Worried about family getting enough calories

[Tatoumorse]

We've been very poor lately, paying back debts, I have researched all of our entitlements where we live (abroad).

I'm constantly cold now it's winter as per last year, and my teenage boy and younger one are always hungry. Today googling other things I think we may be undernourished, never crossed my mind before.
I thought we have a healthy diet, porridge/yoghurt breakfast, boiled egg/peanut butter toast for lunch, with a small cereal bar each, then pasta/rice-based veggie dish or chicken for tea, occasional burgers and occasional cake.
But today I added up the calories and we get approx 500 max per day if I calculated correctly. I'm really worried this is way off what we should be getting and may be a source of several health problems now that I'm joining the dots.
I am not a bad parent but I had a poor upbringing, not to blame that, but I never learnt about nutrition, I was actuallly more worried about overfeeding my kids (unhealthy snacks, etc.) Now I feel awful.

On a VERY limited income, how can I boost our calorie intake in a healthy way quickly? I wonder about protein shakes, or noodle snacks? Any advice please, but not on the debt issue as that is in hand, I had expert advice on it etc. and am just having to do my best and pay back over a 2 year period

In uk, the cheapest fill-up food are rice, bananas and carrots. Potatoes too, if you get cheap one. I think your maths is way out though

Basically you need to bulk everything with cheap carbs, pasta rice lentils etc whatever you can find that's cheap on offer. Redsplit lentils are a great bulking agent and can be bought often in big bags at stores that have good ranges of indian food. Throw them into any stew, sauce etc

Also a drizzle of olive oil over things, is healthy, but very calorie rich. Just a few drops here and there won’t be expensive.
Im also fairly sure you’ve calculated incorrectly

Op is looking to up nutrition not make it worse

Great, skim-reading as am teaching online, quick breaks whilst students logging in and out.
We can't afford protein shakes, I think, it was just an idea, I hadn't checked prices yet.
I expect I have got the maths wrong, then, as I say, I hope so, as I am panicking to think we've all minor health problems due to low calories.
I find it hard to afford much fruit and veg but bananas tend to be cheap.
Also, i have loads of health issues that I haven't mentioned - histamine intolerance, lactose etc. but for now I'm prepared to put them aside as priority is the boys' health.
We don't have anything other than an electric hob so jacket potatoes difficult but am saving up for a microwave, finances dire as mentioned but have to see the debt repayment plan through after move abroad which was only place I could afford a flat.

On 500 cal you would have MAJOR health alignments. Not minor things.

What health issues are you all experiencing?

A boiled egg and a slice of toast is about 180calories as an example (that's without peanut butter or a cereal bar!)

And I do have a slow cooker, which I love, which we use for chicken drumsticks, etc.

@Wwwnothingdotcom

me: hair loss, insomnia, anemia (but take iron supplement), general issues put down to perimenopause, IBS
boys: frequent colds, tiredness, aches and pains (but hypermobility issues)

and all so hungry!

Are you a single parent? You need to make sure you are maintaining your own health and not just prioritising your sons, because if you can’t work due to ill health your situation will only get worse.
Fat has the most calories per gram of the macronutrients so I would focus on that.

Your boys need at least 2000 calories a day.
cheap carbs will help if you're that hard up. Bread, rice, pasta, potatoes.
cheap protein examples - dried beans/pulses, lentils. Tinned beans.
I am sure there are cheaper options for meat and fish.
Breakfast could be toasted bread, butter and peanut butter or jam and you could get that to 400 calories.
lunch you need a bigger portion of carbs. Egg and toast is going to be another 300/400 calories, not enough.
dinner again up the carbs. Large portions of carbs and smaller portions of more expensive protein and vegetables.
there is no way you're on 500 calories a day BUT your daily food diary is like a small dieting woman's and not enough for growing boys. I reckon my teenage boy uses at least 2400 a day. You can manage on less food than they can.

Do you have food banks there?

If you were eating that little you would definitely know about it, you would feel hungry all the time and have no energy.

