Bob Green's healthy Chocolate French Toast

Yum!  I'm currently gluten free, so I can't test this healthy version of a classic brunch food, but the folks at

TheBestLife.com recommended it for a healthy alternative at Easter brunch and it sounds terrific.

It's from Bob Greene, Oprah’s diet and fitness expert, author of the bestselling The Best Life Diet and founder of TheBestLife.com, where he shares some favorite recipes.  

 

Recipe for Chocolate French Toast from The Best Life:

Makes 5 servings

 

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Total Time: 20 Minutes (if griddle fits four slices)

 

With whole-grain bread and lots of fresh strawberries, this is a healthy spin on the classic.

 

Ingredients:3 large eggs
3/4 cup 1% milk
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, such as Hershey’s Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 tablespoon ground cinnamon
10 slices whole-wheat bread (with about 80 calories and 15 g carbohydrate per slice)
1 second spritz vegetable oil cooking spray (to coat pan)
2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
10 teaspoons soft margarine (containing no partially hydrogenated oil, such as Smart Balance Buttery Spread)

Directions:1. Beat eggs, milk, sugar, cocoa, vanilla, salt and cinnamon in large bowl until smooth.

2. Heat a large griddle or skillet over medium-low heat. Coat pan with a thin layer of cooking spray. 

3. Dip bread in egg mixture and place a few slices on griddle. Cook about 2 to 4 minutes on each side. Repeat until all slices are cooked. Serve immediately with equal portions of strawberries and 1 tsp soft margarine per slice.

Nutrition Information

1 servingCalories:  332

Protein: 13 g

Carbohydrate: 47 g

Dietary Fiber: 9 g

Total Sugars: 18 g

Total Fat: 12 g

Saturated Fat: 3.0 g

Cholesterol: 113.4 mg

Calcium: 126 mg

Sodium: 338 mg

 

The connection: Seasons, sleep, weight loss

How cool is this! 

The folks at BodyMedia (an armband that tracks calorie burn and sleep patterns) drew data from its thousands of users and found some interesting stats. It shows how much people sleep in different months. Since this is from BodyMedia users, most of these people are engaged in weight loss programs.

I've never personally used the BodyMedia, but seen it in use with friends and co-workers, many of whom swear by it and credit it not only with weight loss but a huge increase in overall fitness.  So now we know what sleep patterns they put in place to help make that happen.