Yep that's exactly what I do, I follow a low carb low fat eating plan anyway, its not a diet as such, just cut out and reduce process carbs as much as I can. I don't want to go back on diabetic meds and have found this plan is the best for me.

I created a new recipe the other day I'll call it "Terri's Mushy Mornay Prawns" 6 prawns sauted in teaspoon of garlic butter (add extra garlic if you like) with diced spring onion, topped with weight watchers mornay sauce and a dollop of philly cream 97% fat free, optional (not philly cream cheese) . Blend would make a great vau'le'vant filling.

Cheers Terri

basicly do that blend casseroles and other wet type dishes avoid pasta and rice to a large degree. You can pretty much have what ever the family is having just blended up and made wet. as in add stock or gravey or something like tomato soup to what ever you blend to make it wetter. You can try a curry take way blended up if you want a bit of spice and dont cook curry, just leave out the rice.



applesauce

This is meant to be a mushy recipe thread but most of recipes are not mushy, my dr says mushy is babyfood consistancy, does anyone have any mushy recipes.

I am currently blending casseroles and vegys, and I blend tuna, mayo, and gerkin relish yummmm.

But food is getting a bit boring now...help Terri

Ingredients:

* Half tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/4 small onion, thinly sliced
* 30g slices lower-fat, lower-sodium boiled or smoked ham (not honey glazed), cut into thin strips
* 30g baby spinach, chopped
* 1 large egg
* 30g of cheese (low fat preferred) of choice
* pinch teaspoon salt if desired
* freshly ground black pepper

Nutritional Information:

170+ calories (depending on cheese selected)
12+ g fat (3 g sat)
3 g carbohydrate
20 g protein
0 g fiber
340 mg sodium

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 180C. Lightly coat a small baking dish/ramekin with cooking spray.
2. Heat half the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add ham and cook 3 minutes more. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Add remaining oil to the pan. Add spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Add to the bowl with the ham and onion mixture.
4. Whisk together eggs, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour half of the egg mixture into the baking dish. Scatter onion, ham, and spinach mixture on top of eggs. Cover with remaining egg mixture. Bake until eggs are set and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Or blend/puree as required.

Disclaimer:
Taken from South Beach Diet website (phase 1 = high protein/low sat fat phase) for those of us who are gonna get sick of oatmeal and coddled egg real quick. Added 30g cheese to bring up the protein value, and total calorie and fats for this will vary with the cheese you choose.

Deb

Hi all,

Given that there arent any recipe books or websites out there designed specifically for sleevers yet, I assumed that this forum is for open and friendly putting forward of ideas and recipes...,

I would imagine that all recipes need to be tweaked in one way or another....

Miss was fine in referring to the CSIRO diet website in my books. Its a high protein, low fat and moderated carb diet.

Applesauce is correct too. We need to be discerning about what we put in our mouths now.

Ideally nutritionally dense foods.

Protein first, then veg - avoid simple/starchy low nutrient foods..

But there is room here to incorporate everyone's idea's. If the recipe is a healthy one, then just make sure you eat the protein first, then some veg and avoid the starchy carbs and fats. Simple.

ALL recipes can be tweaked to suit us.

We could be discussing with each other here how best to tweak our favourites, getting exciting and inspired, exchanging ideas and most importantly being supportive of each other...

Some good places to start:

South Beach Diet (high protein/moderated complex carbs/lowfat)
New Atkins with fats scaled back
CSIRO with starchy carbs scaled back

Anyone else got any good resources?

Deb

Vietnamese minced beef with eggplant
(3-4 portions easy).

Ingredients

2 eggplants
2 shallots, finely chopped.
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red thai chilli, deseeded and chopped.
1 tbsp oil
350 g finely minced beef
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce

Optional: fresh coriander, spring onions, mung been sprouts minced.

If you're finding you need to moisten dry mixtures, have some beef stock made up and stored in ice cubes in the freezer. You might find it handy with this recipe.

Destructions
Char the eggplants all over (over a gas flame, under the grill or in the oven), then put them in a sealed container to sweat until you're ready to peel them (at least wait until they're comfortable to handle). Peel charred skin (under running water if necessary) and squeeze extra liquid out of the flesh. Mince the flesh.

