Menu ideas needed: My jaw is wired shut.

[Deej]

Please, nobody say soup. No more soup. I'm begging you. Please.

I had surgery two weeks ago to correct my TMJ. Vertical ramus osteotomy, to be exact. My jaw is completely immobilized with arch bars and rubber bands, and will be for the next 2-4 weeks, depending on how I'm healing. I go in for my second follow up on the 24th of April and if the surgeon determines all is well he said he might be able to start "loosening me up". Whatever that means.

I'm hungry. I'm eating 6 meals a day and drinking liquid meal replacements (nasty things) on top of that, mostly just for the nutrition. I've nearly exhausted my feeble imagination coming up with things to eat...er...drink. I've blended and pureed until my blender is smokin'. Whatever I eat has to be liquid enough to easily suck up through a straw, and velvety smooth to get through my teeth. I have a close bite with good alignment, there are almost no gaps for anything chunky to get through.

I would kill for a salad. Bitter greens, sharp and crunchy, croutons and sunflower nuts, chopped egg. Lots of creamy, tangy dressing.........mmmmmm. Salad.

[lno]

Have you tried taking all of those salad fixings and putting them in the blender? You could have salad soup.

(Okay, okay, put down the gun, I was kidding.)

I unfortunately do not have any good ideas for you if you've exhausted all possibilities with the blender, especially since my last experience with a blender was trying to make a ham sandwich smoothie.

It failed remarkably.

[juji_mojo]

Hello and my sympathies. Im sure you've had your share of smoothies and stuff, but did you ever consider adding yogurt to the meal replacement type things? It tastes way better that way.

[aside]
I once worked in a nursing home that purreed EVERYTHING. So anything that was on a regular diet would be blendered to death to give to the people who were on puree diets the same thing.

This led to monstrosities such as pureed toast. (Okay whats the past tense of puree? ) About the same colour and consistency as Poly-filla. So no, not for you, you'd have to thin it out a bit. But it does go to show that anything can be ground up.

Wait, maybe they didnt puree salad. But they served puree spaghetti, perogies, puree cake... (that you can do, mix it with ice cream and some milk or table cream)and a hideous mess that was pureed cabbage rolls.

Of course they were going for a pudding like consistency, you'd have to experiment a bit.

Good luck.!

[MetalDog]

Custard?

[Payton's Servant]

Welcome to the wonderful, deliciously sweet world of milkshakes.

Come and savor the ice creamy goodness.:D

[Ethilrist]

You and your ham... and I suppose you broke your juicer the same way? :rolleyes:

Well, there's always beer.

You could nuke peanut butter (non-crunchy) until it was liquid enough to suck through a straw, but hopefully still cool enough to eat. You'd need a short enough straw that it didn't cool to the point of congealing before it got to your mouth. Likewise jelly.

[lno]

Actually, it was at a friend's housewarming, where he gave himself a present of an industrial strength $600 blender. Allegedly it could make ice cream, soup, and power a third world country all at the same time.

So after we all had milkshakes and other such blended treats, I tossed a ham sandwich into the blender and poured in some milk for filler, and then selected "Atomize" from the digital touchscreen interface.

Suffice it to say that it was one of the very few times in my life I discarded a pork product.

[Deej]

Believe it or not, there is a limit to the length of time one can live off of sweet creamy dinkable things.

Mine was less than 5 days. If you had told me that two weeks ago, I would have said you were nuts.

The problem with pureeing (man, that just does not look right) regular food then thinning it down is that all of the flavor is gone, and it just tastes like whatever was used for thinning. Right now I'm flavoring different broths and adding either egg, pasta, rice or potato for a little bulk.

I was hoping that someone that had been there, done that would come along and give me some new combination ideas.

Thanks guys.

[juji_mojo]

pureed toast still smelled like toast. Have no idea what it tasted like. I used to add a glop of jam and mix it in to feed the folks.

