Taking the Scenic Route

With Zach’s teeth issues, it has been interesting trying to feed him.  He can’t really grind meat until he gets the implants in the back of his mouth and he is struggling to figure out how to bite again with the new front teeth.  So, I have been making much use of the food processor and blender, with interesting results.

The food still tastes the same, but it looks really weird.  Like the Lasagna I made the other day that ended up looking green because of the veggies (especially spinach).  I ended up cracking open another can of tomatoes for the top layer so it at least looked a little more normal.  Or the rice/chicken/cheese caserole thing where I blended everything except the rice,  it looked rather pre-chewed, to put it kindly.  It tasted great, but I couldn’t even hide it under a layer of crunchy toppings because that would have hurt his exposed gums. 

In general, pasta is working, and he can do ground meat, so I have something to work with, but it is really stretching my cooking brain as to how to change up recipes to make them easier for him to actually enjoy.  Tomorrow or the next day I am going to try chicken fried steaks, mashed potatoes and gravy, except substitute hamburger for steak.  I am really reaching here…if anybody else knows of something easy to chew, let me know. 

At least he has moved beyond Ensure and smoothies.