BFFs with a Straw and a Spoon

May 1, 2015 7:08 AM

What are your favorite liquid meals and/or very soft foods?

For the next 20 days I cannot bite into anything with my front teeth. I can chew with my back teeth, but am finding it easiest to eat things I can slurp and/or drink through a straw. I know what to eat in general: soup, smoothies, yogurt. I am looking for your favorite meals in these categories as well as other ideas.

Minor complications: I am allergic to gluten. I am also counting calories as I work on losing the last five pounds of a 30 pound/6 month weight loss effort.

I'll be looking at the previous questions on favorite soups (like Snowflake Soup and Help me Make Some Delicious Soups) so soup maybe covered, although pureed soups/more soup suggestions are welcome!

posted by CMcG to Food & Drink (20 answers total)

Red Soup (very addictive)

chicken (or just chicken broth)
potatoes
can of tomato paste
okra (optional)

Boil your chicken or chicken parts until done. I like to add herbs to my broth but that is optional. You can also just use store bought chicken broth since you can't really eat the chicken anyway. If you do boil the chicken, take it out and, using your blender or food processor with extra broth and turn it into paste.

If you are using okra, cook it while the chicken boils. Cook it slowly in a lightly oiled pan, stirring often. Add the fat off the top of the chicken broth to keep it from sticking. It's done when it no longer looks like snot.

Combine chicken broth, okra, diced and peeled potatoes (I like red but use at least one white for a thickening agent if you aren't using the okra) and half a can of tomato paste. Add salt to taste. Once the potatoes are done, you can mash them into the broth for easier eating.

The exact measurements are not important in this soup. It can be a little different every time and still taste good.
posted by myselfasme at 7:15 AM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Potatoes potatoes potatoes. Mashed potatoes. Mashed sweet potatoes. With a little hint of butter or milk. Smothered in bacon salt. I use a steamer and make up a batch of chopped sweet and standard and then put some in the fridge for later.

Lots of fiber and good proteins in the combo of a little bit of butter and milk and potatoes. Bacon salt for the flavor (I hate the sweet in sweet potatoes).
posted by tilde at 7:19 AM on May 1, 2015

I've only had congee at dim sum places but every time I eat it all I can think is man, I wish someone would make this for me when I'm sick. Since you're not sick and you're just dealing with limited mouth ability for a while, maybe you can make some yourself? (Perhaps you have a Chinese grandmother? Or can borrow someone's Chinese grandmother? These are the things I dream about.) If you have a rice cooker it should be pretty easy. My favorite one had a mix of pork and chicken and mushrooms as its main ingredients. Very filling and satisfying.
posted by phunniemee at 7:21 AM on May 1, 2015

When I had a broken jaw, one of my very favorite things was crustless pumpkin pie. I must have made five pies. It's basically just the pie filling. You can add low cal whipped cream to make it more of a treat.

Here's the traditional Libby's version. Nutritional information is included on the page.
Here's a lower cal version, also with nutritional info.
posted by unannihilated at 7:28 AM on May 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

- Mashed bananas and smooth peanut butter.
- Congee from brown rice and barley (4:1 ratio), not the usual white rice. It will take more liquid (water, chicken stock, etc) and more time than one would think possible.
- Baked apples. Core them, season the cored area.
- anything (almost?) made with beans or lentils can be cooked until ready to mash.
posted by Homer42 at 7:36 AM on May 1, 2015

Overnight oats for breakfast every morning! I do this, and I don't even have your dietary restrictions.

All these recipes make one serving in a leakproof container. Throw it in your bag, microwave for two minutes at work, bam, breakfast. For the "dairy," I use oat milk (low cal, good for the environment versus dairy or almond milk, obvs not a taste issue since I'm making oatmeal) but you can use dairy milk, soy milk, water, yogurt, pretty much anything.

