Hi all. Soliciting ideas for soft foods. Had extensive dental work done yesterday,

[pinto]

all my remaining upper teeth were yanked in prep for a full plate. It'll be a month or so before I can eat "normally".

I've got a big pot of chicken/vegetable/ginger soup, the biggest container of cottage cheese I could find, enough yogurt to corner the market, an 18 pack of eggs for scrambles, etc. Bought some fruit/veggie smoothies at the market but they are sure expensive...

Looking for some variety - and nutrition, of course. I'm Irish, but how many mashed potatoes can one eat. :nopity:

Weight is a problem for me, I'm a string bean and keeping weight on is an issue health wise. Any ideas appreciated. Thanks - pinto

:hi:

[noamnety]

1. pumpin pie, no crust.

mmMMMmmm

[pinto]

2. Baked pumpkin with spices, right? That sounds good. It would add an orange color to my menu.

(I was taught to include all the colors available to meals as a simple nutrition guideline. Red, green, orange, yellow...)

[noamnety]

8. baked pumpkin custard.

You could just bake it and smash it up with spices. But I would puree it with the spices, sugar, an egg and some milk for the real pumpkin pie experience.

Now that you mention yellow, I'm thinking bananas sauteed in butter with powdered sugar. (one of my favorites).

I'm not sure if you are doing sweets at all, that could be an issue.

Another thing I'd do is a puree of cooked spinach and marinated artichoke hearts.

[pinto]

13. Good ideas, thanks.

[grasswire]

3. berry puree with baked custard

Getting those deep-colored berries while they're still plentiful is a very good thing for your nutrition. Make a puree with a bit of sweetener and eat with a baked custard or a pudding.

How about some creamed spinach? Here's how I do it (without making a white sauce). I cook chopped frozen or fresh spinach in a saute pan until all the water is gone. Then I add butter, curry powder, a bit of fresh nutmeg, and some heavy cream. Mmmmm.

How about homemade hummus drizzled with olive oil?

How about a homemade bean soup where the beans are cooked very soft and then mashed? You could make that with some kind of stock, some onions, a bit of pepper, a bay leaf, etc.

Hmm. If I were you I might crave something spicy eventually. You could make some icy pureed gazpacho with V-8 juice and lots of veggies, and add some salsa or hot sauce. Serve with smooth guacamole and a wedge of lime.

You can make a pureed broccoli and cheddar soup. Baked potato soup (yum). You could eat deviled ham. And mashed bananas, of course.

[pinto]

17. Odd. I happen to love creamed spinach..

And Lima beans. Go figure. Thanks for that reminder. :hi:

[eleny]

4. Rice pudding

Since you can add plumped, softened raisins to it and egg whites from the carton (the kind with a teensy bit of yoke added for flavor). Yeah, it's another white colored food but it tastes good.

Any soups that you can puree like tomato or tomato bisque. I like mushroom soup since it can take garlic and pepper for zip.

Sauteed mushrooms and onions diced and sauteed until they're very soft. Add a little ground meat of choice or even diced smoked sausage or franks (soy or chicken taste good) bits and it can be easy to deal with. That's something for when your mouth isn't so sensitive, maybe in a week.

Smoothies and malt drinks. I was surprised that powdered malt is so low in fat. It just has more sugar than I'd like these days. But if you can handle it, it's something you can add fruits to get them in your diet.

edit - Sorry you had to go through that procedure. Be well and I hope you get to feeling good soon! :hug:

[pinto]

14. I love rice pudding. Had forgotten that.

:thumbsup:

[pengillian101]

5. Oh, you poor thing. Oweeee.

When my guy had his teeth taken out, he practically lived this on one dish.

Honestly, I have the recipe written down, but I can't find it just this minute. If you want better directions, let me know. Shortcut version:

Layer in a greased casserole dish:

A layer of mashed potatoes
A layer of thawed frozen spinach
A layer of cooked crumbled sausauge
A layer of grated cheddar cheese

Repeat as deep as your dish allows. Bake until heated through.

Best to you ya! :-)

[hippywife]

6. Oh, poor Pinto!

Sorry you have to go through that. I watched them pull my husband's. Not a pleasant sight nor a pleasant experience for him for a bit.

Rather than buying the smoothies, you might want to just make your own with the fresh ingredients. Will taste better and be better nutritionally, too. If I think of anything different to eat, I'll post it for you.

If you have a blender, my favorite is always just good ol' banana milkshakes. :9

If I think of anything different to eat, I'll post it for you. :hug:

[noamnety]

9. Pinto! of course!

refried beans with melty cheese and salsa.

