With Valentine’s Day just a week away, many of you might already be thinking about the treats that tend to come along with this holiday.  Whether or not you celebrate Valentine’s Day, we all love a little special treat now and then.  While I don’t believe that you have to eat healthy 100% of the time, it can be helpful to have some healthier treats in your repertoire when needed.

Consider non-food treats.  After all, Valentine’s Day is really meant to celebrate the ones you love, not consume mass quantities of candy!  Here are a few ideas:

• Create a Printable Love Coupon Book (free printable download included!).
• Make it an experience- grab your loved one and go to a movie, have a picnic in the park (or even your backyard!), go for a bike ride, take a yoga class, go bowling or rock climbing…basically anything fun that you can do together.
• Make a bouquet of lottery tickets with a cute tag saying “I won the lottery when I fell in love with you.”
• Give (or get) a massage, manicure and/or pedicure.

For edible options, check out a couple of my favorite healthier treats below!

If you’re not into celebrating Valentine’s Day, check out this post from Work/Life.

Get ready for #Valentines with some #cleaneating treats. Chocolate...peanut butter...pudding...need I say more?! #saslife Click To Tweet

Peanut Butter Chocolate Dates
Makes 20 dates
PRINTABLE RECIPE

Ingredients

Around 20 pitted dates
½ cup peanut butter (or any other nut, seed or coconut butter)
½ cup coconut oil, melted
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup maple syrup
Pinch of sea salt

Directions

1. Split the dates with a knife.
2. Stuff a small about of nut butter in each date, and press to close them back up.
3. Lay stuffed dates on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes or freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up.

4. In the meantime, combine melted coconut oil and cocoa powder in a medium-sized bowl and whisk well to combine.
5. Add in maple syrup and pinch of salt and whisk until smooth.
6. Dip the cold dates in the chocolate, roll them to cover completely then lift out with a fork, letting the excess chocolate drip off before placing back on the parchment lined baking sheet.

7. Place the covered dates back in the refrigerator to firm up.
8. Serve cold or bring to room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving for a softer bite.

 

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
Makes 4 Servings
PRINTABLE RECIPE

Ingredients

1 can full fat coconut milk
⅓ cup chia seeds
¼ cup cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp sea salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
2-5 Tbsp maple syrup (to taste)

Directions

1. Add all ingredients except maple syrup to a mixing bowl and whisk vigorously to combine.
2. Sweeten to taste with maple syrup.

3. Let rest covered in the fridge overnight or at least 3-5 hours (or until it's achieved a pudding-like consistency).
4. Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for 2-3 days, though best when fresh.
5. Serve chilled.