One of the healthiest and tastiest things that Portuguese people eat is their Soups. Their creamy and filling and full of Vitamins. This is a Soup for people who hate to eat vegetables and who don't get enough minerals and vitamins. There are many variations so I will start with the basics.

The base for any Portuguese soup:

-1 cup cubed pumpkin or acorn squash (Portuguese use pumpkin but I bet you can use any variation of squash and it should be nice, I know it sounds weird but trust me these soups are great!)

-2 cups carrots cubed

-1 medium onion chopped

-1 cup scallions chopped

-2 medium potatoes cubed or 1 can of Beans (your choice they usualy use navy or butter beans) (use ONLY potatoes OR beans but not both)

-1 tablespoon of sea salt

-4 tablespoons olive oil

Bring a large pot of Water and salt to boil. Add all ingredients and boil until soft, add water as necessary. When all the vegetables are soft, add the olive oil and blend with a magic wand (hand blender) until smooth. This is the base.

Soup Variations

If you used beans:

-1 cup chopped artichokes or 1 cup chopped cabbage or any other vegetable you like to eat with beans. Add to the pot, and boil until soft. If you want chunks the soup is ready, if you want it creamy, blend again.

If you used potatoes:

- add whatever vegetables you want, green beans, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, peas add as much or as little as you like, all chopped into smaller pieces. You can even add more potato or carrot if you want chunks.

-If you want a creamy soup, add these vegetables and boil until soft (always adding more water as needed) and then blend again when all the vegetables are soft. The more water you use the thinner it will be, the less, the thicker it will be.

-If you want chunks in your soup, add the vegetables cut to your desired size and then boil until soft.

-Small chunks of white meat chicken can also be added for extra Protein.

Options: you can always add herbs for different taste like thyme and parsley. I sometimes use Mrs.Dash for extra flavors and fresh ground pepper; it’s a taste choice so have fun with it. Also you can use bags of frozen mixed vegetables that are already chopped up to save time and to get a better variety.

Note: These soups freeze well, I often freeze individual portions and then thaw and microwave on the day I eat them. If you make a big pot it will usually stay in the fridge for about a week, frozen about a month. I know it sounds like a lot of work but 1 pot usually makes a weeks worth of servings so if you make it on the weekend it will last all week. Most Portuguese people eat these soups for dinner because they generally have a big lunch. I also like to eat a bowl of soup with some wheat crackers and sliced lunch meat like turkey or chicken. It makes a very filling and healthy meal.

I am halfway through my mushy stage and here is one of my favorite meals.

1 can of tuna

1 avacado

Lowfat Mayo

Jane's Mixed up Salts

Garlic Powder

Mix up some tuna with some lowfat mayo, add the avacado and mush it all up. Season with Jane's Mixed up Salts and some garlic and you have one kick ass meal.

WHEN can we eat pizza??? LOL

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Cook the amount of potatoes you would like, if you want to make a whole pot and save the rest use a bag full of white and red potatoes (enough of one kind or mixed kinds of potatoes to fill a pot). Can also try to add other kinds if you wish. Cook and mash.

Add one can carnation evaporated milk, salt to taste and butter to taste. The carnation milk makes it creamier.

Then you can add low fat velveeta cheese or any kind of cheese you would like. This is also good to make skinless loaded potatoes.

Other things to try:

Split pea Soup You can find the recipe on the back of dry split pea bags. Just remember to put the ham in the blender or take it out.

Mashed sweet potatoes They sell premade in the store or make them just like mashed potatoes and add salt and butter or splenda/splenda brown sugar mix.

Oatmeal/Cream of wheat[/] There are many different kinds now.

