One of the nicest things anyone did for me after I had Andrew was make my family a meal. It is so overwhelming to bring a tiny, helpless baby home from the hospital. I felt like I couldn’t get anything done! It’s especially difficult when you have other little mouths to feed!! My friend, Heather, made us a casserole with chicken, pasta, zucchini and tomatoes. I added that recipe to my repertoire! So, when I heard that my neighbor just had her second baby, I thought it might be nice to “pay it forward”.
I use to sew crib quilts for my friends with new babies. That was before I had Andrew. I barely get a shower somedays; there’s no way I’m getting any sewing done. I had to accept the fact that there will be several layers of dust to blow off next time I get to use my sewing machine for a project. It’s okay. I wasn’t very good at it anyway.
I decided to make a lasagna. Lasagna freezes well if they don’t want to eat it right away. I just doubled the recipe and made one for my family. I’ll throw it in the oven this evening and add a salad or some green beans.
I use a different recipe every time I make lasagna. I always use oven-ready lasagna noodles. When I first began cooking, I used the ones you have to boil. What a daymare (a frightening or oppressive incident experienced while awake)!!! They stuck together like nobody’s business and ripped to pieces when I tried to separate them!!
Thank you to the inventor of oven-ready lasagna noodles!!
I browned antibiotic free, hormone free, extra-lean ground beef with onions and garlic. I never make my own tomato sauce anymore. I use Publix brand organic sauce or whatever else might be on sale.
I combined reduced-fat cottage cheese, low-fat ricotta cheese, grated parmesan and eggs, cracked in a separate bowl, as I had a few shells to pick out. I wanted to use some fresh oregano and basil from the mini-garden (see my previous post about fresh herbs)! Moroccan Chicken, Roasted Curry Cauliflower & Indian Dahl
Fresh parsley would have added freshness but, my plant hasn’t recovered from the caterpillar feast. Hmph!
Then, I just layered starting with meat sauce, followed by noodles, ricotta cheese mixture, a little mozzarella and repeat, ending with cheese. I added a little more parmesan on top as well.
I used an a disposable pan that can simply be thrown away for my neighbor. I layered ours into a glass dish with a lid I can pop on and throw in the fridge if there are any leftovers. I added a kale, broccoli and sliced brussels sprout salad with poppyseed dressing I bought from Publix.
Completely agree, being a first time mom the best gift anyone can give is a hot meal to a new mom and family once baby is home. I myself have been making lasganga for my new mommy friends! 👍😄
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Completely agree, being a first time mom the best gift anyone can give is a hot meal to a new mom and family once baby is home. I myself have been making lasganga for my new mommy friends! 👍😄