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I second Sara Kate and commend you on being a good friend. Am not a mother but I've found that cookies and treats like brownies are also appreciated. Maybe a mac and cheese casserole with broccoli or a chopped salad (undressed)might work. If she isn't supposed to have wheat then a nice brown rice salad is always yummy and keeps very well.

After I had my first baby, I lived on a fruit salad that my mom made. It was just all sorts of fresh and canned fruits mixed with yogurt. I could put granola on it to make it a little more crunchy or whatever, but I ate that stuff all the time. It is good to get that little extra sugar kick when you are sleep deprived.

I like to bake oatmeal cookies spiked with extra bran for new mommies. They are always well received - sometimes it can be difficult to get all functions back to normal, and the extra fiber helps. Plus it's easy to eat cookies with one hand!

Hi -- I agree much of what was said here and sara Kate's suggestions are great. Personally, when my son was first born and I was nursing, I was concerned about having lots of desserts, so I don't totally agree with that. Something like a pre-sliced breakfast bread that can be frozen is nice and it's something that they can in turn offer to guests who drop by. Also, anything you bring will be that much cooler if you pre-slice it and put it in individual plastic containers and don't bring your own pan with you. You're a great friend and your friends will appreciate this more than you know.

Here's one someone brought over when I had my second baby. It lasted through the following two. In fact, I'm making it for that second baby tonight for her first night home from college for spring break. I serve it with brown rice. (I make that by putting a small amount of evoo, little sea salt, and a couple cloves of garlic in a skillet, let the garlic brown a teeny, then add the rice, let the rice brown a teeny, then add water to cover until it absorbs, add more water til that absorbs, and so on until the rice is done.) For the casserole, I cut boneless chicken breast into bite sized pieces, and brown them in evoo and garlic (we're big on the health benefits of garlic - you can cut it out, though). The chicken pieces go on the bottom of a long casserole dish, covered by steamed broccoli. Mix together cream of mushroom soup and evaporated mild (needless to say, NOT a low fat dish) and pour that over the chicken and broccoli. Top with grated cheddar cheese, cover with tin foil, and bake at 350 until the cheese is melted. (She can do this part herself, or you can do it when you get to her home.) Then top with a can of those french fried onion ring thingies, brown them for a minute, and serve over rice.

It's pretty easy, and has always been a hit with new moms, neighborhood gatherings, and the like.

Just pulling out of my hat, I'd say on the go nibblies are good. If you're good with flipping crepes, a couple made into sandwiches filled with strawberry jam, Nutella, or even cheese and mushrooms are good for one-handed eating.

New korean moms get served up miyuk seaweed soup to rejuvenate the system cause after giving birth, as my mom put it, "You feel like a dead tree". The recipe is pretty simple: dried miyuk is broken up into small pieces and boiled in water with a little meat if you want it (pork or beef), maybe some mushrooms. You can use miso as the broth too, just don't let it boil. If the packages don't have english on them, you know it's miyuk if it's long and stringy looking as opposed to thick and sheet-like. If you can't find miyuk, even dried roasted seaweed torn up and put on top of ramen noodles can help give back life to new moms.

Lasagna! You can make a big batch and then freeze it in dinner-for-2 size portions. It's filling and comforting and nutritious. My favorite recipe is from "The Best Recipe".

I was thinking lasagna too!!
Personally I think it taste even better the next day. With a side salad that has been washed and drained but not dressed will last a few days in the fride.

cook different kind of lentils and freeze them in small portions. when you need them reheat them.

Ample source of protein your way