Single French Toast Bake in the Microwave (Egg-Free!)

Single French Toast Bake in the Microwave (Egg-Free!)

by | Sep 4, 2018 | Health, Home, Recipes

Would you guys believe that I’ve been saving this French toast recipe for weeks just so that it would be closer to fall?  I don’t know if anyone would’ve been on board for warm French toast when its 90-125 degrees outside. 

Weirdly enough, this summer I’ve been eating a lot more warm foods for breakfast than ever before.  If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I’m a hardcore smoothie enthusiast.  Yet, as I’ve dabbled in ways to improve my digestion, I found a new love for warm breakfasts. 

This recipe came about one morning when I was low-key craving cinnamon raisin buns—using this recipe from RachLMansfield—but did not have any of those around.  Her recipe is super simple but when you want breakfast now, not hours from now, you get creative.

Here was my thought process:

Ooh cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread in my freezer?  This might taste similar to cinnamon buns.

Let’s use some vanilla unsweetened almond milk, too.  Oh, maybe French toast?

Hmm but then I need to turn on the stove and that takes too long.  GROAAANN.

 Wait, how about the ol’ microwave?  Yeah, this could work!

Honestly, the microwave is never my first choice for cooking but I knew it would provide the dried-out top the way the oven does for baked goods.  I had a very specific texture I desired:  crisp top and chewy center.  I am happy to say I achieved this!

As a final note: I whipped this all up in the morning but, if you’re a planner, this would probably be excellent made-ahead.  You could set it in your fridge overnight and then microwave it in the morning.

 french toast in a microwave

Single French Toast Bake in a Microwave
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 serving
Ingredients
  • ½ cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ scoop vanilla protein powder
  • ½ scoop collagen peptides (optional, but adds a “chewy” texture)
  • A tiny pinch of sea salt
  • 2 slices cinnamon raisin Ezekiel
Instructions
  1. Cut the bread slices into cubes. I did three slices horizontally and vertically for 9 cubes per toast!
  2. In a microwave safe bowl or wide ramekin, mix the milk, cinnamon, protein powder, and collagen until combined.
  3. Then, dredge the bread cubes into the mixture. Lightly press them down while trying to coat all sides of the cubes. After all of the bread cubes have been dredged, press the cubes into a flat, even layer and place in the microwave.
  4. Cook for 3-4 minutes, depending on your microwave. The top should look and feel dry to the touch.
  5. Be careful when removing because the bowl will be HOT! Let cool for a few minutes before adding syrup, yogurt, or additional raisins to your French toast (microwave) bake!

It makes me excited when I can discover a shortcut to something that usually takes a lot longer to make.  I’m planning on just prepping containers of this in my fridge and warming them up for the weekday mornings.  😎

Let me know if you give this recipe a try!  Comment below or tag me on Instagram!

Chocolate Cinnamon Breakfast Shake—Mexican Hot Chocolate Inspired

Chocolate Cinnamon Breakfast Shake—Mexican Hot Chocolate Inspired

by | May 25, 2017 | Health, Home, Recipes

Oftentimes I go to bed dreaming of what I’m going to eat the next morning for breakfast.  The flavors of peanut butter and cinnamon on toast, berry-filled smoothies, or zucchini oats occupy my mind.  It might be a problem how much I think about food but if it’s wrong then I don’t want to be right!  Especially when it comes to breakfast—the best meal of the day!

Sweet breakfasts are my usual but chocolate, surprisingly, does not make a daily appearance in my breakfast or snacks.  Simply because it is one of those flavors that you crave the more you eat it, or, conversely, crave less if you don’t eat it.  I remember the days of being a chocoholic and it wasn’t pretty.  Now, I can go weeks without tasting chocolate in any form, and I’m quite fine, but once I taste some chocolate muffins or homemade chocolate peanut butter cups I find I’m craving it daily!  Not that I’m complaining.  Thankfully, my chocolate interests are much tamer these days and I channel my sweet tooth in what I’d say is a nutritious manner.

Exhibit A: Chocolate Cinnamon Breakfast Shake.

chocolate cinnamon breakfast shake

Truly, this combination came about when I accidentally threw cinnamon into my chocolate smoothie.  I spice up my breakfasts with cinnamon—AKA the wonder spice!—almost every day.  It adds a warm, comforting feel but also enhances the sweetness in foods.  Though, cinnamon with cherries, frozen cauliflower, spinach, and chocolate protein powder isn’t a pairing I was prepared to make.  Fortunately for me, cinnamon can do no wrong.

The smoothie turned out to be reminiscent of Mexican Hot Chocolate.  If you wanted to tap into that flavor profile a bit more, then a dash (or approximately 1/8 tsp) of chili powder would add some heat.  Though, the cinnamon is enough—especially if you want to keep your smoothie strictly sweet 😉

Let me know if you give this a try!

chocolate cinnamon breakfast shake

UPDATE:

I’ve updated the recipe below to include an option for how to achieve the same Mexican Hot Chocolate flavor if using a protein powder other than ALOHA.  Tone it Up chocolate plant-based protein or Nuzest chocolate protein would both work.

Chocolate Cinnamon Breakfast Shake
Recipe Type: Breakfast, Smoothie
Author: Melanie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Cinnamon accompanies cherries, cauliflower, spinach, and chocolate protein powder to create a flavorful smoothie reminiscent of Mexican hot chocolate.
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 c cauliflower, frozen
  • 3/4 cup frozen spinach
  • 1 cup frozen cherries
  • A serving of chocolate plant-based protein powder (I used ALOHA)
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tbsp almond butter
  • 1/8 tsp chili powder (optional, but recommended for Mexican chocolate flavor)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp cacao powder*
  • 1/2 tsp sugar in the raw or coconut sugar*
  • a pinch of Himalayan pink sea salt*
  • 3/4 cup coconut water + 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or plain water + almond milk)
Instructions
  1. Blend up the coconut water and spinach so no spinach bits remain. Then, add in the chocolate protein powder, cauliflower, and cherries. Blend, pushing down on the sides of the blender with a spoon to help the mixture along.
  2. When mostly combined, add in the cinnamon, chili powder, almond butter, and almond milk. If using a protein powder other than ALOHA, add cacao powder, raw sugar, and sea salt.
  3. It will be a very thick mixture, but that’s how I like my breakfast shakes. Add in a bit more almond milk or water, if desired.
Notes
I like to blend up the ingredients in steps to make it easier on my blender. If you have a strong blender, feel free to toss all of the ingredients in at once.[br][br]*The original recipe was tested with ALOHA chocolate plant-based protein powder. It has a stronger chocolate flavor and slightly sweeter taste. You can use another chocolate protein powder, like Tone it Up plant-based powder, but, to compensate for flavor differences, add the starred ingredients: cacao powder, raw sugar, and sea salt. They’re all necessary to bring out the hot chocolate flavors!