I think your calorie count is way off - if you can have all three meals like that you describe under 1000 calories , you can sell a diet book and make a fortune..But to answer your questions , I have some experience of adding calories that also have nutrition value, as you could just add sugar to everything, due to dementia my mother rarely eats much so we following rules:
Always full fat milk, butter, mayo and yogurts never low fat versions and the cost is the same. We have tried adding oils to some food but wasn't too successful if shes having and egg we'd boil it and add mayo or a little butter to it .
As dairy is calorie rich we try to include some cheese, so lunch may be cheese on toast (just one slice is 200-250 cals alone)
to pander to her sweet tooth we would have something like mashed banana and honey on a crumpet or one of those packet pancakes- my mum would only manage one, but crumpet with just butter is about 180 cals so adding a banana and honey brings this to over 250.
nuts are very calorie rich, you said you have peanut butter at lunch you could look at adding small amounts of the cheaper nuts to other meals- we make up home made ice pops using yogurt, milled walnuts some frozen fruit the rest of the banana, a little honey and rice . Same is true for dried fruit like raisins so adding some nuts and raisins to porridge would increase calories.
starches are calorie rich too ( not great with my mum as too filling but for your Children is an easy one to add) so as some more pasta into your plan the kids could have leftovers it for lunch , add starches to the rice dishes

As others have said the portions must be tiny if you are right on calorific values.
Are you all losing weight rapidly? I am ill so have a sedentary lifestyle, am tiny but also know exactly my calorie intake (to the ml/g). I maintain on 1200c a day. If you aren't all losing vast amounts there's no way 500 is correct.

I know cost might be a factor but could you throw in a tea suck as beans on toast or toasted cheee sandwiches? I’m also tempted to say yoghurts during the day but they’re something we’re struggling cost wise (although Aldi have a pack of 8 yoghurts that aren’t bad value). Agree with throwing in a banana. Op what they’re eating is definitely not starving them, you’re doing great x

I agree with everyone above that your calculation of 500 calories is definitely wrong. But I think you need to increase the fruit and vegetables for everyone. Fresh veg can be expensive but frozen are usually a lot cheaper and are just as nutritious.

for e.g. soups you could stir cream or yogurt into your children’s portions and sprinkle cheese on top to up their calories.

Teenage boys need a lot of calories and their recommended calcium is really high. You might consider a calcium and vitamin D supplement.

Ps also have to add crackers are quite cheap now so crackers and cheese is a staple here!!!

Cook the potatoes in slow cooker. Cook pulses.

That's definitely more than 500 cal more like 1200-1500.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/slow-cooker-potato-recipes/

Your diet doesn’t sound too bad on a tight budget so I think you are on the right lines. Junk the cereal bars.

home made soups are a way to bulk out basics. Potato and leek soup has cheap ingredients and fat (from full milk and butter).

Buy what’s in season.

do you have a freezer? Buy marked down products close to the use by date and freeze. Cook fresh food right away and then freeze in portions (or freeze leftovers).

Red meat if possible (especially for your teenage boy) really takes the edge off hunger. What about liver as a cheaper form of meat? Or a beef stew with a cheap cut - eke it out with plenty of sauce and plenty of mash.

You can do a lot more with your slow cooker follow slow cooker groups online . No need for microwave. (Tho you can get microwave, air fryer middle of lidl or aldi )

@NorthCliffs I really hope not to have to go down that route. We (I - as single parent) put eggs in one basket and spent all money on a flat here, where we couldn't have bought in UK or Ireland. Once I make a plan to eat healthily on cheaper foods I hope I can manage it without food banks, but there have been a lot of unexpected costs on arriving here, boiler broke to tune of 3000 eur (begged, borrowed, stole to get hot water on after 4 months of saving) and for the moment: no toaster, microwave/oven, but we have slow cooker, 2-ring IKEA hob and kettle for hot drinks. Over time I hope we will sort it all out and I'm really hoping my "panic of the day" over calories is because I've got my maths wrong but I know both boys are always so hungry and what we eat is little...
So going to read all of the tips here and recalculate before panicking and will reply then too

For it to be 500 calories it must be tiny tiny portions?