However, my living will shall state NO PUREED TOAST

[Lsura]

My older brother broke his jaw....right around 8 years ago this month, and spent the summer with his jaw wired shut.

The first mistake they made was bringing him pureed scrambled eggs and bacon while he was in the hospital. He has never eaten an egg willingly in his life (yeah, he'll eat them in cakes and things like that...but not scrambled, fried poached, hard-boiled or any other way).

Then he lived on Ensure for a while - he hated it, but it gave him some nutrition. The last four weeks he lived on Dairy Queen milkshakes and malts. And he lost about 30 lbs (that he didn't put back on).

What he did find, finally at one point was the Campbell's cream of chicken soup. It's mostly smooth anyway, but he gave it a bit of time in the blender to take it the rest of the way, and it worked for him. I'd think that some other cream-type soups would be about your best bet. I'll pop him off an e-mail though, and see if he has any further suggestions.

[Laurasia]

Have you tried protein shakes? You can get the mix at your local health food store in vanilla or chocolate flavor. I have one for breakfast every day (I'm a vegetarian, so I feel like I'm helping myself get some protein) made with milk and a banana for extra flavor. They're not bad and very filling. I enjoy the Whey kind better than the Soy (less chalky). By the way, how was the surgery? I have TMJ pretty bad and have been told that I need the surgery to correct it. I have never been able to seriously consider getting the surgery done because I'm afraid of the pain. Is the recovery very painful (aisde from having to eat every meal through a straw)?

[Lsura]

My brother called tonight, so I asked him about that - he said that he really liked the cream of chicken soup, because it tasted like what it was going to smell like. He did have to blend it a little further, but not much.


So, yeah, it's still soup...but maybe it'll help.

[Michael Ellis]

Urgh. I had surgery on my jaw to complement my braces. I spend two months living on chicken broth, ramen noodles, V8, milkshakes and slim-fast.

I share your pain. I just wish I had some suggestions.

[Eva Luna]

Fruit smoothies, with yogurt and/or other nutritional items added (protein powder/vitamins)? The flavor combinations are limitless!

I bet you could puree the hell out of, say, rice pudding, and it would still taste good.

[Fenris]

Originally posted by Deej
The problem with pureeing (man, that just does not look right) regular food then thinning it down is that all of the flavor is gone, and it just tastes like whatever was used for thinning. Right now I'm flavoring different broths and adding either egg, pasta, rice or potato for a little bulk.

I was hoping that someone that had been there, done that would come along and give me some new combination ideas.

Thanks guys.

I know you said "no more soup" but when my dad had to have his jaw wired shut, he found an exception to the "No! MORE! SOUP! DAMMI!" rule:

Take ham (deli sliced, very thin). Take Campell's cheddar cheese soup. Blenderize them. Heat. If you can manage cracker crumbs, take some saltines (or potato chips: he tried them too and liked 'em), crush them with a hammer and sprinkle them on top. It's damned similar to a ham-n-cheese sammich.

Fenris

[Ender_Will]

When I was 8 or 9, I busted my jaw, had to have it wired shut. I ate a lot of milkshakes and pudding, and probably a bunch of other stuff, but can't remember what right now. When my mom gets home, I'll see if she remembers.
I do remember 3 other things, one good, one not, and one impractical. First off, do NOT, under any circumstances whatsoever, try pureed BBQ chicken. The good one was something my grandmother made. Some toast, warm milk and cinamon (is that spelled right? looks weird..) all blended up, to whatever consistency you like. And, the third (impractical) thing I recall was a Dove ice cream bar. Had to sort of break open the chocolate, then let things melt enough to suck it down. Messy, to say the least. Tasty though.

[Ethilrist]

Originally posted by Fenris
If you can manage cracker crumbs, take some saltines (or potato chips: he tried them too and liked 'em), crush them with a hammer and sprinkle them on top.
Plus, you get to smash things with a hammer, and that's always good.

