I refuse to believe that you have to eat nothing but protein shakes and fruit smoothies for 2 months – as the diet plan from the nutritionist indicated. Just because you can’t eat much, does not mean that you have to eat flavourless goo. I don’t eat a lot of fruit in the first place, so I can’t see me being into it after surgery. I will be using Silk fortified soy milk since it has protein and calcium added. I have no idea what I’ll be able to eat after the gastric sleeve, but by the gods, I want to have delicious savoury options at the ready. I’m sure I’ll tire of sweet things since I don’t eat sweets much now.
These are recipes for bariatric diet weeks 3-4, which is pureed soups. You can use any root vegetable you like: carrot, potato, parsnip, celeriac. It will also work with tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, butternut squash, mushrooms and roasted red pepper. Actually, this same recipe will work for soft foods weeks 4-8, just reduce the liquid and you’ll have pureed veg. Weeks 1-2 are clear liquids, so I think anyone can figure out BROTH. I will suggest getting some beef bone broth from a Korean grocery if you have one. And miso soup would be good, too.
You’ll need flavourless whey protein to add to everything you eat. I’d make the puree/soup, then add the protein only to your serving to keep it from affecting the overall texture of the puree/soup. I am making purees and freezing them for quick and easy prep when I get back home. I’m also making lots and lots of homemade chicken stock to try to boost the protein content as much as possible.
The key to making any of these purees is the NutriBullet. GET ONE. If you are getting any sort of bariatric surgery and must follow a pureed diet, the NutriBullet will do everything you need. You can do smoothies, sure, but this thing makes veg into a beautiful smooth puree, which is perfect for soups or soft foods. Today I made Carrot & Ginger puree with coconut milk:
Carrot & Ginger Puree/Soup with Coconut Milk
1# carrots, scrubbed (no need to peel), sliced
1 medium white onion, med dice
EVOO
1 Tbl garlic paste
2 Tbl ginger paste (These pastes are Indian items. I highly recommend them for these purees.)
2 cups +/- chicken stock
S/P
1/4 cup coconut milk (Sometimes called cream. NOT coconut water!)
In a 2 qt saucepan, add a bit of EVOO to the bottom and put over med hi heat. Toss in carrots and onions and cook for about 5 minutes – do not brown. Add in garlic and ginger, and enough stock to just cover the veg and cook at a fast simmer for about 15 minutes, until carrots and onions are soft. Take off the heat and check S/P. Puree the veg in the NutriBullet. Add coconut milk to the puree and stir in. Leave as is for puree or add more chicken stock to thin down to a soup.
The base for about 1 quart of puree is just this:
1# Veg, sliced or diced
1 Onion, diced
1 Tbl Garlic, minced or use paste
2 cups +/- chicken or beef stock
S/P
Cook until soft, check seasoning, puree. That’s it. If you’re freezing, do NOT add any dairy. You can add that when you make the soup. All these can be made with soy milk and veg stock or water if you’re vegan.
And don’t forget to add your plain whey protein when you eat. Assuming a 1/4 cup serving, one recipe should give you about 16 servings! The protein doesn’t add any significant flavour. I am using Vitacost whey protein which is really good: 18gm protein per scoop for plain; 22gm protein per scoop for flavoured. They have all the chewable vitamins you need, too.
NOTE! DO NOT MICROWAVE protein powder! It’s fine spun into smoothies, but other than that, protein powder can be tricky. The key is to make the soup, get your hot portion, then stir in the powder. It dissolves best in hot liquid. If you microwave the powder, it poofs up and coagulates. NOT appealing.
Ideas (going from the base puree and adding flavours):
Potatoes with Mexican crema
Parsnips with pepper and cream
Celeriac with shallots
Tomatoes (use Italian crushed) add basil and cream if desired (could need some sugar if toms are acidic)
Spinach (use frozen chopped) add nutmeg and cream
Broccoli with balsamic vinegar OR Mexican crema
Butternut squash with coconut milk
Mushrooms with sherry, nutmeg and cream
Roasted red pepper with basil and cream
I hope these recipes will help others who have gotten bariatric surgery! Flavour forever! XO
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