Sgt. Peppers & Lentils Hearts Club Stew

What You'll Need:

1/2 lb bag of lentils
1 can of diced tomatoes and green chilies (like Ro*Tel)
3 & 1/2 cups water
1 table spoon salt

[Once served, add salt & pepper to taste]


Start off rinsing your lentils in a strainer. Keep an eye out for any little pebbles or anything. After rinsing, add to a medium sized pot along with the 3 & 1/2 cups water and salt. Set temperature to medium high heat. Stir occasionally.
After the lentils have reached a boil, cover the pot and bring the temperature down to a simmer. Check up on the soup every once in a while and stir. Continue to let the lentils cook until they are very tender. (This should take about 30 minutes). If you think the lentils need more water, you can add an extra 1/2 a cup)

Once the lentils are tender, add the diced tomatoes & chilies. This will give those lentils some "Pepper"! Personally, I like Mild or for a little heat, I go with Original. [I have low tolerance for spicy food] And if you're a tabasco sippin' lover of heat, you can go with Hot. God have mercy. ;P

After you've added the tomatoes and chilies, bring it back to a boil uncovered. If you're on the "soft foods" stage, you're ready to eat! (Just let the lentils sit in your bowl a few minutes so they can soak up a little of that moisture) If you're on the "blender diet" Get out your hand blender, and start blending! ;)
Enjoy!

[A health note: Lentils are a super food! They are packed with fiber, iron, protein, and folic acid. They are low in fat and cholesterol free. PLUS, The tomatoes & green peppers contain Vitamin C- this assists the body to absorb the iron! So eat up!]

Don't Be Cruel to Canned Soups

The first week after surgery, I ate homemade chicken soup for lunch and dinner. This was the perfect meal for me because it provided me with several vitamins and nutrients I needed to regain my energy. But it didn't take long before I grew weary of eating that soup. And I'm not much of a cook, which presented a major challenge to my lacking culinary skills.

That's why I befriended the soup aisle at my local grocery store. When I walked down the aisle, I felt a bit of dread. But I decided to change my attitude and try different soups. There are so many options, which is wonderful because it will help stave off the inevitable boredom you're bound to experience by eating the same foods daily.

Here are some flavors that delighted my taste buds:

- Tomato soup

- Potato and Garlic soup

- Leek soup

- French Onion soup

- Split Pea and Ham soup

And when I got tired of these soups, I went to a local restaurant and ordered Shrimp Chowder soup and Beef Barley soup - to go, of course. That way, when I got home, I could blend the soup to a thinner consistency.

I kept having to tell myself not to snub the soups. They've been a lifesaver throughout my recovery.

Choppin' Broccoli - Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Ingredients:
Easy Melting Cheese (like Velveeta)
1 can of Cream of Broccoli Soup
1 & 1/2 Can of Milk

This is a quick and easy soup!
Just warm a small/medium sized pot on the stove at medium heat.
Add the can of Cream of Broccoli Soup and the Milk. (If you wish this to be thicker, you may just add one can.)
Stir the soup and when it is starting to warm up, add a large slice of Velveeta cheese to the soup. This will help thicken it up and add great flavor, but still making it easy to drink. You can add as much as you feel necessary, but it doesn't take much.

After the soup has come to a boil, set the pot aside and let it cool for about 7 minutes, this will allow the soup to cool and it will also thicken the soup.
"Chop" up that soup with a hand blender, so you'll have no problems eating it!

Options:
*You may add protein powder to this after the soup has cooled, it might make the soup a little lumpy, but it didn't bother me much.
*Rachel recommends adding wheat crackers for great texture and taste. Great idea!
*Michelle adds rice to hers, this is a great option when at the "Soft Foods" stage of recovery!

Souptastic

For most of us that have been on a liquid diet for even a week, soup gets old!! Even though I got tired of it, here are some things that you can add to your standard vegetable soup to change it up a bit.

-firm tofu (blends smooth, tasteless, and adds protein)

-canned chicken breast (very moist and blends perfectly)

-sweet potato (Cut into small chunks and cooked in a little olive oil before being added to the blender. This brings in a whole different flavor and great texture) If you do this with regular potatoes, it gives your soup a touch of french fry taste.

-Ritz wheat crackers-they allow a thicker consistency as well as a nutty flavor to the soup. I put these in a lot of my dinner blends that were too runny.

Chicken Soup for the Orthognathic Soul

This recipe comes from my friend's mom. Without question, this soup played a large role in nursing me back to health after my jaw surgery. If you live by yourself, I would recommend making this recipe a few days before your surgery - just use several tupperware bowls to freeze the soup. If you have a loved one to make dinner for you, then get them to make this soup! It really is so nutritious and delicious.


3 pounds of split chicken breast, with bone
half-dozen carrots
half-dozen celery stalks
3 small onions, chopped
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 handful of parsley
1 teaspoon of salt and pepper, to taste
1 big can of crushed tomatoes
1-2 dashes of other herbs and spices you can throw into the pot!

Clean chicken. Put in stock pot, skin and all. Cover with water to about 2 inches above the chicken. Put to a boil. While waiting to boil, chop up carrots, onions, and celery (leaving the leaves on the celery). Once chicken comes to a boil, skim the scum on the surface. Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic powder, parsley, salt pepper, crushed tomatoes, and other inspirational ingredients you find in the cabinet.

Simmer for 2 hours. Occasionally stir. Then take out the chicken and break off the meat into a tupperware container. Then use a spoon with holes in it and transfer the vegetables in the stock pot to a sieve. Save carrots into a separate container and place in the fridge. Use a spoon and crush the vegetables through the sieve into the stock pot so that the resulting soup has all of the nutrients from the vegetables. Then take off the stove and allow to cool considerably.

After cooling, place in the fridge over night, allowing the fat to rise to the surface. The next day, skim the fat off the surface. Now you have your stock. When making the soup, combine chicken and carrots and stock. Heat on the stove, and once warm, take your hand held blender and grind it into a pulp that can fit through a straw. Then enjoy! :0)