[cookeze]

Sorry about your problem. But if everything must be pureed, then it's all soup. Ain't it? What choice do you have?

I think I'd go to World Market or Whole Foods Market, or Mexican, Thai, Indian, etc grocers and see what they had, including soups.

By the way, the Campbells Cream of Chicken is not bad, as far as American soups go. But I'd try out any of the many Indian dals available, or Moroccan harira, or Greek fasolatha or Mexican Cream of Poblano or---I could go on forever.

[porcupine]

Optimum Nutrition 100% Egg Protein Chocolate Flavor can be used to make a pretty tasty protein shake. I eat low-carb and have them all the time for breakfast. Since you're not eating low carb you can add ice cream to yours instead of plain cream and ice cubes. You can get it at GNC. The flavor is IMO vastly superior to any of the whey or soy protein shake mixes.

[Zoe]

I've never had my jaw wired shut but I did have to live on pureed foods and liquids for several weeks. My nutritionist recommended baby food. Most of it tastes like it looks but there are exceptions. The baby food bananas are good and so is the oatmeal. I think you would probably be able to get at least the bananas through a straw.

Major warning: Under no circumstances, however, should you try the broccoli and beef!

How about applesauce? Spicey V-8? Pureed avacado? Gin and tonic?

[Flymaster]

To quote the greatest show on earth:

"You know what, let's put a few cookies in a blender and he could drink it."
"Cookies don't liquify."
"Yes they do, you can liquify a cookie!"
"Alright, I'll get the blender."
"What blender? I don't have a blender."
"You've got a blender."
"I would know if I had a blender."

[Shalmanese]

Mashed Potato with gravy?

I could live for a week on Mashed potato and gravy.

[hyperjes]

When I was a kid, I had to have my VERY impacted wisdom teeth removed. I am not a good healer, so naturally they (or the absence of them) got all infected. Consequently, I could not chew anything. Like you, I tried the "put everything in the blender" game. All I can say about that is DO NOT ever try to eat pureed chunky soup of any kind. Trust me. Ech.

There were a couple of things I did find palatable after a spin in the blender. One was a kind of yogurt/fruit/milk/sugar thing.

Take some vanilla yogurt. Dump a generous portion in the blender. Add fruit. (Banana was not the best, so I don't recommend it.) Dump in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk, depending on the amount of yogurt. Add a tablespoon of sugar. Blend the shit out of it. It's pretty much a smoothie, I guess. But it was good.

The other thing that I remember liking was jello and fruit cocktail (drained) from the blender. It tastes basically the same as regular jello with fruit. Just blend the fruit before you add the jello, or it will get runny.

Hope that helps a little. :)

[Zenster]

Special Notes: (Please provide clarification)

This is the starting point for a list of foods you might enjoy.

I presume that you do not own a high quality juicer. Due to this probability, I shall occasionally recommend buying preprocessed juices for certain recipes.

Invest in some good quality sieves and strainers for the duration of this event. They do not need to be expensive, but you want a pretty fine mesh plus one or two steps wider in screen size. If you have to trash them at the end of this, who cares? You want to eat toothsome foods (bad choice of words) that ensure good nutrition during this period of limited intake.

Your biggest challenge is providing your tract with sufficient fiber to sustain it. Beans and grain pulses are going to be your best friend. Purees and pulps made with savory broths and reductions will give you a vital sense of texture

To gain maximum appeal and flavor from your liquid meals, consider freezing off some considerable quantity of cooked food stuffs resulting from your current regimen.

Buy some cheap wooden spoons to 'rub' pulp through the above mentioned sieves.

Finely ground white pepper, garlic and onion powder, soy sauce or tamari plus other powdered herbs will become very important to you.

Go to your local restaurant supply house and buy a 100-500 count box of 'Slurpee' style wide bore scoop-ended straws. These things will be your best friend for some weeks.

