Feels like forever since my last post.
Really, though, it’s only been two days. I left the last post up for a bit because of its important message, and also because this gave me a chance to thoroughly read through all of the heartfelt and personal comments so many people took time to leave.
It was especially wonderful seeing readers responding to and encouraging each other in the comment section with ideas for high calorie recipes or just with support in general. Please, always feel free to respond to other commenters on my posts. If someone asks a question and you know the answer, share your knowledge! I don’t have all the answers, and so I’m happy when someone more knowledgeable speaks up.
Today’s post is a follow-up to Thursday’s. It was written for anyone who’d like some higher calorie recipes and is tired of resorting to so-called junk food all the time. I once tried the junk food route to gain weight. (For more about that, see the following post: My Junk Food Phase.)
It did not work for me, and I felt awful. No way could I continue to scarf down pints of vegan ice cream every day, or eat two slices of cake as a daily snack—I was beginning to hate dessert! I finally had to take a good look at my diet and try something new. That “something new” was adopting a healthy, but still high-calorie, diet.
Many of my favorite recipes on this blog are the high calorie recipes (or the ones that can be high in calories if you employ some of the optional ingredients or substitutions). For example: One of my favorite “weight gain” recipes is actually a recipe I specifically highlight as being low in calories:
Yes, the recipe has half the calories of peanut butter… So if you eat 1 or 2 tablespoons on a sandwich, you’ve saved calories. But I like to eat the entire recipe in a serving, which makes it closer to 500-600 calories. It’s one of my favorite high calorie recipes, and it’s not made with hard-to-find ingredients. Just peanut butter and banana… what could be easier??
And if you use a frozen banana (I highly recommend you do!), it’s like ice cream. So incredibly delicious! Other recipes on my blog that are—or can be—higher in calories:
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Shake
Seriously, forget Boost. This shake is way better. Actually, I’ve never tried Boost since it’s not vegan… For awhile I did drink some weight-gain-type shakes (called Power Dreams) from the Imagine Foods company. I liked the chocolate ones best. (Surprise!) But then the company went and discontinued those drinks. Oh well; I like my own better anyway.
(People with peanut allergies can easily sub almond butter or an allergy-friendly alternative like sunbutter or soynut butter.)
I always always always add the optional oil when I make these pancakes for myself. And if you can spare the calories, I highly recommend you do the same. Using coconut oil makes them taste like buttery shortbread, bursting with giant blueberries.
Darn it, now I’m craving pancakes.
Another one of my favorite things to eat. These little candies are absolutely addictive. You cannot eat just one two seventeen. Thankfully, they’re also incredibly easy to make. I prepare a huge amount at once… but, even still, they disappear so fast!
Chocolate-Raspberry Fudge Cake
Yet another personal favorite. Ok, so I have a lot of favorites. Since first creating the recipe a few years ago, I don’t think a week has gone by where I haven’t had a slice of this fantabulous fudge cake. For extra calories, eat more than one serving. You can do that, right?
I certainly always do! And yet, it doesn’t leave me feeling gross and sluggish like when I used to eat those sugary layer cakes every day.
Those are “Oatmeal-Raisin Cookie” Bars in the photo. They’re one of my favorite high calorie recipes on the blog. (How many times have I said “my favorite” now in this post? Sorry, can’t help it.)
I don’t really like the crunchy texture of granola, but I sometimes use this recipe as one would use granola– sprinkled over other foods, or just eaten straight from the food processor. Really, why bother shaping into bars? That just burns calories ;).
This ice cream has just 50 calories per serving… If you use almond milk, that is. Opt for the super-creamy version made with creamer or canned coconut milk and you can easily (painlessly!) take in some extra calories.
A glass of nothing but frosting? Heck yes! This recipe is very high in healthy fats. And none of the sugar or processed ingredients found in that Pillsbury stuff. Which means… go ahead and eat the whole glass. You know you want to!
What are some of your favorite high calorie recipes?
If you can’t tell from this post, mine include coconut, peanut butter, and really dark chocolate. Also, most raw nuts, and olive oil (on things, not plain lol!). Every now and then, I give avocado another chance because I want to like it; it’s so healthy! But alas, I just can’t see what everyone else seems to love about it.
