February 5, 2016
Healthy Valentine’s Day treats
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner with February 14th giving you the perfect opportunity to spoil the one you love. However, if you’ve been working hard to stay healthy, it also means you might be tempted to eat foods and drinks that aren’t good for you.
Many people associate the most romantic day of the year with enjoying plenty of wine and chocolate, which are not healthy choices. Rather than falling off the wagon, why not make some tasty treats for you and your loved one that have a lower calorie count?
This will mean you can both have a treat without having to worry about the impact on your health. Here are some great ideas for healthier Valentine’s Day treats:
Chocolate dipped fruit
Chocolates or truffles are full of fat and sugar, so rather than share an unhealthy box on Valentine’s Day, why not create an alternative that is just as sweet?
Chocolate dipped fruit is a healthier choice, especially if you use dark chocolate, which has fewer additives and less sugar than milk or white varieties. You can either choose to dip one fruit or create a selection.
Simply melt your dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot water, stirring occasionally. While doing this, lay greaseproof paper out on a tray.
Carefully dip your chosen fruit into the melted chocolate, lightly shaking it to remove excess, before placing it on the tray to set.
You can then place each piece of chocolate fruit in a small paper cupcake case before arranging them in a Valentine’s box.
Healthy cookies
Cookies are a great choice for Valentine’s Day as they are easy to share and can be decorated to suit the celebration. However, they really aren’t healthy.
To make your cookies better for you while ensuring they still taste good. Use whole wheat flour, natural peanut butter and honey or agave syrup to replace the fat, white flour and fat that goes into traditional cookies.
You can add food colouring and decorations like sprinkles to make them totally fit with the romantic atmosphere of the day.
Valentine’s smoothie
Rather than having a cheeky alcoholic tipple, why not make a non-alcoholic smoothie? Combine red berries, Greek yoghurt and honey to create a pink and tasty drink that you can serve in cocktail glasses to make them extra special.
You could also use your smoothie to make a tasty, adult slush, which makes it a bit different from your usual concoctions. Pour it into a freezable container and cover before putting it in the freezer.
Use a fork to stir it every hour to break up the ice crystals until you have a fully frozen slush. Serve it up in a dessert glass and enjoy.
Melon lollypops
Rather than the sugary Valentine’s lollies you can buy in stores this month, make healthier versions with fruit. You just need lolly sticks and small cookie cutters to make them and can use food colouring if you want them to be bright.
Cut slices of melon before using the cookie cutter to create heart shapes. Then you just need to stick the melon shapes firmly onto the lolly sticks and they are ready to enjoy! You can even freeze them for a nice cool treat on Valentine’s Day.
