DOCTOR’S ORDERS TAKEN UP A NOTCH

I recently underwent some rather unpleasant dental surgery. (Really, is there any other kind?) Thus, I was placed first on a liquid diet and then told to eat “mush” for two weeks. My doctor didn’t give me much advice besides “puddings and yogurt.” So, I was on my own to figure out how to eat some more nutritious food. Even oatmeal was forbidden as it has too much texture. It occurs to me that others might be having teeth trouble or chewing or swallowing issues. So here are some tips that worked for me. I made very tasty green smoothies in the blender with bananas, blueberries, smooth nut butter, frozen leafy greens, with one tablespoon of raw cacao powder and a scoop of protein powder. And, my “immersion blender” came in handy for pureeing various soups. (You can immerse this sort of blender right into your soup pot – good for creating a purée and baby food too.) If you don’t have one, you might let someone know you’d like one for your next birthday. The one pictured to the right is advertised on Amazon on the internet at $19.99. When I moved on to mush, I roasted sweet potatoes and then puréed them in my food processor. I did the same with cauliflower. I added some milk, salt, pepper, and a little olive oil. I would then layer these on top of a soft veggie burger which I would mash up. I topped the whole thing with a chopped up soft-boiled egg or some mashed sardines. My Dessert Pudding Recipe:  2 avocados, ripe or over-ripe  1/3 cup almond milk, unsweetened  1/3c. maple syrup  3 tablespoons natural or raw cocoa powder  1 teaspoon vanilla  1/8 teaspoon sea salt  Half a bar of very dark chocolate Add all but the chocolate to blender and blend until the mixture is creamy. In a double-boiler or microwave melt the chocolate bar and add to the pudding mixture. Fully cool for a thick and rich pudding.