our after birth meal

Our birth center's policy is to have new parents and their babies go home a few hours after delivery. One thing they require is that new moms eat a "real" meal before going home, so when you arrive to have your baby you're supposed to bring something that can be prepared easily after the birth. That way you leave well-nourished and ready to rest peacefully (???) at home.

The birth center has a full kitchen with fridge, stove, etc., so anything you bring is totally fine. I decided that the meal I'd like to have is one that I almost always make for friends at church whenever they have a new baby. It's from this great cookbook called "The Good Neighbor Cookbook" which I bought a few years back. (Joel loves it, too, so that's a plus!)

Because the recipe is one of my absolute favorites, I thought I'd share it here. Enjoy!

Toasted garlic marinara: 
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. 
Add 4-6 cloves of garlic (sliced) and cook, stirring until light golden brown. 
Add 2 (28 oz) cans of whole peeled tomatoes with juice, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon sugar, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, and a dash of black pepper. 
Bring all to a boil. 
Decrease heat and simmer on low, breaking the tomatoes up (I use a potato masher but you can use a wooden spoon). Let simmer about 20 minutes until slightly thickened.

After the marinara is done, you can make the ravioli dish:
I buy about 3 pounds of frozen cheese ravioli and split it between two 8x8 pans. Then in each pan, stir in 4 cups baby spinach, 1 cup heavy cream, some basil leaves (optional), 1/4 cup Parmesan and about half of the marinara. I also sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top, but that's optional too. 
Bake at 400 until the sauce is bubbling and top is golden, about 25 to 30 minutes