Valentine’s Day falls on a weekday this year, so it seems a whole lot easier to make a special breakfast for dinner than breakfast for breakfast. This special supper only takes a few minutes to throw together at the end of a busy day. Adding a spoonful of jam to a secret pocket inside the bread elevates ordinary French toast, and a strawberry heart skewer with yogurt dip adds Cupid’s arrow vibes.
Serves 4 people (serving size: 1 thick slice of stuffed French toast)
Ingredients:
- One unsliced loaf of bread, cut into 1.5”-thick slices (challah or brioche works very well
- here)*
- Raspberry or strawberry preserves
- Butter for greasing the pan*
- 3 Eggs
- 1/3 cup of milk or milk alternative*
- Strawberries
- Plain or vanilla Greek yogurt*
- Cinnamon
Steps:
To make the French toast:
- With a sharp paring knife, cut a slit into one end of a slice of bread to make a deep
- pocket, but don’t cut all the way through
- Fill the pocket with about 1 tablespoon of preserves
- Repeat with the remaining slices of French toast and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl or pie plate, whisk together eggs and milk with a fork. Set aside.
- Melt a small amount of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.
- Dip each side of the stuffed challah into egg mixture.
- Transfer the eggy challah slices onto the warm skillet and cook for about 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
- Slice in half before serving, or let your kids find the jam surprise themselves!
Optional toppings: Powdered sugar, strawberries, or a drizzle of nut or granola butter.
To make the strawberry skewer:
- Rinse and dry fresh strawberries
- Remove the stem part of the berry by cutting the top into a heart shape – aim for
- rounder sides with a short little triangle in the middle. If that sounds too complicated, just thread hulled berries onto a skewer! They’re pretty heart-shaped on their own anyway (shhh.)
Serve with a small bowl of yogurt dusted with cinnamon for dipping
(If your child is too young to safely use a sharp skewer, just skip it and serve the berries on the side)
Notes on the Ingredients:
*Bread: Feel free to use your favorite type of bread – sprouted grain can definitely work well too. Just make sure to get an unsliced loaf so you can control the thickness.
*Butter: Both salted and unsalted work fine
*Milk: You can use any type of milk from whole to low-fat. You can also substitute plant-based milks.
*Yogurt: I suggest Greek yogurt because I like adding some extra protein when I can, but if your family prefers non-dairy yogurts or non-Greek varieties, that will be fine!
Meet FEED's Resident Nutritionist:
Caroline Kaufman, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Caroline Kaufman is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with an A.B. from Harvard and an M.S. in Nutrition from The Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy. Her advice has been featured in a variety of media outlets, including Health, CNN, Prevention, Self, Shape, Oprah, New York Magazine, PBS Parents, and Sirius XM’s Doctor Radio. She lives in New York City with her husband and two children.