Zero Carb-Chocolate Protein Packed Waffle Sticks

Let me see.......I'm not even sure where to really begin this post.  I can't act like nothing happened, because I know that I disappeared for quite some time, and for that I'm very sorry.  Apparently I had a lot going on in my life in 2014; all of which seemed to take me away from posting my recipes. 

Sadly, I originally disappeared because my loving grandfather passed away.  At the time there was a lot of driving back and fourth between Michigan and North Carolina, and I didn't have my computer with me.  After things began to settle back down, I became extremely busy studying for my new career as a personal trainer.  Then of course there were vacations, family gatherings, weddings, and the holidays. 

Hopefully I'm back now and I'm thrilled to say that there hasn't been a better time for me to be sharing healthy recipes!  As most of you already know, I've always pretty much been a healthy eater, (or at least within the past 6 or 7 years) but right now it's extra important to eat healthy due to the fact that Jeff and I are expecting our first child this July!

Today actually marks the start of week 14 for me, which means I've officially made it into my second trimester!  All without being sick; and for that I owe someone a "thank you"!  Surprisingly, at least based on the looks I get from my doctors and nurses, I've actually felt like myself throughout this pregnancy. I've been a little tired at times, but have still been able to workout almost everyday and I've also been able to continue to run.  In fact I actually ran 4 miles yesterday and did 1.5 miles this afternoon.  A lot of how I have been feeling has to do with what I eat.  If I make some poor decisions, because let's face it, I'm human, and pregnant, I feel like crap and drag a little bit more than usual.  If I eat light and healthy though, I feel great!

With that being said, I'm excited to share today's recipe with you!  Not only is this recipe a healthy and delicious one, but it's also a breakfast food, and I absolutely love breakfast!  These waffles are incredibly quick and easy to make, and they're also high in protein and have zero carbs (except for whatever you put on top).

Zero Carb-Chocolate Protein Packed Waffle Sticks

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Ingredients:

1 Scoop chocolate protein powder (I use Whey Gold – Chocolate Malt)

1 Large Egg

1 Large Egg White

1 tsp. Baking Powder

2 TBSP. Water

¼ tsp. Vanilla

Dash of Cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together using a hand held mixer; or I always use my Nutribullet. 

After you heat up your waffle stick maker or a waffle iron spray it lightly with a non-stick cooking spray.  Next, pour in some of the batter and allow to cook until the waffle maker beeps at you or for 2-3 minutes.  Remove the prepared waffles and garnish with toppings or your choosing.  I always like to put a little sugar free maple syrup and fresh fruit on top of mine.

Coconut-Vanilla Granola

It's officially looking and feeling like springtime outside and I absolutely love it!  What a gorgeous day!  The sun's coming up, the sky's a wonderful shade of blue, leaves are beginning to appear on the trees, and my kitchen smells like the tropical aroma of coconuts.

Side note: I pretty much love the smell of anything relating to coconut.  (Coconut candles, coconut body wash, coconut lotion, etc.) 

However, my love for all things coconut is not why my kitchen smells of coconut today.  The reason it smells so wonderfully delicious, is because I'm currently baking a batch of coconut-vanilla granola.  I absolutely love making granola because it makes such a great topping to pretty much anything you can think of.  I personally put it on top of my Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, but it's also good as is, with just a little almond milk.  Yummy!

Coconut-Vanilla Granola

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Ingredients:

3 ½ cups old fashioned oats

¾ cup almonds

½ cup shredded sweetened coconut (optional)

2 TBSP. light brown sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

4 TBSP. coconut oil, melted

½ cup maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. coconut extract

1 vanilla bean, scraped out

Optional: 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground flaxseed.

In another bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and coconut extract, and the vanilla bean scrapping.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir around with a wooden spoon until everything is well coated.  Empty the contents of the bowl onto the prepared baking sheet and spread around to form an even layer.  Place the pan into the oven and let bake for 25-30 minutes.  Make sure to stir it around every 10 minutes or so, to allow even baking and to keep the granola from burning.

Once done, remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool.  The granola may be stored in an airtight container for about a week.  Enjoy!

