Soft Foods
 

I'm posting this mainly for my own reference, but feel free to add your ideas and/or links to mushy recipes.

Braces = great difficulty eating. :P

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Mashed cauliflower, squash, avocado, etc
Canned pumpkin
Pureed soup

Tuna salad
Salmon salad or patties
Tofu
Chili
Chicken/turkey/etc salad, from shredded meat
Scrambled eggs
HB eggs
Quiche
Soft cheese (cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta)
Protein shakes/puddings

Mashed berries or other LC fruit
Flax seed porridge
Yogurt
Smooth nut butter

Hot cocoa
Pudding or mousse made from protein powder and/or cocoa
Whipped cream
Cheesecake
SF Jello

I just got my braces off 1 month ago, the only time I had a real problem with food was when they first went on (for about 1 month because my teeth would not align properly) then 1-2 days after each adjustment. After about 2 months I was eating all the same foods as before ie, Steak, Wings, fruit ect. The only thing I hated was all the cleaning ie,flossing six times a day (I hated using that threader to get at each tooth) The little brush to get in between the braces, brushing 6 times a day, the water pic. I spent at least 2 hours a day just cleaning my teeth, and if I ate steak or chicken I would spend 20 min trying to to remove the food from my mouth. The biggest tip I can give you is to buy some Listerine strips and always have them with you, and get a small tooth brush, tube of tooth past, brace brush, and floss and also always have these with you.

Congrats! That must have felt great! :D

Thanks for the tips. Yeah, I used to be a grazer, until two days ago! Eating is such a major ordeal now.

PUreed everything. Cream of leftover soup. That's too bad, Kristine. My nephew had the same problems while his braces were on, but it was worth it because now his teeth look great.

It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made, but while they were on I hated them. The last few months were the worst, I was counting each day and they were long. are you going to get your teeth whitened after you get the braces off? I would recomend it for 2 reasons. One is obvious: Bright white teeth, the other is that The Ortho will make you a retainer that doubles as a bleaching tray and it is very comfortable to wear at night. My neice has the standard retainer and she finds it extreamly uncomfortable and she has already broken it twice. Where as my retainer could be run over by a truck and still be O.K.

Kristine,

Here's a link to the post in my journal about a soup I came up with the other day:

cream of cauliflower soup with coconut milk.

Obviously, the spices can be whatever you want, but this is very tasty.

Also:
--fish quenelles (could also do with finely ground chicken) (I've never tried this recipe)
--pate
--smoked fish spread (we make it with smoked bluefish):
2 fillets smoked fish, shredded (I rub the fish between my fingers)
8 oz. softened cream cheese
dollop mayo (2 tbsp?)
juice of 1 lemon
1 shallot, minced as finely as possible
about 1 tsp ground cumin
about 1/2 tsp cayenne
dash paprika
4 minced chives

Mix all together. It's good enough to eat off the spoon.

I can't remember how long it took my teeth to get used to braces, but I know it does get better. Feel better soon!

Thanks folks. :rheart:

Milhafre, that soup sounds fantastic! All I'll have to buy is the 5-spice powder.



Possibly. I'll see what they look like afterward. My non-whiteness seems to come mostly from coffee and diet cola, and it comes off easily with decent toothpaste and a few days of that paint-on gel stuff once or twice a year. :thup:

I sometimes make this using pureed soft tofu for part of the chicken stock.

Chawan Mushi
Makes 4 servings

This is a pared down version of the Japanese egg custard. It can contain contains bits of chicken, fish or prawns, spinach and mushrooms. You can drizzle a little soy sauce on top before serving. It can be eaten hot or cold and is a good thing to eat after dental work.

3 large eggs
2 3/4 cups cooled chicken stock
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Gently beat the eggs using a fork or chopsticks; you don’t want them to get foamy. Add the stock and salt, stirring but not beating. Pour into 4 small bowl and cover each tightly with plastic wrap. Place the cups in the steaming basket. Bring 2-inches (5 cm) of water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer. Place the steaming basket on top, cover with the lid and turn the heat down to medium.

Steam for 12-15 minutes until set. This won’t be as firm as a traditional custard or quiche dish so be careful not to overcook it.

If you don’t have a steamer, cover the bowls with aluminum foil. Place in a pan and pour boiling water to come half way up the sides of the cups. Place a 350°F (175°C) for 5 minutes and then reduce the heat to 325°F (165°C) and cook for another 15 minutes.

