Potato soup....leeks,celery, sauteed in butter, chicken broth....oops....was going to say cream.
Make that chicken broth vegetable broth...cream or milk and cream cheese... chopped parsley....easy on the pepper.

Broccoli cheese soup...lots of recipes....easy on any worchestershire.
Cream of mushroom soup....add some cream cheese and sherry for richness and calories.
When I was doing chemo I longed for tomato soup.....couldnt' eat much because of the acid mouth burn....but oh it was so good!
I might also add Flan....rice pudding....cream puffs with real home made pastry cream, bread pudding....with lots of vanilla.....and cream to pour on top.
Bless you for taking care of your friend....but know it wouldn't be other wise.
Linda C

Peanut butter and coconut soup.....heeellooooo.... (your recipe, LOL) post it again please...

One of my co-workers has asked me to make soup for her husband (she is paying me) who has lost his taste for food due to chemotherapy and he seems to enjoy chicken noodle soup, potato soup and chicken and dumplings the best so far. What about a simple beef stew (w/o tomatoes) - just very tender smallish beef cubes, potatoes, onions, carrots and beef gravy? Also, beef and barley or barley and mushroom soup. I'll post my barley soup later; it is topped with some sour cream which makes it creamy and very satisfying.

Teresa

What about a butternut squash soup or a sweet potato soup. About a month back, I stumbled on the blog "Soup Chick." I've been very happy with the recipes I've made from her blog. I'm sure there's some soups there that you could make!

Here is a link that might be useful: Soup Chick Blog

I often cook for chemo patients through our Helping Hands program at church and it seems like the most popular soups are chicken rice, sweet potsto and apple, cream of celery and lentil-barley-mushroom. Here are a couple of the recipes I use:

CREAMED CELERY SOUP � 3 to 4 servings

1 bunch of celery, cleaned, some leaves reserved for garnish
1 Tbs. butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbs. fresh parsley sprigs
1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
3 cups milk
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (optional)
Paprika for garnish

[Notes: 1) Add rice to mixture to be pureed if you want a very smooth soup; add rice after pureeing if you want a little more texture to it. 2) Herbs such as tarragon or marjoram can be added with the chicken broth. 3) Grated cheddar cheese can be substituted for the blue cheese or it can be omitted altogether. 4) You can freeze this recipe by following it but not adding the milk or cheese until after you defrost and reheat it.]

If outer stalks of celery have tough strings, pull them out when cleaning. Chop the celery and some of the leaves. In a 3 qt. pot, melt the butter and saute the celery and onion over medium low heat until onion is clear, about 20 minutes. Add 1 cup of chicken stock or more if needed to cover vegetables; add parsley. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until celery is soft.

Puree in batches in blender or blend with stick blender until smooth. Add rice, salt, pepper and milk. Reduce heat to low and heat thoroughly, about 15 minutes. To serve, put about 1 Tbs. of the crumbled cheese (if using) in the bottom of each heated soup bow; fill with soup and garnish with paprika and celery leaves.

SWEET POTATO AND CARAMELIZED APPLE SOUP

2 Tbs. butter, divided
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 medium onion, cut into medium dice
2 stalks celery, cut into medium dice
1 leek, white part only, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
5 cups chicken broth
2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. salt (I use less)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 Granny Smith apple, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 1/4 cups apple cider, divided
1 Tbs. dark molasses
1 cup heavy cream
8 fresh mint sprigs (optional)

In large stockpot, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter and add the garlic, onion, celery and leek, cooking just until lightly browned. Add the potatoes, chicken broth, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Simmer the mixture until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Puree the mixture with a stick blender or in a food processor until smooth. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, caramelize the apple. Heat the other Tbs. butter in a skillet and add the diced apple. Saute a few seconds and then add 1/4 cup of apple cider. Heat through and toss until apples are well coated. Set aside.

Stir the molasses into the stockpot, then the remaining cup of the cider, the cream, and the apple. Raise the heat and cook for a few minutes until warmed through. Remove the cinnamon sticks and discard.

Corn Chowder, Chicken soup and instead of noodles or rice add barley. She is fortunate to have you as her friend.

Gellchom:
I went thru this for over 10 years, with my Mom and Wife.

You have to know what they can tolerate , stomach wise.

I have found in my own case, that lighter soups are better.

eg., Chicken Soups with Rice or Noodles ( wedding soup ).

Beef soups made with small meatballs ( for easy chewing ).

I had to cut back on Tomatoes and Sauces made with Heavy Cream.
****************************

Cancer Patients can not tolorate too much , during treatments.