Low-Carb Egg White Muffin

I know I mentioned yesterday that I don't typically eat a large breakfast, but rather enjoy having a little something small, just to get my day started.  With that being said, these little egg white muffins worked out perfectly!

This is definitely a recipe that I've been wanting to try for awhile now, mostly because they seemed like they'd be a great, make ahead, grab and go dish.  So, what finally inspired me to break down and give them a try?  That's easy.  My best friend for the past 29 years, Christina, is visiting us this weekend and I really wanted to make something that was not only healthy, but would also be a breakfast that we could enjoy whenever.

Overall, I'd have to say that it was a success!  These mini muffins are quick, easy, and reheat incredibly well.  I also love the fact that they're only around 60 calories a piece!

Low-Carb Egg White Muffins

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(Makes 12)

Ingredients:

8 whites

1 egg

¼ cup fat-free cottage cheese (or less)

¼ cup chopped baby spinach

4 TBSP. chopped onion

¼ cup (or less) chopped green pepper

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

4 TBSP. Feta cheese

3-5 TBSP. mini ham cubes

2 turkey sausage patties, chopped into pieces

2-4 TBSP. bacon bits

Dash of: chili powder, black pepper, and garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and generously spray a muffin/cupcake pan with a nonstick cooking spray.  Set aside.

In a medium size bowl, combine the egg, and the egg whites and then whisk together until well combined.  Set aside.

Heat a skillet, with about 2-3 tsp. of olive oil, over a medium to high heat.  Next, add in the green peppers and let sauté until they begin to look a little tender.  This should take about 3-5 minutes.  You don’t want to let them cook fully, because you still have other ingredients to add.  After the peppers have cooked some, add in the chopped up onion.  Once the onion appears soft and translucent, add in the spinach leaves and continue to cook until the leaves begin to wilt.

In the bowl with the egg mixture, add in all the remaining ingredients, including the warm veggies.  Whisk, or stir together, until everything is well blended.  Pour the mixture into the muffin tin, filling each well about 1/2 full.  Once ready, I sprinkled on a little extra mozzarella cheese (that’s optional, but delicious)

Next, place the pan into the oven and let bake for 25-30 minutes.  Once complete, remove the pan from the oven and let cool for around 5 minutes.  After that, pop the muffins out of the pan and enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Eat. Drink. Love.

Rise and Shine Protein Smoothie

Unless I'm on vacation, or it's a special occasion, I've never been much of a breakfast person; which seems weird, at least to me, because I'm one who absolutely LOVES breakfast foods!  I'd have to say that it's definitely my all-time favorite category of food, which I know I've mentioned before!  So why don't I usually eat it then?  I'm just never really that hungry so early in the morning (I get up at 4:20).  

I don't skip that meal entirely, I do eat, it's just typically something small like a few hard boiled eggs, or lately, when I get home from the gym, it's been something like this delicious protein shake!  Not only does this shake contain a great amount of protein, which I like to have a lot of first thing in the morning, but it also contains lots of good vitamins and minerals to help get me started for the day.

Tip *Please feel free to substitute Orange Juice in place of water, I just like to cut down calories wherever possible.* 

Rise and Shine Protein Smoothie

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Ingredients:

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 cup water (or orange juice)

½ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I use Almond Breeze)

½ - ¾ banana

½ grapefruit (I ended up just squeezing the juice from the half of the grapefruit, instead of tossing it all in the blender; which ended up giving me more liquid, and no pulp!  It’s up to you.)

(If you want your smoothie a little bit thicker, you could always add in ¼ cup Greek yogurt)

Directions:

Toss all your ingredients into a blender, or in my case, a Nutribullet, and blend until everything is well combined.

Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Protein Packed Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes (Low Carb)

Can you say YUMMY!!!!

So far, living my healthier lifestyle is going well.  It's been just over a week since I gave up sweets and other unhealthy foods, and I'm feeling great!  Just because I took this step though, doesn't necessarily mean I have to sacrifice the flavors I enjoy, and I definitely proved that while I was experimenting with my basic protein packed pancake recipe.

I just so happened to be purging my pantry this weekend, of some food that I no longer wanted in the house, when I stumbled across a few unopened packages of Sugar Free Jello Cheesecake Pudding.  That's when the idea struck me!  Strawberry cheesecake pancakes!  I just so happened to have some fresh strawberries, which I love, in the refrigerator, and was planning to make protein pancakes for lunch anyway, so why not give it a try?

