High Calorie Foods for Toddlers

Boosting calories in your toddler's diet can be challenging. Therefore, the main goal is to make every bite count! The following guidelines will help you make the most of your child's meals.

• Fortify foods with fats such as butter, margarine, oil, cream cheese, mayonnaise, or half & half. Fats are calorie dense and essential for brain development during the first two years of life.
• Provide structured meals and snacks inorder to avoid "grazing " (sipping & nibbling) throughout the day
• Always feed nutrient dense foods BEFORE liquids
• Avoid low calorie liquids such as juice and water
• Offer high calorie snacks so that your toddler gets the most out of snack time - think of snacks as mini-meals
• Use full-fat dairy products - milk, yogurt, cheese

Cheese

• Add shredded cheese to vegetables, pasta, rice, casseroles, sauces, and baked potatoes. Add extra cheese to pizza.
• Eat desserts with cheese (i.e., cheesecake, Danish, etc.)
• Provide string cheese or cheese and crackers for a snack

Eggs

• Layer calories into scrambled eggs by making with half & half, cooking in butter, and adding cheese on top. If your child likes more flavor, serve with ketchup.
• Homemade French toast - dip bread in egg and half & half mixture, cook in butter.
• Egg salad & deviled eggs
• Add a sliced hardboiled egg to salads, sandwich fillings , casseroles, and creamed dishes

Protein-Rich Foods

• Eggnog- always select pasteurized eggnog, never use raw eggs
• Whole milk yogurt - mix in 1-2 Tbsp. half & half
• Frozen pudding popsicles, pudding, custard
• Ice cream, milkshakes, frozen yogurt, chocolate milk
• Deli meat slices
• Small meatballs made from ground beef orturkey
• Homemade breaded chicken fingers or fish sticks
• Chicken salad with mayonnaise

STARCHES (ALL TOPPED WITH YOUR CHILD'S FAVORITE SPREAD!)

• Waffles, pancakes, French toast
• Muffins, croissants, doughnuts, cake, banana bread, raisin bread
• Mini bagels with cream cheese
• Pasta with olive oil or butter
• Potato salad with mayonnaise
• Bread sticks with hummus
• French fries, tater tots
• Crackers and cheese

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

• Pan-fried potatoes/homefries
• Fried zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, and onion rings
• Peas, carrots, broccoli, etc. topped with cheese
• Cucumbers with ranch or sour cream dip
• Avocado slices
• Bananas
• Papaya and mango slices
• Raisins, craisins, dried apricots (diced small)

Quick High Calorie Recipe

HIGH CALORIE MILK:

Mix 3-oz. whole milk with 1 -oz. half & half

MILK WITH CARNATION INSTANT BREAKFAST:

Mix 16-oz. whole milk with Carnation Instant Breakfast (This can also be prepared with the high calorie milk recipe.)

ORANGE CREAMSICLE SHAKE:

Mix orange juice and vanilla ice cream to desired taste and consistency

FRUIT SMOOTHIE:

In a blender, mix whole milk yogurt, high calorie milk, and fruit (fresh or frozen) to desired taste and consistency

PURPLE COW:

Mix high calorie milk with 2 Tbsp. grape juice concentrate

SUPER GRILLED CHEESE:

Dip 2 slices of bread into egg and high calorie milk mixture
Add cheese slices to bread
Grill with lots of butter or margarine

PEANUT BUTTER DOUGH:

Mix approximately equal amounts of creamy peanut butter and powdered milk together. Aim for dough-like consistency
Sweeten with honey to taste and shape into cookies for your child to eat

Foods to Increase Calories and Protein

Nutrition is important to help you stay well. Your body may need extra calories and protein when you are sick, healing or need to gain weight. This list of foods will help you plan meals with extra calories and protein.

Tips for adding calories and protein to foods

When reading food Jabels, choose foods with higher calories. Avold foods that say "light,""non-fat", "reduced-fat" or "sugar-free".

Meat, poultry, and fish
* If your family eats meat

• Add cooked meat, poultry or fish to vegetables, salads, soups, youtu. casseroles, sauces, and mashed or baked potatoes.
• Use in pasta, rice and egg dishes, sandwich fillings and stuffing..
• Wrap in tortillasfinjera, rotis, pie crust or biscuit dough for turnovers.
• Higher calorie meats and fish include: salmon, mackerel, sardines, dark poultry, higher fat cuts of beef and pork (ask at your local grocery store), game meats like deer or goat, organ meats, bacon and tuna canned in oil

Beans, legumes, and soy-based products *

• Use cooked peas, legumes (such as edamame), chickpeas, beans, tempeh, or bean curd (tofu) in soups, salads, casseroles, pastas, or egg dishes.
• Blend silken tofy into soups, smoothles, or shakes.
• Use pea or soy protein powder in smoothies, shakes or mixed with hot cereal.
• Try soy puddings and yogurts as snacks.
• Use hummus as a dip for crackers or vegetables and as a spread on. bread, pita, or tortilla.
• Mash beans and add cheese and sour cream for nachos or a dip.
• Mash and use as.a,spread for pitas, tortillas and sandwiches.

Dairy
You can use lactose-free milk or soy milk if needed for lactose intolerance.

Whole milk or soy milk *

• Use in milk-based drinks like shakes or cocoa cooking or baking. and in place of water when cooking or baking.
• Use in cereal (hot or cold), soups and puddings.
• Use canned evaporated milk in place of milk for most recipes. Use the same volume of evaporated milk that the recipe lists for the regular milk.

