It's nearly Valentine's Day – one of my favorite holidays. I enjoy it so much because it's a time when I can express my creative skills. Some of you may make cards with your kids or put together floral arrangements for your spouses. But I want to hear about the Valentine's Day treats you're baking or cooking up for your sweets. ("Sweet" meaning all of the sweet people in your life – not just a significant other.)
In the comment field below, share your creative ideas for Valentine's Day goodies. But the catch is that you need to put a healthy spin on it. (Ex: I'm going to make chocolate covered strawberries versus plain ole' chocolate.) Submit your comments by Saturday, February 14th. Gather will draw three respondents to receive 300 Gather Points ™ each. Of those respondents, Gather will select the writer of their favorite response to receive a $25 Target gift card that can be used for buying future Valentine's Day gifts!
Can't get enough of healthy treats? Check out Food.gather.com for more!
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Comments: 115
Of course Velentine's Day is about sweet treats, but as a mom, I tend to lean towards the healthier options. These two snacks are a little sweet and healthy at the same time. it's a win/win snack choice!
It'll look fun and festive, and be quite a bit more healthy than standard Valentine's Day treats!
Fruit Kabobs with Yogurt Dip. You can find red or pink plastic skewers and then load them up with strawberries, cherries, watermelon and red seedless grapes. You can use a tiny heart shaped cookie cutter for the berries and watermelon to get the festive look. Low-fat vanilla yogurt works well as a dip and strawberry yogurt would be perfect with your theme.
Jello Jigglers using sugar-free gelatin. We use bite size cookie cutters shaped like hearts and flowers. I have used pineapple juice, apple juice and even grape juice as a water substitute. I know that water is healthy, but the juice gives it an added taste that the kids love.
I am thinking of making one, and try to use fruits that I can dye red before hand. I was thinking pineapple, pear, mago that I can soak in some red food coloring ahead of time. Strawberries, and sliced star fruit as well. Then when I mix in the yogurt, it will all turn a nice pink without having to use flavored stuff.
Apple pie- hold the sugar. We make apple pies with some spenda in it, but no sugar. FIL is diabetic so this has become a mainstay dessert around here. I have heart cookie cutters, so might design the top crust some.
We will also be having milk with a little red food coloring added. The kids always think it's something special when they have colored milk to drink!
Dinner is whatever restraurant we as a family decide to dine at.
sugar free vanilla pudding with layers of vanilla wafers(which are not too bad on calories) and layers of banana.
A good Diabetic dessert.
Whip together 2 small containers of strawberry yogurt (I guess you could substitute vanilla or any other flavor yogurt) and 1 small tub of cool whip.
In individual dessert dishes put 2 vanilla wafers in the bottom of each. Alternate layers of sliced strawberries and yogurt/cool whip mixture. Top with red colored sugar crystals. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Also I make homemade waffles ( whole wheat flour) shaped like hearts and
fresh fruit. no syrup, lite cool whip, just a dollop.
This cake is really easy to make. Take any kind cake mix and make it as directed. Pour it into one round and one square cake pan. Bake as directed. When cool. Take the square cake out of the pan and put it on a form that is made from a large piece of cardboard covered with tin foil. Now cut the round cake in half and place it around the square cake to from a heart shape. You will need to cut a small slice from the bottom of both the round cakes to make it a perfect heart.
Now all you have to do is frost it and decorate it anyway you like. Looks great with white frosting and pink trim. Deoorate it with "I love You"
To that end, I started a tradition of making Sweets for my Sweets!
( You see when I began doing this I could not afford cards nor fancy chocolates, nor flowers for my kids to give to there daddy and grand parents and friends; so I had to get a little creative)
So I started making Valentine Cookie Grahams for every one of our 'sweets'.
Today it has become sort of a family tradition that I now carry on with my grandchildren.
My healthy spin is that Graham Crackers are made from graham flour, a type of coarse wheat flour which is very high in fiber, and my healthier frosting choice is to use either organic vanillia yogurt thickened with cream cheese or if I am short on time I purchase a store bought icing mix labled vegan.
Here is my recipe for Valentine Cookie Grahams
You need: One Graham cracker per Valentine , pink frosting (put red food coloring into frosting) Alpha Bits cereal & small candy hearts
Directions: 1- Frost Graham cracker with pink frosting. 2- "Write" your message (I Love You Mommie/Daddie etc and your name) using the Alpha Bits and placie them on the middle of the frosted cracker. 3- Decorate the boarder with candy hearts. Let dry about 1 hour
Then we package up our Valentine Grahams for our 'Sweets' in those adorable little sacks you can get at the dollar store. Viola, inexpensive & healthy gifts to give out to our 'sweets'. Overtime I even realized that in doing this I also created loving memories for me and the kids and now my grandkids.
Making Valentine Grahams is how I celebrate my 'sweets' with a sweet
I got my daughters "I love You" gift books. Precious Moments for my 4 year old, and "I Hope You Dance" book with CD for my 9 year old. "Half Priced Books" is one of my favorite stores!
For each one, push half of a red grape onto a trimmed wooden skewer for the head.