I'm so glad I did too.  These pancakes turned out absolutely delicious!  Not only that, but they are incredibly healthy and filled with protein, which I love!

Protein Packed Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes

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Ingredients:

3 egg whites

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Whey Gold French Vanilla Crème)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 ½ - 2 TBSP water

1 tsp. sugar free Jello cheesecake pudding mix

1 tsp. old fashion or instant oats

Fresh strawberries

Directions:

In a Nutribullet, magic bullet, or something similar; combine all the ingredients until well blended.

Next, heat a skillet, on the stove, over a medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  (I always use Organic Olive Oil Pam)  Pour in some of the batter and let cook.  You will know it’s time to flip the pancakes over once they start to puff up and bubble a little.  Repeat this process until all the batter has been used.

Top with some fresh strawberries and some sugar free maple syrup!  Delicious.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving (recipe makes 1 serving):
Calories: 195
Carbs: 8 grams
Protein: 35 grams

Cinnamon-Vanilla Protein Packed Pancakes

I feel like I've died and gone to heaven!!!!

One of my all-time favorite foods, has always been, and will always be, pancakes!  I absolutely LOVE pancakes!  So much so, that a friend of mine actually had to pay for my breakfast once because he bet me that there was no way I could eat the huge stack of pancakes that came with my morning meal.  Sadly, he underestimated my love.

My love of pancakes started when I was young.  Growing up I can remember staying the night with my grandparents and in the morning my grandpa would make us all pancakes!  To this day, I still have never had a pancake that even comes close in comparison to his.  They're definitely my all time favorite and I miss them a ton.  Actually, I miss pancakes in general; or at least I did, until yesterday.  You see, once I started really watching what I ate, I kind of decided to give them up.  To me, pancakes just have too many empty carbs. (even though they're delicious).

However, I'm always on the lookout for a lower carb. version and the other day I just so happened to stumble across one that looked interesting; mostly because it contained no flour.  I decided right away to give it a try, and oh my gosh, I am absolutely addicted!  I already plan to make them for lunch again today!  Looking at the recipe, you might think, "how is it possible that it will form pancakes?", but I promise you, it does.

Nutrition:  The recipes makes 1 serving, which equals about 10 pancakes, depending on the size you make them.  Each serving is around 170 calories (depending on your protein powder choice), 34 grams of protein, and 3 grams of carbs.

I topped mine with a tiny bit of Log Cabin sugar free maple syrup; which only added about another 10 calories.  Absolutely delicious, and very filling!

Cinnamon-Vanilla Protein Packed Pancakes

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Ingredients:

3 egg whites

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Whey Gold Vanilla Crème)

¼ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1 ½ - 2 TBSP. water

Directions:

In a Nutribullet, magic bullet, or something similar, combine all the ingredients.

Heat a skillet, on the stove, over a medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  (I always use Organic Olive Oil Pam)  Pour in some of the batter and let cook.  You will know it’s time to flip them over once the pancakes start to puff up and bubble a little.  Repeat this process until all the batter has been used.

Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Muscle and Fitness Magazine

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Roll Scones (aka....The Death of Me)

 Oh no!  I have a confession to make.  I may have fallen off my food challenge for the month, but hey, I'm only human.  I'm not going to beat myself up over it though, because let's face it, things happen and as long as you don't let it define you, it's ok.  I'm proud to say that I'm back on track now.  I even bought a few boxes of Girl Scout cookies, to bake with, and haven't even opened them.  Now that's will power.

So what was the death of me?  Why exactly did I fall off the bandwagon, especially when I was going strong?  That's easy.....I made the biggest mistake I possibly could.  I baked Jeff these delicious looking chocolate chip cinnamon roll scones.  I thought I was being nice, and doing a good thing, so that he wouldn't just have to eat Pop Tarts for breakfast throughout the week.  Little did I know that they'd be my downfall.

