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Here are 17 recipes for a friend in need. These easy and delicious meals can be made ahead and travel well.
Making a meal for a friend is a wonderful way to show you care. Whether they are welcoming a new baby or recovering from surgery or an illness, a home-cooked meal is such a blessing. We've got lots of great ideas for you today. These recipes can be made ahead and travel well.
There are plenty of main course options. We love to round out the meal with a salad, bread or homemade cookies. If I have time, I love to make muffins or granola for an easy snack or breakfast. Save these recipes for the next time you sign up for a meal train. I know it will be appreciated!
Crispy Blueberry Almond Granola
Just a little heads up... this crispy Blueberry Almond Granola is addictive and it's impossible to eat just one little handful! No worries though... with oats, wheat germ, coconut, maple syrup, honey and a secret ingredient, it's also hearty and healthy!
Honey-Glazed Blueberry Bran Muffins
These fabulous one-bowl, no-mixer Blueberry Bran Muffins are high-fiber, super moist, studded with juicy blueberries and lower in refined sugar than most muffins!
Potato Focaccia (Focaccia Pugliese)
This Potato Focaccia, aka Focaccia Pugliese, is a beloved bread from the sunny heel of Italy with fluffy interior, large artisan air holes and a crisp, golden crust. Normally an overnight affair, this recipe uses a few secret tricks so it can be made in an afternoon with minimal hands-on time!
Classic French Bistro Salad
This simple Classic French Bistro Salad, served at cafés, brasseries and bistros all over France, is beyond easy and one of those recipes you'll be turning to again and again (especially when you want to feel a little "fancy")  - with minimal effort on your part.
Pepita Pecorino Kale Salad (Hillman's Pub Copycat Recipe)
A bright, vibrantly flavored salad, this Pepita Pecorino Kale Salad pairs deliciously with pizza, burgers, roasted or grilled entreés and it makes a healthy, hearty meal topped with grilled chicken. The easy brown-butter-roasted pepitas are the crunchy crowning glory!
French Bistro Spinach Quiche
This French Bistro Spinach Quiche comes together quickly, can be made ahead and tastes like something you might enjoy at a charming little Parisian Café.
Easy Pan-Seared Chicken Bruschetta
If you're in the mood for something healthy, satiating and fabulous, this super easy Pan-Seared Chicken Bruschetta is calling your name! Serve it with some crusty bread to sop up the delicious juices and you'll be hearing rave reviews from family, friends and guests!
Make-Ahead Basil Chicken Meatballs Parmesan
Looking for a make-ahead dish that everyone will love? These Basil Chicken Meatballs Parmesan are it! They're bursting with fabulous flavor and are perfect for weeknight family dinners and easy entertaining!
Oven Roasted Greek Chicken Meatballs
These healthy, delicious Greek Chicken Meatballs come together quickly with lean chicken, lots of fresh veggies and a ton of fabulous flavor! Serve them as an appetizer, in sandwiches, in bowls with Greek salad, hummus and orzo (pictured), in wraps with pita bread and hummus...
Italian Chicken Pastina Soup (aka Italian Nonna's Penicillin Soup)
This cozy, comforting Chicken Pastina Soup is also called Italian Nonna's Penicillin soup because it's known to cure just about anything that ails you! It hits the spot on a chilly day, for sure!
Curried Red Lentil Coconut Soup
With lots of fresh veggies and healthy lentils simmered in a flavorful coconut broth, this Curried Red Lentil Coconut Soup is a delicious meal in a bowl!
Beef Bourguinon Meatballs
Want to feel a little fancy without breaking the bank or spending hours in the kitchen? These make-ahead Beef Bourguinon Meatballs are outrageously delicious, work well for entertaining and will make an ordinary day quite special!
Easy Chicken and Dumplings Recipe
This delicious Chicken and Dumplings recipe comes together in well under an hour with tender chunks of chicken and fluffy buttermilk dumplings - it's the perfect cozy meal for a chilly day!
Feel-Better Chicken Gnocchi Soup
This delicious Chicken Gnocchi Soup is true "comfort in a bowl". It's loaded with fresh veggies, lean protein and soft, pillowy gnocchi in every delicious bite!
Honey Chicken Tikka Masala
If you've got 45 minutes, you can whip up this fabulous Chicken Tikka Masala with a lick-the-bowl-clean delicious sauce, plenty of tender, moist chicken. A splash of honey takes it over the top!
Crinkly Crackly Butter Toffee Sugar Cookies
With crinkly, crackly exteriors, crisp edges and chewy, toffee-studded interiors, these Butter Toffee Sugar Cookies are a huge hit with cookie lovers of all ages!
Copycat Crumbl Chocolate Chip Cookies
Everyone who tries these Copycat Crumbl Chocolate Chip Cookies flips with the first bite! They're sweet and chewy inside with a crisp outer shell and lots of melt-in-your-mouth milk chocolate chips!
Thought for the day:
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
He has also set eternity in the human heart;
yet no one can fathom what
God has done from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoy this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It's so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.
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