Help with ideas for soft food

[useyourimagination]

DD is going into hospital for maxiofacial surgery in a couple of weeks time. She can then only eat soft food for 6 weeks. This will be over Christmas and New Year.

She's vegetarian and I need ideas for what to cook for her - there are only so many soups she can eat over that period. So far I've got porridge, soups, milk-soaked weetabix, baked potato without skins and then I run out of ideas.

She's not got a lot of fat on her to start with so I need to make sure she gets a balanced diet still.

Any ideas gratefully received.

I'd mix cheese into the baked potato, perhaps some chives or soft fried onion to perk it up. Scrambled eggs with cheese, onions, tomatoes.

Souffles, avocados if she likes them, rice pudding, semolina, egg custard etc.

Angel delight

Lots of hot chocolate : look up the recipes for Spanish hot chocolate which contains egg yolks.

Get some wholemeal baguettes and mush up bananas and peanut butter (or almond/cashew nut butter)
Spinach & garlic cheese
Cheese fondue for the whole family
Oh, yum yum!

ooh - some great ideas. Thank you. I'd forgotten all about eggs and she loves custard.

Risotto
Macaroni cheese
Vegetarian haggis with mashed swede and potatoes (!)
Fish pie if she eats fish
Lasagna with quorn

Boiled eggs, hummus, lentil pate, overly boiled pasta and pesto sauce.... Tarka Dahl, soft veggie curries.....

Scrambled egg
Risotto
Cooked apples and custard
Rice pudding

Dahl, and other cooked pulses - packed with protein.
And well cooked curries - you can enrich them with lots of cream or coconut milk.

Juiced fruit and veg?
Cooked down/stewed fruit, compotes?

You will prob be given a diet sheet on discharge but I would also be planning ahead.

Dairy is a good way to get good fats and calcium when on a restricted diet. Her appetite may be a lot less so you need to get the most nutritional value from each meal. Mixing cheese in to mash is good, as well as milk in sauces and yogurts as a snack. Something like custard is still a lovely treat, as it tends to be higher in sugar still. Rice pudding is good if sweetened with vanilla etc.

Spag bol is still possible depending on how well she will manage the length of spaghetti. Cook off the mince and onion, then blend it up with the sauce to make it really fine. Then it won't need chewing.

It might feel wrong, but check out some baby weaning recipes for ideas. This will help with choosing soft food that has flavour still. The recipes will be very low salt, so you can feel free to adjust it slightly or put your own twist on it. Hope it all goes well for your DD.

Polenta, milky puddings as suggested including creme caramel, ooh ice cream! Smoothies, yoghurt & fruit compote, fish cakes, porridge/ready brek, baked sweet potato, veggie shepherds pie.
Good idea as pp said to think about baby weaning recipes - perhaps think back to the classic "nursery" foods

Get soft or silken tofu, melt some chocolate and bung both & a bit of honey in the blender. Makes a fabulous and protein-rich pudding.

Cheese perogies with sour cream.

Vegetarian borscht put through the blender.

Greek yoghurt is a great source of protein and calcium
Put peanut butter on her porridge
Macaroni cheese
Stewed fruit and custard

If you make mince for rage or Shepard pie you can blend it down so that it is really fine and doesn't need chewing.

lots of yogurts, desserts (like those rolo/milkybar pots) and cake type things are nice and soft treat wise

mash with cheese, beans or with gravy, lasagne without the pasta or blended up a bit

porridge can be made nice and soft and ready brek probably more so

protein shakes and yogurts (recommend arla protein 50) for a little added nutrition in place of nuts and things like that

Thank you all so much - I'm saving these ideas and hopefully she won't get bored with her enforced diet.

These pea halloumi and sweet potato cakes are pretty soft.
BNS stuffed with a mix of a nut butter and cheese
Omelettes or frittatas.

I made some silken tofu-chocolate pudding again yesterday and keep taking the container out of the fridge and having another few spoonfuls. It feels like such a treat, but it's really healthy :) Google for a recipe, it's really easy!

Mash!
Mousse
Ice cream
Sorbet
Dahl
Any smoothies she likes? You'd be surprised how many cals are in them

Baked egg custard (no pastry). You could make a savory version with cheese, like crustless quiche.
Panna cotta.
Bread and butter pudding lightly baked.

If she eats fish, steamed fish such as plaice, or baked in a foil parcel, or fish soup.

Once she's healed up a little, orzo pasta or cous-cous with plenty of sauce, such as a puree of ratatouille or puree of fried aubergine, stir in some cream for added calories.