What Foods?

 Food Ideas

Hello Everyone!

This post is all about EATING...well, not really 'eating' as we know it, but more like what you can make and take in while you are healing from the Oral Surgery that removed all of your teeth.

I was absolutely MISERABLE about the first 2 weeks after surgery!

I couldn't BELIEVE that I would be living on SMOOTHIES, PUDDING, JELLO!

OMG!

Once I researched the internet and felt more at ease, because the Prosthodontist and his Technician made me feel that I would be 'eating' pasta in just a few days after surgery........

I came up with SOLUTIONS for myself that I want to share with you.

FIRST - 

You will NOT be able to EAT anything!

Get that NOTION out of your head NOW!
If you're able to, then HALLELUJAH and GO FOR IT!
I wasn't able to because my bottom temporary dentures didn't fit snug and literally flip-flopped around in my mouth!  

SECOND - 

You CAN remove your dentures and LEAVE THEM OFF for AS LONG AS YOU WANT TO!

NEVER think you HAVE to leave them in your mouth!

In fact, less than 2 weeks after my surgery, I STOPPED wearing them at all unless I left my house and went shopping in public!

Leaving them OFF gives your gums a chance to HEAL!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So now on to the IMPORTANT advise I have for you.
WHAT DO I EAT?

Here are options that I have and am still trying out new things to date:
(be mindful that you will buy products/foods that you may never have bought in the past, but this is temporary, so just go with it....whatever makes you happy!)

THIS LIST WILL BE UPDATED AS LONG AS I FIND DELICIOUS OPTIONS FOR MYSELF:

1. Instant Potatoes - my fave are the Idahoan instant potatoes.  

    ~make them in large batches so you can simply heat up as you need.  

    ***I also bought Heinz Mushroom Gravy in the jar.  It's quite tasty especially when you don't have very many options to begin with!

    ***Potatoes with the Mushroom Gravy are a meal in themselves!

    ***or Make your instant potatoes like a 'baked potato' by adding cheese & sour cream.

2. Grits - well, I live in the South, so if you don't, this may not be a favorite for you.  I personally LOVE grits.  I add lots of butter/margarine and cheese.  

3. EGGS - scrambled eggs pureed can be combined with grits; potatoes; and even mac & cheese - which I find to be deliciously magic in the mac & cheese!

4. Mac & Cheese - my FAVE has been the Velveeta "Liquid Gold" Shells & Cheese.  I buy them in the single bowl packs (microwaveable) and sometimes mix eggs or ground beef in them!  They are a quick satisfying meal to quiet your growling stomach!

NOTE: place a plate underneath in the microwave to catch the water overflow and save yourself clean up time!

5. ANY Home-Cooked meals you LOVE (except maybe steak) that are "puree-able"

    ~EXAMPLE: I make Salisbury Steaks which are patties of ground beef and mushroom soup.  These are extremely tasty and easy to eat when pureed!

6.  VEGGIES - I mix baby peas and carrots or any variety of beans, like lima beans.  Puree and you have your wonderful veggie proteins for a great side item!

7. Ground Sirloin cooked with Taco Seasonings.  

    ~OK, this is a fave.  When I'm craving Mexican - this is easy to make and goes with just about any side dish from instant potatoes, grits, rice pilaf....YUM!

8. Baked Chicken (boneless, skinless and well seasoned).  

    ~Pureed home baked chicken is delicious.  However, buy a store Rotisserie chicken for even more chicken to go around!  Use Swanson Chicken Broth to make the chicken less dry. PUREED of course!

9. Spaghetti and Meatballs or Lasagna - these two dishes are so easy to puree and then devour!

10. Restaurant items:

     ~~~Popeye's Louisiana Cajun Kitchen (known for their famous spicy fried chicken) has the BEST RED BEANS!  I order them WITHOUT the rice!  Puree these beans for spicy goodness!  You can eat them with instant potatoes; your own rice; grits.

     ~~~Mexican Restaurant TAMALES - tamales are soft to begin with, so getting them prepared by a restaurant and then puree them makes for a filling delicious Mexican meal!

11. Any Home cooked meal especially involving chicken and pasta.  

     ~~~I make a delicious Chicken Manicotti & Chicken Spaghetti.  Both are filled with sauce and pasta so they make an easy pureed meal.  
Here are the recipes for you to try:

Creamy Chicken Manicotti

(8-10)             Manicotti shells

(2 cans)         Cream of Chicken-Mushroom Soup

(1 cup)           Sour Cream

(2 cups)         Seasoned, cooked & chopped Chicken

                        (2 cups = 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts)

(1/2)               Medium Onion, chopped

(8 oz)              Sliced Mushrooms (either canned or fresh)

(4 Tbsp)         Unsalted Butter or Margarine

(1/2 cup)       Chicken Broth (Swanson’s is the best)

(1 Cup)           shredded Colby-Jack or Cheddar Cheese

Cook manicotti shells al dente (7 minutes) in boiling water; drain and set aside to cool.

