Three Healthy Valentine’s Day Treats

Oh, hey Valentine’s day. You with all your sugary treats and candy. We get it- you’re a holiday all about celebrating love and appreciation, but you know what? We need a little space. This relationship that’s got us sugar-bombing our sweet-tooth and justifying boxes of chocolates as a single serving size- yeah, we’re going to need to start seeing other treats. This year, we’re going to show some appreciation to that special someone (and ourselves!) with three treats to make our holiday easy AND healthy.

It’s not you, Valentine’s Day. It’s us.

Yogurt Covered Strawberries

Strawberries, nature’s little heart shaped taste bud huggers, are a must-have for Valentine’s day. However, instead of covering the strawberries in creamy chocolate, cover them in creamy Greek Yogurt. Refreshingly probiotic!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. strawberries
• 22 oz. Vanilla Greek yogurt (you won’t need all of it)
• Pink food coloring

Instructions:

1. Divide yogurt into 4 small bowls; one bowl with no coloring, one bowl with 2 drops of coloring, another bowl with 4 drops coloring and the last bowl with 6 drops coloring. Mix colors well and set aside.
2. Dip the strawberries into colored yogurt and place on a 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.

Recipe from: http://www.eatyourselfskinny.com/yogurt-dipped-ombre-strawberries-2/#_a5y_p=5018575

Strawberry Sorbet

Treat yourself with this decadently dense 2-ingredient strawberry sorbet. It’s so easy you don’t even need an ice cream maker. Delightfully antioxidant!

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. strawberries, hulled and halved.
• ¼ cup + 1-3 tbsp. Maple syrup or agave nectar, depending on how sweet you like it.

Instructions:

1. Freeze the strawberries in a parchment-lined container for about an hour, or until they’re very firm/borderline hard. If you let them freeze overnight, thaw them in the microwave for just a few seconds before blending.
2. Combine the frozen berries and 1/4 c sweetener in a food processor or powerful blender and process until smooth and creamy. Taste and add more sweetener if desired. Process after each addition.
3. Enjoy soft, or transfer to a freezer safe container and let it firm up for about an hour to make lovely scoops.

Recipe from: http://eathealthyeathappy.com/strawberry-sorbet/

Sweetheart Caprese Salad with a Balsamic Reduction

Sounds fancy… and it kind of is. But sometimes you just need to go the extra mile for love, you know? But it’s worth it. This caprese salad is a delicious AND adorable way to make Valentine’s Day healthy.

Ingredients:

• 3 large tomatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick
• 1 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced ¼-inch thick
• 15-20 fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup honey
• Small heart-shaped cookie cutter

Instructions:

1. To make the balsamic reduction, stir the balsamic vinegar and honey together in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and then simmer for about 10 minutes or until the mixture has reduced to ⅓ cup. Allow it to cool to room temperature before using.
2. Using a cookie cutter, cut the tomato and mozzarella slices into hearts. (Save the scraps to eat together in a bowl of caprese salad later!) Layer the hearts on the plate, alternating between tomatoes and cheese. Garnish with basil leaves. Drizzle the salad with the balsamic reduction before serving and watch your special someone’s eyes light up when they see this plate of fresh served love.

Recipe from: https://laurenconrad.com/blog/2016/02/cupids-corner-sweetheart-salads-for-valentines-day/