Bean and Bacon Soup (Home Made)

INGREDIENTS:

2-1/2 cups dried navy Beans

3 quarts Water

8 slices bacon

3 onions, chopped

2 cups diced, peeled potatoes

1 cup sliced carrots

28 oz. can tomato juice

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 bay leaf

PREPARATION:

Combine beans and 3 quarts water in large pot. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Meanwhile, cook bacon until crisp in large stock pot. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain and crumble. Add chopped onions to bacon drippings. Cook and stir until onions are tender. Add partially cooked beans and cooking liquid. Cover and cook over low heat for 1 hour. Add remaining ingredients including reserved bacon pieces. Cover and simmer for 50-55 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and soup is slightly thickened. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Crockpot Directions:

Precook beans, bacon, and onion as directed above (this step is necessary because otherwise the beans would never get tender because of the acid in the tomatoes). Combine all ingredients in 4 quart crockpot. Cover and cook 10-12 hours on low. Remove bay leaf before serving. 12 servings You can also mash up the beans and potatoes so they go down easier.

I like to take low fat cottage cheese or ricotta, low fat mozarella, spaghetti sauce (low fat or healthy choice). I layer it like lasagna without the lasagna. Sprinkel parmessian cheese on top and bake in oven. Yum.

Barbara - that "lasagna" sounds awesome! My bday is tomorrow and I love italian food but couldn't think of what to have ~ so I think I'll treat myself with a little!

I watched Rachel Ray today and she made a shepards pie and I was inspired! So this is my mushies version - it is awesome and no probalems going down (I am 15 days post op).

In a large saucepan,

Begin to brown 1lb. lean ground beef

Add 1 bag frozen seasoning mix (it is just onions and bell peppers chopped)

1 can black eyed peas

I can veg all (both with about 1/2 the liquid)

Let cook unitl meat almost done - add I pkg fresh mushrooms chopped fine (or I can of mushrooms)

In a seperate saucepan, mix up 4 cups of brown gravy (Tony Chachere's Creole Brown Gravy Mix in a can has 0 grams of fat and is just made with water)

When gravy is ready, add to meat/veggie mix and let simmer.

(I also added some of that new Fibersure at this point - it has no taste and is a great way to sneak Fiber in when not having grains)

At this point I added salt, pepper, garlic, and worchestire (sp?) to taste.

Make up instant mashed potatoes ~ about 4 servings (I then mixed with a little beef broth to thin)

When meat/veggie mix is cooked to the consistency of a stew, pour in casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes

Broil for 5 minutes in oven -

YUMMY! It was pretty soupy but I loved it and my family did too!

Bon Appetit!

Let's keep the ideas coming!

Found this after my first fill... know it has lots of carbs, but it was easy to eat and fast...

Stove top stuffing. Just add a bit more Water to the mix, let it sit until soft, and its an easy meal... something I haven't thought of before...

Forgot to add that pate' works well too. Found some lovely pate' in a tube at Kroger... works well if you like that type thing. Don't even need a cracker!

Hi guys....I start mushies in ten days (but who's counting?) and my mouth is already watering for these recipes. Thanks for sharing. It really helps us out. I'm sure I'll be adding some of my own soon enough.

Rediscovered Tofu after a month or so eating whatever would go down. This really helps when I am more restricted in the AM, so thought I would share some receipes:

1. Tofu stir fried with soy sauce. Tastes like eggs.

2. Bake or Boil Squash, onion, garlic, mushrooms, and firm tofu. (I baked this with a pork roast to get some good flavors.)

Blend squash, onion, garlic, mushrooms, and firm tofu with a can of GARBONZO Beans (or chickpeas). Add butter, salt and pepper to taste. Absolutely YUMMY!!! And great for mushie stage.

3. You can also bake some Cauliflower and leeks at the same time and blend it up with some butter/s&p to make fake mashed potatoes. (I added a little tofu to this mix too.)

I followed the macrobiotic diet for a while and actually like some of the dishes. I have not used Tofu for ages, but it does help when you are too tight.

Good luck to all!!

I put together this recipe today. Very good and also mushy appropriate.

Each patty contains 100 cal. with garnish. 1 fills me up.

