Cooperation?

As some of my followers may know, I have no Internet access at home. I do most of my blogging from my iPhone and update photos when I can either from the public library or the college.

This week, my blog has kept me locked out. So I can't tell you with any certainty what I put in that awesome batch of crockpot chili or remember everything we've eaten. This entry is merely a test, and if it posts I will resume and perhaps even catch up with my recipes.

And my dental work is holding up fine. I am very sensitive to temperature right now, which is to be expected with new fillings. I can indeed chew in the left again, but I am very slow and gentle since I am still terrified.

Update on all things

If you look at this blog on even a quasi-regular basis, it looks like I feel off the planet this weekend.

It was the annual fundraiser, our annual bookfair, for the Mary Meuser Memorial Library, a public library where I currently serve as president of the board of trustees. That did not leave much time for cooking, especially since I worked both days as well as volunteered six hours each day and helped with set-up on Friday afternoon.

Yesterday was husband's birthday, so I splurged. I spent $12 on him at Target and got him Breyers Blasts Reese's Penaut Butter Cup ice cream, New England Coffee French Vanilla and for lunch today a personal pan pizza (I made the dough last night and our new Mary topped the pizzas today.

His mom brought us a pumpkin custard pie, so that was breakfast.

And today I went to the dentist and got my bottom left far rear molar repaired and tooth #3 on the top right so now it seems I can masticate again!

I ate this weekend

I ate this weekend.
After what I feared would be never-ending torment of liquid diet options, I ate.

It was wonderful.

And, of course, even the small meals I make for myself make me feel very heavy and gross.

It’s been a week since I posted. Part of that was the fall out from disappointment. I went to the dentist Thursday and she reconstructed my one tooth in only a few moments. The second tooth refused to numb. I received so many chemical shots that my mouth wouldn’t open for two days. Yet, the tooth was not numb. So, I left the dentist with only one tooth repaired.

And that night while eating a french fry, a chunk of filling (I think) came out of my mouth.

I almost wept.

But once that jaw eased open again, I had a salad of iceberg lettuce. And thin sliced radishes. Then a small plate of pancakes.

Which reminds me: my husband, at my request, substituted peach yogurt for the milk in the pancakes. Yum.

Had dinner at the Mexican restaurant. Burritoes con mole.

And then last night, I ate a hamburger with a fork. My husband, again at my suggestion, got basil and sorrel from the backyard herb garden and added them to the meat. Turned out very nice.

I meant to take pictures, but every time I had a meal in front of me, I forgot. I was too intent on eating!

My birthday dinner

For my birthday, I wanted pancakes. I chose Perkins for two reasons: 1. They have several flavors of syrup to liven up my soft food diet and 2. My husband and I hung out at Perkins a lot when we were dating in college. Not much else was open in the middle of the night.

I ordered a ham and bacon omelette, knowing they diced their ham tiny. The bacon was rather large and caused issues. Even though my extraction has healed nicely, I keep forgetting I have broken teeth yet and every time I try to chew I hit one of them. Argh!

The pancakes very much hit the spot and I washed it down with Cherry Coke. It was my birthday after all. Just having plates in front of me was sooooo emotionally soothing.

Red Robin

Last night, I had an overwhelming craving for French fries. So the family took me to Red Robin.

I ordered what they call a BLTA. It's bacon-lettuce-tomato-avocado and turkey on a croissant. My daughter ordered the cod fish and chips dinner. My husband got some burger with bleu cheese.

Mine came with a side of cantaloupe that my daughter devoured.

I quickly discovered that I can't mix hot and cold. The broken molar in the rear of the left side of my mouth screams severely when I attempt it. The slightest cold bothers it-- yogurt, sandwiches, pudding-- and to combine that with hot does not work. At all. So I opted for the hot fries instead of the cold sandwich.

What I wanted

And this suited me. Because those fries tasted incredible. That's the real beauty in this whole dental injury mess. I am rediscovering food. Slowly. One tiny bite or one flavor at a time. And it's a euphoric adventure. Don't get me wrong-- I'd rather have my teeth. But this recovery... each step toward being able to eat comfortably, I can't help but savor everything.

Today, I took the half sandwich in the picture here and I sliced it into tiny pieces and ate it like a salad. Two pieces would equal the size of my finger nail. And I ate it, slowly, with a fork. It was laborious, but I enjoyed every mouthful.

Lemonade Smoothie

Are you sick of smoothies yet?

