Healthy Valentine's Day treats and sweets

This Valentine's Day, treat your loved ones to Ultra Beauty's
healthy detox snacks and meals. While indulging, your skin
will be getting a boost of radiance and health - perfect for
looking beautiful this Valentine's Day

I LOVE Valentine’s Day!  It is my favourite ‘holiday’ of the year – the one day all my mushy romanticness has an official outlet.

My gift of choice is Charbonnel et Walker Champagne truffles and I always keep the boxes – I love smelling the delicious chocolatey smell that stays inside long after the truffles have gone.

But Valentine’s Day doesn’t just have to be about sugary sweets – why not try making some of these healthy treats that you can indulge in plus beautify at the same time!   All are quick and easy and you can make them for your other half, your family or your best friends.  

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1. Start the day with heart shaped egg in a nest which is so simple but looks so sweet.
   
   

Grab a piece of gluten-free or wholemeal bread, an egg, a cookie cutter or a knife, some butter, and a frying pan. Cut a heart-shaped hole in the bread.  Heat the pan over medium heat, add a bit of butter and swirl around.  Place the slice of bread in pan (as well as the little heart-shaped piece) and carefully crack the egg into the hole in the bread.  My version didn’t look exactly like this one, but tasted dee-lish, so don’t worry!

Eggs are eggs-cellent sources of protein, all 9 essential amino acids, iron, phosphorous, selenium and vitamins A, B12, B2 and B5 (among others). The one yolk in this recipe contains 113 mg of Choline – a very important nutrient for brain functions, and happiness.  Perfect for feeling good on Valentine’s Day! 

2. Heart fruit skewers

These are so cute, and you can eat them knowing that you’re giving your skin a Vitamin C, antioxidants and fibre – all of which promote collagen production and peachy, glowing complexion.  

 

If you don’t have a heart-shaped cutter, you can cut out the shapes with a small knife.  In these pics I’ve used strawberries, melons, grapes and pineapple, but you can use any firm fruit.

3. Ultra Beautiful truffles, or date balls

This is the ultimate beautifying truffle alternative, and I have to thank Anjali at The Picky Eater blog for this amazing recipe!  Seriously, they are so good that they’ll become a regular on your dessert menu.  

Date balls are the perfect healthy Valentine's treat

This recipe is 100% raw so there’s no baking at all, and very easy to make.

The ingredients:

▪ 20 medjool dates, pits removed
▪ 1/2 cup almond butter
▪ 1/4 cup coconut flour
▪ 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
▪ 1 tbsp cinnamon
▪ Finely shredded coconut flakes

Simply mix all ingredients in food processor except the coconut flakes.  Roll into small balls, and then roll in the shredded coconut to coat.

Dates are a very nutrient dense fruit, and have been a favourite since Ancient Egyptian times.  The high amount of fibre in this fruit helps detoxify the digestive system, keeping your complexion clear.  The iron helps to give your cheeks a rosy colour and vitamins A and K are two of your skin’s favourite allies in promoting radiance and health.

Also contained are potassium, B vitamins for happiness and stress reduction, lutein, copper, magnesium, manganese which provide their own unique preventive and healing functions.

4. Fruit love letters

So cheesy, but so adorable.  I know my husband loves pulling out these fruity love letters at work and getting super embarrassed.  Hee hee.  They are very healthy, plus easy peasy to do.  You could also make some more ‘adult’ versions if you were so inclined…

5. Chocolate dipped strawberries

Mmmm dark chocolate is the best!  It’s beautifying properties can help your skin look young and radiant, and your mood to stay positive and calm.  Dark chocolate is full of flavonoids which are antioxidants that help your skin protect itself from UV damage (hello, fewer wrinkles) fight free radicals (so long, sun spots) and increase blood flow (i.e. dewy glow!).  In one study, flavonols in dark chocolate even improved skin hydration and thickness—both mega important for young-looking skin.

Combine with strawberries and you’ll keep the portion size small while giving yourself a collagen boosting dose of vitamin C and the skin smoothing effect of ellagic acid – helping to get that even, air-brushed look sans foundation.

How to melt chocolate:

Break the chocolate into small pieces and put into a heatproof bowl.

Add a little boiling water to a saucepan and heat until simmering.

Suspend the bowl over the simmering water, but don’t allow the base of the bowl to touch the water. Heat the chocolate, stirring regularly, until almost completely melted, then remove from the heat; the residual heat of the bowl will melt any remaining lumps.

Dip the strawberries, leave to harden, and if you want you can sprinkle some more decorations on top.  Then lick the bowl of any remaining chocolate.  Chef’s treat…

More Valentine's reading:

Funny stories…  This Marie Claire collection of date disasters is hilarious! 

Inventive card messages…  I love these funny Valentine's messages in Huff Post!  Especially the Simon Cowell one…  

T h a n k s  for reading; please make my Valentine's by sharing and following!