1 egg whisked

1 Tbsp. Low Fat Mayo

Fresh parsley

Splash of Worstishire

Splash of Hot Sauce(leave out if you think it will upset your stomach at this stage)

Dash of Old Bay Seasoning or to taste

1 Tbsp. Parm cheese

1 Tbsp. Bread crumbs

Mix in a bowl with a fork

Add Crab meat 1.5 cups

Prepare into palm sized patties (Makes approx 6)

Spray a skillet and use med-low heat

Brown both sides until golden

Garnish

Low Fat Mayo 1Tbsp.

Relish 2 Tbsp.

Old Bay 1/4 tsp.

Delicious and high protein!!!

In my local health food store I recently got some Ladybird brand Protein pwder in White chocolate flavour. Yum as it is, or with blended fruit.

As an experiment, I mixed it with yogurt in the morning and left it until lunchtime to eat at work. It had thickened and tasted like cheesecake. SO DELICIOUS!

DETAILS- Ladybird All Natural supplements Women's whey Isoflavone Enriched Protein- White Chocolate flavour (also available in Cookies and Cream and vanilla Gelato)

per serve of powder only

111 cal

Protein 24.6g

Carbs 1.7g

Fat 0.5g

Best with thick yogurt but worked okay with no fat, low sugar yogurt, just runnier.

Website www.lady-bird.net

I'm really working on eating a raw food/whole food diet. During mushies, I've been keeping a big bunch of diced veges around, and some diced meats that I've cooked. They become soup, with Better Than Boullion added in, or added to boxed creamy soups. I throw some in my eggs and chew chew chew. I blend it all together as a pate. I also have some diced fruits thqt become drinks or just mushed up. Sometimes lunch is an avocado. I'm sure open to other suggestions.... Not wanting to cook a whole lot as I'll obsess more over food..... Not wanting to do artificial sweeteners or processed foods much.....

Gawd. I just started counting calories. What an eye opener. I can have 2 scrambled egg beaters and 2 oz. cottage cheese for just 90 calories....or I can have a fake/not filling sugar free chocolate pudding for 60 calories. I sure know which choice would be more filling..... Hmmm.

Some of these dips sound so goood and I love hummus...but what can we put it on??? Or do you guys just eat tiny spoonfuls of it? thank you!!! I start my mushies in just three days..yes yes yes!!

The article is called "Goodbye, Cruel Fat" and it's about tricking the tastebuds to prefer lean, nutritious fare over the rich and calorific. Women who read Oprah sent in culinary secrets for turning a beloved fattening food into a healthy, waist-friendly dish. (Obviously I'm typing verbatim) David L. Katz, MD, rated the nutritional value of 5 of the favorite recipes submitted:

Kate's Cauliflower (Which will be Nat's Cauliflower when I serve it at dinner!)

"Kate's Cauliflower will satisfy the craving for mashed potatoes - and it's healthy. Take a large head of cauliflower, steamed soft. ((Nat's note: I will probably steam it in FF chicken broth to infuse a bit more flavor)) Mash with 1 ounce low fat cream cheese, 1/4 cup low fat sour cream, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and 1 to 2 tablespoons of Smart Balance (a healthy butter-like spread made of vegetable oils). Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste." (submitted by Carol Spradlin of Bellevue, WA)

Katz says: "Thumbs up. One baked potatoe provides about 2 grams of Fiber, 610 milligrams of potassium and 145 calories. For a comparable amount of cooked cauliflower, which has only 35 calories, the fiber is much higher (about 4 grams), as are the Calcium, Vitamin C, and folate. Although the potassium content is lower (about 230 milligrams), Kate's cauliflower gets my vote for guilt free comfort food."

I'll probably whip it in the food processor instead of mashing it so that it's super creamy. I'm heavy handed with the condiments, so I will use low fat cream cheese and fat free sour cream. I'll probably add some other herbs and spices in it to make it more savory. Sounds good, doesn't it?? I bet you could even thin it with more chicken stock and make kind of a cauliflower bisque for liquids stage. Unflavored Protein powder whipped in will really pack a punch, too.

(I submitted this in my December Bandsters thread, but thought others may be interested, too.)