Yet in between, when the treatment sessions were done for a few months,
my wife gained about 25 pounds, from eating frenzies.
********************************

Use all Meats and Seafood that are easy to digest.

Chicken Soups and Chicken Dinners with light Gravies, were favorites.

Another was Broiled Fish, sometimes with stuffing.

They had to have Ice Cream ?????

I forgot, They loved Pasta Ceci, Pasta with Lentils and
Pasta Fasulli, all with Chicken Broth added.

Hope this helps.

LOU

Oh, thank you! These are great ideas and recipes, and good advice, too, from chi83.

Keep 'em coming!

I hope all the soups I'm doing are nutritious, not just high-cal. I'm mainly doing that by not skimming off the fat and using plenty of butter. I understand the point about cholesterol and other bad effects. But this woman was very slender to begin with and cannot afford to lose any weight. So if the fat gets her to eat the chicken broth, I'll leave it on.

Oh, Jessy, you and that soup! I think you love it even more than I do (and that is a lot). You make me laugh. I did think about that one for a future week (minus the jalapeno). Here is the recipe again, as you requested -- complete with your own adjustments when you posted it for someone else:

Gellchom's Famous Polynesian Peanut Soup (as improved by JessyF)

1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut (shredded is OK too)
1 T canola oil
1 C finely chopped onion
1/4 C finely chopped fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 14-oz. can light coconut milk
3/4 C vegetable stock
3/4 C smooth natural peanut butter
1/4 C mango chutney
1 T minced fresh jalapeno chili, or to taste
salt to taste
1/4 C finely chopped green onions
2 T minced fresh cilantro (not when gellchom makes it!)
sesame oil, for garnish

In a small dry skillet (gellchom just uses the same pot you're going to use for the soup), toast the coconut over medium heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, about five minutes (took less for me). Transfer to a plate and cool.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger the last 30 seconds.

In a clear two cup pyrex measuring cup, add the stock. Add peanut butter to the 1.5 cup line (so you don't have to dirty another measuring cup). Add the chutney to the 1.75 line. Add the minced jalapeno chili.

Pour the contents of the measuring cup into the dutch oven. Use a stick blender to puree until smooth. If the peanut butter is too thick, it might be necessary to add more stock (I like it thick, though).

Cook over medium heat until heated through. Season with salt to taste.

Meanwhile, toss the coconut with the green onions and cilantro, if using.

To serve, drizzle each bowl with some sesame oil and top with a mound of the coconut mixture.

This gets really, really thick as it cools. You will probably want to add water to any leftovers.

I made a jug of this for a friend who was going through chemo (just finished last round), as well as a jug for my neighbor who just had knee-replacement surgery:

Bone broth:

Maangchi's video

Maangchi's web site

This is a traditional Korean recipe for it, but bone broth is becoming more popular here too. The reason it is boiled for so long is to get all the unique nutrients out of the bone. You can use it as a stock for any kind of soup, or you can just sip it by itself - add salt to taste and a squirt of lemon juice.

My friend going through chemo hasn't had much of an appetite but has been forcing himself to eat to stay strong. He heats up the soup and drinks it out of a mug.

It's a tonic.

Oh, Teresa, thank you so much for mentioning stew. When I asked Amy if there were anything she especially wanted, she suggested beef stew, and I had forgotten. Time to pull out the slow cooker and a real old-fashioned, plain recipe. Thank you so much for reminding me!

Having been-there-done-that, I have to agree with chi83 about leaving out the junk food, regardless of any calorie needs. I found I craved proteins during chemo, as those meds kill off a bunch of healthy cells as well as the bad ones which is one reason you lose weight on chemo - the body flushes out a lot of dead matter during each cycle.

I found that my tastes really changed. Some things I've always loved, I couldn't stand during chemo, although my taste recovered and I love thm again now. I suspect these changes can be very personal, so your friend will let you know what just won't go down.

I recall eating a lot of seared salmon, which is still a fav. My family doesn't much care for salmon, so they ate hot dogs (and still do) when I have my fix.

This thread is a keeper. I don't have many 'real' recipes, and nothing that hasn't been mentioned, but we eat a lot of soups and stews and chowders are a favorite. Last night it was corn chowder with odds and ends from the garden. I cooked the vegies barely covered with vegetable broth, then added a can of evaporated milk and a brick of cream cheese....makes a really rich chowder. The corn was very sweet, so I dumped in some green chilies and seasoned with Penzy's Southwest Seasoning (Northwoods or NWoods Fire are good, too).

