Father's Day French Toast

This is our new favorite recipe for french toast. I made it for my husband who normally doesn't like the "soggy" texture of french toast, but loved this one because it was not soggy at all. I also learned a great tip about french toast from my brother-in-law: use Sweet Hawaiian Bread! It tastes amazing, try it!French Toast

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs



• 1/2 cup milk



• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg



• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon



• 1/4 cup maple syrup



• 1 tsp. vanilla



• 12 pieces bread



• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Method:

• Mix the milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and maple syrup in a bowl. Heat up a frying pan (or grill) on high for 3-4 minutes.



• When heates, turn it down to medium and pour in the oil.



• Let it sit for 2 minutes or until pan sizzles.



• Coat the pieces of bread, one at a time, in the mixture and put in the pan. Grill to your liking.



• Serve with fresh berries or maple syrup on top.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

When I first started this blog I posted a recipe for banana muffins, and while that one is a family recipe that's been passed down through generations, I actually think this recipe is much better (sorry great great great grandma!). I made these muffins on Sunday for my family and as of today, there are only 2 left (out of 2 dozen). I love that they have oatmeal in them, it makes them a little more hearty and filling. And I don't think there's a better flavor combination than bananas and chocolate-it's one of my all-time faves! Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips (mini, semi-sweet, milk chocolate, or whatever you like to use)

Method:

• In a large mixing bowl, beat egg, oil, and sugar until smooth.
• Stir in bananas.
• Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• Stir into the banana mixture just until moistened.
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Fill greased muffin cups three-fourths full.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
• Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.
  

Review: Power Oatmeal Pancakes

These turned out GREAT! Even after freezing them and re-heating for my 3 year old in the mornings this week. Above, I had them with non-fat vanilla yogurt and sliced strawberries.

Power Oatmeal Pancakes

My 3-year-old has to have pancakes every morning for breakfast. Most days I just heat up a gross store-bought frozen pancake for her. I'm making these this weekend and then freezing them so she can have something a little more substantial and healthy (I'll let you know later how they taste after being frozen). I'm looking forward to having these readily available for my own breakfast as well.

Power Oatmeal Pancakes
from Tosca Reno's, The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook

Ingredients:

6 egg whites, beaten until fluffy
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 scoop whey protein
1/2 cup oatmeal (uncooked)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup flax seed
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp canola Oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Place all ingredients except beaten egg whites in a food processor and pulse or blend until mixture is uniform.

2. Pour blended ingredients into a bowl and add the egg whites. Fold until just blended.

3. Prepare a griddle with cooking spray. Ladle pancake mixture onto griddle and cook until both sides are browned.

(My daughter will have syrup on hers; I'll try serving mine and my husband's with non-fat vanilla yogurt and sliced strawberries. Not sure how that will taste, leave a comment if you have a better idea of a topping for these pancakes)

*sorry no pictures, I will take some when I actually make these and upload them along with an update about how they taste after being frozen.

my favorite breakfast right now

Although our trainer recommends plain oatmeal with half a banana and a small sprinkle of cinnamon for breakfast, I had to come up with something new. I just ate oatmeal every morning for too long and was getting sick of it. So here's one I have been eating every morning for the past couple of months and I doubt I will ever get sick of it. And it has our trainer's seal of approval.

1 Yoplait Smoothie pack (my favorite is the Strawberry banana)
1 cup whole grain oatmeal
1 cup protein powder (I got a big bag of this at Costco, really helps with muscle recovery)
1 cup fat free milk

Blend in blender. This makes enough for 2, so I usually leave half in the blender for my husband, who then adds some weight gainer powder to his smoothie. You can just use half of the smoothie pack and keep the other half in the freezer, then half the above receipe. Enjoy!