Heat the oil in a pan and stir fry the shallots until golden. Add the garlic and chilli and continue for a minute. Add the beef and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add the eggplant pulp and fish sauce. Cover and cook gently for 20 minutes. Check seasoning. If the texture is too dry, add a spoonful of beef stock to moisten (eg ice cube from the freezer).

If desired, stir through minced coriander, spring onions and mung bean sprouts.

Hi Guys!

Just wanted to add a little variation to the yummy salmon dip/spread that Caz posted below.

We make this all the time as a smoked salmon dip- Just blend a large tin of salmon (leave the bones! SOOOO much calcium!), a tub of extra light cream cheese, salt & pepper to taste and a few dashes of Liquid Smoke to taste. Sprinkle with dill.

Delish! And totally cuts down on the fat content and adds protein. Makes a considerable quantity, so maybe scale it down a bit.

My Recipe For Savoury mince, which can be then used to make Sheppard's Pie

I made this last night, and it was the best thing I've eaten since having the sleeve in 17 days ago.
I made quite a big lot, you could essentially halve what i used, the best thing about this recipe is it doesnt have to follow the instructions exactly, i looked up a few savoury mince recipes online and everyone was different, it depends a lot on what you already have in the pantry/fridge, I wouldnt suggest going out and buying all this for this one recipe (tho might be worth it if you are struggling to get through your mushy diet and dont care how much it costs), I had most of this already, I just bought the mince, cream, veges and mushrooms.

These quantities was enough to almost fill a big Le Creuset iron pot, I made 2 sheppard's pies from it (1 for the freezer) and another 3 small containers of the mince (single serve size which i froze) This is quite a filling meal so it goes a long way to feeding an army (or big family).

Start by having a very sharp knife, a dull knife is dangerous and add unnecessary effort into cooking. A sharp knife glides through your food with ease and is a pleasure to use. It doesnt have to be the best knife in the world, one of my favourites is a Wiltshire Eclipse Chefs knife, it has a nice balance to it, has a nice handle on it and can be bought for $16 at kmart. Every kitchen should have a honing steel, I use this everytime before i cook, it maintains a fine edge on your blade. If you really want to improve your cooking, the best way to start is improve your knife skills. http://rouxbe.com/ is a great place to go, its an online cooking school. Have a look at their lessons on knife maintenance and knife skills.

1 large or 2 medium brown onions Dice very fine, see this vid for the best onion dicing technique http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDjNl5gs4nM
1kg heartsmart or 5 star mince (important to get good quality very lean mince)
200g rindless shortcut bacon with fat trimmed off slice these lengthways so they are about 2cm wide then slice very finely so it comes out like shredded bacon.
500-600g packet of classic frozen mixed veg - I used Heinz as it was on special, diced carrot, diced beans, corn kernels and peas, you can use whatever brand you like, i might look for one with capsicum as well for next time, as long as its all small pieces.
4 large portobello field mushrooms - about 3-4 inches wide, if you cant get them, probably 150g of regular mushrooms, i like the portobellos because they are dark and very iron rich and flavoursome. Sliced finely.
2 cloves of garlic - finely chopped or crushed, its a good idea to throw out your jars of this stuff and only use fresh garlic (same for ginger), the acid used to preserve it in the jar is what causes the garlic to repeat on you later. Fresh garlic is worth the extra effort to peel and chop.
a decent handful of fresh Italian parsley Finely chopped.
300-400ml ready made beef stock - again, get whatever brand, I just bought the Woolworths select 1L Beef stock, or you could even make your own if you prefer.
Keens Curry Powder I haven't stated a quantity because its really guesstimating
Cajun Spices these are optional but give it a nice kick, you might want to skip if you don't like spicy foods, I prefer the masterfoods, but any brand is fine.
Paprika Again, no specific quantity, i have mine in a shaker and add to i think there's enough.
Worcestershire sauce[b] about 1/4 cup
[b] 2 dessert spoons of Dijon mustard
400g tin of diced tomatoes important to get a decent brand, the home brand variety can be quite salty and watery and isn't as rich as a good brand of tinned tomatoes.
1/3 cup of tomato sauce or ketchup
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
light or extra virgin olive oil
Sea Salt and Pepper in grinders

