liquid food ideas

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Pollyanna, Shedder of Casual Blood
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After a complicated wisdom tooth extraction gone bad, I have to let my jaw joint heal... and I'm not allowed to chew food (or talk *sob*) for 4-6 more weeks.

I'm already two weeks into this rest thing, and I'm soooo tired of smoothies and barely filling soups. I need a bit of help figuring out what I can eat. I'm in constant, pretty severe pain, and that, combined with not getting proper sustenance is screwing with me something fierce.

Anyone? I'm especially interested in ways to make meat VERY soft so I can eat it (NO BLENDERING), but any ideas (EXCEPT BLENDERING) are welcome.
 

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After a complicated wisdom tooth extraction gone bad, I have to let my jaw joint heal... and I'm not allowed to chew food (or talk *sob*) for 4-6 more weeks.

I'm already two weeks into this rest thing, and I'm soooo tired of smoothies and barely filling soups. I need a bit of help figuring out what I can eat. I'm in constant, pretty severe pain, and that, combined with not getting proper sustenance is screwing with me something fierce.

Anyone? I'm especially interested in ways to make meat VERY soft so I can eat it (NO BLENDERING), but any ideas (EXCEPT BLENDERING) are welcome.
Oh, ick, you poor thing.

Do you mean no blender, specifically, or no pureeing in general? If the latter, that's a tough one. If the former, you can use a food processor, or a mortar and pestle, or push things through a sieve/strainer, to get a smooth consistency.

Look up recipes for terrines: it sounds like they might be your best bet.

Soft scrambled eggs generally need little to no chewing. Ditto for very thin slices of cold smoked salmon. Peanut or other nut butters. All are high in protein, which is what you need.

Red lentils cook down to a mush in about thirty minutes, and are a good source of protein. Dried split green peas take a few hours, but ditto.

Beef which is slow-cooked for a VERY long time will be falling-apart tender, and if you then cut it against the grain into very thin slices you should be able to swallow it without it needing to be chewed.
 

Marlys

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About all I can think of that doesn't use a blender/food processor is to cook meat all day in a slow cooker (or very slowly on top of the stove) in a fair amount of liquid, until it all but dissolves into the gravy/sauce--look up recipes for stoofvlees or goulash, especially those with a really long cooking time.

If you're up for veggie options, bean dishes would be good. Something like fagioli all'uccelletto is hearty and thicker than a soup. And the recipe I like has only 5 ingredients: white beans, garlic, tomato, olive oil, and sage.

Do you not have a blender, or just don't want to use it? I'd think ham or chicken mousse would be a good option in your condition. Maybe also liver pate--rich, but a little would go a long way.
 

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Oh, ick, you poor thing.

Do you mean no blender, specifically, or no pureeing in general? If the latter, that's a tough one. If the former, you can use a food processor, or a mortar and pestle, or push things through a sieve/strainer, to get a smooth consistency.

Thanks. It does suck, not gonna lie :). What I meant was no blendering meat :D I have smoothied everything thus far and while I'm super tired of it (since it's been the only thing I've been eating), it's very convenient, and the best way to still get my vitamins and fibers.

Look up recipes for terrines: it sounds like they might be your best bet.

Soft scrambled eggs generally need little to no chewing. Ditto for very thin slices of cold smoked salmon. Peanut or other nut butters. All are high in protein, which is what you need.

Red lentils cook down to a mush in about thirty minutes, and are a good source of protein. Dried split green peas take a few hours, but ditto.

Beef which is slow-cooked for a VERY long time will be falling-apart tender, and if you then cut it against the grain into very thin slices you should be able to swallow it without it needing to be chewed.

Terrines are a terrific idea, thank you! I could combine them with veggie puree or something like that... perfect!

This is amazing, thanks so much. I have a crockpot, but I didn't even dare entertain the notion of meat yet.
 

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When I haven't been able to eat, I've used Slim-Fast. It's like Ensure but since I've used Slim-Fast before for dieting, I know what flavors I like. If you're not in the US, those are both brands of liquid nutrition. They come in milkshake flavors. When I've used it for non-dieting purposes, I really haven't felt like cooking anyway.
 
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Maryn

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Filling, nutritious, and contains meat in small enough bits that no chewing is required.

SPLIT PEA SOUP

16 oz. bag split peas
2-3 tsp. salt
8 c. water
1 medium onion, chopped fine*
3 stalks celery, chopped fine
2 carrots, chopped fine
4-5 slices bacon**
4-5 deli slices ham, diced fine

* the word "fine" means no larger than 1/8 inch in any direction
** if you do not have a blender or food processor, chop the raw bacon in 1/4-inch diced pieces

Pour peas into cold soup pot and pick over, seeking stems, leaves, stones. Some brands have none, others quite a bit.

