One of the most rewarding parts of being a tubie parent is being able to help others along on the journey. Raiden’s mom and I connected through a group online and now I get to watch him thrive on…You guessed it. Real food. Just look at that smile! I don’t know about you but I think he’s saying, “Thanks, Mom!”
Getting started can be scary and overwhelming. Just remind yourself that, barring any dietary restrictions, tubies are real people who need real food. Think to yourself, if my son, daughter or family member could take in 100% of what their body needs to thrive orally, what would they eat? If the person was able to eat before the tube was placed, what did they like to eat? That is always a good place to start. If your tubie is a baby just starting out, introduce 1 food at a time just as you would any baby, paying special attention to possible allergic reactions. There is also a hidden benefit to the tube. Tubies often get a more balanced diet because you don’t have to battle their taste buds.
Using the Vitamix makes it much quicker and easier to blend smooth enough for gastric tubes. Many other types of blenders leave food particles that can clog the button and/or the extension tubing or get stuck in the filter of the feeding bag. When that happens the “No Flow Out” alarm goes off. Trust me. There is nothing worse than spending a good amount of time blending only to have to drop what you are doing to change out the bag. Of course you can put your blend through a strainer but why waste the time if you don’t have to.
Now, the title of this post is Raiden’s Breakfast Blend so let’s get to it.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of old fashion or quick oats
- 1 cup of Fairlife whole milk
- 1 cooked scrambled egg
- 1 apple
Directions:
Combine oats and milk and cook according to the directions on the package. Cook the scrambled egg and set aside. Cut apple into quarters and remove the seeds. DO NOT PEEL.
- Place apple oatmeal and egg into the Vitamix container (in that order) and secure lid.
- Select Variable1.
- Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, the to High.
- Blend for 1 minute or until completely smooth.
This blend is about 300 calories. If the blend is too thick, water can be added to reach the desired consistency. Thinner blends can have lots of bubbles so it’s best to let it sit a while before giving it as a bolus feeding.
Matthew's Manna 
Who many ounces does this make?
around 16 ounces.
Do you put 1 cup of milk in the blend beside the milk you use in the oatmeal?
No. The blend gets too thin and frothy (too many bubbles) if you make the oatmeal with water then add the milk to the blend. If you make it with the milk and find it is to thick, you can always add water to thin it out.