We ate vegetarian for a few years, and I always tossed in a handful of sunflower seeds....amazingly good. And maybe a little liquid smoke to satisfy the occasional bacon craving.

How about Chicken & Noodles?

You are a good friend.

I had 10 lots of chemo and would agree with Chi83. You really don't need any empty calories - natural and healthy is the way to go.It needs to be really tasty as you lose a lot of your sense of taste. What a lucky friend!

When my husband underwent chemo, the first 3 days were sleeping and drinking a nutritional drink. His tummy was a mess! After 3 days, all bets were off. I would make a basic chicken soup with bones and broth. The smell would lure him out of bed to sit in the breakfast area to talk with me and smell the broth. I added finely diced carrots, celery and onion. He would scarf this down with home made bread. This meal would do him for the next 2-3 days. After that, simply making home cooked meals that he loves would work wonders for the next 3 weeks when he would again go into 3 days of chemo. During this time I would cook ANYTHING he wanted to eat and paid no attention to calories. He actually gained weight because he was bedridden and the nurses blessed me because that does not usually happen.

We have now been married 37 yr., and he has been treated for 3 additional types of cancer--all related to Agent Orange. I love the guy and told him the other day that I would not marry when he left me. He said he didn't mind if I did, but why wouldn't I? Just simply told him that I've never met a man as kind, understanding and interesting as he and didn't think I could find another one!

We have planned for the eventuality so that our minds are at rest that all has been done as well as it can be. He is healthy and right now is out there pressure washing the driveway.

All you ladies, hug your significant others!

And for those who help take care of chemo patients--bless you, bless you!

What a very kind thing you're doing for your friend!

I'm a 13 year breast cancer survivor, who underwent 12 chemo sessions after briefly recovering from my mastectomy.

Based on my experience, I recommend you have a very candid discussion with your friend about what she wants to eat. My body actually craved vegetables and non-acidic fruits, and lots of cottage cheese. Protein made me nauseous. And I couldn't stand the thought of any type of dessert or chocolate (me....the girl who'd rather eat dessert first!)

Not sure how long your friend has been receiving her chemo treatments, but I found that the 4th treatment of the 12 is the one where I began to actually feel the chemo results. This is when I discovered that most foods did not appeal to me, that I no longer wanted desserts, or wine or any other type of alcohol.

I loved "soft", rather bland food...macaroni & cheese, tuna noodle casserole with lots of sauce and cooked veggies, mashed potatoes, etc. I could not eat Italian (because of the tomatoes --- I couldn't eat food that was too acidic) or Mexican (too spicy).

Your friend will figure it out.

Please encourage her to drink a LOT of liquid to flush out her system. I drank huge amounts of Crystal Light (plain water didn't taste good -- colas didn't taste good) every day to flush out my system, and I think it really made a difference in how I felt.

Every single body responds differently and in its own way to chemo. I'm glad your friend has you to help feed her.

Best wishes to you both!

Your friend is lucky to have someone like you to cook for her. Like someone above said, you should have a talk with her about what she wants & doesn't want to eat; nothing tastes the way it's supposed to with chemo. My doctor said to eat anything that appealed - much more important than trying to consume 'correct' foods if they inspired nausea. I lived on baked potatoes & jarred citrus salad until I lost more weight than I could afford & realized if I forced myself to eat a little regular food, I felt better.

How about lentil?

Okay so tonight I made her beef stew with yams (I know, I know, really they are orange sweet potatoes) instead of white potatoes. I made it in the crockpot. I put some red wine in to make up for all the spice I didn't put in.

That's practically a soup, right?

I'm sticking to soups, because that way she knows it's coming, and our other friends know, too, so they make other things.

But I like to put in an extra little lagniappe, too. Probably I'll make some biscuits to go with this, and I'll add some flowers from my garden.

Next week I think I'll do the Polynesian peanut, Jessy. I will always think of you whenever I make that soup (and whenever I use my stick blender).

Oh dear, gellchom, I've been kind of busy lately and missed this entirely, I'll keep Amy in my prayers for a quick and complete recovery. She's lucky to have a good friend to take care of her.

My Aunt Ronni had a double mastectomy and chemo and just about the only thing she consumed for a little while there was chocolate milk, nothing else tated good and everything made her sick.

Eventually she eased into chicken noodle, chicken rice, then a very bland white navy bean soup. The last thing she wanted was beef, so when she ate beef stew and beef and barley we rejoiced, knowing that she was feeling better. As said, everyone is different and wants different things.