I stayed strong for awhile.  When the scones were in the oven baking, they smelled delicious, when they came out of the oven they looked even better, and when I added the frosting and garnish of chocolate chips, that's when I really knew I was in trouble.  Yet I stayed strong.  It wasn't until the following day, when I was hungry, that I decided to cut one of the scones in half so that I could have it with my coffee.  And yes, that's right, I was still going to be good, so I cut it in half, but who was I kidding?  It was delicious that I ended up eating the other half too.

So, consider yourself warned.  Bake these scones at your own risk, but I promise you, they're definitely worth it if you decide to slip!

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Roll Scones

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Makes about 16 scones

Ingredients:

Filling:

8 TBSP. (1 stick) butter, room temperature

½ cup, firmly packed brown sugar

1 TBSP. cinnamon

Dough:

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 TBSP. baking powder

¼ - ½ tsp. salt

8 TBSP. cold butter, cut into slices

1 cup mini chocolate chips

1 + ½ - ¾ cup half and half

Icing:

4 oz. cream cheese (I always use 1/3^rd less fat), softened

4 TBSP. butter, room temperature

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1-3 tsp. milk

Directions:

For the Filling:

In a small bowl, using a hand held mixer, mix together the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until smooth and creamy in appearance.

Dough:

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Next, cut in the butter slices until the mixture is crumbly in appearance.  You can use forks, knives, or a pastry blender for this.  Don’t judge, but I always end up using my fingers, because honestly, that’s what works the best for me.  Once ready, add in the chocolate chips and whisk around until they are evenly distributed.

Pour in 1 ¼ cup of the half and half and stir around with a wooden spoon until the ingredients start to come together.  Slowly add in the rest of the half and half, as needed (You might not need it all).  The ingredients should not be soggy in appearance, but instead, should form dryer looking dough.  *After the initial stirring of ingredients, I always use my hands to knead the dough together.*

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface, or baking mat and roll out into a rectangle, about ¼ inch thick.  

After that, spread the cinnamon filling evenly out over the top of the dough.  Make sure that you leave room around the edges so that the filling doesn't overflow once you roll it up.  

Beginning with one of the long sides of the dough, roll it up to form a log.

Place the prepared dough into the refrigerator while you preheat the oven.  This will make the dough easier to cut into slices.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

Once the oven is preheated, remove the dough log from the fridge and cut off the little ends (you could choose to discard them, but that’s yummy goodness you’d be throwing out, so why not bake them and enjoy).  Slice the dough into about 1-inch thick pieces and place them onto the prepared baking sheet(s). 

Place the baking sheet(s) into the oven and let bake for 20-22 minutes or until the scones are lightly golden around the edges.  Make sure to rotate pans halfway through baking.  Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.  After that, remove the scones to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

For the Icing:

In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter, using a hand held mixer.  Once ready, it should be smooth and creamy in texture.  Now, add in the sugar, vanilla, and 1 tsp. of the milk.  Begin by beating on low and increase the speed as needed.  Add in more milk until you reach your desired consistency of icing.  I liked mine a little thick, so I stuck to only 1 tsp. of milk.

Place the icing into a pastry bag, or a ziplock bag, and cut off the tip.  Drizzle it over the scones and garnish with some extra mini chocolate chips. 

Goes great with a cup of coffee!  Enjoy!

Source: Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

Spinach, Feta, and Egg Frittata

Before I get to today's recipe I just need to take a moment and express how much I absolutely love the phases of determination that I go through.  I just wish that I could pin down exactly why I'm so motivated at certain times, and not at others.  So far this month, I've been doing really well and sticking to all the challenges that I set for myself.

At the start of the new year, I created some goals and told you that they'd most likely change a little on a monthly basis; which they have.  I still plan to stick to the ones that I originally came up with back in January, but this month I've also decided to add a little more to my workout and eating calendar.  And when I say I added a little more, that's in addition to the calendar that I posted at the end of last month.  I'm definitely seeing changes too, especially in my inches.  It always amazes me the difference that a few pounds can make.

So here are my additions.....This month, I once again decided to take part in the "No junk food challenge".  I've done this challenge once in the past and absolutely loved how I felt after it was over.  The challenge basically just outlines specific foods that you are not allowed to consume for 21 days, but seeing that February is a short month, I'm going for 28.

