Toast Toppings to Fuel Your Fitness

Toast is quick, fits in anytime of day, and is super versatile. Breakfast, snack, lunch, or dinner, sometimes it just hits the spot! With the fabulous #ToastTuesday trend I thought I’d share some of my favorite healthy toast toppings, along with when you might want to enjoy each combo. The “trend” obviously isn’t the old boring toast you’re used to. Warmed fluffy (mostly) sprouted grain bread with a slight crisp and delicious toppings may be a better description of what I’m sharing today (along with creative recipe ideas from some other dietitians and healthy food bloggers). If you’re thinking “sprouted whaaaat?”, have no idea what kind of bread to buy, or still think “carbs are bad“, check out this post on how to choose nutritious bread. And no whining if you’re gluten-free! I have a whole category for you at the bottom!

(L: almond butter, banana cacao nibs | R: sunflower seed butter, gala apple, hemp seeds)
Read along and be prepared for two different toast combinations at once – it’s not just my Libra indecisiveness. Who doesn’t want to enjoy two flavor combos at one meal?

Pre-Workout Toast Toppings

If you’ve got 1-2 hours before an intense workout, the combos below will give you the perfect amount of energy without a blood sugar spike and crash.

Nut Butter Fig Toast
Whether you have fresh or dried, figs have a great balance of energy with a bit of fiber to fuel exercise. The below is perfect if you have an hour before a sweat session in the morning, though. Slice the figs and enjoy them on a piece of whole grain toast with 2-3 teaspoons of nut butter, a sprinkle of hemp seeds, a drizzle of honey and side of espresso.

Fridge Clean Out Toast
Just grab what you have to use up and add it to your toast! It is hard to tell from the picture, but the toast on the right has some pesto mixed in that I needed to use up and I likely was saving a few leaves of arugula from the compost pile, too! On the right, coconut with almond butter and blueberries is a combo that you need!

Indecisive Pre-Workout Breakfast Toast
On this particular morning I was craving both savory and sweet, and had over 2 hours before a workout. In those instances, I start with the savory and then have the sweet… sort of like my dessert half of breakfast! In addition to crushed red pepper, I love to add hemp seeds to avocado toast for some texture. If you add a whole lot more, you’ll get a protein boost, too. The other half is topped with peanut butter, banana, hemp seeds and cacao nibs, a classic combo for me.

Almond Butter Fruit Toast
These slices are each topped with almond butter, then one has 1/3 of a banana and the other 3 strawberries. You can of course add more fruit, but here I opted for a side of watermelon to hit the spot and provide sustained energy and extra fluids!

Hummus Toast
Not the best picture, but one of my favorite healthy toast toppings. This one is topped with some pine nut hummus as well as some hemp seeds for texture. One slice is perfect 30-60 minutes pre-workout.

Banana Bread Toast
Yeah, this is a thing. In our house anyway! This was chickpea flour banana bread, I believe and while I got it a touch crusty in a pan, you can place a slice in a toaster oven, too! Drizzle some nut butter on top with a bit more banana and you’ve got a delicious pre-workout snack. Don’t go running right to the gym, though, as this needs 1-2 hours to digest depending on the person.

Rainbow Fruit Toast
Betsy Ramirez, MEd, RD has the “eat the rainbow” game down with her toast! As a home school mom and dietitian, her creativity must be immense in the kitchen. Check out her recipes for these gorgeous toasts and have any of them before a workout, or any time of day!

Toast Toppings for a Meal

Originally this category was breakfast toast (for when you aren’t heading to a workout and need sustenance for several hours). The reality though, is that the convenience of toast makes it perfect for lunch and dinner on a busy day, too! The healthy toast toppings you see below boost protein, healthy fat and veggie content so you’re nice and satisfied for hours to come.

