Weight gain - harder than you'd think!

Hey guys,

A little bit about me (before I delve into my dilemma) - 20 years old, female and wanting to gain a couple of kilos in order to be at my healthiest weight. I am a vegetarian and lactose intolerant, which makes it a little more difficult to plan my meals and I am also a poor uni student, so I am limited in what I can afford to buy.

My main problem though is that I am a really picky eater and dont really have that much of an appetite. I usually maintain on about 1600 calories a day, but am trying to aim for 2500 to gain the extra weight back. I have scoured the weight gain forum and have been focusing on eating more high calorie foods but I want to eat foods that are healthy and stay away from eating junk and highly processed foods. I have been having lots of peanut butter, dried fruit and nuts and beans, but hate other healthy things like margine/butter, avocado and rice.

Does anyone have any suggestions on healthy high calorie cheap food I can have? Also, does anyone know of any particular foods that will help distribute the weight gain a little more evenly so it doesnt go all straight to my stomach?

Thanks guys - didnt think gaining weight would be such a complicated process!

Cheers! :D

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Lactaid and generic lactose-free milk is a great option for gaining weight (whole milk only, of course). I hate the taste of Ensure shakes on their own, but blending it together with a cup of Lactaid, protein powder, some yogurt, and a banana makes for a great smoothie. My other two favorites would be granola and blueberry muffins. Invest in a jumbo muffin pan and bake some up; the larger ones can push 500 calories each and are really light.