I really tried to think outside of the box for this one. I wasn’t sure it was going to work at all, but it did! I started by popping 1/3c raw amaranth. Check this post popped amaranth, for the tutorial.

So how did I turn this into French toast?

This is what raw amaranth looks like. It’s teeeeny tiny!

When you pop amaranth it becomes light and fluffy, like a puffed rice cereal, however much smaller. My thinking was that the popped amaranth would absorb the liquid from the eggs and bind it together. Then, I could form them into patties and cook them in a pan.

Totally worked! They stayed together with no problem at all. If you have tried the popped amaranth cereal and like it, and you like eggs, you would like this!

These look really thick and dense, but they are extremely light and have an airy + crunchy texture.

I drenched them in a cooked cherry sauce, bananas + walnuts.

I can’t think of anything to compare these too. They were nothing like the buckwheat bakes and nothing like bread or pancakes either. If you can imagine binding a puffed rice cereal together with eggs, and cooking it in a pan, that is what this was like.

I added chia seeds, cinnamon and vanilla to the mix to give it that French toast flavor. You could definitely have picked these up and eaten them. In fact, next time I make them, I think I’ll smear peanut butter in between and use them as the buns!

Puffed Amaranth French Toast [serves 1]

1/3c raw amaranth
1T chia seeds
1T almond milk
1t cinnamon
1.5t vanilla
1T maple syrup [or other liquid sweetener]
2 large eggs

Pop amaranth, 2T at a time. It takes a few tries to get the heat right, but once you do, you’re good to go. Check this post for details!
Grease [I used coconut oil] + heat a pan over medium heat.
Whisk together eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup, almond milk and chia seeds.
Form 3 patties and place in the heated pan. The cakes should easily hold together. If they’re too dry, add 1T more almond milk.
Cook until set + browned + flip, ~3-4 min per side. You don’t want to overcook or they will dry out. They puff up a bit and should be slightly firm to the touch.

*If you don’t want to add sweetener in the batter, just add in 1/2T more almond milk. I do recommend some sort of sauce. [nut butter, maple syrup, honey, cooked frozen fruit, etc]

Nutritionals? Sure thing! Amaranth is FULL of iron, calcium, fiber + protein! It didn’t keep me quite as full as the buckwheat bake, but still way more than oats.

Lunch? I’ve packed all week and have only eaten out for dinner, once. Pretty impressive, given my busy schedule!

Salad – 1/2c leftover plain farro, spinach, sweet peppers, almonds, cucumber, carrot

I always make my dressing. It takes about 30sec and is delicious!

Equal parts olive oil : apple cider vinegar : balsamic vinegar [4% acidity – This is my favorite. It’s much thicker and sweeter than other balsamics I’ve had. It costs about $9, but lasts quite a long time and is so worth it for the taste!]

Delicious pear + an un-pictured PURE bar! [apple cinnamon is delicious!!]

I feel that it’s really important to focus on healthy eating, even when my schedule is crazy busy. I’ve been non-stop GO, every day this week from 7am – midnight. If I wasn’t eating right, my body would be completely thrown off. I always make time to prepare + EAT food. This salad took 5min to throw together. Much cheaper than eating out too!

I’ve also been keeping up with my workouts, although not quite as intense or often. I made it to the pool once + gym twice. I definitely have not done any arm workouts, because painting has been enough! If you want toned arms, just paint a bunch of ceilings. Working out has been a nice release.

We’re hoping to make a lot of headway tomorrow, putting up new drywall [boys] and continuing with the painting [me]. Photo updates Sunday!

Ashley