[hippywife]

10. Well, duh!

:rofl:

Good thinking! :hi:

[pinto]

12. LOL. It's on the list.

[noamnety]

21. I don't know if I should believe you.

"I'm a string bean" -- pinto.

[Stinky The Clown]

7. Long, slowly braised meats will be easy to gum .......

Here's my short rib post from a month or three ago. You could do the same thing with a big ol' chuck roast. There's almost n such things as 'overcooking'. The long it goes, the more tender it is. Go longer and it turns to mush. All the veggies get really nice and soft, too.

[pinto]

16. Good idea. I'm a meat eater and I know it's what I'll miss.

[Stinky The Clown]

18. I got that from your OP

I also forgot the link. Here ya go:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=236&topic_id=44741

I can imagine not being able to eat a normal diet for a month. The taste of meat is one that I'd miss, too.

[pinto]

19. Thanks.

[pinto]

32. Started a pot roast this afternoon. Even if it ends up as pot roast/veggie mush soup,

it'll fill the bill and the calories. :hi:

[pengillian101]

36. Hope you are feeling better!

I made a beef roast the other day. It was just okay, not so tender though.

Sliced the meat thin. Opened a can of french onion soup and simmered the meat in that for a few hours. M-M-M Super tender.

[Warpy]

11. Once your gums have had a week or so to heal

you'll find you'll be able to manage things like spaghetti and other pasta based foods without throwing them into the blender but you'll have to forget the "al dente" and go to the slightly overcooked stage. Mashed potatoes are also great and you can have them with whatever gravy is being served. My guess is that you won't miss the steak that much and you can learn how to make all sorts of sauces.

I'm surprised they didn't make the denture before they pulled the teeth. That's how a lot of dentists prefer to do it, and put in the denture immediately to put pressure on the gum and stop bleeding more quickly.

In any case, dentures are a hell of a lot better than a mouthful of bad teeth. You'll be shocked how fast you adapt.

My dad had full dentures at the age of 26.

[pinto]

15. I chose a two week wait for a mold for a better fit (swelling goes down.)

Thanks for your suggestions, I really appreciate them. :hi:

[Warpy]

23. Gazpacho!

I forgot the best one, made in a blender so it's totally pureed. It's cold, so it'll feel great on sore gums. It's a total flavor blast when you're sick of cream of this and that and mashed potatoes. If you throw a little hot sauce in it, the capsaicin will help healing.

Think soups, in general, like cream soups that will allow you to puree the veggie ingredients.

[pinto]

24. Yeah. Gazpacho!

:thumbsup:

[Dover]

20. A month! Poor dear. Well here's a delicious way to make chicken salad.

A pressure cooker might come in real handy for getting meats and veggies good and tender/soft.
Also a blender and/or food processer. This recipe requires both.

This is one of my favorite 'soft' meals.

I like to cook a whole chicken in some water (about 3-4 Cups) using my pressure cooker (or sometimes I buy one already cooked). I'll often throw a couple of garlic cloves in as well to flavor the water it cooks in. (It takes about 25 minutes after the pressure cap is placed on the cooker).

After it's cooked and has cooled, strip all the meat off and save some of the water it has cooked in.

Roughly chop an onion and some celery (just enough to go into the food processer easily).
You might even add an apple (skinned and cored).

Add about a cup of the chicken broth you've reserved to the food processer (you can add more later as needed).
Throw in the chicken, onion, celery and apple, along with some mayonaise and sweet mustard.
A little mayo and mustard go far, so add a little at a time to taste.
Mix it up to the consistency you want, adding more broth as needed.

This is great on a salad or in a sandwich and will last in the frig for the week if well sealed.
Or you can freeze some of it.

I like to make this with turkey as well, and add cranberry sauce instead of apple.

----

And if you like sweet potatoes, they are easy to bake and soft.

[grasswire]

22. Better than Bouillon beef stock with barley

....You could make a nice meaty-hearty soup with vegetables and barley and BTB stock. It's so good I have trouble keeping from taking a little bit right out of the jar.

[pinto]

25. I had the chicken/ginger soup cold last night. I make it with a *lot* of ginger.

Felt good.

[MagickMuffin]

26. A quick Soft Serve Ice Cream

Put Frozen fruit in a blender, add a tablespoon or two of sugar and either half & half, soy milk, or heavy cream and blend until smooth.

In the pic above I had a Cherry Peach combo. Sometimes I combine Cherries, Peaches and Blueberries, sometimes just a single fruit, but no matter how you mix or match it is always delicious.

This should be quite refreshing for your sore gums. I hope your pain won't last to long. I know from experience that having teeth pulled is not a easy thing to deal with, although I haven't had so many pulled at once. I'm sure you'll be just fine relatively soon.

