The High-Protein “Brunchy” Breakfast I Make Every Weekend To Maintain My 60 lb Weight Loss
594 calories | 40g protein | 48g carbs | 26g fat
by Audie Metcalf
I’ve lost 60 pounds and have kept it off for about 2 years. No meds or trainers or needles. NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT. Most of losing weight is managing calories. Notice I didn’t just said reducing calories—although that is, of course, at the center of how all weight loss is achieved. Yes. All of it.
And I do that mostly by removing food that “tastes like more” as my mom says, from my house. I can’t trust myself with potato chips in the house, so I don’t have potato chips in the house. But sometimes I need to feel like I’m eating an indulgent lusty meal, while still living inside the parameters I’ve set for myself.
And this brunchy breakfast is exactly that.
It’s a bountiful plate of thick, sourdough French toast with butter and maple syrup, two sunny-side-up eggs, chicken sausage, and a heaping mound of berries. It’s under 600 calories, has 40 grams of protein, lots of fiber, and keeps me full (not stuffed) for many hours.
There are two major hacks I used here—one for protein and one for intense flavor. First hack? I soak the sourdough bread in plain egg whites instead of making a traditional French toast batter, which adds 17 grams of protein right there! And second—and this is the part I need you to trust me on—I heavily salt the French toast after I add one tbsp of butter once I’ve plated it. Not a token sprinkle. Enough to actually taste it. The salt makes the butter richer and the maple syrup somehow more maple-y.
Here’s the full picture:
Ingredients:
● 1 slice sourdough bread
● ⅔ cup liquid egg whites (approximately)
● 2 eggs
● 2 chicken sausage links (I use Amylu Organic or Applegate)
● ½ cup mixed berries
● 1 tablespoon salted butter
● 1 tablespoon maple syrup
● Avocado oil spray
● Flaky salt
How to Make It
1. Soak the sourdough in a shallow bowl of egg whites, flipping until it’s thoroughly saturated. Meanwhile, heat a nonstick pan over medium heat with a teeeeeny spray of avocado oil.
2. Cook the French toast for about 1½ minutes per side until golden. While it’s cooking, microwave your chicken sausage, wash your blueberries, and put them on your plate. As soon as the French toast comes off the pan, add the tablespoon of butter so it melts right into the bread.
3. Cook your eggs in the same pan with another tiny spray of avocado oil. I like mine sunny-side up, covering the pan for the last 30 seconds or so to firm up the yolks slightly. While they’re cooking, measure a tablespoon of maple syrup into a little ramekin for dipping.
4. Put it all together. Add the eggs and sausage to your plate, then sprinkle salt all over the buttered French toast. Don’t skip this part!!! It brings out the richness of the butter and makes the maple syrup taste even better.
That’s it. A delicious, hotel brunch buffet-adjacent breakfast with 40 grams of protein, that’s under 600 cals, and absolutely no need to pretend that any of us can live off plain egg whites without experiencing a deep sadness.
And here are the macros of the complete meal:
Let's gaze at it again shall we?
Audie Metcalf is the Editor-in-chief of The Candidly, and lives in LA with her family. You can find more of her articles here.
