Polenta? How about tomato-based sauces, like a spaghetti sauce?

I am thinking baby food constiancy here, so could you take a stew and run it through the blender or FP? Mashed potatoes with cauliflower or other smashed veggies and cheese?

Riverrat(Karen) had a thread not long ago, so that might be a help.

You know, I was wondering the same thing. Not have mac and cheese? (NO!!) I'd make it anyway and put it in the FP so she can eat it. If you don't like the consistency, what about taking a small pasta like orzo, and making a cheese sauce for that?

Smashed cauliflower with sour cream (a little protein).
Mix some cooked meat into gravy (poultry or beef flavors) and puree, serve over mashed potatoes.
Winter squash with butter and brown sugar....well mashed.
Soft scrambled eggs.
Applesauce.
Crustless savory cheesecake (salmon, onion, tuna, veggies mixed into the filling).
Fruit and vegetable juices (V-8, tomato, carrot and combos).
Cottage cheese.
Peanut butter and bananas (or jelly) blended together.
Cream soups.
Cream of wheat cereal.

Ummmm.........I may think of more.

Deanna

How about jazzed up SOS (Sh$t on a Shingle). Vary the flavor and put over rice, mashed vegetables...

Sausage gravy over ground up biscuits
Sloppy Joes on bread
Grind cooked pork roast and add BBQ sauce

Nancy

I like clare's idea of smaller pasta for mac and cheese - I love acine de pepe.

Also, what about a thicker soup - like a nice thick butternut squash?

really moist scrambled eggs? whoops, just saw that on deanna's...

mixing tuna w/ mashed potatoes and maybe cheese and frying it up a little?

oh yeah - like the savory cheesecake - a crustless quiche?

sooo sooo glad, she'd doing a bit better,Sharon.

Stacy

How about some whipped butternut squash or mashed sweet potatoes, not main dishes but some things to add to the list.

Good ideas already......we were just talking about this is the other day and I got a craving, how about baby pablum. It is really well fortified and then with some sugar on it....I really like it. One thing I have done before taking care of a patient who had wisdom teeth out is really mash up a banana and mix with peanut butter.

A smooth baked potato soup would be very filling. Or any pureed soup, for that matter.

Because of DH's dental problems, we've been on a soft diet, too, although he has no problems with swallowing and can handle hamburger, shepherd's pie, crab cakes, mac and cheese, stir-fried vegs, etc.

Recently, I've been cooking seasoned, breaded turkey chops and then running them through a food chopper, adding a little mayo, and calling it "turkey salad." Finely chopped celery could be added, and this can be done with cooked chicken, too. There's also a canned chicken with a consistency similar to tuna; I've mixed it with rice or veggies.

Although I swear DH could eat pasta 7 days a week, I can't, so I'm still searching for alternatives. Recently, I bought frozen ravioli (stuffed with beef or cheese, add your own sauce), and that was not bad. I also bought frozen Pad Thai with tofu and frozen Quiche Lorraine, though we haven't tried them yet. If DH likes them, I'll try making these dishes from scratch and then chopping up the ingredients as necessary.

Hope Sara is better soon! Good luck!

Sue

Great ideas here.

It must be difficult to try and get the liquids in too. I am thinking that Sara needs foods pureed in a food mill like a baby but prepared and seasoned to the taste of the young lady that she is.

Some of these ideas have been mentioned:

Cream of wheat and oatmeal can be made with various liquids (milk, juice, water) and have various additions (pureed, mashed fruit) to change up the same old flavors.

Cold chicken, ham, tuna, etc, can be finely diced into chicken salad with mayo and seasonings like celery seed, celery salt. I hope the flavor could seem like big kid food even though it is the consistency of baby food.

Dinner foods could be as Deanna mentioned, chicken pureed into a tasty gravy, Beef stew pureed and added to beef gravy. Chicken parmesan or chicken cacciatore can be prepared pureed and served in tomato sauce. Separate vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini) can be pureed and seasoned with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Some(peas, corn)may be great pureed with a little butter and salt and pepper.