For the Mash potato -
About 10-12 small to medium sized washed potatoes use washed as opposed to brushed as I like to leave the skin on, gives the mash more fibre, and a little extra bite.
125g cubed butter I used macadamia spread instead here, because its what i had in the fridge, its an inexpensive no cholesterol, mono unsaturated alternative to butter, and tastes loads better than margarine.
160ml tub of Pauls dollop cream double thick This is one of the best creams you can get in the supermarket, i find a lot of the other brands to be more oily, this stuff is just superb, comes in a peeltop twin tub (looks like yogurt/yogo tubs) This might sound like a lot of butter and cream, but by the time the whole meal comes together, each serving will only have the tiniest amount. However you can use less butter and no fat milk, although your mash wont be as creamy. You can substitute the fresh cream for sour cream for a more tangy mash, again quality sour cream is important.
Ground Nutmeg
Small handfull fresh chives Finely chopped
[b] Kraft parmesan cheese [b] for sprinkling - you can use regular grated cheese, but i used the kraft parmy here because im only just into my mushy food stage and i felt this cheese would be easier to handle. however either cheese is optional or you can skip them both altogether.

Start with a really hot pot, on high heat, add enough oil to cook the onions, (probably about 4 tablespoons - i never measure oil, its just a squirt into the pan, not enough to bathe the onions, just enough to coat the bottom of the pot if you swirl it around, add the onions, a good pinch of sea salt, a good dash of ground pepper and saute the onions until golden brown.
Add about 2 dessert spoons of curry powder, 1 dessertspoon of paprika and 1 dessert spoon of cajun spices, and half of the chopped garlic. Saute until the onions are nicely coated.
Add the mince about 1/3rd at a time, stirring as you add it and allowing the whole lot to come up to temp before adding more, if you add all the mince at once, the stove can struggle to keep it hot and you can broil the mince, bringing all the moisture out of the meat.
Once the mince is nicely browned and broken up into fine pieces, add the same quanties again of curry powder, paprika and cajun spices, (skip the cajun spices if your a bit sensitive to hot spices) and the rest of your chopped garlic.
Add the tinned tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, beef stock, tomato sauce, and Dijon mustard, stirring well for about 5 mins and let simmer for 10mins to bring the flavours out.
Add the frozen veg, mix in well and give it another 5 mins to bring the pot back up to temperature. Then give it another good mix with a wooden spoon. I let it simmer for another 10 mins before adding the mushrooms and fresh parsley. mix well and let simmer for at least half an hour. The mixture will be quite wet at this stage, the idea is to simmer until the sauce reduces and thickens, i let mine stay quite wet, to make it easier to eat in the mushy stage of my recovery, it really depends how saucy you want your mince as to how long you reduce it, the longer it simmers for the better the flavour will be. Add extra beef stock or water if it reduces too much.

While this is simmering, cut your potatoes into small pieces about 2cm square, from a small potato, i usually cut into thirds, and then cut each of those pieces in half again, the smaller your potato is cut the faster it will cook, keep all the pieces of equal size. put the potato into a boiling pot and cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt, cover with lid and bring to the boil
after about 10 mins of boiling (probably 20 mins total depending how long your stove takes to bring the water to boil) test the potato by poking a knife into a piece of potato, it should slide in and out easily. When the potato is cooked well leave the stove on and drain into a colander, then transfer the potatoes straight back to the pot with the heat on, and cook for another 1 min, giving the pot an occasional shake, this reduces the moisture of the potatoes so they aren't too runny. The edges of the potatoes should look fluffy when your shaking the pot, this means they are perfectly cooked. take the pot off the heat, add your cream and butter and mash well to get a smooth creamy consistency. Add the chives and mix in.
Preheat your oven to 180deg C (350F)
Use a ladle to 2/3rds fill a couple of baking dishes with the mince and top with the mash potato, sprinkle nutmeg on the potato (some extra chives if you like) and top with the Parmesan cheese(optional) Put 1 of the baking dishes in the freezer for next time and the other in the oven.
Bake for about 20-30 mins or until the top is golden brown.

