Surprising Foods that burn your mouth -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

Surprising Foods that burn your mouth  -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

CAREGIVERS
Since most of the readers are CareGivers, I wanted to take a moment and give you a quick list of foods to either avoid or be wary of them.

Remember, this blog is about cancer patients who have lost the love of food, and are not getting the proper nutrition.  This blog is less about the nutrition, and more about trying to keep the cancer treatment survivor engaged with "eating" so they will also consume the foods that your nutritionist recommends.

A patient in pain will look for any reason not to have food pass their lips.  So I have asked actual Cancer Treatment patients their thoughts.  After the list of foods, there are some quotes from Survivors at the end

BANANAS
Number one most surprising food that burns the mouth of patients going through Cancer treatment.  No one knows why.  But burns like nobody's business.  I was 6 months into treatment and my wife was making me a smoothie and completely forgot and dropped a banana in the blender . . . DANNNNNGGGG
If the product you purchase says SMOOTHIE of JUICE - read the label.  Even A little bit of banana burns.  

STRAWBERRIES/KIWIS
Not everyone burns from strawberries, or their kin, kiwis, but those that do, complain bitterly.  Personally, I only had an issue when I had open sores in the mouth,  but then again, that seemed like most of the time.

MINT / PEPPERMINT
You won't see this in food that much; however, it is in all the health and beauty aids.  Worst offender is toothpaste.  It was nearly impossible to find a toothpaste without either mint or strawberry.  There is a toothpaste by prescription called Fruitastic, and Tom's of Maine has some varieties.  If you think getting a patient to eat is hard, try getting them to brush their teeth.  I recommend magic mouthwash before brushing.
Also check your cough/cold/liquid "aspirin" because it might be mint flavored.

TOMATOES
Yup once again open mouth sores can really sting from tomatoes - either raw or cooked.  Sometimes, it is not the tomatoes, but the spices added with the tomatoes - think chillis or pasta sauces.  The point being once the person accuses tomatoes as being the culprit, they will never eat tomatoes again.

ONIONS
This is more common than you might think.  The more cooked the onion the better chances it won't burn.  I talking about both green and bulb onions. Onions are often in tomato based foods, so tomatoes take the rap for it, when it was actually the little bit of green onion of chive sprinkled on the top.

KETCHUP / VINEGAR / SAUCES
Once I put vinegar in here, you probably thought, DUH, but other sauces like BBQ, Catsup, steak sauce, etc all contain a little vinegar.  This is the one that you might add that you didn't think might burn their mouth, because you just added a little.  I harp back to the patient is looking for any reason not to put the food past the lips.   Don't tempt the Fates - they be bitches that way . . . 

PICKLES
They are packed in vinegar.


COMMENTS FROM REAL SURVIVORS:

Anything sweet is out for me right now.

Kiwi fruit is painful

Strawberry was painful to me while in treatment

Anything heavy seasoned for me or spicy too

citrus fruits, pickles, anything with black pepper on it.

Bananas, and avocados both were irritating to my mouth back then. I remember being surprised, because they've pretty much always been staples in my diet.

I used to pour so much black pepper on top of my potatoes and gravy that it was entirely pitch black on to now if put just a few grains it can turn out to be so spicy that I can't eat it.

I'm 3 years out and the only thing I have trouble with is chilli and curry...doesn't stop me eating it though.

Chocolate always burned my throat, add chocolate to that , hellfire

I'm seven months out and still can't touch anything w/vinegar, pepper or any kind of drinks w/carbonation in them.

Carbonated drinks were impossible. Couldn't eat any fruit or pies or anything similar yuk.

Everything. Five years out and most things still do. Tomatoes, strawberries, ice cream, all things cold, unfortunately these are among the few things I'm able to swallow. Luke warm coffee is somewhat soothing after I eat something that burns.

COMMENTS
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My Seventy-eighth - peanut butter and jelly sandwich PB&J -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Seventy-eighth - peanut butter and jelly sandwich PB&J -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients.

APOLOGY

I need to apologize.  I started this blog and wanted to create of 100 meals that would inspire oral cancer survivors and others who thought because of cancer treatment they would never have their favorite foods again because they couldn't chew.  As I went on this journey, I thought about how I was very American cuisine centric, and hoped to add additional ethnic foods to the list.

