Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Recipes for a Growing Boy (Manboy?)

OK, it is official! PJ is now taller than me.  Five feet nine and a half inches tall as of yesterday!  I need to kick up the calories in our meals.  So, my oldest daughter and I have been baking up a storm.  Yesterday, she made a lovely Day Cake with strawberries, and she made Monkey Bread also.  Today I am working on Grandma Blomberg's Excellent Rocks, a most excellent oatmeal raisin cookie recipe.

Here is the recipe, transcribed word for word from my sister, Kirsten:

Grandma Blomberg's Excellent Rocks
serves 4 dozen

1 c. sugar (brown is better)
1 c. shortening (butter is better)
1 c. raisins, cooked in ¾ c. water
2 c. flour
2 c. oats
2 eggs
5 Tbsp reserved raisin water + 1 tsp. soda
1 tsp salt (or less)
1 tsp vanilla (2 is better)

Mix oats, flour and salt.  Set aside.
Mix butter & sugar, add eggs, add vanilla & soda water.
Stir together wet and dry ingredients and drained raisins.
Cook 10 mins. in 350 degree oven.

I added an extra cup of rolled oats to the recipe (3 c. total) to make it a little healthier for afternoon snacks.  This made them more chewy and less cakey, too.  However, they are delicious with only 2 cups oats.

For dinner I plan to make a one-pot meal with barley, vegetables, tomato sauce, and a combination of ground beef and ground turkey.  Making enough food to fill these growing children's tummies is a challenge, because they can be picky eaters, too.  I enjoy making casseroles or one-pot meals made in the crock pot or on the stove.  I do not cook with a lot of meat because of the high cost of meat, so we must supplement with vegetables,  grains, and legumes.  My favorite cookbook for this is More With Less.  

This cookbook emphasizes conserving the world's resources, so it has been very helpful for me during lean years because the recipes are so inexpensive yet healthy to make.  

Recently I borrowed a book from the library called, How to Feed a Teenage Boy

The recipes were not earth shattering, by any means, but it did give me a few ideas.  These boys need lots of protein, carbohydrates, calcium, and vegetables.

How about you?  What are you feeding your son?  I need some SERIOUS RECIPE IDEAS and soon!  Feel free to leave a recipe or two in the comments or on Facebook.  Thanks!

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