Combine soup and sour cream; mix well.  Set aside ½ of soup mixture.

Mix chicken with remaining ½ of soup mixture.

Stuff manicotti shells with chicken mixture (using a teaspoon works great).

Place stuffed manicotti in a casserole dish sprayed with (olive oil) cooking spray.

Sauté onions and mushrooms in butter until tender.  Mix with reserved soup mixture and chicken broth.  Spoon this mixture on top of manicotti.

Bake uncovered at 350° for 20-30 minutes.

Sprinkle with cheese and bake additional 5 minutes.

Photo of my Chicken Manicotti pureed:

                                                  Chicken Spaghetti

(3-4)                         Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts,

                                                               Seasoned as desired

(4 Tbsp.)                  Olive Oil

(12 oz. Pkg.)           Spaghetti

(3 Cans or 45 oz)   Chicken Broth (Swanson’s brand)

(1/2 Medium)        Onion, finely chopped

(1 Can)                    Cream of Mushroom Soup, undiluted

(1 Can)                    Cream of Celery Soup, undiluted

(1 Tbsp.)                 Worcestershire sauce

(1 Can)                    Rotel, undrained

(1 Tbsp.)                 Sugar

(2-3 Cups)              Colby-Jack Cheese, shredded/grated

\

Cook chicken and onions in olive oil until done, adding water or chicken broth to prevent burning.  Meanwhile, boil spaghetti in chicken broth until cooked al dente.  Cut up cooked chicken into bite sized pieces.

Mix remaining ingredients together (except cheese) with the cooked chicken pieces & onions.

Spray a large, deep casserole dish with cooking spray.

Pour mixture into casserole dish & top with cheese.

Cover & bake at 350 ˚ for 30 minutes.

Whatever you make - DON'T be AFRAID to TRY it pureed! 
It might look like baby food or baby poop, but if it tastes great, that's what matters most, along with nutrition!

Bon Appetite friends!

I'm sure I'll discover many other delectable dishes to share with you!   

Another Food Idea - TAMALES!

I promised to update you as I found other food choices, 

if you are like me and are unable to actually chew anything

since the bottom dentures flip-flop around!
Here is the link to the post where I talked about food choices:
https://myhybriddenturejourney.blogspot.com/2019/09/foods-some-ideas-on-what-you-can-eat.html

If you like Mexican food - TAMALES are soft and can be simply cut up with a knife & fork!

I ordered & picked up this tamale dinner from a local Mexican Restaurant.

It has refried beans and Spanish Rice with it!

YUMMMMM!

The masa (or dough) melts in your melt!

Happy eating!

Sometimes you just have to get CREATIVE

Firstly, my message in this post is to advise that you try to stay positive throughout your journey.  I certainly haven't been and I just hope that you learn a little from my experiences and perhaps have a different attitude than I did.  I just wasn't told everything up front and went into this journey pretty 'blind' with little to no knowlege of the big bumps that are encountered....

mainly not having the ability to CHEW.

I HAD to do something because of CHRONIC, unresolvable gum disease.  

I was losing bone and teeth. 

I opted for permanent hybrid dentures instead of removable dentures. 

I'm so happpy I made this decision

and I would make it exactly the same again.

========================================

Red Beans & Sausage

is a Louisiana 'staple'.

When you are unable to chew at all because your temporary dentures will never fit properly or stay in place because of the titanium implants in your mouth that don't allow for any adhesion on the bottom.....

you learn very quickly how to be creative, for lack of a better word, and compensate in order to be able to intake nutritious foods, 

especially those that are your favorites!

After the initial puree-ing of foods while your gums are healing and still sore, 

you graduate to more solid foods. 

I discovered a 'technique' of sorts, that probably every person, that has been through this or is going through this now, has already also discovered.

Once your gums are healed enough and don't hurt, 

you are able to 'eat' finely chopped up foods and although most of them are simply swallowed whole, you can 'squish' foods with your tongue up against your gums/implants. This 'squishing' replaces actual chewing.

So the foods are 'chewed' to some degree and easier to swallow.  

At the same time, you get a 'sense' of eating and this is a good thing 

for your well being throughout this journey.

Some foods I've found that this technique is good for:

tender chicken

beans

ground meat

pasta

potatoes (like chopped up scalloped potatoes)

tamales

Hope this 'tip' helps someone.

Now on to my Red Beans...

Here is what I mean by being creative....

This is what 2 lbs of Sausage looks like when the skin is removed and the inside is chopped up into tiny bits small enough to be swallowed whole.

and this is my 2 pounds of Rabideaux's Sausage (my fave) all chopped up and ready to jump in the pot with the red beans - LOL!

and here is the wonderful final product....

Yummy for my Tummy!

  Have a great safe & healthy week.

Lisa