Cinnamon and vanilla French toast with sliced banana and peach

What do you worry about most when it comes to food? Eating things you shouldn’t? Or not eating things you should?

I bet you have heard all about the foods you should avoid. Those that could give you cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or obesity. But if you want to be fit and healthy, energetic, happy, pain free, and to be able to keep moving through life, perhaps it’s more pertinent to think about the foods you should eat. These are the foods that give you get the right nutrients for sustained energy, strong bones, joint mobility, and, dare I say it … happiness.

I always said that I was going to dance until I was in my seventies, or until the end of my life. But in the last five or so years (since I passed 40) I’ve started to find dancing harder. It hurts my body more. I have felt stiff, lacking in energy, and felt muscular and joint pain that robbed me of the joy I normally felt when dancing.

But I’m still not giving up. I’ve now turned to thinking about the food that nurtures my body so it works better and so the physical decline of age will slow. Instead of avoiding junk food because it would make me fat, I’ve started realising that if I eat junk food, I’ll probably end up feeling older. By older, I mean tired, sore, and achy.

Some of the foods I try to eat more of these days include:

Dark leafy greens, like spinach and kale, for salads and smoothies
Green tea (I loved iced green tea, which is also great for smoothies)
Spices, like turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper will apparently reduce inflammation that cause joint pain
Foods to keep me fuller longer so I’m not tempted to eat junk, and so I can stay mentally and physically alert

I know I’m not the only person who wants to keep being active, but finds it more difficult with each passing year. So I thought I might share some of the recipes I’ve come up with or found that I find easy to prepare, tasty, and which are like medicine for my body.

Today I’d like to share what I had for breakfast this morning – French toast with cinnamon, vanilla, bananas and yellow peaches.

The good stuff in this recipe includes:

eggs (for protein and to help me feel full until lunch time),
cinnamon (anti-inflammatory)
vanilla (anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory)
fruit because (it tastes sweet with natural sugars, adds fibre for digestive health, plus has Vitamins B6 and C, and minerals Manganese, potassium, magnesium, folate).

This is one serve, so makes enough for one person. But you can multiply it if you’re cooking for others.

Ingredients

2 eggs
A splash of milk
2 slices of wholemeal bread with grains (I use gluten free because I have coeliac disease, but you can use any bread, preferably not white bread)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ banana (sliced)
½ yellow peach (peeled and sliced)

Method

Spray a non-stick frying pan with extra virgin olive oil and heat over medium heat
Put the eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla in a bowl and beat with the fork until combined.
Dip the bread into the egg mixture to coat both sides
Place the bread in the frying pan
Any extra egg mixture left over you can put in an egg ring in the frying pan
Cook for a couple of minutes on the first side (until bronwed), then flip and do the same on the other side
Serve with a side of banana and peach

I love to put a slice of banana and a slice of peach on top of each mouthful of the French Toast.

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Move Through Life Dance Studio offers dance classes to adults of all ages in ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, dance conditioning/stretch, and mature dance. We pride ourselves on offering you a place to indulge your love of dance, whether you’re a complete beginner, had a long break from dance, or danced all your life. Our classes have a broad mix of ages, and our philosophy is that you are never too old to dance, it is never too late to start, and you can dance forever!

If you have any questions, get in touch with Jo on 0402 070 021 or email jo@movethroughlife.com.au