Potato soup has been mentioned, our favorites are cheese and potato and baked potato. You'd have to use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth, of course, but this is creamy and not too "spicy", very substantial but not a lot of butter or cream, just regular milk. I love the stuff, but I put the cheese right into the hot soup and let it melt instead of using it as a topping.

Baked Potato Soup

Yield: 8 servings.

3 pounds all-purpose potatoes, scrubbed and pierced in several places
1 tablespoon stick butter or margarine
1 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
3 cups milk
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoons pepper
TOPPINGS: shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon & chopped scallions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake potatoes 1 hour or until tender when pierced. Peel when cool enough to handle. Melt butter in a 4 to 6 quart pot over medium low heat. Stir in onions and garlic, cover and cook 10 minutes until soft, but not brown. Add 2/3 of the potatoes and mash with a potato masher. Add broth, milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Season to taste before serving. Cut remaining potatoes in small cubes. Add to soup and stir gently to reheat. Sprinkle each serving with toppings.

Annie

Gellchom, I've been following this sad thread for a week but didn't have anything to add. I'm surprised at the number of CF members who have had experience with this situation. You are a saint and I hope your friend gets through this successfully.

Beachlily, Just simply told him that I've never met a man as kind, understanding, and interesting as he and didn't think I could find another one! Sounds like we are married to the same guy.

You all are too nice to me. It's not a big deal at all. I just make some soup once a week that is good for Amy and take half to her. We eat the other half. I love to make soup anyway. So really it's nothing.

The reason I am posting is that when I dropped off stew and biscuits this morning, she was in her kitchen and asked me to visit for a while. Even though it's Monday, her worst day every week, she seemed to be very much herself, although she did get tired quickly. She had had great news Friday: the mass in her chest has shrunk down to almost nothing. She was hoping they would say she didn't have to have all 12 chemo treatments, but they said that it would be best: they know 12 seems to work, and there's no research on what happens if you just do 8. And the mass sometimes grows back.

She knows that there are no guarantees and she's not out of the woods yet, but she is optimistic and of course happy about this latest development.

She also looked so cute in a baseball cap with a wig attached. But she says it's itchy.

I told her about all your great recipes and good wishes, and she is very moved. So, thank you to YOU from Amy (and from me, too).

Next up: potato soup and peanut soup. And then maybe it will be starting to get cold. Anyone have a recipe for a great cheese soup? The only one I make is pear & gouda soup, which is wonderful but too rich for a whole meal, just good for a fancy first course.

Thanks for letting us know how your friend is doing, that she's seeing improvement, and yes, let her know that she's in our thoughts.

This may or may not be relevant, but in the spring, when Jim's cousin was having chemo for mesothelioma, her sister, who was caring for her, got some advice about what foods to serve. Since Susan had terrible nausea, the doctor told Sally to only serve things that were pretty bland, and to avoid all her favorite foods while she was going thru the worst days. Reason? Because the patient can easily get turned off to favorite things when it comes back up too often. Better to save the best things for times when she may actually be able to hold it down, times when she may need to be coaxed to eat. There is no sense ruining a person's mind on previous favorites.

Makes sense when you think about it. Maybe this advice will help someone else.

Bless you.

My husband has walking pneumonia and I just made him a wonderful chicken soup. I'm not a good cook without recipes, but I bought a rotisserie chicken at Sam's Club and simmered the whole thing in 1/2 water, 1/2 chicken stock for 30 minutes. Removed into a bowl to drain and then added diced celery, carrots, poultry seasoning and pepper. Simmered till veggies were soft. Removed skin from chicken and threw away - then pulled all the meat off and chopped it up. Added chicken back in and a cup of rice. Simmered till rice was done. You could also add egg noodles instead of rice.

It was really, really good!

I'm so happy to hear that your friend is feeling better and that she's progressing so well. I'll still keep her in my prayers.

This isn't just a cheese soup, it's a potato and cheese soup and I like it better than plain cheddar cheese soup, that always seems too much like cheese sauce, missing the vegetables!

Swiss Cheese and Potato Soup

3 medium potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and quartered
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese

Bbring potatoes, onion, water and salt to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender. Do not drain; mash slightly. Stir in milk.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, blend the butter, flour, parsley and pepper; stir into the potato mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat; add cheese and stir until almost melted. Yield: 6 servings (1-1/2 quarts).