For more, see the following: How to Gain Weight on a Healthy Diet.
Nikki says
Whole grains for sure!! Can you say OATMEAL??!! YUM!
Nikki says
I used to eat things like whole wheat bread and bagels, but I feel like they are not very healthy, so now I only eat whole wheat pitas. If I did eat these things though they would top the list. The fact that things like that (and things like pasta, muffins, pancakes – healthy or not) make me more hungry when I finish eating than before I started, make such things ideal for weight gain – if you feel they are healthy for you (everyone has their own ideas as to what is good for them and what is not – and no one is right or wrong).
BakeMeBallerina says
Can’t wait to see this expand as you continue to create! 😉
anonymous says
Hi Katie,
I’ve been struggling with an eating disorder for many years and I’m embarrassed to say that for the last year I also allowed myself to be brainwashed by an internet troll forum where the members say malicious things about any blog they don’t like. I’m sorry to admit I was a part of it for so long and wasted so much of my time and my life in the process! The arguments on the site are very one sided and I was convinced by them that you and some of my other former favorite bloggers were greedy and uncaring human beings and that you were the cause of all my problems. Sounds stupid I know but they really do make you believe that their way is the RIGHT way and their views are the right views and the ONLY views and that anyone who doesn’t agree with them is gullible and stupid and a fangirl.
The whole time I spent reading that site I knew in my heart it wasn’t right. I constantly had this nagging guilt when I’d post something nasty. This nasty person WASN’T like me! 🙁 But I didn’t want to admit that the girls I’d come to be friends with were really not helping my recovery and were making me feel worse about myself in the horrible things I would say when I was around them.
This comment is getting long but I wanted to apologize for being a former internet troll. With the help of a therapist I’m starting to finally see how manipulative and dangerous the girls on that site are, or really just the site itself, since I think a lot of the girls are probably struggling like me. But there was one other thing I wanted to ask. You said in this post https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/02/20/my-health-scare/ that we could ask you if we had any questions and I really am curious about the whole Liliana thing. I’m kind of confused about the whole thing and of course the forum posters only give their version. I know you’re probably extremely busy with the blog but if you could maybe shed some light on whether that was you and what really happened I would really appreciate it!
Oh and just so you know I don’t think your blog causes eating disorders. The whole idea that a blog could cause an eating disorder is pretty stupid. And I’m actually eating MORE, especially more fats since discovering your blog. So thanks for that!
P.S. You have always been beautiful but you look even better as of late. Have you gained weight? Sorry if this is a nosy question. You don’t have to answer!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Hi anonymous,
Thank you for taking the time to ask… it really meant a lot to me. Unfortunately I think many people believe what they hear online without questioning any of it. The problem with those types of internet forums is that anyone is allowed to say whatever he or she wants and no one disputes it, which makes it all seem like what they’re saying must be the truth.
In reality, my life is a lot more boring and controversy-free than they might make it seem. The whole “Liliana” thing, for example, was just not a big deal in real life! All of my high school friends know about it, and they still make fun of me for it even twelve years later. (Hey Katie, remember when you thought you had an eating disorder?!) Maybe I should have given the forum group the entire story when I responded on that site a few years back… but I guess I didn’t realize they thought it was such a big deal. It’s never been a big deal to me, and the funny thing is that I have ZERO secrets. I will tell basically anyone anything they want to know about my life.
Since you asked, I will go ahead and post the entire story as it really happened, without all the conspiracy crap. I hope you are ready to read a novel…
It was around twelve years ago, brought on by numerous factors. I think the biggest factor was the huge change that went on in my life around that time. As part of the popular group for my first two years of high school, I was used to a very fast-paced life surrounded by friends, boys, and a lot of drama all the time! So when I moved away at the end of sophomore year and suddenly found myself at a large new school (halfway around the world) with pretty much no friends, it was definitely hard. I’d just gone vegan too… and had no idea what I was doing in terms of getting proper nutrition. I didn’t really know how to cook and was fending for myself because the rest of my family still ate meat. I found the vegsource boards when I first became a vegan and made friends on the “Veganism” board. (My mom told me to use a different name. We didn’t know as much about the internet back then and thought that was what you were supposed to do in order to be safe.) Sometimes my friends on the board would reference a discussion they’d had on another of the forum’s boards, the “eating issues” board, and when they did that I felt left out because I wasn’t really a part of it.
