“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”…

Love is in the air and most of the people are seen busy getting gifts for their loved ones. I’ve decided that this Valentine’s day I am going to express my love to my valentine through delicious food. When everything seems to fail, delicious food helps me to win over my husband’s heart. I am not going to wait till dusk to make a special dinner for him, but this time love showering is going to start from dawn itself, the moment he wakes up.

Who wouldn’t love to see breakfast ready on the dining table as soon as they jump out of the bed? My husband loves this and I terribly fail to do so almost everyday. So this valentine’s day I am going to surprise him by this special Valentine’s day breakfast. If you are someone just like me wanting to surprise your husband or wife right from the dawn of Feb:14 th, then do join me and here I share with you an easy, yet delicious and nutritious breakfast.

Valentine’s Day Breakfast

Heart shaped French Toast

Ingredients:

• Whole Grain bread- 4 or according to your needs
• Eggs- 3
• Sugar- 2 tbsp or according to your needs
• Cinnamon powder- 1/4 tsp
• Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp
• Butter or Ghee- 1 tsp per slice

Preparation:

• Whisk eggs, sugar, cinnamon powder, vanilla extract in a bowl and keep aside.

• For making heart shaped french toast, you need to get a heart shaped cookie cutter, available in almost all stores.
• Place a single slice of  bread on a cutting board and center the cookie cutter over the bread slice.

• Gently press the cutter into the bread.

• Remove the bread around the outside of the cookie cutter and save these for making bread crumbs or bread pudding.
• You will have heart shaped bread on the board.

• Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, add the ghee or butter.
• Dip the heart shaped bread into the beaten egg one at a time and place on to the ghee or butter.

• When it turns golden brown, flip to the other side using a spatula and let it turn golden brown on that side as well.

• Transfer to a platter and serve warm with fruits and hot chocolate.

Tips:

• If you want you could pour maple syrup on the french toast while serving.
• Just increase the eggs, sugar, cinnamon powder and vanilla extract accordingly to make more french toasts.
• Don’t throw away the bread from the outside of cookie cutter, you could make french toast with them too or use for making bread pudding or bread crumbs.

1. Many studies support the connection between increased whole grain consumption and a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. The #1 cause of death in the US is heart disease.
2. The complex carbohydrates in whole grains give you a steady supply of natural fuel to provide sustained energy.
3. Whole grains are a natural source of valuable antioxidants, as well as vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6), vitamin E, magnesium, iron and phytochemicals which, working together, help reduce the risk of some cancers.
4. Research has shown that persons with higher intakes of fiber, as found in whole grains, have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
5. The high fiber content of whole grains can help persons feel full with fewer calories and therefore, be beneficial in weight management.

Whole Grains food list:

- Breads, Pastas, and Cereals that are made with 100% whole grain.
- Brown rice, Wild rice, Barley, Corn, Popcorn, Buckwheat, Oatmeal.

When buying whole grains food, carefully check the food labels for the word “WHOLE GRAINS”. Reading food labels isn’t as easy as you think. Here’s how to decipher nutrition labels so you can separate fact from marketing. Link

Do you feel dizzy when you enter the bread aisle seeing all different kinds of bread? Let me help you with this:

White bread: is made from wheat flour from which the bran and often the germ have been removed and this makes it less nutritious and unhealthy. “The whiter the bread, the quicker you’re dead!“ – an old but wise saying.

Whole Wheat bread: The word “whole” refers to the fact that all of the grain (bran, germ, and endosperm) is used and nothing is lost in the process of making the flour, which is used for making the bread.

Multi-Grain bread: Multi-Grain bread is made with multiple grains such as oats, cracked wheat, buckwheat, barley, millet and flax.

Difference between Whole-Wheat and Whole-Grain:

In whole-wheat flour, the grains go through a refining process that will remove some of the nutritional value from the end product. While, whole-grain flour doesn’t go through this process and hence retains all the nutrients.

Why “Multi-Grain Whole Grain” bread is better than “Whole WHEAT” bread?

Multi-grain bread has different grains added to it which provides you with greater range of benefits. But, when you buy multi-grain bread, it must also say ”100% whole grains” somewhere on the package, otherwise they may have refined grains added to it, which completely makes it unhealthy.