This past weekend, my daughter metaphorically slapped me across the face and she didn't even know it.  We were at a group event being held a the grounds of an American Summer Camp.  It is a gathering of friends, and not a formal occasion, so she I will will help prepare food in the kitchen.

The Head Chef knows my daughter is a vegetarian, and that many of the others gathered there have food allergies, so she is well versed in handling special food request - like lactose intolerance, and gluten allergies.  When she asked my daughter if she was hungry, my daughter replied, “I really want a PB&J on white bread."  My daughter turned to me and smiled, "they have the peanut butter and jelly that mom won't let us buy."  On a side note, we never buy white bread either, because my wife doesn't eat bread, I usually don't puree bread, and that would leave my daughter to eat a whole loaf of bread before it goes bad.

And so I apologize to all the children who have been going through cancer treatment, that I have neglected to add only the most important meal you never thought you would eat pureed - peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread.

CONFESSION

I've never eaten a whole PB&J.  Not that I haven't tried.  I love peanut butter.  I love grape jelly.  I love white bread.  But I do not like the texture of the three together, and I do not like the way it sticks to the roof of my mouth.  Besides when you grow up with seven brothers and sisters, there are always other options for school luncheon sandwiches in the refrigerator.  I never had to force myself to like it.  And so, PB&J would never make my personal list of foods I miss.

RECIPE

one PB&J with the crust cutoff

one to two cups of milk

CRUST

OK, if we are going to add this recipe to the list, we are going to do it right - and the crust has to go.  The only reason you need the crust in a sandwich is to help scrape the PB&J off the roof of your mouth while chewing.  Since we are pureeing, that point is moot.  However, I will admit there are a group of people who love to eat the crust, so go ahead, I won't judge.

MILK

You have to have milk with a PB&J.  I've seen enough peanut butter commercials to know this.  And yes, this is a second confession, I have not tried this puree.  I just can't bring myself to making a puree for this - just being honest.  But I welcome the feedback.

Now the reason the amount of milk is so varied, is that, the amount of peanut butter you spread on the bread, matters.  Some people like a thin spread, some like a thick spread.

PEANUT BUTTER

Use creamy peanut butter, unless you are a lip sipper.  The small bits of chunky peanuts can clog a g-tube, unless you strain the puree

COMMENTS

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My Seventy-seventh - Pumpkin Spiced Quick Oatmeal -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Seventy-seventh - Pumpkin Spiced Quick Oatmeal -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients.

Jeff, what an odd selection to add . . . so let me explain.

Oatmeal is a popular Fall breakfast food our house, especially on rainy school days like today.  When I don't have the time to apple crisp for my daughter, I saute one diced green apple in butter, add a little pumpkin spice and brown sugar.  When the apples are browned, I make a packet of instant oatmeal right on top.  Usually, there is enough left over to make myself my own puree. If you have a high school aged son, you might have to double the recipe if you want any left over.

It is important to note that the smell is also enticing, for someone who has lost the love of eating.

Having tested Steel cut oatmeal, and long-cooking oatmeal.  Instant oatmeal is the best for puree, because you don't have a lot of lumpy mess at the bottom of the blender.

The nice thing about oatmeal is that you can cook up the size you want and puree it.  I view oatmeal as my substitute for coffee.  Whatever flavors you put in your coffee, you can add to Oatmeal.

PUMPKIN SPICE
Really easy to find at my local grocery stores right now.  I have plenty in the house, so I usually wait until the end of "Pumpkin Spice Season" and refresh the pantry.  I often use pumpkin spice for sweet breakfast breads right through the New Year.  Pumpkin spice has a long lasting aftertaste, so it really satisfies my favor tooth.

FRENCH VANILLA
OH yea, vanilla extract and I are good friend.  We have a long happy relationship from waffles to egg nog.  Make sure you add yogurt or cream to your oatmeal

POACHED EGGS
Love a poached egg in my oatmeal.  I typically add a little hot water from the pot to the puree so it's nice and warm.  Sipping cold oatmeal can be a bit frightening

PROTEIN SUPPLEMENT
Great time to add a protein supplement to your puree.  Chocolate and pumpkin go well together.  Vanilla and Pumpkin go well together. Hemp protein and Pumpkin Spice - NOT SO MUCH.  It is right up there with things to avoid like a peanut butter and tuna fish sandwich . . .