When cooking the spare, defrost overnight in the fridge before baking, bake at 150 celcius (300F) for 20 mins then turn the heat up to 180C (350F) to brown the top.

I dont have the nutritional information per serving, because this is a home recipe, but if your being carb concious, serve yourself less of the potato and more of the mince, the mince portion is very healthy, its low fat, low carb, iron rich and full of vitamins. If it comes out too dry, and you are struggling with the mince, you can add tomato sauce, but mine had lots of moisture and i didnt have any problems with it. This was a life saver for me as i was getting bloody sick of pumpkin and tomato soup, I didn't even need to puree it, just chew well and eat slowly. This is a meal even most fussy kids will love, Its really up to you how rich you make it, you may choose to make smaller quantities, or not put as much of the spices and sauces in if you like it not so rich, or add other things to change it up, best thing you can do is look at several different savoury mince recipes through google and see what others are adding to make theirs unique. This is just my version and I'm really looking forward to lunch today to tuck into some leftovers. it becomes even more flavoursome after a day in the fridge. It might be a lot to go into it, but it gives you a ready made meal for another night that just takes 30-40 mins in the oven with no prep and will wipe the floor with any ready made meal you can buy.
Bonn appetite!!!

I made salmon and potato patties tonight, my husband convinced me i wouldn't taste the salmon. They weren't too bad. Im still alive.
I didn't understand why everyone kept mentioning putting white sauce or gravy on everything- Now i know why! I felt like i was having a heart attack, the food was just kinda stuck their in my chest. Water and time helped, but will have to try something on them tomorrow.

Cruskits are definitely OK as long as you chew chew chew. They are a bit like fairy floss - they melt to nothing in the mouth.

But suggest you don't have too many of them as they aren't particularly nutritious. Having said that though, they are great in making you feel you actually need your teeth- LOL.

There is a recipe on here for a salmon pate that is really easy to make and yummy and goes really well with cruskits - here it is:

250g red salmon
90g butter (or margarine)
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice (I used a bit more)
2 shallots cut into 5 cm lengths.

Drain salmon and remove bones.

Place salmon, butter, salt, pepper, lemon juice and shallots into a bowl, cover and wizz until ingredients are well combined - usually around 10 seconds. Place into a serving dish and chill.

Easy peasy!!!

And the nutrition info is:

Pate with Salmon, Butter (250g Salmon, 90g Butter)
Total Calories 1157
Fat (77%)
Protein (19%)
Carbs (5%)

Pate with Salmon (250g), Flor Pro-Activ, Light (90g)
Total Calories 832
Fat (68%)
Protein (26%)
Carbs (7%)

Pate with Salmon (250g), Soya Butter
Total Calories 754
Fat (54%)
Protein (36%)
Carbs (11%)

Workdanceplay,
I went and got some fish in white sauce and some lasagne in little boxes i got these from coles i'am going to put these in the blender when i start my mushies on wednesday. Also can we have cruskets while were on mushies ? can someone please answer that for me as iam looking forward to cruskets with boiled egss and mayo. all the best Keggy....

Perhaps you could try those chunky soups in the blender?
I know where you're coming from with this, so maybe adding protein powder to yoghurts & the fruit will get you through?
I've read a few posts where the protein powder has got people out of trouble.

I have now moved on from liquids YAY! and my dietician wants me to have food the consistency of thick yoghurt/fruche/ pureed food.

The problem is she wants me to start having plenty of protein. I only eat limited red meat and seafood- basically i eat mince,chicken breast,eggs,ham and bacon,prawns and little fish, I know im a pain in the arse but thats me. My issue is eating these things blended and pureed. I cant stand the taste... they make me want to puke.

Once i start mushies- omelets, salmon patties, ect.. things will be okay and i shouldnt have any probs. She was aware of my diet before i had the op and i discussed protein being an issue and she said that what i eat will be fine and that i will be easily able to get my protein in daily, which i also believe. I just didnt realise how hard the puree stage was going to be, I know its only 2 weeks but i cant bear the thought or taste of blending meat up.

Has/Is any one in the same boat or have any ideas on how to survive. I am so tempted just to live off yoghurt and pureed fruit for the next 2 weeks if i cant get this protein in!