Honestly though, I don't find this to be too difficult of a challenge, or at least not for me; mostly because I don't really eat what's on the list anyway, except for peanut butter.  I LOVE peanut butter!  And Chips.  Not potato chips, but I have to admit that I love those mutli-grain scoops, so I'm making them count in place of regular chips.  This is going to take a lot of will power, because we always have 2 bags in our pantry due to Jeff loving them too.  So far so good.  Overall though, I think this is a great challenge because it holds me accountable, which is why I decided to do it again.

In addition to the food challenge, I've also added a 30 day beach body challenge to my normal workout routine.  It's nothing that's incredibly time consuming, just 2 workout activities a day, that are high reps.  For example, today's 2 activities were 100 knee highs and 75 Russian twists.  That's much better than the other day though, when I had to do 50 burpees and 50 drop down crunches, or leg lifts.  Anyone who has ever done a burpee feels my pain and knows exactly how much they suck.

Ok, enough rambling for now; let's move on to today's recipe.

I've kind of been eating a lot of eggs lately, well eggs and chicken, mostly for the additional protein that they add to my diet.  Whenever I go to the store I have to laugh at myself, and wonder what the cashier must think.  This is mostly because I always have at least 4 cartons of 18 eggs, if not more, in my basket whenever I go to check out.  With all these eggs I'm buying, I'm always trying to think of new or different things to make with them.  This time I decided to make a frittata.  I've actually heard of them numerous times before now, but never attempted to make one.  It was much easier than I thought it would be and quick too.  The thing I like best is the idea that not only is it a healthy and high protein meal, but there are also so many different ingredients that you could add and subtract.  Even the leftovers are delicious!  I even went out to the store and bought some bell peppers today, so that I could make another one for later this week.

Spinach, Feta, and Egg Frittata

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Ingredients:

2 whole eggs

8 large egg whites

2 ½ links of Al Fresco Country Style Chicken Sausage (cooked and broken into pieces)

Dash of garlic powder (optional)

Dash of cayenne red pepper (optional)

1 tsp. olive oil

3-4 TBSP. red onion, chopped

2 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped (measure before chopping)

2 oz. crumbled feta cheese

¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg whites.  Add in the garlic powder, cayenne pepper, baby spinach, chicken sausage, feta, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Mix together until combined.

In a medium size skillet, set over a medium heat, add the olive oil.  Allow the skillet to heat for about a minute and then add in the chopped onion.  Cook the onion until soft, about 3-4 minutes.  When done, add the onion to the egg mixture.

Spray the skillet with a little non-stick cooking spray and pour the egg mixture into the prepared skillet.  Allow the egg mixture to cook for around 5 minutes.  Here’s where it gets a little tricky….Hold a plate directly over the pan, so that it’s touching it, and flip the frittata onto the plate.  After that, slide the frittata back into the pan, so that the other side can cook.  This side might not take as long to cook, so just keep an eye on it.  Serve immediately.

Inspired by and adapted from Skinny Taste

The Best of Breakfast: Pancake Egg Sandwich

This post may be a little overdue, but it's definitely worth me going back to. I actually made this recipe for breakfast over the holidays, to serve to my husband and in-laws.  I'd have to say that it was definitely a hit and something I can easily see myself making again; probably very soon.  That way, Jeff can have a decent breakfast during the hectic work week. 

You see, I typically don't get a chance to cook breakfast a lot, and Jeff usually just ends up having Pop Tarts.  The reason for this is because I go to the gym every morning at 5:20, before Jeff gets up, and then he heads into work before I'm home.  We seem to just miss one another on the weekdays.  That's really why I want to make something that Jeff can heat up on his own, and I feel that these breakfast sandwiches would be the perfect, make-ahead and freeze meal.  Once I know for sure how they turn out when frozen, and how long to microwave them, I'll update the post.  Until then, serve fresh and enjoy!

(Hint: Next time, I was going to try to add on a slice or two of Canadian Bacon for a little more protein.  You can never have enough protein!)