DRIED FRUIT
I recommend soaking the dried fruit overnight in the refrigerator, so that they puree easier.   I recommend cherries, blueberries, and cranberries.

MOUTH SORES
Oatmeal can be an interesting issue with mouth sores.  Some people like it some people hate the feeling in the mouth afterwards.  Oatmeal tends to leave a texture in the mouth for quite a while.  Don't be offended if the oatmeal gets pushed to the side.

PUMPKIN SPICE CINNAMON ROLLS
Just another option

COMMENTS
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My Seventy-sixth - Duck L'orange -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Seventy-sixth - Duck L'orange  -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

It dawned on me as I head into my last 25 recipes, that I should indulge myself and include some of my personal favorites, which might not be so wide spread.  Duck L'orange is one of them

This also stems back to my youth when I worked at the Versailles restaurant and they used to duck a dozen ducks at a time.  I loved the smell of the kitchen on those days.  When my wife and I would go in for dinner, I usually had either the duck L'orange or the Duck au Poivre.  YUM!  Today, the biggest issue is that there is no reason for me to purchase a whole duck, and you can't find cooked duck on the grocery store hot food line.

Since I don't have a family that eats duck here is what I do:

Bell and Evans offers duck fillets so I don't have to buy a whole duck.  I roast it for an hour out on the grill under medium heat, but not on direct flame.

1 roasted duck breast
1/2 cup cooked rice or wild rice
one peel of an orange slice
1/4 up of orange marmalade
one cup beef stock (chicken stock is you are desperate)
dash of cream, or plain yogurt
2 to 3 cups of water

OPTION
1/2 roasted carrot

QUANTITY
OK this will make about 5 cups of puree, so I don't recommend this for people who are currently under treatment, because that is a lot of puree, for someone who my have problems swallowing.  If there mouth is clear of sores, or they have a stomach peg, 5 cups is not so bad.  Some days,  I will puree the duck, rice and carrot, without flavoring, and then pour off half to make Duck Poivre (See Steak Poivre recipe).  Then the 1/2 still in the blender, I will make Duck L'orange.


COMMENTS
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My Seventy-fifth - Bagel Sandwich -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Seventy-fifth - Bagel Sandwich -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

I had to do extensive research on this one, and enjoyed every cup full.  The Brueggers near me is also a Jamba Juice, and I received a raffle gift certificate through Relay for Life.  So, I had been going there is get my Kale Juice on hot summer days, but I never looked at the bagel menu, because as much as I loved bagels, I knew they would be hard to puree.  Well, that was just the voice in my head, and had nothing to do with reality.

one bagel

3 cups of water

stuffings

a little more water with stuffings

DICING BAGELS

My Vitamix is pretty powerful, but I still don't drop large chunks of bagels in the blender.  I cut my bagel up into one inch pieces of bagels before I drop them in.  Another nice hint, is to let the bagel soak in the blender for about ten minutes before you puree.

BAGELS

It seems that all types of bagels have about the same consistency, and the ration of water to bagel is about 4 cups per whole bagel. For me, 4 cups of puree is about 2 1/2 meals.  So the question is - do I cut the bagel in half and save it for two meals, or make one large batch and save it.   That depends on how much you like bagels.  Some stuffings are too hard to make into a smaller portion size like Bagel egg and cheese.

CREAM CHEESE

No extra water is normally needed with adding plain cream cheese

BAGEL EGG AND CHEESE

Any standard breakfast bagel takes about a 1/2 cup more water.  Egg, cheese, ham, bacon, etc do not absorb much more water when pureeing

BAGEL LUNCH SALAD SANDWICH

Lunch sandwiches are much easier to puree a half-sandwich, because it is easier to portion control the amount of stuffing.  Chicken tarragon salad has a great flavor or sipping.  Buffalo chicken salad can burn the lips or sores in the mouth.