Allow 30 minutes for chopping by hand. (Use a food processor to speed it up.)

Put all ingredients into a soup pot. Simmer on low heat, uncovered, stirring every 10-15 minutes, for two hours. If soup becomes too thick (and it will), add more water. Note that once the soup is hot, the bottom tends to scorch, so lower the heat as low as it goes to keep it simmering and stir more frequently. If your soup does scorch, be careful not to stir up the burnt bits, which can make the rest taste burnt.

In the last half hour before serving, remove all the whole bacon pieces and enough of the liquid to fill the blender about 1/2 to 2/3 full. Let it cool for ten minutes, hold the lid on securely, and puree until fully liquefied. Return to soup.

You should end up with 2 to 3 quarts of thick soup which is tasty, incorporates meat, and is quite filling. Other things to consider include all soups which are not transparent--potato soups, cheese soups, and creamy soups. It's easy enough to use a blender (or easier still, an immersion blender) or a potato masher to crush the ingredients enough that you can eat them, and they will fill you up.

Check your grocery store for the tiniest pasta shapes. There are teensy stars no bigger than 1/8 inch uncooked, and many other small shapes--little shells, O's, and more. You can easily swallow these without chewing, and they taste and fill you up like real food.

Maryn, trying to remember what else her kids ate when they had oral surgery
 

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About all I can think of that doesn't use a blender/food processor is to cook meat all day in a slow cooker (or very slowly on top of the stove) in a fair amount of liquid, until it all but dissolves into the gravy/sauce--look up recipes for stoofvlees or goulash, especially those with a really long cooking time.

If you're up for veggie options, bean dishes would be good. Something like fagioli all'uccelletto is hearty and thicker than a soup. And the recipe I like has only 5 ingredients: white beans, garlic, tomato, olive oil, and sage.

Do you not have a blender, or just don't want to use it? I'd think ham or chicken mousse would be a good option in your condition. Maybe also liver pate--rich, but a little would go a long way.

Goulash, stoofvlees, great ideas. I could make those in the crockpot. I don't know if I'd be able to swallow beans whole without some reflex chewing... it's worth a try though, and I suddenly remember a white bean puree with garlic I used to make often. So adding olive oil, sage, and pureed tomatoes would not be a stretch... Great!

I have a blender, but I find nothing more gross than pureed meat :) I am dipping my toe into the liver pate world, though. I can handle it.
 

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When I haven't been able to eat, I've used Slim-Fast. It's like Ensure but since I've used Slim-Fast before for dieting, I know what flavors I like. If you're not in the US, those are both brands of liquid nutrition. They come in milkshake flavors. When I've used it for non-dieting purposes, I really haven't felt like cooking anyway.

That is actually a great idea. Thanks!

***Maryn's Super Split-Pea Soup Recipe***

Thanks, Maryn! I'll be making that one this weekend *insert gross drooling smiley here*
 

Maryn

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I have all the makings on hand. Maybe I'll make some, too!

Although I should eat the turkey soup my friend gave me first.

Maryn, amused that this single woman made eight quarts of the stuff
 

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Oh, you poor thing! I underwent maxillofacial surgery about a decade ago and had to stick to a liquid and soft-food diet for a few months. I was never so happy to eat a cheeseburger when it was all over!

Like a few people have suggested, braising ground meat (I mostly ate beef) is great. Just toss it with some spices and then mash it with a spoon to get it even in the pot, then pour over enough water to cover and let it simmer for a few hours. You could even add some finely chopped onion and/or bell pepper about half-way through. A crockpot would work, though I prefer mine less soupy. This is actually how I make taco meat now and people always marvel at how soft and small the bits of beef are.

Look up how to make French-style scrambled eggs. You have to start with a cold pan and stir the "custard" the entire time and add butter or cream at specific points along the way, but what results is the softest, creamiest version of scrambled eggs you've ever eaten.

I wish you a smooth and speedy recovery!
 

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Oh, you poor thing! I underwent maxillofacial surgery about a decade ago and had to stick to a liquid and soft-food diet for a few months. I was never so happy to eat a cheeseburger when it was all over!

I knooow! I'm trying not to think about pizza, or Chinese food, or... or... or... *gross sobbing*

Your ideas are amazing. Thanks!
 

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My friend had a big jaw surgery and ate a lot of fish. She said it fell apart easily enough, cooked normally, that it wasn't a problem.