Thanks workdanceplay

sounds like a great idea to me! I had a lot of lamb shank soup for my mushies - lots of protein, flavor, and easy to mush up and make thinner if necessary. liver and bacon was also good, especially if you get low in iron, like me.

Had one brainstorm of an idea for work food thanks to MOTH!
I'd bought some megasmall coloured containers for my sewing box. They call them "snack boxes". Take about 125mls. Have graded measuring on them. I figure they'll be perfect for work. MOTH says to colour coordinate them. Snack, lunch and dessert. Brilliant. I can put, for example a small amount of fruit and yoghurt in one for desert. Small amount of say blended stew for lunch and 1/2 cauliflower patty and baked beans and cheese for snack. Do it on the weekends and freeze. Take out daily. I just love this idea to bits! So have been cooking all day. Yeah!! Go me! One of the things I made was the cauliflower pattys. Brilliant! Even the MOTH ate them and he hates cauliflower.
PS any ideas for freezable, easy to make mushy's from you experienced sleevers that I could take for work?
Pretty please????

Thanks for the recipes, I plan to try all of them

I just fried up 200g lamb mince
added 1tsp curry powder
1 can Heinz Very Vegetable-Winter Vegetable soup
Then blended

Wow, if you like curries you should like this. I could eat it all, you know what I mean.
The meat is still a little lumpy, but it is a nice change to chew something.

Jenni

Angie,

your weightloss is teriffic, don't go too quickly, keep up the good work

Cya
Greg

Cream of Mushrooms and Chicken
(6 portions)

Ingredients:
- 2 oil tablespoons
- 450grs. of Mushrooms
- 600grs. of chicken breast in slices.
- 2 cups (200ml each one) of chicken soup
- 1 cup of skim milk (200ml)
- 1/4 tablespoon of thyme
- 1/4 tablespoon of nutmeg

In a saucepan heat the oil and add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients. Add the chicken soup and let everything get cook from 15 to 20 minutes. Then put everything in the blender and add the milk, and then put all in the saucepan in low flame for 5 minutes.
And then ready to eat!
Enjoy!

Hi, thanks for these receipes girls.

Looking to make the lamb shank soup. What kind of dried soup mix? What exactly am I looking for?

Max

Good thought about the yoghurt being mushier.

I was just horrified at the calories/fat in it using normal butter, so will try soya butter or yoghurt myself.

It is yummy, isn't it!!!

caz,
thanks for doing the maths for us all, and especially for including the soya butter.
i made it up today and it is delicious. the soya butter blended beautifully to make a nice firm paste.
the yogurt mix is a good idea to and would probably be a better alternative to those just starting out on mushies.

cheers
tracey

What a great idea Bella - I just worked it out assuming there was 100 g of yoghurt.

Salmon Pate with 100 g Greek Yoghurt in place of butter
Total Calories 669
Fat (50%)
Protein (36%)
Carbs (15%)

I have really enjoyed reading all the recipes,I had my sleeve done2weeks ago,just starting mushy
Jan

Hey Caz

I used your Salmon pate recipe the other night & it was delish....
but i substituted the butter for plain Greek Style yoghurt
have no idea if the calories are better or worse for it
and i used lime juice instead of lemon......


its amazing how much difference there is bn the soya butter and normal butter !!

Hi All

I thought it might be useful to know the calories/fat/protein content for the pate below.

I worked it out making it with normal butter, Flora Pro-Activ Light, and Soya butter (Soya butter is by far the best).

You'll have to work out how many calories per tablespoon, per cruskit topping etc.

Pate with Salmon, Butter (250g Salmon, 90g Butter)
Total Calories 1157
Fat (77%)
Protein (19%)
Carbs (5%)

Pate with Salmon (250g), Flor Pro-Activ, Light (90g)
Total Calories 832
Fat (68%)
Protein (26%)
Carbs (7%)

Pate with Salmon (250g), Soya Butter
Total Calories 754
Fat (54%)
Protein (36%)
Carbs (11%)

I have just found what seems an excellent site for recipes/medical/get fit advice.
It is at: www.goforyourlife.vic.gov.au
They not only have a section on easy to swallow recipes but also include a nutritional analysis with each recipe.They have heaps of other healthier choice recipes as well.Once you click on a recipe the window opens to list ingredients etc.At the top there is a heading called Nutritional Analysis.If you click on this heading a new window opens with all the nutritional info you could possibly need- calories and more importantly it provides grams of protein per serve.
The recipes are very simple with readily available ingredients-at least in Australia.
Does anyone know of other good sites for those like myself who need basic instruction on how to create healthier habits in the kitchen???

250g red salmon
90g butter
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice (I used a bit more)
2 shallots cut into 5 cm lengths.

Drain salmon and remove bones.

Place salmon, butter, salt, pepper, lemon juice and shallots into a bowl, cover and wizz until ingredients are well combined - usually around 10 seconds. Place into a serving dish and chill.

Easy peasy!!!

Thanks for the great recipes which I have gathered from here so far...but any ideas for Christmas? I'd love to make them up soon and freeze them as I'll be cooking for everyone else on Christmas/Boxing Day and won't have time to think about preparing meals for me.

1 can of refried beans
1 can of diced tomatoes
Taco seasoning mix to add real mexican flavour (use to the amount of your liking as a little to much can taste hugely salty)
Weight Watchers low fat cheese Cheese
Unsweetend Natural Yoghurt (99% fat free option is best)

Mix together in a saucepan the beans, the tomatoes and add in some taco seasoning mix. Be careful as to how much taco seasoning mix you use as it can end up far too salty. Heat until hot and place your portion in a bowl. Sprinkle with a little cheese and melt under the grill and finally put one dolup of yoghurt on the top as a sour cream substitute.

This one is absolutely delicious! Enjoy! The rest of the family could have this on top of corn chips and have as real nacho's topping.

1 bbq chicken broken up into tiny tiny tiny bits mangled to the max
1 cup of dry bread crumbs
1 cup of thick sour cream
salt pepper and any seasoning you want

mix all together and form patties out of it, shallow fry or pop on the bbq for the most moist yummy burgers ever. serve with the salad of your choice at a latter stage. You could use a roast chicken or any left over chicken you have on hand, or even turkey for that matter. I was so suprised how well they held together and just how moist they stayed You will STILL want to add some mayo or sour cream to top these if you are just startting out on mushies remember to keep your mushies WET to start with so these are more later . But as staated they are very moist and very soft not like a beef or chicken mince burger so very suitable for mushies and oh do they taste yum. Stolen from the 4 ingredients show on foxtel the other night, we grabed a bbq chicken small size from coles on saturday and broke it up saturday to use with a 200ml tub of light sour cream and approx cup of dry bread crumbs all mixed well together. Formed about 6 largish burger patties :)

applesauce

I cooked this for tea tonight and is just like the Chinese version.
Best of all it literally only takes minutes to make......... so simple!!!

100g chicken mince
1 litre water
2 tspns veg stock
sachet chicken noodle soup
Can creamed corn
2 beaten eggs

Place stock and water in saucepan and bring to boil. Add chicken mince and stir to breakup. Reduce to simmer and add sachet of soup and can of corn. Simmer until noodles soft. On low heat, whisk through the eggs.

Enjoy!!

Spicy Pumpkin Slice

60g butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 spring onions, sliced
2 sticks celery, sliced
400g pumpkin, coarsely grated
4 eggs (60g each) lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup self raising flour
1 1/2 tspns paprika
1 tspn dried marjoram leaves
1 1/2 tspns hot chili paste
1 cup grated tasty cheese

1. Lightly grease a 23cm square slab pan. Line base with greased paper.
2. Melt butter in a pan, add garlic, spring onions and celery. Cook, stiring until pumpkin is just soft.
3. Combine eggs, milk, sifted flour, paprika, marjoram, chilli, cheese and pumpkin mixture in a
bowl; mix well. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
4. Cook in a moderate oven 180 degrees celcius (350 degrees Farenheit) for about 50 minutes,
or until firm and lightly browned. Serve as a luncheon dish with a salad, if desired.

This recipe is delicious and is great for those on mushies. I made and froze in portions prior to my surgery.I also use sweet chilli in place of hot chilli paste and omit the celery for those who don't like the taste.

