GoKeslie.com: Happy MOTHER'S day!

I wanted to give a quick shout out to all the MOM'S out there! I've always tried to make mother and father's day special because it's a small way of giving back to my parents. I find that every year I get older I am able to appreciate what they've done for me even more. They truly are incredible people :)

This morning, I took my newfound cooking skills to another level! haha! I created my own French toast recipe from scratch and tried to make it as healthy as possible. Sometimes "healthy" and "tasty" don't always work together but this ended up being AWESOME!... Then again it's still French toast. It's tough to make it super healthy, although, this is more nutritious than the typical recipe. It was a total experiment throwing in this and that but it ended up REALLY impressing my Mom (plus my Dad and I) so I thought I'd share...

KESLIE'S MOTHER'S DAY FRENCH TOAST

Ingredients: (This could serve 3 or 6 people depending on if you chose to double layer the toast like I did in the picture or only use one slice per person)

- 2 Large Eggs (one entire egg, one egg white) *I used brown eggs
- 1/2 cup 2% Milk
- 1 heaping T wheat flour (or all-purpose)
- 1/4 heaping tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 2 T fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 T grated orange peal
- 1/4 cup quick oatmeal oats
- 6 one inch sliced whole wheat bread (hearty loaf from the bakery - I got mine from Harris Teeter, which is like Whole Foods)

Toppings:

- 2 bananas
- Hand Full of Strawberries
- Any other kind of berry that sounds good to you
- We had pure maple syrup from Vermont but any syrup will work :)

Directions:

Mix together all the ingredients in no particular order. Pour a thin layer of mixture in the bottom of a baking pan. Lay bread slices flat on top. Pour the remaining mixture evenly across the top of the bread. Press the bread down with a spatula to help soak up the liquid. If there are still unsaturated spots, add a little extra milk to those areas. Cover and let sit for 30-60 min.

I used a griddle at 350 degrees but a frying pan would work just fine (medium-high heat). Spray lightly with cooking oil. Take bread out of pan and lay flat on frying surface. Cook each side until golden brown-time varies depending on thickness of bread.

While the bread is cooking, coat a second frying pan with cooking spray. Peal and cut bananas lengthwise and place in the pan (no butter needed). Warm up the bananas on each side so they are slightly soft but not too much where they get brown and mushy. Slice strawberries and/or other fruit for topping.

I layered 2 pieces of toast for one person but it was VERY filling. Lay the first piece on the plate. Put a layer of warmed banana on top, followed by the second piece of toast. Strawberries (and other fruit) are the final touch on top.
EAT UP and ENJOY :) Let me know if you try it!

I used to focus on what gift I was going to get my mom for mother's day but this year I've changed my outlook... I've invited my cousins over with my Aunt Pam and we're going to celebrate in a little different way. All six kids are making dinner for our moms, which will be followed by GAME NIGHT! My mom loves playing board games but we seldom have enough people to make it worthwhile. So...... we've planned a night of guaranteed family, fun and laughs (especially with my oldest brother back in town!) haha Those pictures will be posted shortly... HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY :)

It was a success! Here are some photos from the night...