But also going with the braised meat suggestions. Just make sure it's a good cut of meat for it. You'll want some good marbelling of fat in the meat fiber, but this is one of those cases where connective tissue is okay, too.
 

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If they weren't so behind on orders that they're estimating 4-5 months for new orders, I'd quasi-jokingly suggest soylent.

You can even dye it green.
 

benbenberi

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I knooow! I'm trying not to think about pizza, or Chinese food, or... or... or... *gross sobbing

It's not pizza or Chinese, but you may do something about the craving by exploring the worlds of risotto and congee. They're both inherently soft dishes (basically, long-cooked rice) and you can doctor them with soft things and/or sauces that have the flavor-profiles you want.

Ma po tofu is another very soft Chinese dish (esp. if you soft-braise the ground pork) with tons of flavor. Use one of the softer tofu varieties to get the texture you need -- it may come out a bit soupier or scrambled-egg style than the usual versions, but it will be just as tasty.

Eggplant can also cook down to a luscious softness (which you can puree fine or coarse to make sure there's no chunks left) -- turn it into baba ganouj or any of the comparable dishes from other Mediterranean cuisines, or serve it layered with tomato sauce (and ricotta if you like, mozzarella is probably too chewy for a liquid diet).

If they weren't so behind on orders that they're estimating 4-5 months for new orders, I'd quasi-jokingly suggest soylent.

Non-jokingly, the internet is full of recipes for DIY Soylent. Google "soylent recipe" and you'll find tons of variations on the theme. It's not exactly what one would call "food," but I understand it can meet nutritional requirements.
 
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Thanks so much for the ideas, guys. I'm actually looking forward to food again :heart:
 

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We're glad to hear it. Tell us what you're eating!
 

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Oooh yes.

Today I had a kiwi oatmeal smoothie for breakfast, which was gross on account of bitter, bitter kiwi. But that's life.

Lunch: French scrambled eggs with chives and honey mustard, with an avocado-apple-mint smoothie.

Dinner: Moroccan style braised ground beef, with cauliflower and red onion puree.

And after dinner, I'm going to try my hand at a smoked salmon terrine so that it can cool in the fridge overnight. Excitement!
 

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Today I had a kiwi oatmeal smoothie for breakfast, which was gross on account of bitter, bitter kiwi.
1. Add honey.
2. Use gold instead of green kiwifruit.
3. Don't put the kiwifruit seeds through the blender.

But other than that, it sounds like you've got quite the delicious, gourmet diet going!
 

L M Ashton

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I'm late to the party, but perhaps a couple more suggestions will help?

In a fair number of Asian cuisines, there are variations on porridge/congee. Basically, you start with a grain like barley or oats or such and you make it savory by adding small amounts of vegetables and/or meat, depending. My mother in law makes a version with red rice (think brown rice but in Sri Lanka, it's brown), chicken, garlic, onion, green chillies. It's usually eaten during Ramadan - it's very easy on the stomach after a day of fasting while getting nutrients in. Another variation I've had and enjoyed is made with barley and beef. Always, the meat is cooked to extreme tenderness and is additionally shredded into very small pieces. There are hundreds of variations on the theme.

Another suggestion is for thick soups like pumpkin. I make mine with chicken, shredded into small pieces. The ingredient list is small - pumpkin, broth, chicken, salt, pepper, and cumin. I love it for a meal since it's so filling with it being so thick from the pumpkin. I blend together everything but the chicken, leaving the chicken in small shredded pieces for texture.
 

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How about some soft polenta? You can stir all kinds of yummy things into this, like marinara sauce or pesto, and not have to do very much chewing.

As a side dish, some roasted butternut squash sounds good, and has enough fiber to be filling. Add cheese, because I said so.

Speaking of cheese, when I had my wisdom teeth out, I ate Stouffer's mac and cheese, because it required very little chewing. I still have fond memories of Stouffer's, because it's not ice cream, and I got so unbelievably sick of ice cream.
 

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Although guacamole is often used as a dip, you can use it to make salads more filling as well in pretty similar ways to tuna salads and such.

(Skinless) baked potatoes mashed with something like yoghurt, sour cream, cream cheese and similar. Basically any form of mashed potatoes in general.

For some meat, there also are a fair few soups that taste well with meatballs or sausages with the skin removed and not only are ground meats easier to eat without chewing in general, they tend to become a fair lot softer in soups and some sauces sauces as they absorb a lot of liquid.
 

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Silenia's post reminded me to mention chorizo. It's meat, it makes its own sauce, and it's delicious, and no chewing required.
 

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Perfect, guys, thanks. I can still barely chew, so everything you can offer is appreciated :heart: