Hey there friends of Christina and Alex! As you know, little Paul is on the way soon. Having homemade meals is a lifesaver in those early weeks with a newborn (I know this from experience!). C&A very generously allowed me to make this "meal train" for them, so that friends to help be their village and take care of them. I share some recipe ideas below. A bit of background on meal trains: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/meal-train-heres-why-love-135302522.html The original dates requested were 1-8 November and 25-30 November. Now a bit of help at the end of the year would also be welcome. If something comes up that prevents you from being able to provide a meal on a particular day, don't stress. Please first let me know (and not C&A) if this is the case, as I'll try to coordinate a switch with another friend. Finally, if food isn't your love language, don't worry - there will be plenty of other ways to help C&A in the coming months (and years). No pressure! Hugs, Viki Here are some tips from when I received a meal train: -I'm sure everyone will be very keen to meet the new arrival and talk to C&A, but your meal drop-off may *not* be the right moment. Take the lead from them; you might be asked to just place the meal in front of their door. If you are invited in (😲) then be brief, be helpful, and begone 😜. -Bring your meal in disposable containers if possible. I know, I know, the environment, but not having to worry about cleaning and returning tupperware is one less stress for the new parents. -I really appreciated meals that would last a few days in the fridge or could be frozen; it was so unpredictable when we would get around to eating something. -Quantity quantity quantity - it takes a lot of energy to take care of a newborn so throw your regular idea of "portion sizes" out the window and don't hold back! -In my case I really craved hot, savory food (and meat...I know, I know, the environment); salads and cookies/cakes might be a nice bonus, but the recovering postpartum body has specific nutritional needs. Here are some articles: about specific post-partum nutrition needs: https://lilynicholsrdn.com/real-food-postpartum-recovery-meals/ soup recipes, specifically: https://lizwinterswellness.com/2023/10/nourishing-soup-recipes-for-postpartum-meal-prep/ not related to post-partum, very American: https://www.southernliving.com/food/dinner/meal-train-ideas