More Wisdom Tooth-Friendly Foods

It's the fifth day of my wisdom tooth-removal recovery, and, even though I'm feeling a bit better, I'm still pretty chipmunk-faced and exhausted, and for now I'm staying under the radar of the outside world.  I think my teeth (or at least the spots were they used to be) are all healing nicely despite the fact that they were impacted, and I've graduated from ice packs to heat packs and from liquid foods to mushy foods.  YAY for mushy foods!  They're so satisfying.  I don't think I'll be able to have walnuts again until Thanksgiving, though....
Anyway, in the process of doing make-up work and gently stretching my jaw and rinsing my mouth with saltwater after every meal, I've found some recipes that make wisdom tooth surgery post-op more pleasant.  I can't guarantee you'll be able to eat all these things right away, but most should be okay after at least day two.  I've tried to find things that are healthy, palatable, and not all entirely sweet.  Too many meals of low-protein sweet fruitiness can get a bit nauseating after a while.  Without further adieu, though, here are some of my wisdom tooth-friendly food ideas:

• Scrambled Eggs
• I haven't gotten to try these yet, but I've heard good things about them from people who are at least in the fourth day of their recovery process. If you make them super soft and try to keep away from tiny pieces that can get stuck in the holes in your mouth, you should be able to enjoy them as a warming, satisfying meal. 
• Butternut Squash
• Butternut squash is wonderful!  It's very soft, and you can blend it or smash it with your fork/spoon to make it even more edible.  It's also sweet, but in a savory way (if that makes sense). It'll fill you up and provide you with important nutrients.  Plus, it's great for November. After having only had pureed fruit for three days, I basically cried eating butternut squash for dinner because it felt like "real" food.

• Other Squashes
• Okay, pretty much all squashes will work. The only one I can think of that may be too stringy is spaghetti squash, but if you blended it, it would be safe.
• Baby Rice Cereal
• Earth's Best Whole Grain Rice Cereal is something I had as a baby, and it's so wonderful.  The thing about it that makes it so god for people post-wisdom tooth surgery is that it isn't grainy like regular rice cereal and therefore poses less of a threat of food getting stuck.  The servings are very small, but if you add apple sauce/mashed banana/pumpkin/mashed squash, you can get a yummy dish with a soft consistency that's like porridge if you microwave it and ice cream if you refrigerate it.

Good luck with all your future dental endeavors!
<3 Frances

Halloweeen and Getting My Wisdom Teeth Out

I had my birthday, Halloween, and wisdom teeth surgery all within three days of each other, and I currently look a lot like a chipmunk.  Apparently, swelling is worst around a few days after the surgery operation, and for some reason one side of my face has decided to be particularly swollen despite the fact that I had teeth out on both sides.  Safe to say, it's not very fun, but it went well with my last-minute dormouse costume, LOL.  Halloween was spent inside with Charlie Brown and my mum and brother and pureed pumpkin.  A LOT of pureed pumpkin.

My Halloween inspiration (pic: telegraph.co.uk)

It's been difficult not getting to have "real"-feeling foods like a bowl of warm brown rice and broccoli (oh, how I miss that!), but my mum and I have been making the best of the blender.  My chosen birthday meal was "pudding" made of pumpkin puree, a banana, and a tablespoon of carob powder.  It actually tastes quite fun :).  I've also been having baby food.  Whoever decided to combine apple sauce and blueberries into a little container of mush is my hero.
Back to Halloween, though...when I was little, two of my all-time favorite movies were The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. My mum remembers hearing "This is Halloween," the intro theme from the former, playing in the background while she was working.  I realize now how creepy the song actually is, but I was super excited to see the DWTS dance cover of it.  The dance moves are as creepy and spidery as the lyrics! 


 

 

Happy November!

