Since this is the thread where Jilli posted the link to the green smoothie recipes, I just wanted to mention I am drinking a green smoothie RIGHT NOW. I expected it to taste weird because of the spinach, but it tastes like a normal berry smoothie to me. I expect to be able to leap tall buildings once I've finished it.

What kind of blender did you use? I haven't picked up any spinach yet, but when I do, I'm wondering if my little Magic Bullet will be up to the task.

We have a fairly entry-level Oster blender (like a $50 one). The link Jilli posted had some tips on blending in a non-Vitamix blender, like blending the greens and liquid together first until all the big leafy pieces are pureed, and then adding in fruit and anything else. That worked perfectly for me, so maybe give that a shot and see how it works.

How's the non-chewable diet going?

How's the non-chewable diet going?

Good and bad. On the surface it seems easy--smoothies, soup, yogurt, mashed potatoes. But I'm tired all the time, so I'm probably not getting all the nutrients I need. I have to buckle down and log everything in my SparkPeople food journal so I can see where I'm deficient. Protein is definitely a problem.

Protein is definitely a problem

Hmm. Are you using Greek or European-style yogurt? Those are supposed to have a higher protein value than the regular American kind. Also, I find the flavor far better.

But good luck: what a trial for you.

I eat Fage, which is delicious and high in protein, but I can't eat it for every meal. For instance, by the end of the day, all I want is mashed potatoes, which is about the thickest texture I can eat without chewing.

Oh, but I did successfully eat oatmeal yesterday, so that was a plus.

Are you an egg-eater? Even if not, maybe try avgolemono -- it's delicious and soft and proteiny. Oh, but there is rice, which might be an issue? Then I recommend just an egg in broth.

Edit: I just looked harder at that recipe, and they say to beat the egg whites, which I think is unnecessary. Just whisking the eggs and lemon together and whisking them into the broth and rice is still plenty delicious.

Would adding chia seeds help? Can they blend well enough? And cook anything savory (like mashed potatoes) in chicken broth.

Refried beans?

What about mashing some white beans in with the potatoes?

I tried chia seeds in my smoothie yesterday and still felt hungry an hour later. I do like beans, but so far I've only pureed them into a soup--I'll try adding them to the potatoes. The egg soup makes me shudder, though--I like my eggs super-well-done.