This weekend, I decided to surprise my husband by making brunch from scratch for him. I had never actually cooked brunch before in my life, so I was a little nervous about how it would turn out. But I found a couple great recipes from HungryGirl and EatingWell.com that looked really yummy, so I thought I’d give it a shot. I’m happy to report that the brunch was a total success!! All of the dishes turned out AMAZINGLY well – my husband LOVED them. And the french toast was a huge hit (thank you HungryGirl!) – my husband said he’s never liked french toast made at home, but he loved this dish. And the smoothies – which was a recipe that I made up – tasted exactly like the In-N-Out Strawberry Shakes, but my recipe was much healthier 🙂 All in all, it was a really fun cooking experience! The recipes (with my notes/modifications) and pictures are below, hope you enjoy them!
The Menu:
1) Fuji Apple French Toast Casserole
2) Potato & Onion Hash Browns
3) Strawberry Smoothies
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Fuji Apple French Toast Casserole
Notes: This is an amazing recipe for a super low calorie, fiber filled, and really flavorful french toast. Most recipes like this one would run you 500+ calories for 1-2 slices of french toast, but this recipe gives you a HUGE portion (4 inch by 4 inch casserole square) for only 200 calories! The only considerations here are – a lot of the ingredients in this recipe are somewhat processed (e.g. you’re not using real butter, sugar, syrup, etc.) So if that weirds you out a little, I wouldn’t recommend this recipe. I usually try to stick to whole foods without 30 ingredients per item, but once in a while I’m ok with trying a recipe that calls for more processed ingredients if it saves on calories and still has some good nutritional value (fiber, protein, etc.). Just my two cents before I give you the recipe 🙂
Ingredients
- 8 slices light bread (40 – 45 calories each with around 2g fiber per slice), cut into cubes. I used Sara Lee 45 Calories Delightful 100% Whole Wheat bread with honey (link here)
- 4 oz. fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 medium apple (preferably Fuji), peeled and diced
- 1 1/4 cups light vanilla soymilk
- 1 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
- 2 tbsp. sugar-free pancake syrup
- 2 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown), melted
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 no-calorie sweetener packet (like Splenda), or more to taste. 1 packet made the french toast sweet enough for us.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray an 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Place bread cubes evenly along the bottom of the dish.
- Sprinkle diced apple evenly over the bread.
- In a medium-large bowl, combine all other ingredients (cream cheese, soymilk, egg substitute, syrup, butter, cinnamon, and sweetener). If you like your French toast really sweet, add an extra packet of sweetener. Using a handheld electric mixer set to medium speed, mix until lump-free and smooth. Pour mixture over the bread and apple.
- Make sure bread is soaked in the liquid mixture. If needed, toss lightly to coat.
- Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, until egg mixture is pretty firm and cooked through. Note – mine took about 50 min. (Be sure not to overcook, as bread may burn.) Let cool slightly and cut into quarters. If you like, serve with additional syrup for dipping. Dig in!
Nutritional Info
Makes 4 servings – One serving = One 4inch by 4inch square
Calories: ~200
Fat: 4.25g
Fiber: 6g
Protein: 16.5g
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Potato and Onion Hash Browns
Note: I modified most of this recipe, so my notes are below in purple text. This recipe was also a HUGE hit with my husband. He said he’d actually want this at a restaurant (and he always thinks hash browns at restaurants are the best)!
Ingredients
- 3 medium russet potatoes, (1 pound total), peeled and cut into quarters (Note: I used 1 lb of baby red potatoes and left the skins on for added fiber)
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped (I used a red onion because I like the flavor and color)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Pinch paprika (I omitted this)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I actually used 1 Tbsp of chopped fresh rosemary because I love the flavors of rosemary with potatoes)
Directions
- Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold, lightly salted water. Bring to a boil and boil until potatoes are just tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and cool. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes. (You should have 2 cups of cubed potatoes.)
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until they are limp and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and continue to sauté until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. (Lower heat slightly if pan becomes too hot.) Season with salt, pepper and paprika (if you use paprika). Stir in parsley or rosemary and serve immediately.
Nutritional Information (for 1 serving)
Makes 4 servings
Calories: ~120
Fat: 2g
Protein: 3g
Fiber: 2g
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Strawberry Smoothies
Notes: This recipe is SUPER easy. Only 4 ingredients, and you can make it in like 2 minutes. A great breakfast on its own, or as an accompaniment to any brunch!
Ingredients
- 8 Frozen whole strawberries (Trader Joe’s has great organic frozen strawberries)
- 3 oz low-fat vanilla yogurt (I used Trader Joe’s organic vanilla yogurt – 140 calories for 6 oz)
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup 1% milk, or soy milk, or Unsweetened almond breeze
- 1-2 packets Splenda sweetner
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend until combined, creamy and smooth. You can also use a hand blender for this – it’s a lot easier for cleanup (that’s what I used and it turned out great)
Overall, it was a super satisfying, really healthy brunch – definitely felt like we were in a restaurant. Below are the final products all combined – can’t wait to make it again!
The Picky Eater: A Healthy Food Blog 