Pre-made soups -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

Ok, it’s time to back up a step and talk about pureed meals for those survivors who cannot eat more than a few spoonfuls.  So most pre-made soups may not be in the top 100 meals you never thought you would eat pureed, but some of them like pureed clam chowder, would make the list.  These recipes are directed at the care-givers, because the hardest part about being a caregiver is trying in vain to get a loved one to eat.

Most of the recipes, I’m writing about, make 3-6 cups of food, and require mixing in additional ingredients.  However, there is a whole group of survivors that have to eat every two hours, and you need something on hand that is ready to go, because if they get a cup of food down their throat – it is a good day.

When I was first going through radiation treatment in 2010, I was lucky to get down a 1/2 cup of pureed soup down my throat every 2 hours.  It was not a happy time for my caregivers.

This summer, I was one of them, again.  I was with my family on vacation, and it was the nadir week for my radiation recovery.  Nadir week happens about 3-4 weeks after the last radiation treatment.  You are losing weight rapidly because your body is in overdrive to repair the radiation damage, and you have absolutely no appetite to eat anything.  Unless someone is on top of it, you could go for days without eating.  

There is a pink goo called “lidocaine magic mouthwash” which is a mixture of lidocaine, Maalox, and Benadryl.  One spoonful of this, and your mouth and throat are numb for 15 minutes.  The goal is to get as much food down the throat before the pain comes back. 

Nearly any soup with chunks in it can be pureed down to a drinkable form.  Some of my favorites include:

Minestone

Clam Chowder

Lobster Bisque

Creamy of Mushroom, chicken, potato

Broccoli and cheddar

Split pea

Chicken and rice soup
Chicken Noodle

I usually had three or four in the refrigerator at a time.  Different times called for different soups.  My son said that living with a cancer patient was like living with a pet bear, you didn’t know in what mood they were going to wake up.  One minute tomato based soups are fine, the next minute not.  Clam chowder was great for two meals, now the bear can’t stand the smell of it.

WARM TO HOT
The key to soup is small amounts swapped out regularly to keep it warm to hot.  I was usually given a half cup of soup, and then it was swapped out for a warm cup every fifteen to thirty minutes - regardless of how much and drank, and with no comment.  Keeping a caregivers mouth shut is hard to do, because you care so much.  As as a mean and ugly survivor, I can tell you that anything you say will be taken in the worse way possible.  Save all comments until you take way the soup for the final time.

SIPPING VS. CHUGGING

CONTAINER CHOICES

I don’t recommend buying “canned soups” for the survivor who can’t eat much, it will break your heart- too much mixing and prepping.  Instead, buy one of two package styles boxed soups, or plastic resealable pint containers.

BOXED SOUPS

Most grocery stores carry at least one brand of boxed soup.   Typically, they are the creamy butternut squash, carrot puree, or split pea variety.  The beauty of these soups is that you can pour out as little as you need, and then seal the container.  The box soups are always ready and waiting, and only need about one minute to prep.  Secondarily, you can pour, heat, and serve.  I found these very comforting in the evening and at night.  Oh yes I said at night.  When I was at my nadir, I would wake up in the middle of the night to take my meds, and I could easily pour myself a cup of soup to swallow my pills, instead of a glass of water which had no calories.

With my first cancer, I tried to sip soup off a spoon.  With my second cancer, I realized if I can just chug the soup I can get the food down the throat.  I recommend making the soup thin enough to drink. Remember the goal is to get as much food down the throat.

PLASTIC RESEALABLE PINT CONTAINERS

These are usually the large chunk soups like chicken soup, clam chowder, or minestrone.  Many grocery stores now have a “made in-store” soup area.  Many restaurant chains also provide their soups for sale in grocery stores and wholesale clubs - personally, I love the Legal Seafood and Panera brands. 

For these soups, I recommend pouring the entire soup into the blender, giving the soup a good puree, and then putting it back into the original container.  When it comes time to serve the soup, water them down to the correct thickness by just whisking them in a cup.

NEIGHBOR’S SOUPS

Between friends and neighbors, I had a steady supply of soups.  For those friends and family who want to help and are not sure how – soup is the way to go.  Everyone makes at least one great soup.   From big pots of chicken and rice, to traditional chicken matzo ball soup, to proportioned frozen soups my friend, Sue Broderick, made me. 

Sue’s minestrone soup was the first soup I used for experiments.  Turns out you can hide a lot of healthy things in pureed minestrone – leafy greens, pea protein, sausage, even turmeric.  Although I can’t have tomato based soups that often.  This is still a go-to soup for me.

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2010 First round of Chemo and Radiation

Example of a tetra boxed soup