Three Healthy Valentine’s Day Treats You’ll Love

Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate loved ones and show them how much you care. What better way to do that than with some delicious (and healthy) desserts? With these nutritious Valentine’s Day treats, say goodbye to the stomachaches caused by sugar overload! With all the nutritional upgrades in these tasty treats, you won’t feel guilty about dishing them out to your loved ones.

Raspberry Dark Chocolate Bark

Ingredients:

4 oz unsweetened dark chocolate, roughly chopped (typically, 1 full bar)

1 1/2 tsp organic stevia, or adjusted to taste

1/2 teaspoon vanilla crème stevia

1/4 cup freeze dried raspberries

2 tbsp almonds, diced very finely

1/4 tsp coarse sea salt

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper
2. Add the chocolate, stevia and vanilla crème stevia to a microwave-safe bowl, and stir to combine. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir with a fork for at least 2 minutes. Microwave on high for 20 seconds. Stir with a fork for at least 2 minutes. If there are still small bits of unmelted chocolate, continue to microwave on high for 5 seconds at a time, stirring for at least 1 minute after each microwave interval, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
3. Dice the freeze-dried raspberries and almonds very finely, no larger than the size of miniature chocolate chips.
4. Immediately transfer the chocolate to the prepared baking sheet and spread into a thin layer about 1/16^” thick with a spatula. Quickly sprinkle the remaining ingredients on top and gently press them down into the melted chocolate with your hands. Let the chocolate cool and harden completely before breaking it into small pieces.

Yogurt Dipped Ombre Strawberries

Ingredients:

1 lb. strawberries

22 oz vanilla Greek yogurt

Pink food coloring

Directions:

1. Divide yogurt into 4 small bowls; one bowl with no coloring, one bowl with 2 drops of coloring, another bowl with 4 drops and the last bowl with 6 drops. Mix the colors well and set aside.
2. Dip the strawberries into colored yogurt and place on baking sheet to set, freezing for one hour.
3. Remove strawberries from the freezer and re-dip each into colored yogurt. Place them back into the freezer for another hour or two until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Overnight Oats with Raspberry Jam

Ingredients:

Raspberry Jam

1 cup frozen/fresh raspberries

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup

Overnight Oats

1 cup oats

2 tablespoon chia seeds

3/4 cup almond milk

1 tablespoon honey/maple syrup/another natural sweetener

Directions:

1. For the jam, place your raspberries and coconut oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir until the berries have turned mushy and the juices are coming out, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the honey/syrup and chia seeds. Keep stirring until it reaches your desired consistency (another 5 to 10 minutes), and then remove from heat. Allow to cool down, then scoop into a container/jar and place in fridge.
2. For the overnight oats, combine the oats, chia seeds, almond milk and sweetener in a bowl. Mix together until everything is interspersed (especially the chia seeds).
3. Place in fridge for 6 to 8 hours.
4. Before eating, scoop about 1/3 cup into a mason jar. Add a layer of raspberry jam and another layer of oats. Add a final layer of jam and top with fresh raspberries, cacao nibs and whatever other toppings you desire.