I will be delivering my second child at a freestanding birth center (barring complications) within the next five weeks or so. I’m instructed to bring a hearty meal that can be reheated in the microwave, to be eaten after I give birth.
Now, if I have the baby during regular business hours, I may well just have my dad run to the store, then fix me a big ol’ roast beef sandwich, something I’ve been craving for nine months, and unable to eat.
However, if I give birth at 3 a.m., I figure we had better have something ready to go in the freezer. But I know that freezing can muck up the texture of many foods, so I’m soliciting some opinions on what would work well. I’m thinking I definitely want some animal protein, vegetables, and a starch. I like most everything in the mainstream American diet, excepting shellfish and green peppers.
So, whatcha got, Dopers? Any standby meals that go from freezer to nuking especially well? Any cautions on foods to absolutely avoid? I appreciate the help!
I think an awesome hearty lasagna would sound pretty fantastic, myself.
I was born at 11:09 and my mom was starving but didn’t realize she could order a tray, so she just got some apple juice and was so sick she still doesn’t drink it. Don’t do that.
Lasagna was my first thought as well. Lots of veggies, starch, meat, and freezes really well. Plus if you don’t want to make it yourself, the quality of frozen Lasagna at the grocery store is usually pretty good.
I like brunch type foods at any time of the day. At the birthcenter I went to, the midwives whip up breakfast for the mother and father after the birth. With baby #1 I had waffles, and with baby #2 I had an egg and cheese omlet and english muffins. We were welcome to bring whatever other food we wanted. Although I was hungry post birth, I didn’t want anything really heavy.
So for freezing, I would probably make up some breakfast buritos (I think they freeze/thaw okay), and I’d bring along some fresh fruit.
A can of whatever type of soup you like (anywhere from Campbell’s condensed to a thick and chunky sort) would be a good fallback if that roast beef sammich gets forgotten or is otherwise unavailable. Plus it’s something that you can toss in the suitcase now and not worry about forgetting to grab something from the freezer.
For something fresher: if there’s a big 24-hour grocery near you, that carries prepared foods, someone can dash out there nearly any time.
There’s a risk of listeria food poisoning if you eat cold cuts, as well as some other foods like unpasteurized fresh cheese or refrigerated pates. Listeriosis is associated with miscarriage and preterm labor.
As for freezing and reheating the roast beef, I think it would ruin it for me. I want it rare and pink! I had many a postpartum roast beef sammy after my daughter was born, and it was like nirvana - I think my body demanded iron or something to help me recover. I felt a bit like a vampire craving blood.
I do like the idea of lasagna - I lerves me some Italian food, and it does seem to answer the need for freezability. But I might also have to try throwing together some breakfast burritos and putting a can of soup and some nice crackers in my bag - Mama Zappa, you are right, I will probably be in a hurry to get in the car and to the birth center, so the fewer things I have to remember to pack at the last minute, the better.
The things that freeze and reheat well are usually also the sort of things that work best when kept in a fridge and reheated the next day. Chilli con carne and rice, stews, soups, casseroles, spagghetti bolognese, that sort of thing. Those are the sort of meals you should be filling your freezer with anyway so that you don’t have to do much cooking when the wee one arrives home!
if you happen to give birth in the Seattle area I can give you a nice bag of frozen home made chicken stew. might not be what you are craving now but if you arent feeling fully normal you might want something that is filling and goes down easy.
I didn’t want a “hearty” meal right after birthing. After my first, I was offered a banana-nut muffin, which made me sick, but an onion bagel with cream cheese worked fine.
After my second, who was born shortly after midnight, I said I couldn’t eat anything. And then I swiped my husband’s cheeseburger. Almost took off part of his hand with it.
After my third, I had my husband get me a Philly Cheesesteak, my comfort food of choice. I shared it with the midwife, because she looked so envious.
I wouldn’t go for anything very heavy or spicy. Lasagna wouldn’t have set well with me, but something like beef stew or a breakfast burrito would have been good. Chinese food might not be a bad idea, too. I’ve had good luck reheating many Asian dishes, even after freezing.
Hmm…not something we ever had to worry about when I had my kids. And roast beef really isn’t a cold cut, is it? I mean…I know you can buy it in the deli, but you can just as easily slice it off the beef roast you cook at home…so I’d say go for it now! Especially if you’ve been eating other meats all along during your pregnancy…why would roast beef be any different?
As for what to pack to take…all I know is that after my daughter was born, my husband brought me a lovely plate of weinerschnitzel and fruit and potatoes from the Officers’ Club dining room, and the only thing I could stomach was the fruit…just not ready for the meat. And after my son was born, the only thing open was a vending machine at the hospital, so he got me a pimiento-cheese sandwich, which I wolfed down…even today,when I want to feel positive thoughts towards my son, I crave pimiento-cheese on squishy white bread. I’d vote for either frozen lasagna or maybe Swedish meatballs…I happen to love the Stouffer’s ones, and they’d give you some meat-effect!
Heh. I had a steak after delivering my son, as part of the hospital’s Revolutionary New Program to treat just-delivered mothers like human beings instead of sick people. (Now if only that had extended to not waking me every three hours for vitals!) It was as rare as the hospital’s kitchen policies and the skill of the cooking staff would allow, and I loved every last bloody bite of it. I was ravenous.
Then again, I’m pretty much always ravenous. Depressed? Ravenous. Happy? Ravenous. Excited? Ravenous. Anxious? Ravenous. Just pushed a human being through my girly bits? Ravenous. So YMMV.
I had a big ol’ meal from Boston Market after Spencer was born - 1/4 chicken white with 2 sides (probably mashed potatoes with gravy and creamed spinach) and some cornbread and some lemonade. It was waaaaaaaaaaaay better than the nasty crap from the cafeteria I endured for the next two days. Whenever anyone came to visit and I was hungry, I’d ask them to pick me up some real food on the way.
kittenblue, you are of course correct, and I have roasted my own beef a couple times, but the problem is the slicing. I really like the nearly-shaved thinness you can get at the deli, while simultaneously sucking at carving.
After my daughter was born, I went home and my dad made me (all of us) filet mignon with gorgonzola, baked potatoes, and broccoli - it was divine, but I think I’ll keep that for eating at home, not for freezing. I don’t remember being hungry at the birthing center that time, but it looks like we may hang out longer this time, so I want to be prepared.
I may also have to do a locator search on Boston Market . . .
I discovered them late in life … like my early 20’s. There was one just across the street from the entrance to our apartment complex. Mmmm … a reasonable facsimile of home cookin’ just a few minutes away! Oddly enough, that’s the same Boston Market that’s closest to my hospital of choice.
The website shows 7 locations in the Raleigh/Durham area. Enjoy!
