The women of our church are fantastic about setting up meal trains for members that are sick or for new mommy's. Mark and I were blessed with meals for a little over a week after Reaghan was born and it was so nice not to have to worry about what to make for dinner during that time. I love being a part of taking meals to others too because it is such a tangible way to reach out and say "Hey, I care about you, I'm here for you, and I'm praying for you." You know?
One of the favorite meals Mark and I got from a family from our church was Chicken Tacos, so when the time came the other day for me to sign up and take a meal to another new mommy, (and no one had already put down that they were bringing tacos!) I decided to take a few pages from said family's book and bring them this yummy meal!
So what makes this such a great dinner?
I think my favorite thing about this meal is that it is all broken down into little components that gives the receiver of the meal the freedom to assemble it just how they like their tacos to be made.
What did we include in the dinner?
- Shredded chicken seasoned with taco seasoning. (I just cook mine in the crockpot - 4 chicken breasts, 1 can of chicken broth and 1 packet of taco seasoning on low for 4-6 hours!) The chicken keeps so well in the fridge and tastes just as good heated up! Which is great if you have to drop off dinner before its actually dinner time and also for any left overs!
- Soft Tortillas
- Chopped Tomatoes
- Shredded Lettuce
- Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Avocados
- Tortilla Chips
- Salsa
- Taco Sauce
- Homemade Chocolate Chip cookies for dessert
- Simply lemonade - because you need a refreshing beverage to go along with tacos!
The family receiving the meal can use all of it on their tacos, or if they're like my husband, just the meat and cheese! And if they don't want to use it on the tacos, or if there are left overs, the toppings can be used on other dinners. (Like tomatoes on a salad or sour cream on baked potatoes!)
All of this fit nicely in a reusable grocery bag (that I got from a birth expo, ha!) and I make sure the bag is one that I won't mind never seeing again!
Some other things I've learned from receiving meals and taking meals to others:
- Put everything in disposable or plastic containers that you don't expect to get back.
- Make sure to add sides - pasta dish? Be sure to bring rolls and butter or salad. Chicken dish? Bring veggies. Taco dinner? Chips and Salsa or guacamole! :)
- Add special touches - something for dessert, drinks for dinner, or even something for breakfast the next morning if your budget allows.
- Paper plates/utensils for easy clean up.
I'm definitely not trying to toot my own horn here. This meal was given to us by a good friend and I loved it so much I just wanted to pay it forward by giving this meal to another family and by sharing the ministry meal love here as well!
Do you have any tips for taking meals to friends who are in need?
What is your favorite meal to share?
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