LUNCHEON MEAT

You don't need much luncheon meat to flavor the puree.  Any strong luncheon meat like salami or pastrami give a lot of flavor per ounce of meat

CONDIMENTS

Mustard, mayo, or butter are all pretty easy to add

CINNAMON BAGEL

These can be really messy, so I use a plain bagel and add my own cinnamon and sugar to the puree

COFFEE

Yup, I puree my morning bagel with coffee in my puree.

LOX TOMATO AND LETTUCE

I never knew how much I missed it.

RED ONION
I love them on a bagel because they have a long aftertaste. 

PUMPERNICKEL BAGELS

There are some bagels that can seem to firm to puree.  I recommend breaking the bagel into smaller pieces and soaking them for 30 minutes.  This is more of an issue with tummy tubes.

Just discovered OMG! Bagels

Update 18/2/2017

Just learned about OMG! Bagels.  They are really over-sized bagels so you will need 5 cups of water per bagel.  Or cut them in half and share.  They have a French toast and a challah-styled bagel which are to die for.  Picked them up at a Winter Farmers Market in Chelmsford.  On the downside, the winter market did not have red onions, so I bought farm fresh butter instead.

COMMENTS

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FACEBOOK

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My Seventy-fourth - Empanada -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My Seventy-fourth - Empanada -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

Several weeks ago, I got to meet Cami, an exchange student from Chile.  I was so excited.  I know nothing about Chilean food except sea bass.  So between my rough ability to speak, and her "English is a second language", we had a nice long conversation about what I am blogging about and my desire to learn "If there was ONE CHILEAN MEAL that I need to include on my top 100 - what should it be.  Clearly, empanadas were at the top.  She talked about how she had brought a recipe with her.

HOLY GRAIL OF PUREED FOOD
Little did I know that empanadas are the Holy Gail of pureed meals.  She explained to me that her "grandma's recipe" takes hours to make.  It sounded to me, no different than when Americans gather in the kitchen to make a holiday feast.  She then explained that we she and I were lucky, because just up the street is an empanada restaurant called Del Sur. BONUS!!!!!!!!!!

Last night, was Cami's birthday celebration, and my daughter and I were invited and I got to test my first empanada.  Let me put it this way - IT IS THE BEST FOOD FOR A PUREED MEAL - EVER!!!!   With options of beef, chicken, or vegetables - the variety is perfect.  Most importantly they are the perfect size for portion control.

A typical empanada is about 4"-6".  Pureeing takes about one cup of water - then you add a little sauce, like salsa verde.  This gives you about a cup and a half of puree.  The perfect American mug size for one meal.

My dream is that empanadas become the next food craze to sweep the nation.  They are the perfect food to eat on the go.  They have a familiar look of a Hot Pocket, for Americans will not be afraid.

WATER TEMPERATURE
Instead of microwaving an empanada to warm it up, I suggest using warm/hot water so you can better gage what the final temperature will be.  This goes back to the rule that patients going through cancer treatment already are looking for reasons not to eat, and temperature of the food is one of the easiest to fix.

FOOTBALL SEASON
One of the guests at the birthday party suggested that empanadas are the perfect snack for a a group watching a football game - couldn't agree more.  New England Patriot's game isn't until 8PM tonight, so you will have time to pick some up.

SAMOSAS
When I brought an empanada home for my wife to see, I lifted the cover of the box, and the first thing she said was- "Is that a samosa?"  Now I have often gone to the supermarket to buy frozen samosas for after-school snacks for my children, so I know samosas puree well.  They tend to have a little more starch in the filling, so they need a little more water.


COMMENTS
Please add your comments and suggestions to my blog.  Nice to see people from around the globe reading my blog.  Please follow you want the latest recipes.

FACEBOOK
I have created a companion page on Facebook called: 100 Meals Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer Survivors.  Sometimes it is easier to share a FB page than send a blog address.

Pictures from Del Sur Natural

Potluck Adventuring -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

Potluck Adventuring -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

Yesterday was the first big adventure of going to a potluck dinner.  The first time, I packed up my $25 Magic portable blender, and went to a potluck dinner with about 30 people, and no idea what was going to be able to be pureed.

I knew that most of the people there knew I was a tube-feeder, so the anxiety of filling my tube around strangers was not there.  Still, you never know . . .

