By Michelle Edelbaum, EatingWell Web Editor
For the first time in many years, my mom and I will be together for Mother's Day. (Yay! No card this year that says, "I wish we could be together :-(. ") And now I'm a mom too. So to show Mom-a.k.a. Grandma-our appreciation this year (and spend some quality mom-time with my son), my 2-year-old fireball and I are going to make a Mother's Day brunch together.
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My little guy loves to help in the kitchen-scooping flour, cracking eggs, mixing ingredients, using spatulas-you name it. If there's food and mess involved, he's there. So I'm planning a menu of dishes that he can help make. Dads and sons, if you're looking to make a meal for the moms in your life, brunch is easy to prepare and has "jobs" most kids can do with a little help.
We'll be making Baked Apple-Cinnamon French Toast and Fruit Salad with Lime Yogurt (get the recipes below), along with some scrambled eggs, tea and juices.
Baked Apple-Cinnamon French Toast
This baked apple-cinnamon French toast can be prepared in advance, so we'll make it the night before so we can relax with Mom in the morning. Then simply pop it in the oven. By using nonfat instead of whole milk and eliminating the egg yolks, the calories are cut by half and the fat is reduced by nearly 80 percent in our griddle-free version.
Active time: 25 minutes | Total: 9 1/2 hours (including 8 hours refrigeration time) | To make ahead: Prepare through Step 3 and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
3 cups nonfat milk
2 cups pasteurized liquid egg whites, such as Egg Beaters
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1-pound loaf sliced whole-wheat bread
1 cup chopped dried apples (3 ounces)
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1. Whisk milk, egg whites, honey, vanilla and salt in a large bowl.
2. Trim crusts off 8 bread slices and set aside. Cut the crusts and the remaining bread into 1-inch pieces. Toss with dried apples, raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg in another large bowl.
3. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Transfer the bread mixture to the pan. Lay the reserved crustless slices evenly on top, trimming to fit. Whisk the milk mixture one more time, then pour evenly over the bread. Press the bread down with the back of a wooden spoon, making sure it's evenly moist. Cover with parchment paper, then foil, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F.
5. Bake the casserole, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until puffed, set and lightly browned, about 20 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes; dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.
Makes 12 servings.
Per serving: 183 calories; 1 g fat (0 g sat, 1 g mono); 1 mg cholesterol; 33 g carbohydrate; 10 g protein; 4 g fiber; 344 mg sodium; 312 mg potassium.
Fruit Salad with Lime Yogurt
Active time: 15 minutes | Total: 30 minutes
1 large ripe honeydew melon, seeded and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 pint strawberries, hulled and halved
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons sugar
Lime Yogurt (recipe below)
In a large bowl, toss melon, strawberries, lime juice and sugar. Let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with Lime Yogurt (recipe below).
Makes about 12 cups, for 8 servings.
Per serving: 133 calories; 0 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 1 mg cholesterol; 32 g carbohydrate; 4 g protein; 2 g fiber; 63 mg sodium; 433 mg potassium.
Lime Yogurt
2 cups nonfat plain yogurt
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. (The yogurt will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.)
Makes about 2 cups.
Per tablespoon: 15 calories, 0 g fat (0 g sat), 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g carbohydrate, 1 g protein, 0 g fiber, 10 mg sodium.
What would you like to eat on Mother's Day or what are you making?
By Michelle Edelbaum
Michelle is the web editor for EatingWell Media Group. She puts her background in journalism to work online at EatingWell.com and in each issue of EatingWell Magazine, authoring The Fresh Interview with interesting people in the world of food and health.
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