Eating used to be something I LOVED doing. Sadly, since I got my braces it’s become something stressful that I kind of wish I didn’t have to do- especially in public. Because the feeling of having lumps of food stuck in my braces literally makes me cringe, and the thought of breaking another bracket from chewing terrifies me- I often make smoothies and soups and have them for breakfast and lunch- narrowing stressful meal times down to only once a day.
They might not sound like the most appetising or filling of foods, but my breakfast smoothies take minutes to make and keep me full for hours, while my soups are healthy, nutritious, and filling enough to feel like I’m getting a really good meal in.
Check out these recipes. You’ll be on soft food for a few days each time you get your braces adjusted so they come in handy!
Breakfast Smoothie
Ingredients:
250ml Almond milk- *I stick to nut milks as they add really nice flavour. I like almond milk in my smoothies because it makes them sweet, but I’ve also used coconut, hazelnut, and almond/hazelnut blended milk. I can safely say these are all delicious alternatives! **Also- you can use regular milk, but since I’ve been using nut milks if I ever run out and have to use cows, I find the whole smoothie tastes REALLY milky which I don’t like.)
1 whole banana
1 handful of blueberries
Handful of raspberries
2 handfuls of spinach
5 chopped strawberries
Some porridge oats
*I couldn’t be bothered to chop strawberries this morning (I was late for work! LOL) and I forgot to add oats- hence no pictures *monkey covering face emoji*
2 or 3 ice cubes
Prep
Throw it all in a good blender and whizz up till it’s smooth with no bits- then enjoy!
The best thing about this smoothie is you can alternate the fruits, add things in some days and remove things other days. It’s a good idea to do this, so you can enjoy your soft food diet and not get bored and frustrated with it. I sometimes add two heaped teaspoons of cacao powder and a tablespoon of chia seeds to this mix- the cacao gives it a really nice chocolatey base flavour that blends surprisingly well, and the chia seeds…well, they just make me feel like I’m being extra healthy. Other great additions to this smoothie include adding half a teaspoon of cinnamon or vanilla flavoring, and/or a teaspoon of Greek yoghurt.
Sweet Potato & veg soup
It’s safe to say I’m rubbish in the kitchen- but one thing I can make is an amazing veggie soup. If I can do it, anyone can! There’s a lot of prep involved- about 20 minutes worth- and then it takes about 45-60 minutes further to cook. But I normally make it in a really big pot to last me for the week so it feels more worth it!
Ingredients & prep
Base
4 or 5 small sweet potatoes
2 large regular potatoes
4 parsnips
1 whole onion
1 garlic clove
5 or 6 carrots
Heat some olive oil in a large pot. While its heating up, chop up the onion, garlic and carrots. When the oil is ready, pop all of these in and let them cook. While you’re waiting, you can chop up the potatos and parsnips!
Flavour
1 Vegetable stock cube
Boil the kettle. Add a stock cube to the water once it’s boiled. Stir and let t sit while your prepping the rest.
Salt, pepper and your favorite herbs- I usually used mixed herbs and oregano- pretty standard stuff.
Once the onions and carrots are ready (you’ll know when the carrots have softened up and the onions have browned a little) add your salt pepper and herbs and stir. Then add the potatoes, parsnips and veg stock. Stir it all up!
Greens and other veg
Broccoli- about 4 or 5 florets
Spinach- a handful or 2
Sweetcorn
Add these to the pot, then put the lid on and leave to cook. Give it a little stir every so often. It’ll take about 45mins, and you’ll know its ready when all the veg is totally soft.
Once it’s ready, you can spoon some into a bowl straight from the pot. You’ll have a chunky veg soup that is still brace-friendly as it will all be super soft. If you have a blender, you could blend some (or all) of it up and make a smooth soup, which I normally do. It should look something like mine:
No bits! See how easy it is to make soft food delicious?! Why not give these recipes a try and let me know how you find them? I’ll be back with more soon- see you on my next post where I’ll be sharing my favorite braces transformations! SJ XO
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