You could make a potato soup with potatoes, onions, spices, and milk. Cook the veggies in just enough water to cover. When tender, add the milk and cook for an hour or so. This will turn the taters to a thin mashed potato consistency. We add ham chunks and rivlets, but you would not have to. This way it's more like a thick thick soup rather than a broth so she could swallow it.
It seems weird that it is harder to swallow thin watery stuff doesn't it? I know my father was unable to drink water for the last two months of his life, but he could eat any solid or thick food. I never understood this. My son, the nurse, explained it to me, but I still don't understand it.
Good luck Chase. Sarah is very, very lucky to have you for an aunt.
Sherry

tomatoes without their seeds and skin.

pasta-less lasange would work, or the spinach and ricotta gnocchi's - they are especially good in a browned butter and sage sauce.

a very nice thicker autumn type soup would be a mix of roasted pumpkin and butternut squash, cooked in some chicken broth and add some pureed tomatoes, season to your likes. (sage is a wonderful addition to this)

there's always room for jello

i don't know that i would do hamburger meat, but i would defintely grind pieces of roast beef with gravy. you can do the same with chicken and turkey.

shredded zucchini can be incorporated into baked eggs (almost like a flan) or scrambled into eggs or mixed into broths or tomato gravy to thicken.

crab cakes or fish cakes - lightly floured as opposed to breading.

tuna chicken and turkey salads - everything finely chopped.
shrimp and pasta. the shrimp can be cooked and then ground and then thrown into some pasta drizzled with EVOO and garlic.

don't forget rissoto or any rice that you can make a bit creamier. minimal chewing where necessary.

if you ever had that pineapple stuffing (some people call it pudding), i would make that but puree the heck out of the pineapples to avoid any chunks

baked beans will work, but they would have to be fork crushed - you can add a little ground pork (if she eats pork) to them

the list is endless. with a food processor or an excellent knife, everything is possible.

wishing all of you great success in sara's recovery. if i lived closer, i would be more than happy to spend a few days cooking and helping you in any way possible! i did this same thing for about 2-3 months for my uncle when he needed it.

maryanne

My family likes creamed eggs, which is just hard cooked eggs, cut up in small pieces and then I make a basic cream sauce and add the eggs and served on toast. You can skip the toast.

Keep us posted on Sara's recovery.

Brenda

I found this website for people who have a broken jaw. They give lots of good ideas of what to eat. I figured this would work well for Sara since she can't chew

Here is a link that might be useful: Foods for a broken jaw

When Brendan was at this stage, I gave him lots of bananas, yogurt, and cheesecake (his favorite, topped with raspberry or strawberry sauce).

He also did well with very, very egg-y french toast. Lots of protein drinks. Pancakes.

Believe it or not, at this stage, he ate a lot of macaroni and cheese. I just really over-cooked the noodles. Did docs say that was a no-no? It was the first thing I made him, and he did well since it was cooked so much and creamy. It still had the same flavor, and it was his favorite meal I made for him growing up. I think he appreciated having comfort food, even if the consistency was a little softer than normal. He did well with any over-cooked pasta.

I guess what I'm trying to say is I'd try to keep that in mind - soften the foods up that you know she really likes. I'm sure she wants things to be as close to what they always were, and familiar tastes (comfort food) will help that.

Good luck. I think of Sara often.

For 2 years I fed my MIL at least one meal a day. She was in a nursing home and because of strokes had difficulty chewing and managing food in her mouth.
They put her on a "mechanically soft" diet itw as called....and pretty much everything was chopped in the cuisinart....and things like tomato soup had mashed potatoes mixed in to make it thicker so she could manage. ( but for some reason she did just fine on tea and coffee and other things out of a glass or a cup..)
Things need to be of a pretty much like baby food consistancy. Sometimes they would puree the meat and it would be a stiff nasty clod....but with the addition of some beef or chicken broth or some tomato soup, it would become easy to swallow.
She ate and seemed to enjoy, pureed spaghetti and meat balls, macaroni and cheese and even green salad....that about caused me to gag, but she said it tasted good as she had been so long without a salad.
Think...scrambled eggs, cooked cereal with lots of cream and sugar, blended fruits, ice cream, puddings, pumpkin pie filling, pureed veggies.
Because of her age, think ofs easoning things like eggs like pizza....and remember if there are "pieces" she has difficulty managing in her mouth, sometimes mushing it up with broth will help a lot....and tiny things like orzo or alphabet noodles just sort of slide down.
And for my DH I made him a high calorie shake...
8 oz whole milk
1 envelop of Carnation Instant Breakfast, chocolate fudge is best
1 T Carnation dry milk powder
1/4 cup egg beaters ( the equivalant of one egg)
A scoop of a high calorie chocolate ice cream ( I used Hagen Daz)
A bit of vanilla...1/4 tsp
Blend and serve.
I estimated about450 calories or more and about 20 or more grams of protein....and it's delicious!
Linda C

I remember reading about a Salmon Pie last month....and I think it was one of your favorite comfort type foods???

Oatmeal can be dressed up with cooked apples, peaches, or any kind of soft fruit.

I'm guessing that y'all don't eat grits but they are wonderful with cheese or with an overeasy fried egg mixed in. There has been a shrimp and grits recipe shared here that was well received....just have to chop the shrimp up really good.