BANANA POWER OATMEAL

1/2 very ripe banana, mashed up
2 dried apricots, snipped into pieces
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 TBS Pb2
1 tsp chia seed
1/2 tsp ground flax seed
add dairy until it reaches desired viscosity

SWEET POTATO PIE OATMEAL

about 1/4 of a sweet potato that's been boiled until mushy
1/2 cup oatmeal
a teaspoon or so of brown sugar
dash pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
dash salt
tiny sprinkle vanilla extract
add dairy until it reaches desired viscosity

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY OATMEAL

1 TBS 1 TBS Pb2 OR 1-2 TBS nut butter
1/2 cup oatmeal
add dairy until it reaches desired viscosity
add a top layer of a low-sugar jam (requires a lot of label reading, but they're out there, generally not labeled as such) and/or frozen berries
posted by Juliet Banana at 7:41 AM on May 1, 2015

Lately I've been making a lot of baby food by throwing regular food in the blender, and it's really surprising how delicious most things still are in mush form. Dishes with thick sauces and a lot of blended flavors work especially well - pureed chicken tikka masala is awesome, and you can cut it with yogurt if it's too calorie-dense. Something like a hamburger might not be quite as tasty in puree form.

Bagged frozen fruit run through the blender is also really good; refreeze it in popsicle molds or mix it with yogurt, oatmeal, etc.
posted by Metroid Baby at 7:56 AM on May 1, 2015

I could probably eat polenta or grits every single day. You can vary them a bunch, too: make with broth for savory goodness, make with milk for richness, stir in cheese for awesomeness, stir in butter or olive oil for different richness/awesomeness (I like some fat in my diet for satiation, but it's still awesome if you just make it with broth or water for fewer calories). It's also delicious for putting things over it, like tomato sauce, ratatouille, roasted vegetables (eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, onions . . .), gumbo, chili, beans . . . .
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:12 AM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

I came in say congee as well. I don't make it with a rice cooker but just a big old pot. It is dead simple to make! There are tons of recipes online.

(Re: calories. Depends on your preferences, but congee is usually about 7-9 parts water/broth per 1 part uncooked rice, so you are ingesting mostly liquid. )
posted by methroach at 8:28 AM on May 1, 2015

A few of my all-time faves:
• shorbat adas (onion, garlic, cumin, turmeric, red lentils, vegetable broth, lemon juice)
• black bean soup (onion, garlic, carrots, oregano, coriander, cumin, chili powder, black beans, vegetable broth)
• Thai curry butternut squash soup (onion, garlic, ginger, curry paste, cubed butternut squash, vegetable broth, coconut milk [optional but delicious], lime juice)
• dal (onion, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, garam masala, mustard seeds, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, tomatoes, red lentils, vegetable broth)
• Moroccan chickpea soup (onion, garlic, ginger, sweet and/or smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, tomatoes, chickpeas, vegetable broth)

For all of these, cook the mirepoix in some olive or coconut oil (onion first, garlic last), add the spices and toast for ~30 seconds, add the rest of the ingredients, cook for 30-60 minutes, and blend. Hope your recovery goes swimmingly, dental work is a bummer!
posted by divined by radio at 8:31 AM on May 1, 2015

The Vitamix carrot, ginger tofu soup is amazing and the tofu gives you some additional protein. Dead easy too.
posted by BoscosMom at 10:03 AM on May 1, 2015

- Orzo cooked in tomato sauce. This recipe uses water, but I've used chicken broth plus tomato sauce to make it tastier. Takes a while, and I use a non-stick pan, but have found I can save a portion for the next day and it's fine upon reheating.

- Cottage cheese

- Ham salad (store bought or grind up a small ham steak with desired amount of mayo -- lowfat if you want)

- Chicken salad (poach breasts and finely grind meat, add mayo, throw an onion in the poaching liquid for flavor, maybe a sliced lemon)

- Yes to polenta, if you add some cream cheese at the end, it's super yummy. I've used low fat cream cheese and it helps keep leftovers soft (I use Indian Head stone ground corn meal, which has fiber)

- My basic smoothie recipe is 1 small container plain Greek yogurt, 3/4-1 cup of low fat milk, 2 TBS of peanut butter, and a fruit of some kind, banana, mango, etc. I like the PB because it gives it some staying power, you could add nut milk or protein powder instead. Sometimes, I'll go yogurt, apple juice and spinach, maybe with a little ginger thrown in (better use ginger powder tho', fresh can be fibrous)