Savory & Sweet | Kale & Banana
You can see below that this was an indecisive morning. Savory and salt on the left English muffin half was kale, an egg, hemp seeds and hot sauce. For “dessert” I then had the peanut butter, 1/2 banana, hemp seed and coconut version. Both delicious and satisfying!
Everything Bagel Toast
If you have yet to pick up Trader Joe’s “Everything but the Bagel” seasoning, I am not sure what you’re waiting for. It is perfect on top of avocado toast or cream cheese (Kite Hill vegan) and I even sprinkle it IN the eggs when I scramble them, too! This meal also included some leftover roasted vegetables and was a perfect breakfast on a morning I had 4 hours before I could eat a balanced lunch.

On more normal days when I can have a snack between breakfast and lunch, the amount in the two meals below is just perfect.


Buffalo Cauliflower Toast
This was a fabulous idea this past fall while we were at Tim’s parents in Jacksonville, Fl. We had roasted tons of veggies the night before, including the buffalo cauliflower, and when I opened the fridge this is what sounded good. In hindsight, I should have paired with an egg for more protein and satiety, so you should, too!

Avocado and Bean Toast
While I happened to go with some leftover chickpeas here, any beans will do! To make this a meal, I do recommend using two slices. Just spread avocado or cream cheese on the toast, top each half with 1/8 Cup beans, add some tomato and voila! I also seasoned with black pepper and cayenne, but choose your favorite spices.

Sloppy Joe Toast
The best part is the sloppy joe filling itself anyway, so why hide it? Add 1/2 Cup (or what you can fit) of Sloppy Joe to avocado toast and you have the perfect vehicle for a yummy meal! If you need a recipe, my Lentil Sloppy Joe’s are pretty darn good.

Avocado Toast Toppings

I know you’ve enjoyed this before… or at least have seen it! In houses and on menus everywhere, there are way more ways to enjoy it that just smashing a bit of avocado on bread (though you can see I like to do that, too!).

Basic Avocado Toast
When in doubt, I top with crushed red pepper and call it a day. Here, paired with leftover roasted veggies and eggs, it completes the meal! I also love adding hemp seeds as shown above.

Pepperoncini Avocado Toast
I can’t take credit here ( but wish I could!). Mr. Jones created this one night when dinner just wasn’t satisfying enough. Now we eat it all the time! Perfect to have as a snack or with a meal. Just add your favorite jarred pepperoncini to avocado toast and season with pepper.

Avocado Fruit Toast
There are 6 delicious ideas in this post from Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD of Teaspoon Communications, blogging at Teaspoon of Spice. The strawberry, mint, basil one is calling my name! All would work great as a pre-workout (or anytime) snack.

Gluten Free Toast Toppings

I know some of you actually have to be gluten-free, and I have your back! Whether it’s gluten-free bread or toast alternatives, you’ll enjoy toast just as much as everyone who eats gluten without it messing with their health.

Blue Corn Tortilla Toast
Hearty corn tortillas are available at Whole Foods and other specialty stores. If you don’t live close by, they freeze well and can be heated quickly in your toaster for a teeny bit of crunch before being spread with avocado or other toppings. Here the tortilla and veggie omelet are topped with cilantro and fresh tomato, too.

Yogurt Mint Pistachio Toast
I love the creativity from Karlie, blogger over at Karlcooks.com with this one! Head to her website to see what her favorite gluten-free bread is.

Sweet Potato Toast
A fun trend within a trend! This is way easier than you think, so get the directions from Kathryn at FamilyFoodontheTable.com !

American Toast

For breakfast on the 4th of July, Memorial Day, or any other time you want to celebrate America, start your day with one of the following!

Berry Patriotic Toast
Top a slice of whole grain bread with 2 teaspoons of almond butter, 1-2 sliced strawberries and 1-2 Tablespoons blueberries. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of unsweetened shredded coconut on top and pair with a side of 2 scrambled or hard boiled eggs! Great on its own as a pre-workout snack.

Patriotic Protein Flag Toast
I’ll be chatting more about protein below, but Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN, author of The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club and owner of NutritionStarringYOU.com created this option that you can make in minutes for breakfast or after a workout!
Just blend a half cup of low fat cottage cheese with ground cinnamon and vanilla extract before spreading on two slices of whole grain toast. Top with strawberries, banana, and blueberries in a flag pattern! You’ll be packing in 20 grams of high quality protein.

How do you love your toast?

I am always looking for new ideas, so share below!