The group were RYLA members, so I knew that if I had any issues, there were plenty of people to help.

The other question was going to be - HOW WILL A BUNCH OF HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS REACT?  Most were good friends of my daughter.  My daughter is very comfortable with my condition, so I'm sure her calmness helped. Turns out, she never even checked in on me, even though we were still in the same room.

Now the host family had a Ninja blender, and I knew I could use it, but I needed to prove to myself, I could do this on my own.

We brought a homemade coleslaw that my daughter made, which is not exactly the best thing to puree in a light-weight blender.  But I knew there would be some "sweet" breads and brownies, so in a pinch I could have that.

When we walked in the door, I saw sliced vegetables and sliced fruit.  So I was good.  Fruit smoothies were going to be a no brainer.  Most everyone would expect me to make a fruit smoothie to pour down my tube.

Now the most popular potluck dish in the Boston area is Italian pasta, and sure enough there were several styles of pasta there.  Both with and without tomato sauce. including one dis with meatballs in tomato sauce on the side - perfect.

CHOCOLATE CHIP TOLL HOUSE COOKIES
But I get ahead of myself.  My first puree was homemade chocolate cookies and strawberries.  "Starting with dessert, Mr. Hoyland?" "Why yes, yes I am."  Did I mention there were a bunch of high school girls there?  I knew that those chocolate toll house cookies didn't stand a chance, and the possibility of me getting them late was slim or none.

In truth, I wanted to start with something that I knew would be calm in my stomach, and that I would not have an issue pureeing.  Although let it be known that the small bits of chocolate chip at the bottom of the puree MIGHT clog the tube.

PAPER CUPS
Now the one thing that I have learned over the past summer is that you should carry "paper cups".  with a paper cup you can pour the puree into the cup and look for potential large chunks that could cause clogging issues.  The host had StarBucks small paper cups on the side,so I was good.  The reason I recommend paper not plastic, is that you can squeeze the top of the cup a little to make it easier to pour into the tube funnel.

TEST ONE - APPETIZER
I sat in a comfortable chair, with my cup of puree, took out my 60 ml syringe bottom (that I use as my funnel), and proceeded to pour.  Absolutely, no drama, no side-eye, just a "Is it delicious?"

TEST TWO - MAIN MEAL
After the appetizer, I washed up my blender, syringe and paper cup, and rejoined the conversation. when everyone was nearing the end of their meal.  I decided to get bolder and added, meatballs, rotini salad, fresh peppers, and the inner part of a garlic toast to my blender.  The older crowd in the kitchen took an interest in how I was picking items from different bowls to create a meal.  DROP DROP DROP, and then enough water to puree.  I gave it an extra minute or two of blending, to make sure everything was pureed well.  and TADA, another successful puree.  I made sure that the puree was thinner than I make at home, so I could avoid potential issues of a puree which was too thick

VOLUME
Between to two purees, I had made about 2.5 cups over a one hour period.  Now the last meal I had before this was two hours before I arrived, so I wasn't worried about over filling my stomach.  Part of the concern at a potluck, it that your measurements can be a little imprecise. For me, I know I can handle about 2/3 cups every two hours.  That includes straight liquids to clear the tube, and liquids for hydration.

TEST THREE - DESSERT
The chocolate chip cookies were more of an appetizer than a dessert . . . . Especially, if a blueberry cheesecake it's the table.  Oh sure, there were brownies, and blondies, and zucchini bread, and banana bread. . . . But seriously, if you can't make a little sampler platter of tasty desserts, you go with the cheesecake.  Trust me cheesecake makes a great puree . . .

SUMMARY
SO, I had three different purees.   I didn't spill a thing.  I did not clog the tube.  Please were interested in what I chose to puree.  I think it was a successful night.  I even got an exchange student volunteer to help me come up with a pureed meal from her home country of Chile.

COMMENTS
Please add your comments and suggestions to my blog.  Nice to see people from around the globe reading my blog.  Please follow you want the latest recipes.

FACEBOOK
I have created a companion page on Facebook called: 100 Meals Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer Survivors.  Sometimes it is easier to share a FB page than send a blog address.