Recipe to boost calories

Calorie Boosters


Add calorie-dense foods to dishes increase their caloric impact. Use the following suggestions to fortify foods and boost calories:



• Margarine or butter: Add to casseroles, hot cereals, vegetables, potatoes, noodles, soups, and puréed foods. Spread on bread, sandwiches, and muffins.



• Mayonnaise: Spread on bread and sandwiches and use as a garnish for appropriate puréed foods. Use in egg, chicken, tuna, and meat salads or their alternate ground or puréed foods.



• Peanut butter: Use as a snack on bread, pretzels, apples, and celery. Blend into cookies, brownies, and milk shakes. (Do not use peanut butter for mechanical soft diets or dysphagia diets. For puréed diets, use creamy peanut butter only if puréed into another recipe, such as puréed sandwiches, muffins, and cookies.)



• Sour cream: Use on mashed potatoes and noodles and as a dip.



• Half-and-half or cream: Add to milk shakes, hot chocolate, and other beverages; pour over cereals; and use in cream soups and puddings.



• Other calorie-dense foods: Casseroles with added calorie boosters, cheese, corn syrup*, cream cheese, evaporated milk, gravy, honey*, ice cream floats and sundaes*, jelly*, maple syrup*, oils, pudding*, salad dressings, soups (made with whole milk or half-and-half), syrup*, and whipped cream. (Foods marked with an asterisk are high in simple sugars and must be counted into the day’s total carbohydrate if on a carbohydrate-controlled diet.)



Protein Boosters

Add high-protein items such as powdered milk, cheese, eggs, and peanut butter to foods to boost their protein value. The following suggestions are intended to help boost protein intake for people who have difficulty eating high-protein foods:



• Skim milk powder: Mix 1 cup of skim milk powder into 1 qt of whole milk and use in recipes for creamed soups, hot cocoa, cooked cereals, cooked custard or pudding, casseroles, and mashed potatoes. Skim milk powder can also be added to scrambled eggs, soups, casseroles, meatloaf or meatballs, cookies and muffins, and puréed foods. If using dry milk powder, start by adding 1 T of skim milk powder per serving.



• Milk or half-and-half: Use instead of water for soups, cereals, and instant cocoa. Add to milk shakes, hot chocolate, and other beverages; pour over cereals; and use in cream soups and puddings.



• Cheese sauce: Add to casseroles and soups and pour over vegetables.



• Eggs (cooked only): Plain, in egg dishes, and added to mixed dishes.



• Peanut butter: Use as a snack on bread, pretzels, apples, and celery. Blend into cookies, brownies, and milk shakes. (Do not use peanut butter for mechanical soft or dysphagia diets. For puréed diets, use creamy peanut butter only if puréed into another recipe.)



• Other high-protein foods: Cottage cheese, yogurt, meat, fish, poultry, commercially prepared high-calorie/high-protein supplements such as beverages*, fortified or enhanced foods, juices, milk shakes*, and puddings*.



— Becky Dorner, RD, LD, is a speaker and an author who provides publications, presentations, and consulting services to enhance the quality of care for the nation’s older adults. Visit www.beckydorner.com for free articles, newsletters, and information.







Enhanced/Fortified Food Recipes



Fortified Oatmeal



Serves 10



Ingredients:

3 1⁄3 cups oatmeal

5 cups half-and-half

2 1⁄2 cups water

1 1⁄4 tsp salt

3 1⁄3 T margarine

10 T brown sugar



Directions:

Measure half-and-half, water, salt, and margarine into saucepan and bring to a boil. Add oatmeal and cook until thick. Serve with brown sugar on top. Hold at 135˚F or higher until service.



Cool any leftovers to less than 41˚F within 4 hours for storage. Reheat leftovers to 165˚F for a minimum of 15 seconds prior to serving (hold at 135˚F or higher for service).



Nutrient Analysis: 1/2 cup portion = 331 calories, 6.6 g protein, 38 g carbohydrate, 18 g total fat, 44 mg cholesterol, 397 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber



Note: Oatmeal must be puréed for level 1 puréed diets.







Super Soup



Serves 10



Ingredients:

Three 10 3/4-oz cans condensed cream soup (cream of celery, chicken, mushroom, potato, or onion)

Three 10 3/4-oz cans half-and-half



Directions:

Measure ingredients into an appropriate-sized pan and whisk together (use soup can to measure the half-and-half). Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Maintain temperature at 135˚F or higher for holding and service.



Cool any leftovers to less than 41˚F within four hours for storage. Reheat leftovers to 165˚F for a minimum of 15 seconds prior to serving (hold at 135˚F or higher for service).



Nutrient Analysis: 3/4 cup (6 oz) portion = 217 calories, 5.3 g protein, 11.4 g carbohydrate, 17 g total fat, 44 mg cholesterol, 703 mg sodium, (dietary fiber depends on the type of soup but is negligible)







Power Potatoes



Serves 10



Ingredients:

3 1/3 cups mashed potato flakes

1 1/4 cups water

3 1/3 cups half-and-half cream

5 T margarine

1 1/2 tsp salt



Directions:

Heat water, half-and-half cream, margarine, and salt in a saucepan just to boiling. Do not overheat or cream will curdle. Remove from heat. Stir in mashed potato flakes until moistened. Let stand 30 seconds or until liquid is absorbed. Whip with spoon until fluffy. Add additional hot liquid if potatoes are too stiff. Serve with margarine or gravy to moisten. Hold at 135˚F or higher for service.



Cool any leftovers to less than 41˚F within 4 hours for storage. Reheat leftovers to 165˚F for a minimum of 15 seconds prior to serving (hold at 135˚F or higher for service).



Nutrient Analysis: 1/2 cup portion = 226 calories, 4 g protein, 19.7 g carbohydrate, 15 g total fat, 29 mg cholesterol, 475 mg sodium, 13 g dietary fiber



Variations:

• Sour Cream: Serve with 1 to 2 T sour cream per serving.

• Cheesy: Mix in 1 T grated cheddar cheese per serving.

• Garlic: Substitute garlic salt for salt in the recipe.



For additional recipes, visit www.beckydorner.com/membersonly. (Free membership required to access full document.)