Banana and peanut butter toast

Whole-grain bread, banana and peanut butter: this toast is an energy snack or breakfast ready in five minutes, at 15 g of protein, 64 g of carbs and 8 g of fibre for 460 kcal. Carbs from the bread and banana for energy, good fats and a little protein from the peanut butter. It is simple fuel before training or as a bulking snack.

Rich in carbs and easy to digest, this toast is perfect 1 to 2 hours before a session to top up energy. When bulking, it is an ideal calorie-dense snack between meals. When cutting, it is a bit rich: reduce the peanut butter (the most calorie-dense item) and keep one slice rather than two. The peanut butter provides the little protein.

Two choices improve the toast: whole-grain bread (more fibre and satiety than white) and a peanut butter with no added sugar or oil (100% peanuts). A ripe banana is sweeter and easier to digest. To raise the protein, replace some of the peanut butter with quark, or sprinkle with seeds.

If the banana is athletes' favourite fruit, it is no accident. It combines quickly available sugars (glucose, fructose) for immediate energy and slower-digesting starch, especially when slightly unripe. It is ideal fuel around training: it refuels fast without weighing on the stomach, and travels in its own skin.

It is also rich in potassium, a mineral involved in muscle contraction and fluid balance, which you lose through sweat. Easy to digest, cheap and available everywhere, the banana is the ultimate pre- or post-workout snack — and on toast with peanut butter, it becomes a complete little energy meal.

The formula of bread, peanut butter and banana is an easy base to vary. To raise the protein, spread a layer of quark or skyr on the bread before the peanut butter, or add a spoonful of Greek yogurt on top. For more fibre and crunch, add chia, flax or pumpkin seeds, or a few lightly toasted oats. A pinch of fine salt brings out the flavour of the peanut butter, and a little unsweetened cocoa powder turns the toast into a very indulgent chocolate-banana version. For a sweet-and-salty version, add a few flakes of salt and a dash of vanilla: the contrast heightens the indulgent feel and lets you reduce the honey, or even drop it completely.

You can also change the bread: a multigrain loaf, a rye bread or a gluten-free bread depending on your tolerance each give a different chew. Replace the peanut butter with almond or hazelnut butter to vary the flavours. The banana can make way for apple slices, pear or a few strawberries, with the same logic: a fruit, a good fat, a complex carb. Finally, if you want a warm version, put the loaded toast in the oven for two minutes: the banana caramelises slightly and the peanut butter becomes melting. This flexibility makes the recipe practical on weekdays: you use what you have in the cupboard without ever losing the balance between carbs, fats and a little protein.

The first mistake is choosing a supermarket peanut butter that contains sugar, palm oil and additives: the ingredient list should ideally be just peanuts and perhaps a little salt. Second mistake: spreading a thick layer out of habit. Two tablespoons already bring about 190 kcal; use a scale a few times to calibrate your gesture. Third mistake: choosing a so-called whole-grain bread that is not really one, coloured with caramel. Check that whole-grain flour comes first in the list. One last trap: believing that natural means light. A 100%-peanut peanut butter is still very calorie-dense, around 600 kcal per 100 g; there is nothing wrong with that, but you need to know it so as not to underestimate the day’s total.

To save time in the morning, prepare everything the night before: the bread can be sliced and frozen, then put straight into the toaster. Peanut butter keeps well at room temperature in its jar. The banana, on the other hand, oxidises and browns quickly once cut: slice it at the last moment, or sprinkle it with a few drops of lemon juice. If you take the toast with you, close the two slices as a sandwich with the banana inside: it stays fresh and travels easily in food wrap to the gym. If you prepare for the whole week ahead, keep the bread in the freezer and the banana separate: that way the toast comes together in under three minutes, even on the busiest mornings.