This morning:
- 1 Chobani lemon yogurt
- about 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- about 1/4 cup very vanilla soy milk
- about 1/4 cup seltzer
- one heaping teaspoon orange juice concentrate
- pinch of [food grade] lavender

Creamsicle Smoothie II

This is what I had for dinner last night. It's a variation of Nava Atlas' recipe from the 5 Ingedient Vegetarian Gourmet:

In the blender
- 1 packet vanilla carnation instant breakfast
- 3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
- 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
- 1/4 cup seltzer
- 3/4 cup very vanilla soymilk

Update on dairy-free, chewing optional meals

I have been pleased with my progress, though the damage to the bottom left molar has made cold and intense chewing a problem. I ate half a tuna sandwich on super soft bread, pound cake, thin sliced roast beef (on clearance from Target) on super soft bread, and (uggh) the super processed white meat chicken nuggets from the Target café-- they're the size of quarters. With each of these tiny meals, I felt sooooo stuffed. And it looks like my progressed will remain here until my dentist appointment on the 26th.

I cleaned the freezer today and made room for all my soups. Pork veg. Beef veg. Cheesesteak.

Yesterday, I had a Chobani lemon Greek-style yogurt and I was totally impressed. Something like 18 g of protein, no fat, low sugar (compared to the blended yogurt I like), no artificial sweeteners, real lemon and great texture.

Pineapple Smoothie

The flavor on this one is incredible, but the mouth feel odd. I didn't want to blend the pudding to a liquid, so as a consequence, the tapioca provides chunks and the fresh pineapple provides strands.

In the blender:
- about 1/2 cup fresh pineapple
- 1/2 cup very vanilla soy milk
- 1 cup tapioca pudding

A weird little dinner

I asked my mother-in-law for one of her sweet potato casseroles. She usually makes it with raisins, walnuts and roasted marshmallow.

Unfortunately for me, nuts were out of the question. So I asked for one without. I thought I could handle the marshmallows and raisins but I could only make it through two of each. I ended up picking the others out.

But I still enjoyed it.

To accompany this, my husband chopped and cooked an aging head of cauliflower. He whipped up a cheese sauce, which he lamented came out runny but I think it fabulously came out like soup! He chopped a chik*n patty for protein and everyone in our house loved it! It had a fantastic, smooth flavor.

(of course, I merely had tiny pieces of cauliflower and lots of cheese sauce. It was yummy to eat something NOT chicken soup.)

Easter Chocolate Smoothie

This is what happens when you finally crack and say "I don't care if I can chew I have to have some of my mother-in-law's Easter chocolate."

In the blender:
- 6 peanut butter eggs (small ones, I would say three if they're Reese's)
- 1 HUGE heaping tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 cup very vanilla silk soy milk
- 1.5 cups coffee
- 1 vanilla carnation instant breakfast
- 1 tablespoon caramel

Kid Smoothie

One of the neighbor children came to our house today and got excited by the prospect of a smoothie. The kids made all the choices-- it tastes like a chocolate covered cherry.

- one banana Yo-baby drinkable yogurt
- six strawberries
- two to three tablespoons chocolate syrup
- milk chocolate carnation instant breakfast

The Dental Diet update

Today's breakfast smoothie is shaping up to be:
- very vanilla silk
- peanut butter
- vanilla carnation instant breakfast
- banana
- banana yogurt
- caramel

Yesterday's meals included (for me):
Breakfast
- Coffee and my vegan sweet potato coconut milk soup

Beverage before walk to school
- Very Vanilla Silk

Morning snack
- Christina's lemon chicken Greek soup

Lunch
- Greek yogurt with honey

Afternoon snack
- two bowls of my mother-in-law's chicken noodle soup made with veggie stock instead of chicken
- two goldfish crackers

Tea
- celestial seasonings green tea (with white) and raspberry

Early dinner
- apple butter (from a local artisan farm) and cottage cheese

Dinner
- the last half of the malted vanilla milkshake from the Purple Cow
- another bowl of chicken soup

Chocolate Peanut Butter Milk

Today was one of those hectic Monday mornings... And I had a quiet vision of how the morning would go. My homemade oatmeal bars for breakfast, a big mid-morning cup of tea. I had a sore throat and was worried I was getting sick. Maybe I am and that's why I fell...

I fell on the sidewalk and broke 4 teeth and needed three stitches in my chin. Oral surgeon tomorrow. Liquid diet for a while.

Lunch was Pacific Foods Cream of Tomato Soup. Snack was Stonyfield Yo Baby Banana drinkable yogurt.

Dinner made me drool with anticipation. My husband made tiny elbow noodles with tomato sauce and velveeta and browned hamburger in tiny pieces. Trying to eat it revealed 3 things:
- I can't chew. At all.
- I have limited range of motion in my jaw
- sucking on food hurts

I couldn't do it, as hungry as I am, I can't do it.


Complicating the issue is the fact that my daughter wants to share everything I can eat. Like a good mom, I share.

So, I made a carnation instant breakfast drink in the blender.

- about 8 ounces plain soy milk
- two heaping teaspoons peanut butter
- two heaping teaspoons almond butter
- 1 teaspoon Nutella
- 1 packet dark chocolate Carnation instant breakfast

We loved it