<3 Frances



Bat Week

Oh, my goodness--it's almost Halloween!  (Which means it's also almost my birthday and the day of my dental surgery.)  As someone who loves this holiday of changing leaves and cobwebs and spooky movies (Corpse Bride is a must-see), I'm incredibly excited for Saturday.  I won't be trick-or-treating this year (dental surgery recovery plus wandering around late at night is apparently a big no, LOL), and I don't know if anyone will come to my house looking for little pretzel bags, but that doesn't really matter because this post isn't about candy.  It's about bats!

This face is SO adorable!

The bat is one of nature's most misunderstood animals, and many species of bat are endangered now due to human activity and a horrible fungal infection called "white-nose syndrome."  Not only are they crucial members of the ecosystem (pollination, bug control, etc.), but they're also adorable, wonderful little animals that desperately need our help.  As they're associated with Halloween, I think now is the perfect time to raise awareness about their struggles to survive so that more people understand their situation.  For more information on bats and what you can do to help them (and the planet), visit www.batcon.org.  Happy Bat Week!

<3 Frances

Heatlhy Chocolatey Pumpkin Seed Snack

We're a week away from Halloween and deep into candy season, but some of us can't participate in the all-out chocolate fest.  If you can, that's great (just be sure to buy fair trade!), but if you're like me and can't, then here's a yummy, super fast alternative that's actually legitimately good for you!

motherearthnews.com

Ingredients
Carob or cocoa powder
Pumpkin seeds (or walnuts)
Water

Prep time
Under two minutes

Directions
1) Add about 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds to a very small bowl.
2) Add about 2 tsp. of carob or cocoa powder on top of the pumpkin seeds.
3) Add the smallest amount of water.
4) Stir together.
5) Eat!!

I know this isn't necessarily the most sugary, crazy-delicious treat out there, but it's still pretty darn good given how amazingly healthy it is.  Carob lowers cholesterol, acts as an antioxidant, and is full of calcium and selenium.   Pumpkin seeds are packed with fiber and protein.  Cocoa has antioxidants and magnesium.  Plus, it's a mood-booster!

<3 Frances

Health Love: Elderberries

Elderberries . . . where do I even begin?  They've been a part of folklore for thousands of years, making it into the writings of everyone from the Ancient Greeks to Shakespeare, and they've got some pretty enviable healing properties.  A beautiful dark blue-purple color, they are full of anthocyanin, an antioxidant that acts as an anti-carcinogen and boosts the immune system.  "Antivirin," which is also found in elderberries, can even help to eliminate viruses!

I mentioned a few posts ago how there are a lot of illnesses going around this time of year (#fluseason), but elderberries have really helped to keep me from getting sick with anything. One of the ways I've gotten elderberries into my diet has been to boil them down into elderberry syrup.  If you don't have any fresh elderberries lying around, you can get this at the store or buy the berries in a capsule form, but, if you do happen to have the berries, this syrup can be a fun way to eat them.

• Measure out 1/2 to 1 cup of elderberries into a pot.
• Add 2 cups water.
• Bring the water and berries to a boil. 
• Lower the heat, allowing the mix to simmer.
• Once you turn the stove off, strain the berries (if they're too watery), add in honey or ginger (if desired), and pour the mix into a container to store in the fridge.

You can use this syrup in tea, take it on a spoon, or do what I do and add it to your oatmeal in the morning.  Fun!

<3 Frances 

Back to the Future....Today

It is officially October 21st, 2015, the day made famous by Back to the Future Part II.  A lot has happened since the 1980s, and even though we don't have flying cars or hover boards, the movie did correctly predict that we'd have 3-D movies and flat-screen TVs.   Since Back to the Future Part II, which was made in 1989, was set in 1985, here are a few songs that came out that year.  Flashback time!

Simple Minds: "Don't You (Forget About Me)"

Tears for Fears: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"

Kate Bush: "Running Up That Hill"

Madonna: "Crazy for You"

<3 Frances 

Tuesday Playlist and STAR WARS!

Well, first off, the new Star Wars trailer is here, and we're very excited.  

In non-intergalactic news, though, here are some songs for your Tuesday.

Little India: "Like Vineyards"

Ellie Goulding: "Atlantis"

The Civil Wars: "20 Years"

<3 Frances