Consider buying a food ricer. Look for on at your local thrift shop or on eBay.

An inexpensive mandolin slicer will help you make Julienne and matchsticks.

I'll refrain from suggesting any spicy recipes as they could trigger undesirable coughing or regurgitation. You want to consider the risk of this fact in your dietary choices.

Here is a list of recipes. Please note any of those you find most appealing, plus your own favorites. I'll cheerfully evolve tasty variations of those candidates so you won't miss all your favorite foods.

Beverages:

Citrus Juice Blast

Orange Julius


Soups:

Barf Beeley ... Beef Barley Soup

Herbed Tomato Soup

Miso

Hot and Sour Soup

Leek and Potato Soup

Ham and Pea Soup

[Lisa Simpson]

Gazpacho!

[/Lisa Simpson]

Congee

Borscht

Chicken and Rice Soup


Desserts:

Apple Sauce and Vanilla Cream

Black and Tan Sundae

Hominy Pulse with Maple Butter

Banana Coconut Cream

Yoghourt Fruit Freeze

Strawberry Frappe

Granité

[Deej]

Thank you Zenster. There are some flavor combinations in your above list that sound pretty tasty. And I found a recipe for Pea and Cilantro soup yesterday.....it looks like it'll help with my cravings for fresh, green flavors. There are so few things I can eat fresh, everything has to be cooked at least a little bit.

To Laurasia

By the way, how was the surgery? I have TMJ pretty bad and have been told that I need the surgery to correct it. I have never been able to seriously consider getting the surgery done because I'm afraid of the pain. Is the recovery very painful (aisde from having to eat every meal through a straw)?

Everyone has a different level of pain tolerance. For me, I have yet to experience any more pain than what I was having pre-surgery during a particularly bad flare up of TMJ inflammation. However, I've been very meticulous about following the medication schedule and oral hygiene regimen I was given, and keeping the surgery site iced down. Right now, post surgery self care is the closest thing to religion that I have. After a very early a.m. surgery, I spent one night and most of the next day in the hospital. I had the surgery on a Tuesday, and my husband was able to spend the remainder of the week home with me, which was wonderful because I never would have been able to make it alone. He was there to get the Bucko off to school, make sure I was taking my ibuprophen and Lortab (which I needed for only 4 days) when I was supposed to, answer the phone, load the dishwasher, stay on top of the laundry, do the cooking (he's an excellent cook).......so all I had to worry about was resting and recovering. I think that the fact I have so much excellent help here at home has been the biggest aid in my recovery. I would worry about someone that has to go home alone or to several children with no support from another caring adult. It's major surgery, and your body just doesn't bounce back from an assault like that overnight.

My advice to you is to do the surgery. As I said, post surgery pain has yet to reach the worst pre surgery pain I've had, with the added benefit that there's an end to the pain in sight. Before the surgery, I never knew how bad the flare-up was going to be, when it would end, or when the next one would hit. After the surgery, I know that any pain I'm feeling today will probably be better tomorrow or the next day, and that next week or next month won't bring on even worse pain. What I'm feeling now, barring any major complications, is as bad as it will ever be, ever again.

[Eva Luna]

One of my favorite summer soups is really simple: 2 minutes and a belnder, tops. 1 cup plain yogurt, 1 chopped, seede, peeled cucumber, 1/2 chopped onion, salt to taste, and a whole mess of fresh dill. Blend until smooth. Maybe that will help your craving for green stuff.

Gazpacho? Fresh, raw, zillions of recipes.

I've got a great recipe at home somewhere for a Moroccan red lentil soup with ginger and garlic. It ain't green, but it's yummy, with just a bit of zing.

[Rotten Candy]

How about <a href="http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/special/2000/nourish/congee.html">rice congee</a>?

Or polenta (cooked soft and mushy)?

Or steamed tofu (the soft silken type) with sesame oil and soy sauce drizzled on top?

Or stewed fruits?

