Liquid Diet

I'm not an expert; always follow your doctor's recommendations about your personal diet for your medical issues and situation.

 After mouth surgery and reconstruction, N. continues a liquid diet for at least a week. Easy options include meal replacement drinks (like Boost and Ensure), tea and yogurt drinks. He can't swallow Jello but can manage baby spoonfuls of smooth yogurt. 

A whey protein vanilla smoothie with pureed banana upset his stomach, so using whey protein powder isn't an option.

I found a box of smooth squash with garlic soup (he didn't like it much.), Plain beef broth with some added salt was better. More expensive organic bone broth tasted a little bitter. 

Following are the blender drink combinations that were better liked. Also, if your patient doesn't have stitches inside the mouth. you might be able to add dried herbs like thyme for more flavour. I almost grated carrot into his broth but remembered that tiny things like bits of nut, pasta or meat bits can get lodged near stitches and cause infection in wounds so it's best not to keep liquids smooth.

Note: Using a straw is sometimes not recommended after surgery. It might be easiest to drink out of a paper cup that can be squeezed to make a narrower opening. Use only sturdy paper cups and make sure the liquids aren't too hot for the cup and the drinker.

Canned Soup

If only smooth liquids are tolerated, try pureeing favourite soups in the blender or food processor.

If necessary, use a strainer or a cheesecloth to take out any remaining bits. I tried pureeing a portion of hot vegetable soup with pasta and ended up straining the pasta out of the soup.

Chocolate Banana Breakfast Smoothie

The cocoa used was slightly bitter so a bit of sugar improved the flavour. Blend in an ice cube if you want a frosty shake.

Blend:

• 1 medium ripe banana, peeled
• 1 Tbsp good-quality cocoa powder
• 2 cups 2% or whole milk
• 1-2 tsp. sugar

"Egg Drop" (Sort of) Soup

If the chicken broth is unsalted add salt to taste or a dash of soy sauce before blending.

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 large eggs

Heat the chicken broth in a pot over the stove until it comes to a boil. Break the raw eggs into a bowl, discarding shells, then drop the eggs into the hot soup and stir briskly as the eggs cook. Season to taste. Remove from heat and carefully pour into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Puree.

Quick Roast Beef and Mashed Potato Shake

I first tried boiling finely diced raw peeled potato in beef broth and adding a little salt for more flavour before blending smooth, this was okay. This second version tastes even better and cooks up faster.

• Campbells Beef Broth 
• 1 baking potato, skin on
• 2% or whole milk
• chunk of salted butter

1. Heat 1-2 cups of beef broth in a small saucepan on the stove, bring to a boil then turn down heat to low.
2. Meanwhile, wash potato, pierce skin with a fork on all sides, wrap potato in paper towel or microwavable plastic wrap, microwave until potato is soft (about 3 minutes depending on potato size and microwave.)
3. Carefully remove hot steaming potato from microwave and unwrap. Scoop potato (discarding the skin) into the blender jar. Add a chunk of butter and a generous splash of cold milk.
4. Add the warm beef broth and blend.
5. Taste with a spoon, add salt if needed and blend again.
6. Pour a portion of this frothy beverage into a cup or glass. If there are potato bits remaining at the bottom of the blender jar with the remaining liquid, blend again and serve this thicker drink as seconds.

I was surprised--this does taste like a beef and potato dinner shake. Casper, our senior dog who has health issues of his own and had already eaten his healthy dinner, wanted to try some so badly that I scraped the blender jar with a spatula and gave him about a tablespoon on his dish. He licked it all up, pleased to get a treat.