Bedtime snack

I'm on board with that recipe.

I don't mean quantity-wise, I mean for flavor. Add some pickles and some cheese, and it might taste alright.

That's a great question and I wish I had an answer for you that was scientific.

From the ages of 15 to 30 I was constantly seeking to do 6,000 calories a day to maintain being 6'2 and 135. At the age of 16 a doctor took one look at me and said "yeah you're burning like 6,000 calories a day" It was difficult. I had all the same symptoms of anorexia like a heart condition that's haunted me the rest of my life. I have a nephew who's going through the exact same issue now. It wasn't fun. But I turned 30 and I gained 50 lb in 3 years. I never felt better in my life. It was amazing!. I finally had the strength to do ... life.

Whatever was available. My afternoon snack in highschool was a pound of pasta and a stick of butter. Were we have mashed potatoes with dinner? I'd make three pounds of potatoes and eat way more than a quarter of them. Peanut butter and jelly is relatively cheap and you can fit a lot of peanut butter in there. Quesadillas not filling that calorie craving? Add some sour cream. Had a pound of pasta for snack? Let's do it with red sauce and sausage for dinner. Maybe I'd treat myself to a second California burrito that day. Potatoes fried in bacon fat was a favorite for a while when bacon was cheap at the carnicaria. Bake a chicken, a breast goes to the friend and I'll eat the rest with two pounds of mashed potatoes.

I learned to cook because I was too poor to buy as much food as I needed just to get through the day. But I could cook ridiculous portions for dirt cheap.