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Easy Meals to Bring to a Family – Our Best Meal Train Ideas!
Over the years, the Passionate Penny Pincher team has brought hundreds of Meal Train meals (and been blessed as recipients, too!) so we've learned a thing or two about how to best bring a meal to someone in need. Here are our favorite Meal Train ideas and easy meals to bring to a family.
When you're going through a big change, a rough patch, or just need an extra pick-me-up, there is nothing better than being blessed by friends or family with a home cooked meal. One of my favorite things to do is bring food to someone and help lighten their load a little bit!
Whether it's a family that just welcomed a new baby, someone recovering from surgery, grieving a loss, enduring a military deployment, or a new neighbor in the throes of unpacking – you can bless so many folks by sharing what you've got.
Have you heard the news? This month, we're changing up our typical Freezer Friday and kicking off our first Make One, Take One Freezer Cooking Challenge!
All week (May 13-17), we're making freezer meals for our families AND a second batch to take and bless another family with! We're working through Freezer Menu Expansion Pack Week 14 – a week packed full of delicious meals and a dessert, all especially designed to be frozen after prep and cooked later.
Meal Train Idea #1 – Bring a main course AND all the fixings
When blessing someone with a meal, we love to make sure there's minimal effort involved in getting dinner on the table. Pick a meal that has a hearty main course, yummy sides, and include any condiments or toppings they might need.
I love the Barbacoa Bowls from our Freezer Expansion pack because the recipe calls for not just the beef bowls, but also the sides and toppings for bowls. This makes shopping for the meal easy (hello, grocery list!) and I know I'm bringing a complete meal to someone and they don't have to scrounge in their pantry for sides.
Some of our favorite recipes that are Meal Train hits and have easy sides:
- Grilled Chicken & Corn Salad
- Antipasto Pasta Salad
- Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
- Tex Mex Chicken Casserole (just bring a bag of tortilla chips and you're all set!)
- Cheesy Beef Taco Pockets (simple, Mexican-inspired sides like Spanish rice and street corn make a great addition)
Meal Train Idea #2 – Consider other mealtimes and food
When a Meal Train is set up, often times dinners are totally covered between new meals and leftovers. But, I love to think about the other meals that family will be eating during this time. Mainly – breakfast!
Along with dinner, I love to bring an easy, prepared breakfast that requires minimal reheating or cooking later. For the Blueberry French Toast, for example, you can prep the entire casserole and glaze and just wait to bake it. (Note: this one is also from our freezer menu expansion so it's designed to be prepped and cooked at different times as it is!)Â
Then, I'll include instructions on how to bake it the next morning (pop it in the oven and shake up the baggie of glaze) so almost anyone in the home can help get a fun, new breakfast on the table.
Some other breakfast recipes that are always a hit:
- Breakfast Burritos (make a big batch to stock their freezer – they'll love you forever!)
- Copycat Egg Bites (another great freezer meal)
- Oven Baked Veggie Filled Omelet (this is one to prep completely and include the baking instructions for the next morning)
Another thoughtful gesture I love to include (as our own grocery budget allows!) is fresh fruit or veggies prepped and cut to keep in the fridge for the family to snack on!
Meal Train Idea #3 – Convenience!
If you're bringing a meal to someone, the goal is to bless them with food –Â not dishes. 😉
I like to bring all food in disposable pans for easy clean up. You can also include paper products for the meal (plates, napkins, even utensils) so there is nothing to worry about for anyone in the home. This also avoids the added chore of having to return a dish to someone.
If you're not keen on disposable dishes or paper products, you can use a “pass along dish” – a casserole dish, bowl, etc. that you are okay with not getting back. Just include a note to the recipient that they, too, can pass along this dish to another family later so don't worry about returning it.
When everything is prepped and ready to be delivered, grab an empty box to pack the food in. This makes it easy to transport and deliver to the recipient. This box saved my passenger seat from a spaghetti sauce fiasco recently!
Make sure to include what exactly is on the menu, and any cooking or reheating instructions.
P.S. Purchased our Freezer Menu or Freezer Expansion OR want to grab the Complete Freezer Kit? –
You'll get this FREE printable to add an extra special touch to meals you deliver in the future!Â
What are your favorite ways to bless a family with a meal? I'd love to hear about them below!
I own all the boxes! Could I get the printable for meal sharing?
Hi Judy! You should have received an email with the printable–be sure to check your junk/spam folder. If you don’t see it, shoot us an email at shop@passionatepennypincher.com and we will send you a new one!