At the same time, I was going through a growth spurt (growing taller but not filling out yet) and also took up running at the suggestion of a coach. So the running, growth spurt, and poor diet caused me to lose weight, and I didn’t even realize it until a few months later when I went to the doctor’s for a physical and she told us that any heart rate under 50 bpm meant she was required by law to refer the patient to a cardiologist. When the cardiologist saw me and heard that I was a vegan who was also a runner and had lost weight, the doctor made some assumptions based on previous experiences. The cardiologist pretty much told me then and there: you have an eating disorder. And I know this is going to sound pathetic and ridiculous, but… my insecure teenaged mind kind of thought it was cool; like it set me apart. Like getting a cast when you break your arm and all the kids want to sign it. When I’d been part of the popular crowd, two of my friends had eating disorders (doesn’t that just figure?) and were always getting attention for it. Plus it gave me a way to relate to my Vegsource friends as well. Did I make up having an eating disorder? Sort of… I think more than making it up, I convinced myself that I really did have one. But in reality, I just wanted to fit in, and after awhile (when I had easily gained the weight back, and when I was sitting through the cardiologist-recommended group therapy sessions eating giant pieces of cake from Cosmic Café), we all realized that peer pressure can make you do a lot of crazy things, but it can’t give someone an eating disorder. The group therapy people dismissed me, and I switched cardiologists (the first one later admitted to having made a mistake). The way the first doctor had presented my “condition” was scary, but what I had (mitral valve regurgitation, which is a leaky heart valve) isn’t actually all that awful – as soon as I gained the weight back and got my muscle tone back, my heart muscles repaired as well. In any case, all of that was over 10 years ago… And yes, I do agree that I look better recently! I can see now that, although genetics played a role, it was definitely unhealthy circumstances that kept me so skinny (running way too much).
I’m not really sure why people are so adamant I’m trying to hide an eating disorder… If I had one, I would say it! After all, it would certainly be much less embarrassing than the actual truth! 😉
Emily says
Hi Katie,
Thanks so much for writing this blog post (and sorry about finding it a year and a half late!). I have a rare medical condition that prevents me from consuming normal-sized portions of food. Basically, my stomach doesn’t expand to accommodate more than one cup of food at a time, which means I eat high-calorie foods only, with meals spaced approximately two hours apart. Finding a source for calorically-dense, but healthy, recipes (as opposed to “eat more!” which isn’t an option for me) is a really big find for me. Thanks so much for sharing these recipes. Please, share more!
Fionna says
Hmmm my favourite high calorie food? I guess that’d be any kind of nut-butter or chocolaty spread, yum!
Yesterday, when I got home from training, I spotted a delicious half-baked coffe cake for one (sometimes I enjoy cake that isn’t completely done), I had prepared earlier that day. Funny was, it had a hole in the middle, where the dough had caved in, so after goggling at it with a creepy grin, I took a big spoonful of healthy chocolate butter and stuffed it into he cake. After about a minute in the mikrowave I could eat up this melty, warm mess – And it was so incredibly good!
Thank you for those awesome recipies, Katie -otherwise I would have never come to eat something as yummy!
Katie says
Thank you, Katie! I am struggling physically and a bit mentally to gain weight, so thank you so much for posting this page that reminds me it is okay to eat good high-calorie foods and it is fun too. Thank you for being such a great role model and inspiration- you are the best person ever and I love you already. =)
Evie Moynihan says
Enjoyed your site. Interested in a low sugar high calorie recipes for weight gain for my husband. His last blood lab results were a little high in glucose and LDL. Dr recommended low carb diet (breads, pastas etc). Loved your recipe for the peanut butter, banana shakes.
Evie
Meka says
Thank you forvthis blog more recipes to help my son gain weught without unhealthy ingredients. I like to put mashed sweet potatoes into my brownies along with wheat germ, to help him gain.
The same for my homemade bread, I swap butter for coconut oil, add wheat germ, groubd flax seeds, and use whole grain wheat flour. He loves it two loafs was gone in three days. 🙂
Auntie Jessie’s Best Sandwich bread:
4 to 6 cups flour depending on sea level. Start low can add more.