Next, push on a hulled strawberry body and score the back to create wings.
For spots, use a toothpick to gently press mini chocolate chips, tips down, into the fruit. Arrange the skewers on a honeydew melon half.
You take a graham cracker and break it in half. Put cool whip on one half and then put the other half on top, dip each side into different colored sprinkles and then put them in the freezer!
They taste even better than ice cream sandwiches and without all those calories!
Also, to show that I love them, I make them healthy meals (not just sweets) using tofu (high in antioxidants) and opting for using egg whites instead of eggs for omelets, quiches and other recipes. I've been known to substitute apple sauce in some too! I try making small variants here and there so they don't really notice that their meals are getting better for them. They still taste great!
puree raspberries
prepare 1 cup grits per package directions
temper in one beaten egg and mix in raspberries with a little honey.
pour into shallow baking pan and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees
let cool down and cut into shapes.
garnish with fresh raspberries and a little raspberry puree on the plate. sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Animal Glitter Graphics
My mother use to make us heart shaped pancakes for Breakfast on Valentines day.
She would funnel the batter into a squeeze bottle with a hole in the cap. Then on the griddle, shape the hearts one lobe at a time. Really they just looked like a V shape, which spreads out into a heart on the griddle. She always topped them with fresh berries and maple syrup (for my sister as I do not like syrup)
For a perfectly shaped heart, make regular round pancakes and cut them out with a heart-shaped cookie cutter. This might be a little easier and faster too. ;)
I want to find the red or pink bread to make PB&J sandwiches, which are always a hit with this class, and use a cookie cutter to cut them into heart shapes. I will add some cut up strawberries on the side. For their "dessert" I bought heart-shaped ice cube trays to make sugar free jello, and they are the perfect size for little fingers!
Valentine's Day fell right in the middle of the LOVE lessons that we are doing, so I think this will fit perfectly with the other activities we have planned.
For his afternoon snack, I will make my son one of his very favorite snacks. He loves fresh sliced strawberries with granola and yogurt or cool whip. The strawberries turn the whole thing pinkish, so it will be the perfect valentine snack.
I looked it up and it will be way healthier, plus there are fewer portions for us to pig out on!
yum!!!
I reduce the sugar, use reduced fat butter and use natural peanut butter.
but we will splurge on valentines day we have to have those heart pancakes
Did you know that strawberries are not fruit but from the rose family? So how appropriate is that?
Sauteed Pear Sundaes: (good for two servings, double or tripple recipe for a family, per 1 pear half per person)
1 teaspoon butter
1 pear, halved
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground ginger
2 scoops nonfat frozen yogurt
Melt butter in a small nonstick pan. Add pear halves and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender. Sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon and ginger; stir until the sugar melts. top with a scoop of non-fat frozen yogurt (optional but good).
Take the blueberries, then a layer of strawberries and then a layer of grapes use them as a border around the heart, then take the 2 banannas and put then in the shape of a heart towards then center. Then to fill in that part take cashews/peanuts/walnuts (shelled) in the middle of the two banannas.
Cover with the top of the Cardboard heart and give a very healthy heart to someone.
With a cherry on top.
2 cups vanilla soymilk
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Dash salt
Raspberry Sauce or fresh raspberries, if desired
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries
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1. Pour soymilk into 1 1/2-quart saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin evenly over soymilk; let stand 5 minutes.
2. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, the vanilla and salt. Heat over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved and mixture just begins to simmer (do not boil). Remove from heat.
3. Pour mixture into four 1/2-cup ramekins or 6-ounce custard cups. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate about 4 hours or until set.
4. Meanwhile, make Raspberry Sauce: In 1-quart saucepan, stir together 2 tablespoons sugar, the cornstarch and water. Stir in 1/2 cup of the raspberries. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened. Cool 10 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 cup raspberries. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour until chilled.
5. When ready to serve, run thin knife around edge of each panna cotta. Dip bottom of each ramekin into bowl of very hot water 5 seconds. Immediately place serving plate upside down over each ramekin; turn plate and ramekin over and remove ramekin. Panna cotta will flatten slightly. Top with Raspberry Sauce.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): In step 2, heat over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes (do not boil).
Got this a while back from Betty Crocker i believe, think i will be making this one for my guys and my self as a special Valentine's desert. will be sure to send a pick if i do. Still on the fence as to what i will make. Think it will be this one.
For dinner, I usually make a pasta dish for my husband. That is his favorite. I make a pesto sauce without the nuts and with a tiny bit of the cheese and I don't add extra salt. My son can't have that so I make a marinara for him. I try to use as little oil as possible.
In the a.m. I make heart-shaped french toast, altho' the only way to make that healthier is to use Egg Beaters or egg whites instead of the whole eggs in the batter.
In the past, I've also used Egg Beaters to make thin crepes and I have filled them with sugar-free fruit spread and a bit of fresh fruit. I drizzled them with dark chocolate.
Oysters are an aphrodisiac. I loved making oyster stew for my late DH, and topping it with another aphrodisiac, parsley. I served it heart-shaped bowls. He loved it.