So glad I started making baked oatmeal. I spend 20 – 30 minutes the night before putting it together in a 9 X 13 and let it set overnight in the refrigerator. This will feed 6 people well. It bakes in 40 – 45 minutes the next morning. It is so filling, we don’t need a morning snack. I have noticed better behavior when I serve this rather than cold cereal and a fruit, needing a snack within a few hours. And I insist they must have a fruit in the morning. The recipes I use have milk, but you might be able to use water or a non-dairy milk. These are the recipes I started with, but I have adjusted by adding more oats and baking powder and egg and less sugar and cinnamon. And I chop a batch of nuts and keep in the freezer to sprinkle on top. Then I can leave it off part of it if someone does not want nuts. Most often, I make the banana/blueberry using frozen blueberries. For a change I make the apple/craisin/raisin. And every once in a while a pear/raspberry.
http://www.annies-eats.com/2011/09/12/baked-oatmeal-with-fruit/
http://www.onceuponachef.com/2014/03/amish-style-baked-oatmeal-with-apples-raisins-walnuts.html
Avocados are a fruit that are very nutrient-dense and calorie-rich, with healthy fats. They can be eaten alone, added to a smoothie, or used in recipes. But do not cook/heat as they become bitter. They can be used to replace mayo. Buy hard/green and let ripen on counter standing upright for a few days. When black/soft to touch, refrigerate for a week or so. You can also cut in half, scoup it out and freeze to go into smoothies. Smoothies are a great snack and can be a meal replacement if made right with enough calories.
Potatoes – Russet, red, sweet, etc. You can scrub them up and put in crock pot in the morning; quick and easy. Very filling.
Soups/Salads: We always have lettuce in the refrigerator so anyone can have a salad anytime if they are still hungry. I make a large stock pot of soup on the weekend and we eat one meal on that when I make it. Then we eat a few lunch meals on it through the week. If there is some left and we are tired of it, I freeze the remainder for later. Or if you make chili, you can use leftovers in a recipe like Chili Pie, Dorrito Casserole, Chili Mac, etc. I often freeze some chili before it is lunch leftovers (and all gone) for the purpose of pulling it out of the freezer another week to go in one of those recipes.
You can make your soups more filling by adding potatoes, brown rice, or noodles. Or serve with crackers or whole-grain bread and butter. A basic Vegetable soup can be varied with what vegetables and beans/meats you add each time. I use frozen pre-cut vegetables where I can and canned tomatoes, and I cut up fresh onion, celery, cabbage, potatoes, etc. Add in broth and vegetable or tomato juice. And I use a variety of spices, but like Mrs. Dash Extry Spicy most of the time.
Soups we make (non-creamy):
Chili
Chicken Noodle (w/ frozen peas/carrots). Cut up fresh celery.
Italian Chicken Noodle
Vegetable (Beef/Bean/or Ground Turkey) – Vary the vegetables each time
Lentil Soup
Taco Soup
Sweet Potato Black Bean chili/soup – My new favorite!
You can make your own broth so you have the large quantity of broth you need without buys tons of quarts of store broth. I use both. But I can get 20 quarts of broth by cooking two 4 – 5 pound whole chickens in a large stock pot. The broth cooks with the chicken. De-bone chicken to use in other recipes and keep the bones to make your second round of broth to freeze for later. (You can even make a third round of broth, but not as rich.) After the last batch of broth is strained, I cook down 3 quarts to 1 quart concentrated to freeze in a Ball quart jar. Then I add 2 quarts water when I pull it from the freezer to make a pot of soup. But if you don’t want to do that, just go with the store broth, or make homemade vegetable broth.
I am following this thread, because I have learned that the above works well for us, but it is not 100% of our meals, so need more ideas!
