French Toast with Caramelized Banana and Rum

Jennifer IserlohThe French call "French toast," "pain purdue," which means "lost bread" since it's dunked in a sea of eggs and milk. And after having a large plate of it at your local brunch you might feel like you've lost your healthy eating habits, with all that maple syrup, butter, eggs and thick slices of white bread.

But updating this Sunday morning treat can mean it can stay in your healthy eating plan. Switching to whole grain bread means more fiber, adding egg whites and using oil instead of butter means cutting back on saturated fat, the bad kind. Using bananas instead of just plain syrup means a boost of potassium and a more filling topping. Using skim milk instead of whole cuts back on calories since whole milk has more fat, and fat is calorie-rich.

The best French toast starts by properly soaking the bread. Avoid a hard dry center by piercing the bread slices all over with the tinges of a fork so they will soak up as much of the egg mixture as possible. Sliding your French toast into the oven instead of cooking it completely on the stovetop has its benefits: The gentle heat of the oven bakes the bread through without overcooking the exterior or drying it out..

Get the Skinny Chef's French Toast with Caramelized Banana and Rum recipe.

Nutritional Stats Per Serving (2 slices French toast with 1/4 cup caramelized bananas): 373 calories, 15 g protein, 48 g carbohydrates, 10 g fat (2 g saturated), 140 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 331 mg sodium.

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