Alright everyone… grab a napkin because this one is very…very…very drool-worthy, and I can almost guarantee, a little drooling will ensue.
Got the napkin? K, let’s continue.
So – every now and then, I wake up in an extra good mood (probably because our new kitten, Pip, has decided for once to NOT walk all over my face and try to bite my eyelashes off at 4:30am …seriously she does this, almost e v e r y morning!!!) and decide to surprise my hubby with a little breakfast-in-bed! This past Saturday morning, was one of those mornings.
I was thinking “French Toast” as it had been a while since I’d whipped up a batch! I immediately thought about the Cinnamon Raisin Protein French Toast I used to make on an almost daily basis, and wanted to do something similar! My hubby had bought some Udi’s Gluten Free Millet Chia bread and it’s really the perfect, hearty consistency for a good French Toast!
The key here is to make the mixture that the bread is “soaked” in very protein rich to balance out the carbohydrates from the bread! I used egg whites and mixed in some chocolate protein powder (Vega Brand), and because I was using the chocolate protein, I thought I’d up the chocolate factor even more and add in some raw cocoa!
Chocolate overload?! Yes please!!
I added in a little water and ground flaxseed to make the mixture really “stick” to the bread, and poured it generously over each slice of bread!
Once in the pan, the eggy chocolate coating got nice and crispy on the outside but kept the bread moist and delicious on the inside. Perfection!
Now of course, French toast isn’t truly French toast without some delicious toppings to finish it off!
I perused my fridge and decided that maple syrup just wouldn’t do… nor would it really go with the chocolate… but peanut butter sure would!
And what else goes better with peanut butter than JAM!? 
Peanut Butter, Chocolate, and Jam – this was definitely an odd combination of 3 of my favourite flavours, but it totally worked. I’ve always been a PB & J fan, so throw some chocolate in there… I’m SOLD.
I warmed up my peanut butter to make it ooey, gooey, drippy, and delicious, and it literally smothered the chocolate French toast!
After popping the ingredients into the My Fitness Pal recipe calorie calculator, I was somewhat surprised that this big French toast stack came in under 500 calories, but still had a whopping 30g of protein! It was really the perfect serving size for my hubby – but, a little on the big side for myself, so I just used one slice less of the bread!
Whole grain carbohydrates from the flaxseed, millet and chia bread, and natural sweetness from the organic (refined-sugar-free!) jam, along with healthy fats from the peanut butter, and some protein from egg whites and vegan protein powder – this recipe hit the macronutrient balance out of the park!
… not a fan of protein powders?! No problemo! Just omit the protein powder and use some extra cocoa powder in its place!
My hubby pretty much inhaled this dish… and could I blame him? Not one bit. It was really THAT good.
Who says French Toast can’t be made healthier?!
Not me folks, not me!
- 2 egg whites
- ½ tablespoon raw cocoa powder
- ½ scoop (2 tablespoons) chocolate protein powder (vegan based or whey)**
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3 slices whole grain or gluten free bread**
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter (or almond/cashew/hazelnut/sunflower butter)
- 1 tablespoon organic berry jam**
- In a bowl combine egg whites, cocoa, protein, water, and flax and stir until a smooth consistency is reached.
- On a large plate line up the pieces of bread.
- Pour half of the mixture evenly over each piece of bread and spread over to cover each slice evenly.
- Let the mixture soak in for a minute or two and flip each piece and repeat with the remaining cocoa mixture on the other side of each piece of bread.
- Heat a non-stick pan at medium heat, once hot, add in 1 piece of the soaked bread and let cook for 1-2 minutes, then flip and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Repeat with each slice of soaked bread.
- You may need to scoop the excess cocoa mixture back onto the bread if it hasn't soaked in.
- Stack your bread and serve with nut butter and jam!
- Enjoy!
** Use a naturally sweetened protein powder - I prefer North Coast Naturals or Vega brands.
** I used Udi's Gluten Free Millet-Chia Bread
** I used Crofter's Organic Berry Jam (sweetened with cane sugar)
Have a fantastic Wednesday!
Christal
Nutritionist in the Kitch
At first glance, I thought they were pancakes cause they were drenched in the Frenchiness, and when I noticed it was toast I thought “Holy smoke! I could do with some of that now…” and that just after having had breakfast 😛 These looks fantastic Christal, thanks for the recipe 🙂 x
YUM this instantly set my mouthwatering … I am jealous of your lucky husband, sampling all of your goodies!
I like how you used flax seed to help it stick better too, really smart. And so much fiber!!! Can’t wait to try, thanks for sharing 🙂
Definitely! Enjoy Alice! 🙂