Carbohydrates per serving: 1.1 g, Protein: 5.4 g

Karen

A soft sweet treat
 

I just posted this a few days ago:

Pumpkin Mousse

- Curry made with ground meat and coconut milk
- Meatloaf made with ground veal and sauteed, chopped mushrooms, maybe porcini and shallots
- Meatballs made from ground veal and seasonings
- Poached salmon with Hollandaise
- Egg salad, deviled eggs
- Avgolemono soup (Greek chicken/lemon soup thicked with egg yolks)
- Albondigas soup, maybe in a tomatillo/chicken broth base (Mexican meatball soup -- try toasted cumin in the meatballs)
- Egg drop soup
- Tofu with yummy Asian dipping sauces
- Soft smoked salmon
- Shepherd's pie with cauliflower mash on top
- Caviar
- Guacamole
- Tom Ga Kai (Thai chicken/coconut milk soup)
- Eggs poached in red wine/shallot sauce (I forget what these are called, sorry) or poached eggs on soft artichoke bottoms with Hollandaise (forget what these are called too)
- Soft fish like sand dabs; canned, smoked kippers
- Raw oysters (just swallow)
- Sashimi
- Medium-sized poached shrimp dipped in fondue made of Fontina D'Aosta and porcini
- Raclette
- Welsh rarebit served on _____ (the idea breaks down here)
- Creamed eggs (chopped hardboiled eggs in cream sauce)
- Shirred eggs (baked in buttered ramekins with cream, butter, grated Parmesan cheese, a paper-thin slice of tomato)
- Eggplant Parmesan
- "Lasagna" made with sauteed, vertical slices of zuccini in place of pasta
- Zucchini ribbons sauteed (they come out like fettucini) and then sauced or sprinkled with sesame seeds or cheese
- Ma Po Dofu (a traditional Chinese recipe for cubes of tofu cooked with ground pork, oyster sauce, and seasonings)

Kristine -- have you ever steamed a meatball? I followed a Chinese dim sum recipe for meatballs a decade ago. They were steamed and they came out un-nervingly soft. I've never done it again because they were way too soft for my taste, but I think it was the steaming that did it, not any special ingredient.

Also, ground veal is very tender in meatloaf and meatballs. I find using 1/2 ground veal an excellent way to omit breadcrumbs. If you used all ground veal, the results would be extremely tender.

Thanks a lot. :) No, I've never tried steaming meatballs. :idea: I recently started buying meat from a local co-op and they grind it very fine. I'll have to get some and try those meatballs.

I'm going to try Karen's recipe, too. I just made some chicken stock.

...and the pumpkin mousse sounds right up my alley! I'll have to pick up some pumpkin on the weekend.



...a plate! ;)

I cook my meatballs on a cookie sheet in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes. After I ball them up and lay them out on the sheet, I pour 1/2 cup (maybe a little more) beef stock over them.

They come out nice and moist. Very tasty.

I think that's similar to steaming and maybe more appealing.

Mashed cauliflower? Zucchini or spinach pancakes? Egg crepes?
Remember the sour cream! :)

Karen

great tips
 

So I just recently had oral surgery. For the next few days, I'll need to stick to smooth, puréed foods. Soft crumbly stuff like scrambled eggs or ground/minced meats have a tendency to get stuck in the sutures .. which are extensive, up into the roof of my mouth :o.

An easy ice cream sub. is to mix one scoop of vanilla whey protein powder with one scoop of water till smooth. Freeze. There you go. Simple, fool-proof. And boring. It's quite good as a frozen pop though .. use popsicle-type molds from the dollar store. I like to add frozen strawberries when blending; also a Tbsp or two of heavy cream improves the texture and adds some fat. Pure cocoa is great for chocolate flavour, and powdered espresso also makes a yummy frozen pop.

Boiled egg puréed with broth, canned ham, cheddar and a little butter is actually quite tasty. Veggies steamed until very soft can be easily puréed with broth and butter. Soft meats, chicken or fish are easily puréed too. Just add broth or other liquid to keep it moist.. Lots of yoghurt, mashed avocado and bone broth too!

Interesting thing is that my hunger is satisfied with much less food now that I must take only small bites and chew it very slowly and mindfully :idea:. Something to think about when I'm healed.

.

Kefir.

:)