Give Your Sweetie Heart Healthy Treats For Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is the day for lovers, and usually means a trip to the florist for a dozen roses. Many people also give candy and other treats. Some candy is beneficial, such as dark chocolate, but other candy you may want to stay away from, such as milk chocolate. Below are some treats you can make to give to your sweetie on Valentine's Day, such as dark chocolate, fruit parfaits, punny pears, and vegetable skewers.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is healthy for your heart, as it improves the blood flow that goes to your heart, which can prevent blood clots from forming. It can also help prevent hardening of your arteries (arteriosclerosis). Instead of purchasing the standard heart shaped box of candy, choose dark chocolate instead.
You could also melt some dark chocolate in a bowl and serve it with strawberries. Dip the strawberries in the chocolate, and enjoy a healthy Valentine's Day treat.
Vegetable Skewers
Cut up slices of cucumbers into a heart shape and place them on a vegetable skewer. Behind the cucumbers put other heart healthy vegetables, such as cherry tomatoes, mini shrimp, and more. If you want to mix in some fruit, use strawberries, chunks of pineapple, grapes, and more.
If you do not want to purchase skewers, you can use coffee stirrers, mini straws, wooden sticks, and more.
Fruit Parfaits
Fruit parfaits are delicious and you can turn them into a Valentine's Day treat. Put some low-fat vanilla yogurt into a small dish, and top it with strawberries cut into heart shapes. You could also add some cut up pineapple chunks and sliced kiwi both cut into heart shapes.
If you want to make the yogurt a bit more flavorful, mix in some dark chocolate chips, coconut, or granola with the yogurt before you put the toppings on.
Punny Pears
Purchase some pears and use an edible marker to draw some small red hearts all over one of them. On the front of the pear, write, "we make a great pear," and put it into your spouse's lunch box, serve it to him or her at home, etc. If he or she does not like pears, purchase some apples, and use the edible marker to put, "You are the apple of my eye" on the front of it.
Rent a romantic movie for the both of you, and enjoy the heart healthy Valentine's Day treats while watching it. Talk to people like ICE, Institute of Cardiovascular Excellence for more information.