Annie

Tropicals, I do something similar. I start with boneless, skinless chicken breasts and simmer those in broth until the chicken is poached, then remove the chicken, add the veggies, etc. Some of the chicken is added back into the soup, but there is usually plenty for a good chicken salad. Quick and versatile.

Beachlady:
Ruthanna:
I agree with your threads and all the others.
My wifes first treatment was a Major operation, then Chemo,
plus Radiation. Radiation was the worst.

Many Bean products, have nutritional value, for Cancer Patients,
along with Fruit.

I have made many dishes that everyone thought were very good.
My wife would eat a few bites and that was it.

I have tried Boost and other drinks, to help keep up her strenth but she did not like them.

So I made Milk Shakes with some vitamins added.

If you go on line, American Cancer Society has all kinds of diets for Cancer Patients.

Our Local branch helped us a lot, with many other things also.
LOU

PS:
Beachlady:
4 years ago, I would have been married 55 years.
What does that say for me. Do I get a Gold Star?

Beachlily - I started with the rotisserie chicken to get the spices (that I love) off of it. I had no idea what spices to use otherwise. LOL!

I'm a bit late to the topic...been away helping my sister with a knee replacement.

I'm a survivor of Hodgkins...I was the 1st person to have and survive back to back stem cell transplants a number of years ago. Autologous (my own stem cells which didn't "take"), and an Allogeneic (my brothers stem cells which cured me). I feel a bit of an "expert" with this type of cancer, yet knowing each person is different and can only tolerate what they can.
I'd lost so much weight that my docs not only encouraged, but insisted that ANY high calorie food I could get down was A-Ok if I didn't want to be put on a feeding tube. Nutritious food is preferred, but if all you can tolerate is ice cream, well make it Hagen Daz! :D

During my 1st 12 chemo sessions one of the drugs made my tongue numb. Another gave me acid reflux and like your friend Amy, I was unable to eat tomato based sauces unless it had cream in it.

One thing that I'd like to share is that because the treatments break down your immune system it is IMPERATIVE that ALL fruits and vegetables be thoroughly washed. Not just rinsed with water. Even those that you might peel or use a knife to cut into (the knife could contaminate the inner flesh with bacteria). Because of my experience I'm hyper vigilant that fruits and veggies go right into my sink upon returning from the market for a good washing :) At one point I was not allowed to eat any fresh foods (months and months) for fear of the bacteria they carried. Black pepper was prohibited for a full year after treatment as it apparently has dirt on it.

I applaud those who take it upon themselves to circle the wagons when a friend is in need....it's hard to ask for help. Especially when someone tells you "just call if you need anything". Good friends dig right in :)

Lou, yes, you get a gold star.

Linda C -- Thank you so much for the suggestion of broccoli cheese soup. I just dropped some off for Amy. We had a little of it, and it's great -- too fattening for the regular rotation, but a treat.

Here is the recipe I used, based on SweetFoodie.com's recipe which is in turn based on EatingWell's. I didn't put any cayenne in because I am not sure that Amy wants even that tiny bit of spice, but I put it in my own bowl. Also I didn't get around to making the croutons, which would make it even better, I'm sure. Mmmm!

Broccoli-Cheddar-Corn Chowder
SOUP:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large potato, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth
8 ounces broccoli crowns cut into 1-inch pieces, stems and florets separated (or buy a bag of pre-cut crowns)(I used one regular bunch of broccoli)
1 cup shredded reduced-fat (I used regular) Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream (I used Tofutti, as I had some)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 can of corn, drained (I used frozen)

CROUTONS:
About 3 cups of your favorite bread, cubed. (I had pumpernickel on hand)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Soup Recipe:
1. Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat (I think medium would be better next time). Add onion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring often, until the onion and celery soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add potato and garlic; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, dry mustard and cayenne; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
2. Add broth and broccoli stems; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in florets; simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes more.
3. Using an immersion blender or blender, puree the soup.
4. Stir in Cheddar and sour cream; cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the chowder is heated through, about 2 minutes.
5. Mix in the canned corn
6. Season with salt
7. Serve with a sprinkle of cheese and a handful of croutons (see recipe below)

Crouton Recipe (make while the soup is cooking):
1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees
2. Put the bread cubes in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil, mustard and salt until evenly covered.
3. Spread the cubes evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 10 - 20 minutes, or until the croutons are golden and crunchy. Toss them once or twice with a metal spatula along the way.

Gellchom:

Thanks for the Gold Star.

After I thought about it, my wife should have gotten the Gold Star, for putting up with me all those years.

LOU