2 small glasses White Merlot

3 bites of salad with ranch dressing (chewed to a pulp)

8 bites of Manicotti (chewed to a pulp)

4 bites of marinara with about 6-8 spaghetti noodles (chewed....)

4 bites of risotto topped with 2 thin slices steamed squash (chewed....)

lots of unsweetened tea w/splenda

1/2 of a 2" square double chocolate brownie and 1 cup of coffee....

All of this was eaten and (drank, drunk???) over a 2 hour period.

The evening spent enjoying this at the local "Murder Mystery" dinner theatre with 5 dear friends celebrating one of their birthdays was wonderful.

The food was so very satisfying.

Maybe one of the most enjoyable meals I've ever had.

The fact that I realized that I don't think I had never really "chewed" pasta before was amazing.

Yet still, I beat myself up over the fact that, even though everything I ate could have been eaten by someone who had no teeth, I'm not (according to my nurse) supposed to eat solid food for another 5 days.

I would love to see some of your thoughts on this.

Think about the calories and just because it can go down should it really.