[Rotten Candy]

Damn, let's try that link again...

rice congee (http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/special/2000/nourish/congee.html)

[Dolores Reborn]

I broke my jaw when I was 12. The best blended food I ate was spaghetti.

I feel for ya...soup gets really old.

[Loneraven]

Originally posted by juji_mojo
However, my living will shall state NO PUREED TOAST

Sig line!

Um... don't think I can come up with anything new, unless... have you ever tried lassi? It's an Indian milk drink that will certainly taste different.

Fill a tall glass with milk, add cinnamon, salt and pepper, a lot of crushed ice, and shake it around a bit. You'll either love it or hate it.

[Most people hate it, but I figured it's worth a try]

[Zenster]

Originally posted by Deej
Thank you Zenster. There are some flavor combinations in your above list that sound pretty tasty. Let me know which ones you like and I'll whip up some adaptations for you. Here are some of the first draft versions:

Citrus Blast

Juice of:

4 Oranges
2 Lemons
1 Lime

Herbed Tomato Soup

¼ Cup Roux (or less)
1 Pint Tomato sauce (or more)
1 Cup ½ & ½ or cream
½-1 Cup Reduced chicken stock
Powdered oregano
Powdered sage
Powdered rosemary
Ground white pepper

Very slowly work the reduced chicken stock and cream into the roux to make a white sauce. Once it begins to thicken, slowly add the tomato sauce and then the herbs.

Miso Soup

1-2 Pints Chicken stock
¼-½ Tsp Bonito flakes
¼-½ Tsp Roasted sesame oil
2-3 Tbs Miso paste
1 Tsp Peanut oil

Work miso paste with chicken stock to make a thin gruel. Add other ingredients and heat to near boil.

Hot and Sour Soup

1 Quart chicken broth
¼ Cup Soy Sauce
¼ Cup Xao xing Chinese rice wine
1-2 Tbs Corn starch
1 Tsp Roasted sesame oil
¼ Tsp Five spice powder
¼ Tsp Garlic powder
¼ Tsp Onion powder
¼ Tsp Ginger Powder

Reduce the stock by one-third. Boil off coins of ginger and Julienne of bamboo shoots in the stock (or add their packing brine) for flavor. Strain off ginger coins and bamboo shoot matchsticks. Mix cornstarch with small amount of soup in separate bowl. Blend slowly into simmering soup. Add rice wine, oil and powdered spices.


Black and Tan Sundae

Vanilla ice cream
Hot fudge
Hot caramel
Puree of roasted almonds

Heat the caramel and fudge by placing the unsealed bottles in a bath of slowly heating water.

Blend ¼-½ cup roasted almonds with ½ cup milk or ½ & ½. Add a few drops of vanilla and almond extract.

Scoop ice cream into a bowl, allow to partially melt. Bracket the scoop with puddles of hot fudge, caramel and the almond puree.

[Sionach]

Haven't seen it mentioned, but you might try Hummus - it's garbanzo beans blended with lemon & garlic. You can usually find it in the refrigerator section at the grocery store in several varieties (spicey, extra garlic, etc.). It might be a little thick, in which case add a little lemon juice or water. Just a thought for something tastey that wouldn't require too much effort. :)

[Jpeg Jones]

Two words:

Mouse Blender! (http://www.wilderoot.com/images/polytron.gif)

Good times, good times...

[Laurasia]

Thanks for the advice and the info Deej...I'm thinking more and more about having the surgery...I've never been in a hospital (besides the emergency room!) and I'm a big baby about pain...but then again, I wouldn't have to worry about my pesky jaw issues forever! The pain I get from TMJ is not so bad anymore...it was much worse before I moved away to college; I think the stress of living with my family was a major cause of the flare ups and pain (yes, my family is more stressful than four years of college!). I am seriously considering getting the surgery done...but I have to wait until I get in a situation that would allow me to have the time to recover. Thanks!