Freezer-Friendly French Toast

French toast is the ULTIMATE brunch food. Sunday mornings just wouldn’t be the same without it! I also rely on frozen pre-prepared slices for a quick pre-workout snack, or to tide me over until a later-than-usual dinner. Just pop a slice in the toaster, top with nut-butter and voila!, the perfect fibre and protein-rich snack.

Serves 4.

THE TOOLS:

low-rimmed bowl
3/4 cup measurer
tablespoon (tbsp.)
fork or small whisk
frying pan
flipper
storage vessel (Ziplocs or Tupperware + parchment/wax paper strips)

THE COMPONENTS:

2 eggs
3/4 cup milk or milk alternative
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
cinnamon to taste (I am usually quite generous with this…)
4 slices of whole grain bread
oil or butter/margarine (for frying)
toppings of your choice (see below for some considerations)

THE HOW TO:

Add the first 4 components to a low-rimmed bowl and whisk together. Dip slices of whole grain bread into prepared mixture one at a time and place in pre-heated (medium heat), pre-greased frying pan. Fry for about 1 minute per side or until golden brown. Transfer to a serving plate and enjoy hot! Cool and then freeze any uneaten slices in Ziplocs or in a Tupperware container separated by parchment/wax paper.

THE DIETITIAN REVIEW:

French toast can get an unhealthy reputation if it is made with white refined breads, fried in excess butter, and topped with an abundance of syrup. But choose the right ingredients and you can change french toast into a nutrient-rich and satiating meal or snack...

Choose whole grain breads. Whole grains are made up of the bran, germ, and endosperm. The bran and germ contain fibre, B-vitamins, trace minerals, vitamin E, some protein, and healthy fats. These two components are removed when whole grains are processed into white-refined grains, and we are left with only the endosperm that consists mainly of starchy carbohydrates. Choose breads that list a ‘whole grain’ as the first ingredient and provide more than 3-4 grams of fibre per slice.

Choose your toppings wisely. My all-time favourite topping is almond butter and a drizzle of honey, but any nut-butter will do! Try to avoid large portions of syrup, honey or jam to limit your free-sugar intake for the day. 1 tbsp. of these sweet toppings provides ~12 grams of free-sugar. The World Health Organization recommends that we limit our free-sugar intake to 5-10% of our daily calorie intake. For someone eating a 2000 calorie diet, this would be no more than 25-50g of free-sugar per day. Free sugars refer to glucose, fructose, or sucrose added to food and drinks and naturally present in honey, syrups, and fruit juices/concentrates.

Other topping ideas include Greek yogurt and frozen (thawed) berries, cottage cheese and hemp seeds, or ricotta cheese and fresh peach/mango.