Blueberry Almond French Toast Bake

This past week was Shawn's week off which equals one of my favorite things...breakfast in bed! I'm still trying to cook and bake a little on the healthier side than usual for now. When I'm trying to be healthy...Ellie Krieger is my best friend. Shawn and I both LOVE french toast and Ellie Krieger has a couple french toast bake recipes I have been intrigued by.

Whats great about them is you put it all together the night before and just pop it in the oven so you can cuddle up in bed with your loved one until the wonderful scent of cinnamon and toast awakens your bellies :) I chose to do her blueberry almond one because I've always read that both blueberries and almonds help reduce belly fat, and lets face it, I could use the help...especially seeing as to how my man is home only once a month. This was super yummy and satisfying. We ate it warm out of the oven on top of vanilla yogurt with a drizzle of sugar-free syrup and a touch of powdered sugar. As one can probably assume, I got this recipe off of the foodnetwork.com.

Blueberry Almond French Toast Bake

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 whole-wheat baguette (about 18 inches long, 8 ounces), cut into 1-inch cubes
8 large eggs
8 large egg whites
2 cups 1 percent lowfat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/3 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Directions:
Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange the bread in a single layer in the baking pan. Whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and maple syrup. Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the pan, spreading it around so the liquid saturates the bread. Scatter the blueberries evenly on top and sprinkle with the almonds and brown sugar. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover the baking pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Serve warm, cold or at room temperature.

Per Serving:

Calories 270; Total Fat 8 g; (Sat Fat 2.5 g, Mono Fat 2 g, Poly Fat 0.75 g) ; Protein 16 g; Carb 35 g; Fiber 3 g; Cholesterol 220 mg; Sodium 280 mg

Excellent source of: Protein, Riboflavin, Iodine, Manganese, Selenium
Good source of: Fiber, Vitamin K, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Zinc