Puree to soft foods transition: Foods/recipes

[heynowkc 329]

Okay, so I am almost 4 weeks out from surgery and am still mostly eating purees. The one thing that is NOT a puree that goes down really well has been club crackers chewed really well which was recommended by my dietitian. I have eaten these once with smoked mussels and hummus, and once or twice to combat nausea. I've only eaten 1 or maybe 2 crackers each time. Probably a total of 4-5 crackers in all, haha. (This box of crackers is going to last me months!!!) The smoked mussels are very soft (kind of dissolve in your mouth) but still didn't go down as well as the crackers. Also tuna was not a huge success. The thing is, I am getting tired of refried Beans, hummus, and beech nut baby food for Protein sources in my meals. So my question is, does any one have any good suggestions or recipes for transitioning from purees to very soft foods? I would love to hear them. (Even if they're not Protein based!)

I recently made Cauliflower mash from the skinnytaste website: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/03/creamy-cauliflower-puree.html and it was simply amazing, but still a puree. But it tastes so much like real mashed potatoes that I can tell it's going to be a favorite from now on! I highly recommend it! (Alterations: I did boil the cauliflower in veggie bouillon to add flavor, and added a few snipped chives at the end!)

[joatsaint 2,814]

Here's a link to Eggface - http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html

She has a big following and has recipes for all stages of WLS.

[roundisashape 712]

One of the first things I had was Beans of the not-refried variety (lima Beans, if I recall). Ground beef mixed with green beans is a favorite right now. I also wrapped chicken in foil and covered it in a marinade of citrus juices and spices, and cooked it in the oven. It's almost like boiling it in flavor, but it does stay pretty moist that way.

At first, tuna salad went down well but chicken salad got stuck. Last week, tuna salad started coming back up but chicken salad goes down great. Who knows, right? But if the tuna doesn't work, chicken might.

Ground turkey or pork with some shredded cabbage cooked in and a touch of soy sauce is pretty good, too. Like the guts of an egg roll.

Good luck!

[Cyr 16]

Following I'm doing puréed foods next week so it exciting but also nerve wrecking

[Brandalyn 53]

Tilapia, egg cooked in a Tomato, shrimp, baby spinach on anything, ricotta, cabbage rolls stuffed with salmon, brown rice, zucchini, yellow squash, avocado is my favorite, i also make homemade nut butter

[heynowkc 329]

@joatsaint That post is awesome. Thank you so much for linking to it! I will definitely try some of those out soon!

@@roundisashape Oh great suggestions. Definitely worth a shot. I have some boneless skinless chicken thighs that might work with your foil method. (I feel like chicken breast would be too dry and hard to get down.) I'm excited about maybe trying some of these. Especially the lima Beans and "egg roll guts." Haha. You should write a recipe for that and definitely call it Egg Roll Guts. It'll be a huge hit.

@@Cyr I was excited too but it definitely took a few days to get used to eating solid(er) foods again. Just a slow process overall. But I don't want to rush it!

@@Brandalyn Oh those cabbage rolls sound good. Do you have a recipe? I would love that! (Also, yes, avocado was one of the first things I ate, mashed/pureed beyond recognition, but still awesome! I really want to try some with salsa but have been afraid to!

[Brandalyn 53]

SALMON CABBAGE ROLLS

1 beaten egg

2 tbsp. finely chopped onion

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 (7 3/4 oz.) can salmon, drained, boned & flaked

2/3 c. cooked rice

4 lg. cabbage leaves

2/3 c. milk

2 tsp. cornstarch

1/8 tsp. salt

In small mixing bowl combine egg, onion, Worcestershire sauce and pepper; add salmon and rice. Mix well. Immerse cabbage leaves in boiling Water until limp and bright green. Remove heavy center rib but leave in one piece. Place a large heaping spoon of mixture on leaf. Fold sides and ends over filling. Place cabbage rolls side seam down in a pie tin. Bake, covered with foil at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

[Brandalyn 53]

Adjust the recipe to the flavor you like. This is a basic recipe model I use and change all the time lol. Sometimes I want a lemon pepper flavor, or Dijon mustard with honey flavor, mostly I like plain fish flavor with a side of sour cream for dipping

[heynowkc 329]

@@Brandalyn Oh thank you. I can't wait to try this.

[Brandalyn 53]

I absolutely love to cook and I am always experimenting with flavor profiles so if you or anybody needs some recipes please feel free to ask and share any ideas you have. I love this forum and all the support I get from it. Thank you so much for helping me through this!

[heynowkc 329]

I made my own version of "egg roll guts!" Not really sure what truly goes into an egg roll or how it is prepared, but I just came up with my own recipe:

Ingredients:

1 package cole slaw mix (green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots)

1 chopped white/yellow onion

1 handful of shredded carrots (there weren't a lot in the cole slaw mix)

1 T olive oil

salt and pepper

1-3 T veri veri teriyaki sauce (whatever your preference)

1 lb of ground pork

- Saute the onion in a large skillet over med-high heat until clear and just turning brown at the edges.

- Add the pork and cook until browned (mine was 30% less fat so there was no need to drain)

- Add cole slaw mix and shredded carrots and cook until very soft, reducing heat at the end.

- Add salt, pepper and teriyaki sauce as desired.

It was very yummy but at my stage I definitely needed to eat it very slowly to avoid feeling uncomfortable. This was my first attempt at eating ground meat since surgery. I chose the pork over lean turkey (my first choice), chicken, or hamburger because I figured the fat in the pork would make it easier to eat and not as dry. I think once I advance I will be brave enough to try the lean turkey.

[roundisashape 712]

@@heynowkc, Pork is the one meat I've been consistently able to keep down no matter what - maybe your theory is right! Even lean pork roast stayed down with no issues for me.

[heynowkc 329]

@@roundisashape You know I have heard the pork thing from a couple people. I ate some very tender teriyaki chicken thigh last night (with the cauliflower mash) chopped into teeny tiny pieces and that went down fine. I am hoping chicken turns out to be easily digestible for me because it's a favorite. But I have heard some people have problems with it. I think the key is making sure the meat is moist, so maybe chicken breasts will be off the menu for a while!

Edited January 20, 2015 by heynowkc

[greatestnameever 49]

Something I made before my surgery that I'm excited to have post-surgery: boiled butter Beans (otherwise known as mature Lima beans), with a little bit of salt, olive oil, and fresh lime zest. Mash those beauties up and you've got yourself a treat!

[vsg_candy 20]

I havent tried to cauli mash yet but it sounds incredible!!!! Thank you for sharing the link! I think I will give them a try tomorrow.

I have been doing cooking videos to help occupy myself lol. Here is the link if you need recipe ideas further post op.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKINy8MHcOQIjZnhWvssY7Q/videos