Need a more delicious reason to get out of bed in the morning? How about strawberry-jam-and-cream-cheese-stuffed French toast? If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it should also be the best-tasting!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 (2 slices each)
Ingredients
1/2 cup fat-free cream cheese
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup strawberry jam
8 1-inch slices French bread
2 egg whites
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon apple pie spice
Nonstick cooking spray
Directions
1. Combine the cream cheese and 2 tablespoons jam. Make a slit in each slice of French bread to form a pocket; fill each with about 1 tablespoon of the cream-cheese mixture.
2. In a small bowl, combine egg whites, egg, milk, vanilla, and apple pie spice. Lightly coat a nonstick griddle with cooking spray; heat over medium heat.
3. Dip the bread into the egg mixture, coating both sides. Place slices on the hot griddle. Cook for about…
…three minutes or until golden brown, turning once.
4. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the 1/2 cup of jam until melted, stirring frequently. Pour over French toast.
Healthy Prep Tips:
• Slice the bread and leave it out overnight. Slightly stale bread soaks up the egg-and-milk mixture for maximum flavor and minimal sogginess, says Joan Salge Blake, RD, clinical associate professor of nutrition at Boston University. If you didn’t plan ahead, dry bread out in the oven at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once halfway through.
• Not a morning person? Stuff the bread at night (dry it out in the oven if necessary) and refrigerate. When you wake up, all you have to do is prep the egg mixture and cook.
• The recipe calls for fat-free milk instead of whole or 2 percent to save fat grams and calories. If you’re lactose intolerant, substitute calcium-fortified low-fat vanilla soy milk.
• You don’t have to swear off yolks. They provide bone-building vitamin D and brain-boosting choline, Blake explains. Plus, the fat helps the mixture stick to the bread.
• For a lower-calorie topping that’s packed with vitamin C, swap out jam for the real thing. Puree 1 cup frozen strawberries in the blender, then warm in a saucepan over low heat.
• Instead of drowning French toast, pancakes, or waffles in butter and syrup, try one of these healthier alternatives:
– 1/2 cup vanilla fat-free yogurt
– 1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
– 1 tablespoon peanut butter, microwaved for 10 to 20 seconds
Nutrition
Per serving (2 slices): 300 calories, 14g protein, 30g carbohydrate, 2g fat (0g saturated), 0g fiber
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