The Best of Breakfast: Pancake Egg Sandwich
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Ingredients:
For Pancakes:
2 ½ cups self-rising flour
Dash of salt
2 cups skim milk
2 eggs
¼ cup vegetable/canola oil, or healthy substitute
Butter for skillet

For Eggs:
8 large eggs, or substitute egg whites for healthier version (use more eggs)
1 TBSP. skim milk
4-5 crumbled cooked sausage patties (I use turkey sausage)
¼ tsp. black pepper
Dash of salt

For Assembly:
Canadian Bacon/Bacon
American cheese slices
Maple syrup

Directions:
For the Pancakes:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

Combine the milk, oil, and eggs in a small bowl.  I always whisk the eggs together first, and then mix in the other ingredients.  Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the flour and mix together.  It may appear a little lumpy, which is fine.

Heat a nonstick griddle over medium heat, for a few 4-5 minutes.  Once ready, pour ¼ cup of batter (I used my ¼ cup measuring cup) onto the prepared griddle and let cook.  The bottoms of the pancakes should cook in about 2 minutes time but keep an eye on the bubbles that appear, that will help you monitor.  Once ready, flip the pancake over and let the other side cook.  When the pancakes are done cooking, place them on a plate and cover with aluminum foil to help keep them warm until serving (or place them in an oven, preheated to 200 degrees)

For the Eggs:
In a medium bowl, crack and add the eggs.  Now, whisk the eggs together until the whites and yolk are well combined.  Add in the milk, crumbled sausage patties, black pepper, and dash of salt.  Whisk the ingredients around a little more until everything is combined.

Spray a large, non-stick skillet with cooking spray (such as PAM) and preheat it over a medium heat.  Once ready, pour in the egg mixture.  Scramble together until the eggs are cooked through.

To Assemble:
Place a slice of cheese on top of a pancake.  If you plan to add Canadian bacon or regular bacon, add it now.  Next, add on some of the scrambled egg/sausage mixture.  If you would like, feel free to add on another piece of cheese.  Top with a pancake and then add on some maple syrup.

We stuck the prepared sandwich in the microwave for about 15 seconds, just long enough to help the cheese melt a little.

Source: Slightly adapted from Paula Deen

Pumpkin Streusel French Toast Casserole

Pretty much everyone has holiday traditions and one of the Christmas traditions around our household is to make my grandma's egg casserole for breakfast.  We'll be having this tomorrow morning, and I'll make sure to share that recipe with you later.  However, at least for today, I wanted to quickly share a great tasting breakfast option that I recently made, and was a huge success!  This pumpkin streusel French toast is not only decadent, but it's also the perfect combination of holiday flavors.  It spans from that of a pumpkin pie, to the taste of a warm cinnamon roll straight from the oven.  Garnish the dish with a little maple syrup and you'll be in heaven!

The great part about this recipe is that you make it the night before.  That way, when you get up in the morning, all you have to do is toss it in the oven.  Merry Christmas!

Pumpkin Streusel French Toast
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Ingredients:

1 loaf whole wheat French bread
6 large eggs
2 ½ cups vanilla almond milk (or regular milk)
1 cup pumpkin puree
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 TBSP. vanilla extract
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Streusel Topping

½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
½ cup cold butter, cut into cubes

Directions:

Coat a 9x13” baking dish with a non-stick cooking spray, then tear the whole wheat French bread into chunks and evenly place them in the bottom of the dish.

In a large bowl, combine and whisk together the eggs, milk, pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice.  (Tip:  Put the eggs into the bowl first and whisk them together before adding the other ingredients)  Now, pour the mixture over the French bread chunks until the pieces are evenly coated.  If you need to, press down any pieces that did not get originally coated with the egg mixture.  Cover with aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator overnight.

To make the streusel topping:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Next, cut in the butter.  I always just wash my hands and use them, but you could use knives or a pastry cutter to do this.  The topping should resemble sand with pea-size chunks.  When ready, sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the prepared French toast.  (If you prefer, you can complete this step the night before, and just store in an airtight container overnight *do not sprinkle on the French toast*, otherwise you can make it in the morning, right before you put the French toast into the oven)

When it’s time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Remove the prepared French toast from the refrigerator, sprinkle on the streusel topping, if needed, and place it in the oven for 45-55 minutes. 

Serve immediately with maple syrup, or as is.  Both ways are delicious!

Slightly adapted from: Fabulously Frugal