Two cooking spoonfuls of sourdough starter or 1 tbsp active dry yeast
3 tbsp of suger/honey/molasses
1/4 cup butter/coconut oil/olive oil (have tried all and all rock)
2 tsps sea salt
Extra add ins:
1/4 cup organic bobs red mill extra thick cut oats turned into flour in blender
2 cups of water/ or dairy milk haven’t tried soy or oatmilk. I suspect the higher the protein the better the results.
1/2 cup warm water with yeast whisked in it and fed a pinch of suger
1/2 cup wheat germ can be tossed in blender too
1/4 cup flax seeds toss blender until flour like
1/2 cup of buckwheat flour
Sour dough starter makes the loafs rise so nice and tge loafs come out perfect every time. Sady up here in the northland my starter isn’t sour but buttery. O. o oh well it’s healthy!
I like to add in the oatmeal, flax and wheat germ then blast them in my magic bullet.
A egg yolk helps increase flavor more. Or add in 1 tbsp vinager and 1 tsp baking soda to replace egg, soaked chia seeds works too.
Coconut flour doesn’t work as an add in makes it more dense and floppy when cut so skip it.
Mix 2 cups flour with all the liquids in a very large bowl except the yest, then gently add in the 3rd cup if flour and the yeast. Yeast and oil don’t get along so avoid mixing them at the same time.
Now add in any add ins 🙂
Then all non flour dry ingredients and cover with plastic wrap let sit 15 mins will get a little bubbly.
*Did the sour dough startsr get added? If you have some be sure to add it, makes no fail bread. This isn’t dough yet uts a thick batter, this is good!
Now add the rest of the flour until its still a bit sticky, but could be picked up if you had to.
Don’t be shy with dusting the counter with flour this dough is ment to be sticky and needs it! More flour won’t hurt it. A rubber spatula works great to get it out of the bowl.
Get a bowl ready that’s greased with oilve oil.
Do your best to kead this mess (lol) keep dusting with flour, kneeding, folding, punching and streching. For at least 10 minutes.
Shape inro a ball tucking the ends abd sides under add more flour if it sticks. Plop into bowl, turn over thrice and cover with plastic wrap or a large damp dish cloth. Is resdy to punch down and kneed+strech again when has risen halfway up the bowl. Don’t over rise (proof) Set timer for an hour to check on it. Can akso slow rise overnight in fridge for even more flavor.
Grease two 9×8 bread pans 9×4 will also work if no bread pan then greese a pizza pan or large cookie sheet.
Dust counter/table punch, kneed, strech, fold for ten mins don’t be afraid to pop bubbles while doing so. Picking up and slaping dough on the counter is fun! xD
Get dough to be like you’d do with a jelly roll, pull and strech until it’s a rectangle about half as long as your arm. If it won’t strech kneed again.
Fold like you would a towel! One ling ennd in the middle and the next one on top, pinch and grab until the seam is together, be brutal. Now pinch the ends then fold the ends to the middle over the first fold. Pinch Pinch pinch!
Turn over and strech, cut into to pieces, set ine aside.
Work quicjly on this part:
Re-syrech and kneed this half until a flat jelly roll rectangle again. Set aside.
Do the same with second half until it’s the sane size as the other one. Place on top of the first. Kneed a little, pinch all sides abd refold the whole thing, making seans and he edges like before. Cut in two again maje sure folds and seans are tight, strech enough to fit bread pans and place both loafs in them. Let rize until two inches over pans (length if your thumb).
Heat oven to 350°
When done rising place a pie pan with 1/2 cup of water in oven.
Put bread in oven and kerp an eye on it. When crust is very lightly briwned crank heat up to 375° and add more water to pie pan. Will be done when crust is a medium briwn all over. Better to over cook a little then under cook, is very moist dough.
Take out and rub tops with butter, vegen butter, or oil to make crust soft.
Can double check to see if cooked by tipung out if bread pan and inserting a toothpick deap into the bottom.
Cut with bread knife and try to make it last even one day, lol!
My thank you for your recipes.
meka says
Please excuse my typos, my dexlesia is worse today. I can re-post with edits if needed (it’ll take a while trying to spot them.)
Jason Sanford says
That sounds really really good!!