That's why I added the extra egg. Because it wasn't staying together. :lol!:

the flour should not change the taste just make them more patty like. I mash all my stuff up togher first with a potato masher.

applesauce

Apple, my son hates cauliflower but he's on camp at the moment but I thought I'd even be able to get him to try them because they look like chicken patties so I'll just tell him they are chicken and see his reaction. :lol!:

But I wonder what they'd taste like if I'd added the flour?

I used vegetarian bacon for this and added a finely diced up red onion. Even my sisters kids who hate detest want to puke at the thought of cauliflower loved them so much they had a fight over the last one hehehehehe Oh and we just sprayed the pan with olive oil spray rather than shallow fry :)

applesauce

This sounds delicious, Steph - thanks
Chris

Okay this is what I had for tea tonight for mushies stage.

Cauliflower patties.

500g steamed cauliflower, chopped
2 lean rashers bacon, chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
3 eggs, beaten (I used 4)
1 tbspn dried parsley flakes (I used fresh)
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup SR Flour (I forgot this LOL)

Fry bacon, then mix all together into patties and shallow fry in olive oil or cook on BBQ.

As I typed out this recipe I realised that I missed adding the flour and that's why the first couple wouldn't stay together so well so I added another egg.

Anyway they were yummy the way I made them. My teenage daughter loved them.
I ate them with mayo to ensure they went down.

Yeah, I like gnocchi too, but it's low on my list of priorities right now - I'd prefer to have more veggies.
Chris

If you do not want pasta how about gnochhi ?:) I love that so much and have it with char grilled veggie sauce at least once a week :) The latina fresh variety is nice :)

applesauce

Hey, Pretzel, I've been missing my veges madly, but have done what I was told and put protein first. I used to eat so many veggies! Luckily, I love my meat too, so it's not really a hardship!
No, I haven't had any pasta or rice yet, although my plan says I can introduce it now if it's really mushy. I haven't, though, because the thought of it just doesn't appeal - I think it would be too gluggy to go down well. And yes, I do love pasta too. (I know, I love all food!)
And Jacqui, yes, that's exactly what I'm doing at the moment - I'm back to liquids today after a hiccup with a blockage last night. To be honest, I really don't feel like eating at all, and that's a very good thing. My tummy is still sore, but more uncomfortable now than painful. Trying to keep the liquids up, though, and still cooking up a storm for the freezer.
Chris

no pasta, really?? my transitional plan includes pasta/rice with sauces on stage 2 of the transition diet, it has four stages which you work your way through up to 3 months, but really whenever you feel ready. they say start at stage one, spend three or four days getting used to it, then try the next stage. if you ever discover problems with a stage, you drop down a stage (back to liquids if you need to) and spend three or four days there before trying the next stage up again. kind of like snakes and ladders lol.

i might do a post with my doctors dietary recommendations - and then people can look at it and compare it with their own/ post their own.

Salmon yum!!!
Are you eating the pasta with your spag bog or just the meat? My doc said no rice, potato, pasta or bread for 6 weeks and I'm such a fresh pasta girl.

Love my veggies so already looking forward to unblended ones. I made my mum's pea and ham soup before I went into hospital, blended it all up and froze. I had it last night watered down but it at least tasted the same and like real food - couldn't believe how happy I was to be able to tast something real, even if it was only about 2 spoon worth.
I can see myself being one of those people that puts food in my mouth to taste it but doesn't swallow it just for the flavour fix.
Also have a bit of a salt craving - is this normal?

Okay, I'm at the end of week 4, and am now graduating to more 'real' food.

Yesterday, I made up some avocado dip (avocado, philly, lemon juice, tabasco) and spread some on a cruskit. I added some crab meat (from a tin, almost minced) and a small mushroom that had been cut up into tiny pieces. It went down really well for lunch, although I must admit that I felt hungry soon afterwards. I wasn't game to have 2, though - both because I wasn't sure how much was in the meal, and because it was a new food/s and wanted to make sure it stayed down okay.

