Suggestions please. (soft foods)

[Matthew82]

Last week I had pretty extensive surgery on the inside of my mouth (A few bone grafts, reconstructed sinus, couple implants, etc etc. The result of a brick connecting with my pretty mug) and I'm told I'll have to eat softer foods for the next 6 months during the healing process. (To make matters worse, I ended up with a pretty bad infection, the fever from which only broke yesterday morning.) Anyways, I'm not going to let it stop me from making my treks this year and wanted to see if anyone could float some suggestions on the sort of foods I should pack. So far my list includes Peanut butter! (Creamy of course)

[Slo-go'en]

Yikes that must have hurt like a SOB! I don't know what to suggest, lots of soup and pudding? Get a battery operated blender and make smoothies? Good luck my friend!

[4eyedbuzzard]

If you have a food processor, you can grind up most anything to almost baby food consistency and it will still taste good, including meat, veggies, fruit. I had extensive oral surgery anumber of years back and had to eat like that for almost a month, gradually decreasing the amount of grinding as I regained my ability to chew. You can also buy baby food and toddler food, etc. Other foods that are easy to eat are mashed potatoes, pasta, soups, applesauce, ice cream, eggs, etc There are a lot of things you can eat - too many to list. Use your imagination - and your food processor. Good luck on your recovery!

[Rocket Jones]

Refried beans (dehydrated), instant mashed potatoes, soups (mentioned above) blended or processed smooth - try things like butternut squash, pumpkin, or roasted red pepper.

Here's to a quick recovery!

[Rocket Jones]

Oh, check out "The Backpacking Chef" for his take on dehydrated "bark"! Sounds like just what you're looking for. Sorry, can't post links from here.

[garlic08]

Dehydrated refried beans, instant mashed potatoes, quick/instant oats, cheese, hard boiled eggs. You don't even have to cook any of those, if you take a little time to soak the beans, potatoes, and oats.

[Alligator]

Cream of wheat (if you like it, many don't), quinoa, grits. Pasta, small sizes and overcook if necessary. If you can handle that, you've got many of the Liptons/Knorrs to sample from. Tuna fish, maybe not good to overload on though.

Whey or soy protein powders/shakes. Carnation instant breakfasts with powdered milk. You could also try the other nut butters for variety, like cashew for instance. You could mix these into pasta like a peanut sauce.

[pipsissewa]

STUPID BRICK!!!!!

So sorry for your troubles, brother! May I suggest HUMMUS and EGG SALAD!!!

Particularly, egg salad has become our go-to day hiking lunch because of its lack of "smelliness" (we hike in a heavy black bear area). We were delighted to discover that egg salad is extremely easy to digest on the trail. It goes down easy and it doesn't "repeat" on you or give you upset stomach. Plus, the high-quality protein makes us feel really good and strong after lunch.

I make it with hard-boiled eggs, ONION POWDER (not real chopped onions), salt, pepper and mayonnaise. DELICIOUS! (and no lumps!)

Best of luck to you, friend.

[Matthew82]

Egg Salad! Brilliant! I love egg salad.

To everyone else, thanks for the suggestions. If anything they made me realize just how bad I am at coming up with obvious answers. Mashed potatoes are a perfect example, I was actually eating some when I first posted this topic but yet the thought never even crossed my mind.

[squeezebox]

Maybe bring a potato masher.

[Farr Away]

You could make a soup like vegetable beef or chicken and rice; puree it in the blender or food processor, and dehydrate it in meal-size portions. If you want it to re-hydrate quickly, you could put it through the blender again once it's dry.

On the trail, just add hot water and wait a little bit.

-FA

[Rain Man]

Another vote for mashed potatoes and egg salad, both of which I enjoy very much. I also like the refried beans suggestion and hummus.

What about Ramen Noodle... does that count as soft? You can add an egg and have it like egg-drop soup.

RainMan

.

[sarbar]

I ate a lot of thinned out foods for years while hiking (dental surgery, braces, implants). Not fun but overall it was OK

I cannot say enough about mashed up fresh avocado! They carry well in a mug or pot and are so good just plain. Mashed up, no chewing needed. Also, don't overlook the popular lines of squeeze pouches of fruits and veggies aimed at toddlers and babies.....

[Damn Yankee]

Go-gurt, cous-cous, oatmeal, +1 on the hummus, nutella and egg salad.

[Tipi Walter]

Here are some suggestions if you want to continue pulling long trips and overnights in the woods---

** As others mentioned, oatmeal and cream of wheat and peanut butter or nut butters (cashew, almond butter). Excellent when mixed with cooking oatmeal. Add honey too.

** Blended foods work well but not so well on a backpacking trip unless you blend at home and then spread on a dehydrator sheet and dry. In camp boil up and let sit in pot cozy. You can make fruit smoothies with bananas too and reconstitute in camp.

** Cook a big pot of brown rice at home, let cool. Blend up thoroughly with whole milk or 0% milk, etc and pour on silicone sheets for the home dryer. After about 10-12 hours peel off and ziploc. In camp boil up water and add brown rice with some nut butters or honey or olive oil and maybe throw in a hunk of cheese. Pot cozy for 30 minutes. Voila, home-grown cream of brown rice dinner. Don't need teeth for this one.

** All cheeses make for excellent meals---raw goat cheese is my fave.

** Anything soupy in a tin can will be dry-able at home---broccoli soup, tomato soup, sweet potato soup, you name it. Pour soup onto silicone sheets and dry and ziploc and boil up in the field. Excellent and light, very light.


Butternut squash soup dried and ready for the ziplock. One meal.


The home dehydrator in action before a trip.



Dried blended brown rice ready for the pot of boiling water and the pot cozy.

[squeezebox]

When my son was a baby we had a hand crank blender / food processor kind of thing, great with veggies, even shreaded beef & chicken, about the size of a hand crank coffee grinder, Oh ! there's another idea.