Powdered Milk*

• Add to regular milk and milk drinks, such as milkshakes, boba tea or lassis.
• Use in casseroles, meatloaf, breads, muffins, sauces, cream soups, mashed potatoes, puddings, custards, and other milk-based desserts

Cream and half- and - half

• Use in soups, casseroles, sauces, egg or cheese dishes, puddings, witers custards, and batters, like pancake or waffle.
• Put on hot or cold cereal.
• Mix with pasta, noodles, and rice.
• Pour a cream sauce on fish or chicken while baking.
• Use in meatloaf, hamburgers and other meat or lentil patties.
• Use in place ofwater in recipes.
• Use sweet, whipped cream in or on top of desserts, gelatin (Jell-Q), hot chocolate, puddings, fruits, pancakes, and waffles.
• Fold unsweetened whipped cream into mashed potatoes, pastas, or vegetable recipes.

Cheese *

• Melt on sandwiches, breads, muffins, tortillas, hamburgers, meats, vegetables, eggs, fruit or pies, and tortilla chips.
• Grate and addito sgups, sauces, rice, pasta, beans, casseroles, meatloaf. vegetable dishes, mashed potatoes and biscuit dough.

Cottage cheese and ricotta cheese

• Add to casseroles, spaghetti, noodles, and egg dishes such as omelets. scrambled eggs and soufflés.
• Use in gelatin, pudding-type desserts, pancake batter or cheesecake.
• • Use to stuff fruits, vegetables, crepes, rotis and pasta shells.

Sour cream

• Add to cream-based soups, casseroles, potatoes, macaroni and cheese, vegetables, saudessalad dressing , baked meats, chicken , and fish.
• Use as a topping for cakes, ples, fruit, gelatin, desserts, breads, and muffins. • Use as a dip for fresh fruit and vegetables.
• Use to make dips,.sauces, desserts, and dressings.

Cream Cheese

• Spread on breads, muffins, fruit slices and crackers.
• Use to make dips,.sauces, desserts, and dressings.
• Roll into balls and Soat with chopped nuts, wheat germ or granola.

Ice cream , yogú rt, and frozen yogurt

• Top with chocolate or other flavored syrups and sauces.
• Add nuts, candies, granola, fruits (fresh or dried), sweetened whipped cream , and dried cereals.
• Add nuts, candies, granola (fresh or dried), sweetened whipped cream and dried cereals.
• Add on top of or on the side of gelatin, cakes, pies and other desserts.
• Add to soda or milk to make floats.
• Blend with soft fanned fruits.
• Sandwich Ice cream or frozen yogurt between cake slices, cookies, or graham crackers.
• Use plain or vanilla yogurt as a dip for fruits, vegetables, or chips.
• Add plain yogurt to sauces.

Eggs

• Do not use raw eggs, because they may make your child sick, Make sure all eggs are well cooked or baked . Do not use eggs that are runny. You can use pasteurized egg products , like EggBeaters , uncooked for eggnogs and drinks!
• Add chopped, hard-boiled eggs to salads, dressings, sandwich spreads, ... vegetables, casseroles, and creamed meats.
• Make pudding with eggs, milk, and sugar.
• Beat eggs into soups, mashed potatoes, vegetable purees and sauces. Make sure to dbok well after egg is added.
• Add extra eggsor egg whites to custards, puddings, quiches, and to pancake and French toast batter before cooking.

Nut, seed and soy butters *

• Spread on sandwiches, toast, muffins, crackers, waffles, and pancakes.
• Use as a dip for fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, cauliflower and celery
• BLend with milk-based drinks and beverages.
• Swirl through ice cream, yogurt, or hot cereals such as oatmeal

Nuts*, seeds, wheat germ and granola

• Finely chop or grind nuts and seeds for small children
• Add to casseroles, breads, muffins, pancakes, cookies and waffles
• Sprinkle on fruit, ice cream, puddings, yogurt, vegetables, salads, toast, cold cereal, or hot cereal such as oatmeal
• Blend with spinach, herbs and cream to make past or vegetable sauces.
• Layer with fruits and bake as a crisp or crumble

Dried fruits

• Add to muffins, cookies, breads, cakes, rice and grain dishes, cereals, puddings and stuffing.
• Bake in pies and turnovers
• Combine with cooked vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, yams and squash.
• Mix with nuts or granola for snacks.

Butter, margarine, and oil

• Add to soups, sauces, hot cereals, grits, rice, mashed and baked potatoes, breads, pancakes or waffles, muffins, pastas and cooked vegetables

Honey, jam and sugar

• Add to bread, cereal, milk, fruit, ice cream and yogurt
• Make a glaze for meats

Salads dressings, dips and mayonnaise

• Spread on sandwiches, crackers or burgers
• Mix with meats, poultry, fish, eggs, beans and salads
• Use in sauces, gelatin dishes and creamy salad dressings
• Make tartar sauce, hummus, guacamole and creamy dressings as dip for fruits, vegetables, chips and french fries

Sauces and gravies

• Use chees sauce on baked potatoes, casseroles and vegetables
• Prepare gravy by using cooked meat ddrippings, flour and milk or cream
• Use on mashed potatoes, stuffing, vegetables and meats.

Supplemental drinks*

• Many commercial supplemental drinks are available. Your dietician can help you try some. Check with your healthcare provider first before giving any type of vitamin or supplement to your child. These may be helpful when your child is not eating well. Some options include: Boost Kid Essentials, PediaSure, Boost, Ensure, Boost Breeze, Ensure Clear and Carnation Breakfast Essential Essentials.

Examples of how to make changes to your child's diet

Breakfast

Morning Snack

Lunch

Afternoon Snack

Dinner

Night Snack