Ann's or Sol's califlower gratin recipes should work too, just hit them with the stick blender or processor. I'm thinking the same for broccoli with cheese sauce.

I'm guessing you didn't get to have a family TG dinner this year with all of this going on. Maybe you could do a smaller version of it for the family and make Sara a version of your favorite leftover sandwich...just mush it all up so she can eat it with a spoon.

I'm just happy to hear that she is doing okay and I continue to send prayers and postive thought her way.

David

Sara is still hospitalized, am I correct? And then she goes to rehab...what's most important is that her nutritional status is optimzied through any means, tube or orally to prevent her from losing too much weight and muscle mass while bedridden or she has limited mobility. Pediatric hospitals generally have capable nutritionists who assess and monitor the nutritional status of patients such as Sara...she must also have a speech therapist who would do a swallowing evalutation and make textural and progression recommendations, and along with the whole team (dr, primary nurse, nutritionist, occupational therapist, family) devise a feeding plan. Tube feeding, while distressing for families, is vital to provide her with the calories, fluids, vitamins, minerals, meds that she needs to get better. With time, patience, progress, etc. the tube will be removed. Are you even allowed bring her foods from home? Who is feeding her or is she able to feed herself some. Often patients in her situation have some kind of daily calorie count going to monitor their intake. Sara's current preferences and abilities will be your guide for the moment and you have some great ideas here from everyone else. You can thicken liquids with special products, I remember one called Thick-It that was stirred into juice to turn it into almost a puree that was easier for people with chewing and swallowing difficulties to manage. I hope Sara makes good progress.

Could Sara eat chili with no beans?

David's suggestion of the Salmon Pie is a good one.

A friend of mine served her spaghetti sauce over mashed pototoes because her kids loved it that way. I was surprised at how good it was. It did not really change the flavor much from the lingini. You could make a marinara sauce and serve it over mashed pototoes.

Michelle

What about pastina?
A fritatta
egg salad
Sol's broccoli puree?

Broccoli Puree -- Sol
1-1/2 lbs. broccoli, cut into florets
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon créme fraíche or sour cream
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt & Pepper to taste
Cook the broccoli in a covered steamer over boiling water for 5-7 minutes, or until tender.
Transfer the broccoli to a food processor. Add all the remaining ingredients and puree. You might want to taste and adjust the seasonings at this point. Serve immediately.
Note: I added 2 tablespoons of créme fraíche. You could also substitute chile oil for the red pepper flakes. Btw, this is a recipe from the book 'Seriously Simple.'

Thick pureed pea, lentil or bean soups which can also include veggies such as carrots, onions and celery.

Also you could use a thickener to make thin soups and juices thick enough for her. When making baby food for our granddaughter, we add some of the baby rice cereal for thickening. It does a really nice job and doesn't have to be cooked in like flour or corn starch thickeners would.

The link below is for the site that we have been using to make baby food for our grand daughter. They have ideas for foods that can be combined that may be helpful.

For example, here is a recipe for sweet potato custard from that site:
**Sweet Potato Custard
Break from the ordinary! 8-10 months+

1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 2 small)
1 cup evaporated skim milk
2 Tbsps packed brown SUGAR
2 beaten EGG YOLKS (or a cup egg substitute)
1/2 tsp salt
Nonstick cooking spray, as needed
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions:
In a medium bowl, stir together sweet potato and banana. Add milk, blending well.

Add brown sugar, egg yolks, and salt, mixing thoroughly.

Spray a 1-quart casserole with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer sweet potato mixture to casserole dish.

Combine raisins, sugar, and cinnamon; sprinkle over top of sweet potato mixture.

Bake in a preheated 325º F oven for 40-45
minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. *8months

Here is a link that might be useful: baby and toddler food site

My kids loved pastina (and still do!). I make it like rice. Use the rice measurements for water (but use chicken broth) and then add the pastina. Cook it just like rice. At the end, throw in a handful of cheese (I usually use mozzarella, but parm works well too.) You can add minced veggies too, but we like it plain. It is toddler comfort food.
Jo

Thanks for all the great ideas and your care !

rose, yes Sara is at Sick Children's in Toronto. She has a wonderful team of therapists and nutrionists working with her. I am working directly with them on what is acceptable and what is not, generally it is the texture not the ingredients that natter. All her food is measured and recorded at each meal.

So far I have taken her salmon pie (minus the crust), broccoli and cauliflower with cheese sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy with turkey puree and a tomato chopped in the food pro with basil. She loved it all !

Pastina with parmesan cheese, risotto or orzo with cheddar cheese, creamed salmon, shepherds pie with finely ground beef, are all on the list for this week.

Thanks again!