta for 5 min, add sauce and bake for 15 min covered, 10 min uncovered. It's filling and pretty easy and cheap to have on hand. If you want to make your own sauce, do that. You can even pre-make this and freeze. Simply don't bake it, wrap it in whatever wrap you wish (saran, foil, etc.) and freeze, then bake at 350 for 20 min covered and 10-15 min uncovered. You could pre-make a garlic bread or some rolls to pull down as well.

Fresh fruit and veggies are always good, for the laboring mama too!

Good luck!

[kittywitty]

If it's allergy related, make sure you check for cross-contamination and double check labels so that it's ok.

Could you make a matzoh ball soup with veggie broth or some other sort of soup and bread that can be kept in a crock pot?

Man, now I have to ask my mw and assistant what they eat.

[sattygirl99]

For the one who who had gluten free midwives, the best suggestion I can give is brown rice pasta (read the directions carefully on how to cook them, as they cook up differently than typical noodles) and spaghetti sauce (some pre-made sauce is gluten free, you'll have to do some research though). It won't be overly creative but it will be easy and not horribly expensive. I have some recipes for things like gluten free donut holes (which are awesome, I gotta say) that you could make ahead and freeze, then simply pull out. That along with fresh fruit and veggies would be the safest way, especially if you're dealing with an allergy. A gluten reaction is not fun when you're allergic!

You could also do brown rice pasta with a fresh oil and vinegar dressing, tossed with various veggies and have them add cheese if they wish. There are some gluten free salad dressings, you could also make a pasta salad (brown rice pasta, italian dressing, cucumber, tomato, green, red and yellow peppers all tossed together).

Just depends on what you're looking to achieve. If you need help with gluten free recipes (I have a kick butt GF pumpkin cookie recipe too!), feel free to PM me. We were gluten free for a while and I learned to cook during that time, lol.

[elyag]

Originally Posted by sattygirl99

What kind of recipe do you want? I have 2 kick butt (IMO) crock recipes... One is a chicken tortilla stew (LOVE!) and one is a cajun chicken stew... The cajun chicken stew is made with cream of mushroom soup so it's not completely 'healthy' but it's good, filling and goes a looong way. I'm thinking I may see if I can get my hands on 2 crock pots near birth and make them both so we have a choice, plus leftovers.

OP - What about a simple spaghetti bake? You can split it into 2 pans if you want meat and cheese on one (we have to do this since dd is sensitive to dairy). Boil your pasta for 5 min, add sauce and bake for 15 min covered, 10 min uncovered. It's filling and pretty easy and cheap to have on hand. If you want to make your own sauce, do that. You can even pre-make this and freeze. Simply don't bake it, wrap it in whatever wrap you wish (saran, foil, etc.) and freeze, then bake at 350 for 20 min covered and 10-15 min uncovered. You could pre-make a garlic bread or some rolls to pull down as well.

Fresh fruit and veggies are always good, for the laboring mama too!

Good luck!

mmmm..... that Chicken Tortilla Stew sounds yummy! I'd like to have it for post-partum! Can you either PM or post the recipe?

And the spaghetti bake is a good idea too! I might go ahead and do something like that and if we don't eat it, it will be an easy thing for my DH to make post-partum.

[kavamamakava]

You could do sandwich fixins too. Like good hearty bread, avocados, tomatos, baked tofu slices, cheese for those who eat it...
I made big batches of soup ahead of time and froze them in meal portion sizes in quart and 1/2 gal freezer bags. I made barley vegetable soup and black bean soup and lentil soup. I also made some casseroles like broccoli rice and enchiladas and shepherd's pie. My midwife heated one up for me before she left so I had a big hearty meal after birthing my baby and she ate some too.

[Little Shepherds]

This post makes me hungry. Thanks for all the ideas! Is it normal to have a meal ready for the midwives? Never thought of it before.

[averlee]

My midwives insisted that I should not "host" them, or buy or prepare any food for them. They did not eat any of the snacks I offered and even brought their own drinking water. They pointed out that it's not customary to feed people who come to your house to work for you.

[at_the_hip]

Originally Posted by sattygirl99

What kind of recipe do you want? I have 2 kick butt (IMO) crock recipes... One is a chicken tortilla stew (LOVE!) and one is a cajun chicken stew... The cajun chicken stew is made with cream of mushroom soup so it's not completely 'healthy' but it's good, filling and goes a looong way. I'm thinking I may see if I can get my hands on 2 crock pots near birth and make them both so we have a choice, plus leftovers.

I'd love both of the recipes!! Then we can try them ahead of time!
Thanks!

[100%mom]

I didn't even think to have food ready with my first home birth. He was born at 12:30 in the afternoon too.

Then for my second home birth I made a couple different kinds of muffins and made sure I warmed them up before hand. Nobody but me ate any.