:hug:

[Mind_your_head]

27. Miso Soup

Highly nutritious and delicious!

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-miso-soup

:hug: as you go through this. Hope this helps in some small way.

[yellerpup]

28. I've been getting dental work done too.

Chicken and dumplings, refried beans and soft flour tacos, lots of fish like poached or steam-sauteed tilapia with a good tartar sauce, steamed salmon with crabmeat stuffing, braised beef tips with egg noodles. If you don't take thyroid medication, there are soy blender shakes (chocolate!). Veggies can be pureed in a blender. Tomato soup and of course, mashed potatoes (carrots, parsnips) and leek and potato soup, beet and apple soup. Dental work is no fun, but you'll be happy to have good teeth again. Take care and best wishes for a speedy recovery. :hi:

[pinto]

30. Thanks. And good ideas. I love steamed tilapia in butter, chives, pepper and lemon.

[yellerpup]

33. I'm going to try it with the flavors you recommended next time.

Sounds delicious! Get well soon.

[Tektonik]

29. I would take that as an excuse to eat ice cream everyday

:9

[pinto]

31. LOL.

[kestrel91316]

34. Fix yourself a big pot of Potato Leek Soup and puree it and be sure

to add a good bit of cream. I think the French call it Vichyssoise. I know, I know, it's potatoes, but it's awful yummy and the cream can help you get lots of calories.

[tigereye]

35. cous-cous with soft veggies?

Hope you feel better!

:hug:

:hi:

[japple]

37. Baked sweet potatoes (like Dover said) with lots of butter,

brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon is rich and satisfying. Later on, you can slice baked sweet potatoes (crosswise) and fry them until crisp in a skillet with butter. That'll add calories big time.

Make up a big batch of whipped cream, and put it on everything. That's what I would do. Oh, and I second the suggestion for making your own fruit smoothies. Pineapple, orange, and peach is a great combination, as is peach and raspberry.

[hippywife]

38. Or with

gorgonzola cheese! LOL I know I always say that but it's my absolute favorite topping for a baked sweet potato! :9

[HamdenRice]

39. Jewish style chopped chicken liver

I'm African American, but my mother grew up in a mixed Black-Jewish neighborhood, and I grew up in a somewhat integrated part of Queens, New York, so I ended up eating a lot of Jewish and Italian food.

Lately, I've been on a childhood memory food kick, and have been eating homemade chopped chicken liver. It is really delicious, very nutritious. It's actually too fattening to eat regularly, but if you have a problem keeping weight on, then it might be good for you.

Sadly, it is incredibly labor intensive to make right: first you have to render schmaltz (chicken fat). I generally eat more chicken than any other meat and save those big globs of disgusting yellow chicken fat you find in whole chickens, chicken quarters and chicken legs in the freezer. When you have a small baggy, you render it with onions and garlic.

The result is a delicious, butter like substance. I won't go into the recipe here, because just reading what I've written, I realize no one is going to cook this. So anyhoo, you cook about 1 lb the chicken livers in schmaltz with onions and garlic, add two chopped hard boiled eggs, some raw finely diced onions and one or two stalks of finely diced celery, with salt and pepper to taste. I also like to add "glace" (sp?), which is homemade chicken stock that has been reduced to a few tablespoons of gelatinous goo, for texture and flavor.

It is, as I said, very time consuming but delicious. It tastes like the best liverworst you've never had.

[wryter2000]

40. Refried beans

Beans in general. But, if you have a problem keeping weight on, the extra fat from the refrying should help that.

[pinto]

41. *Thank you all.* Ironically, I'm eating better than I have for a while.

Funny, no?

Steaks and pork chops are out for now, of course. As are fried foods. Most salad things and sandwiches, as well. Fast food is out of the question.

But I'm revisiting long, slow cooked stuff. A lot of rice/bean/cheese type combos. Veggie laden stews with enough beef for flavor, pasta dishes, etc. etc.

Went to a picnic last week and remembered how much I like baba ganoush and hummus (scooped with the crustless innards of a french loaf), yogurt/cucumber salad, a feta side and lemon iced tea.

:hi:

[eleny]

43. You sound happy - I'm glad it's going well for you!

[LuckyLib]

42. Homemade smoothies take 2-3 minutes. As my base, I use

4-5 ice cubes in the blender, 1/2 c. of any kind of fruit juice and 1/2- 1 c. of yogurt (regular, vanilla, or any fruit flavor. Then use fresh ripe fruit or handfuls from your frozen bags of raspberries/strawberries/blueberries in the freezer. Run blender on puree, then add 1/2 - 1 scoop of soy protein powder (scoop comes in the container). Blend again, and voila! Don't measure anything. Just throw in what you have. All sorts of great combinations result.