Days 5 Post-Op - March 16

Well, it's the dreaded day 5 post-op, but I haven't had any trouble. The scabs are starting to wear down, but the pain swallowing is about the same, and the mild ear pain comes and goes. I definitely have more energy, though. I was able to spend more time in the kitchen today without feeling like I should rest. So, that's a nice improvement.

Pasta and Beans!

I actually mustered the energy to make pasta e fagioli in bianco (pasta with beans - in chicken stock instead of with tomato), which was soft enough for me to eat. And thank god, cause I'm already sick of mashed potatoes. I was out of onion, but I had half a shallot left, so I diced it finely and sauteed it in olive oil, added salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, and a can of cannellini beans*, then added some chicken stock, let that come to a boil, and added 2oz of spaghetti that I broke into smaller pieces. I cooked the pasta right in the pot with the beans*. It was great! Very simple, and not pretty-looking, but I can't handle a big kitchen project right now. It was soft enough to eat--and still way more interesting than instant mashed potatoes! It actually reminded me of my my grandmother's pollo in bianco (chicken in "white" sauce, meaning oil-based rather than tomato), which she basically just seasons with garlic, oregano, and black pepper. So, I'd call it a win!

The thing is, I could only eat half of it. With all the liquid and the fiber in the beans, it's very filling. Plus, I got fatigued of swallowing, which is still painful (though not unbearable). The entire bowl was only 500 calories (yes, I added them up), and I could only manage half of it. A step in the right direction, but guaranteed I'm still losing weight in this whole ordeal (which is fine for me).

*Cooking notes

• Usually I'd add the beans later just to warm them through, but right now I need them to be cooked until very soft.
• I let the pasta go 2 minutes longer than the package instructions, since I need to be eating soft foods right now; this is no time for al dente pasta. Note that the proper cooking time would actually be less than what the package indicates, because I broke them into smaller pieces.

A Decadent Tahini-Date Shake

I also made a tahini-date shake this morning, courtesy of this recipe on yummly. The amount of tahini in this probably makes up for the calories I missed out on by only eating half of my pasta & beans. I'd probably cut the tahini in half next time. I also thought it needed to be a little sweeter, so I added some agave, but honey would be great as well (honestly, agave is easy to work with and honey is messy and slow, so I'd much rather not deal with honey right now). Since I wanted to make sure I didn't have any big chunks of date left, I buzzed the dates with the almond milk first, then added the rest of the ingredients before setting on smoothie mood. It was great, but the tahini taste was prominent. I think that post-surgery everything is tasting a little more bitter than usual--the tahini notably so--so I'd dial back that ingredient at least until everything tastes normal again.