- Sugar free Jello, pudding, and oh, a strawberry radish sorbet is tasty and you won't eat too much because the radish makes it a little peppery. But it's awesome and very refreshing. I have successfully made this using lemon juice and water for the limencello, ymmv

- Anything bean, white bean dip, hummus, etc. if you can stand eating it by itself. You can also use beans and/or potatoes to thicken chicken broth and add a bit of the ground chicken to that.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 10:13 AM on May 1, 2015

Some ideas:

-Dal - an Indian dish made with very small beans that doesn't really need to be chewed. I've seen it topped with cream, which is fattening, but normally it's a rather healthy dish.

-Cream of Wheat - a lot of people sweeten this with syrup or fruit, but you can make it savory with maybe some butter or salt/pepper.

-Any soup can be blended and it will taste the same as it would if it wasn't blended. I've blended bean soups to give them a fake creamy texture (a way to make the soup creamy without adding fatty calorie-heavy cream)

-Various sides: Applesauce, mashed potatoes, stuffing
posted by AppleTurnover at 10:57 AM on May 1, 2015

Stuff I ate post-dental surgery: hummus, cottage cheese, applesauce, bananas, yogurt, and guacamole (and just plain avocado). Also smoothies with yogurt and frozen fruit and protein powder and so on.
posted by gingerbeer at 12:03 PM on May 1, 2015

I have a lap band, and whenever it gets adjusted, I have to go on liquids only for at least three or four days. My go to meal is chili and black bean soup - I've got a pot in the works right now.

Basically, it's just two pounds of ground beef, and your favorite chili spices or mix (I use Hard Times Texas Chili mix, which is addictive). I brown the meat with half of the spices in a dutch oven, and then after it's browned, I use a potato masher to really break it up as finely as possible. Then I add two cups of beef stock and the rest of the spices, put the lid on the pot, and throw it in the oven for at least twelve hours at 175 degrees. When it comes out, I use the potato masher again. The idea is for the meat to be granular. (I have even used the blender, which is also fine if you want it even more slurpy). Then I mix in one container of Trader Joe's black bean soup.

It's hard to get enough protein when you're on liquids, unless you drink a lot of protein shakes. I can only handle one of those a day, otherwise it's like having dessert for every meal. This soup provides tons of protein, and is tasty enough that I look forward to eating it for every meal for a couple days. For variety, I sometimes top it with a little grated chedder and sour cream.
posted by ereshkigal45 at 12:08 PM on May 1, 2015

I came in to say congee (aka jook) and was beaten to it by several people. That's because it is AWESOME. Here's a pretty good recipe that looks like the one my mom makes: Ginger Chicken Jook. Here's a vegetarian brown rice version with gai lan.

These recipes don't mention it as an optional garnish, but in my family we never eat jook without a drizzle of sesame oil on top.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 3:28 PM on May 1, 2015

Cheerios + Bananas + Milk = food of the gods. Let the Cheerios soak awhile.
posted by Bron at 8:21 PM on May 1, 2015

Home made chicken broth coojed up with plenty of jalepeno, ginger, carrots and celery.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 9:22 PM on May 1, 2015

If you want beef, I like super well cooked beef with mashed potatoes when I can't chew vigorously for some reason. At home, my go-to for this is German Roulade. You could hit Chipotle and ask for (a sample of) their beef barbacoa for some idea of the texture I am talking about and see if that works for you and then look for recipes that will get you that. My recollection is my mother also sometimes made roast beef in deep gravy in a big pot that would wind up falling apart soft as well.

So, beef cooked in deep water (gravy) until you can eat it with a spoon is one option. It goes well with mashed potatoes.
posted by Michele in California at 10:23 AM on May 2, 2015

Chiming in to say butternut squash soup, which has already been mentioned.

Polenta in the slow cooker with coconut milk is pretty amazing. This recipe is very good, minus the salsa - it's amazing without it.
posted by onecircleaday at 10:11 PM on May 2, 2015 [1 favorite]