Last night, I had the best meal I've had in ages! Hubby cooked us up some beautiful atlantic salmon - I had a piece about an inch thick from the middle, where it was the moistest. I also had a very small piece of each of the veggies, ie carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini & potato. And because some lovely soul posted how fish was difficult to get down without sauce, I made sure that I slathered everything with white sauce. I was going for the sauce anyway, but that post just made me more determined about it! Anyway, it went down really well, and I enjoyed every morsel.

The funny thing is that hubby had about as much as we used to always have, and he finished his while I was still on about my third mouthful - and I was amazed. I must be getting used to the small portions and the slow eating (even though I still think I eat too fast, when my tiny tummy objects sometimes).

Yeah, well, these are what I've been living on for the past few weeks, and they go down well.
I've just started having spag bol as well, but everyone knows how to make that! And now I can have it without pureeing - yippee!!!
Chris

That's great Chris, I like how you've given the option at the bottom of each recipe for puree stage.

Ma's famous lamb shank soup

Ingredients:
1 large lamb shank, cut in half (can use more, if needed)
2 large onions, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
4 small handsful dried soup mix
Masterfoods Season All with Garlic - approx 1 dstp to 1 tblsp
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
Extra salt
Water
Pressure cooker (can also be slow cooked - 6-8 hours, or cook on stove top for about 3 hours)

Method:
First wipe lamb shank over with a clean with cloth or paper towel. Then sprinkle salt over and let it stand for about 5 minutes
Put shank into pressure cooker and then add all vegetables.
Cover with water - up to approx. 3/4 full
Add salt and season-all and mix through.
Bring to full pressure and then cook for 1 1/4 hours and then turn off the heat and let the pressure cool naturally.
When ready, open cooker and check for taste. I not seasoned enough, add a little more. If too salty, add a peeled and cut potato to reduce saltiness.

Now it's ready for everyone else. For you, in the puree stage, you'll need to take out your portion and put it through the blender. Make sure you add extra water, if needed.
Measure out into small containers and freeze until you're ready to use it.
You can heat it in a microwave for 1.5 - 2 minutes, and it's ready to eat. If it's too thick when you reheat it, you can add a little water to make it more runny.

Mum’s slow-cooked casserole

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
1 potato, peeled and cubed
½ cup red wine
Salt, pepper & herbs to taste
2 'normal' serves meat, cubed - you can use anything, including chicken
Plain flour

Method:

Put onion on bottom of slow cooker.
Add carrots and potato, followed by red wine, salt, pepper & herbs.
Put meat on top

Cook on auto for 6 hours (or 2 hours on high then 4 hours on low).
If more time needed, you can cook on low all day.

Before serving, thicken with plain flour & cook for another half hour.
Add extra water if necessary.

At this stage, it's good for everyone else. But for use in the puree stage, you need to take out your portion and puree it in a blender. You may need to add extra water, but as you progress through the puree stage, you can make it a little less runny.
Measure out into small containers and freeze until you're ready to use it.
You can heat it in a microwave for 1.5 - 2 minutes, and it's ready to eat. If it's too thick when you reheat it, you can add a little water to make it more runny.

Meat Loaf Recipe - this one came from the TV a few weeks ago on one of those lifestyle shows.
The family can have it as is, but the pureeing instructions for you are at the end.

Ingredients:

1kg lean mince
2 onions, grated
2 carrots, grated
1 cup cheese (mozarella’s good), grated
1 cup breadcrumbs
Bacon – 4-6 rashers, rind removed
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
4 eggs
¼ cup teriyaki sauce
¼ cup tomato sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees Centigrade.
Line loaf tin with bacon strips, leaving ends dangling over the edge.
Mix the rest of the ingredients together.
Place mixture into loaf tin.
Fold ends of bacon to top of loaf.
Cover loaf tin with foil.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour - check to make sure it's not drying out too much.
Let sit for 15 minutes before removing from loaf tin.

At this stage, it's good for everyone else. But for use in the puree stage, you need to:

Make up some gravy
Slice some meat loaf up
Puree them together in a blender
You may need to add more gravy, if it's not runny enough, so check to see how it's going.
As you progress through the puree stage, you can make it a little less runny.
Measure out into small containers and freeze until you're ready to use it.
You can heat it in a microwave for 1.5 - 2 minutes, and it's ready to eat. If it's too thick when you reheat it, you can add a little water to make it more runny.