Don't Give Flowers for Valentine's Day.....Bake Something!

Tuesdays don't usually scream "Romance", but being Valentine's Day might help a little today. Do you have any plans today or are you more bitter than on a regular Tuesday? I had to laugh when passing by the card section at the grocery store yesterday to see guys holding flowers and franticly searching for the right card. Why laugh, you ask? Well, for one thing, flowers just die and they cost too much to just die so fast; and the other thing, they are too cliché, just like chocolate.

I'm not against “V-day” by any means, I just feel that it would mean more to create your own gifts rather than buy what stores have placed on their high traffic end-caps just because those items are "hot sellers." Luckily, Kelley agrees, or so she says. If not, I'd probably be one of those frantic guys in the card aisle too.

Kelley has come to expect that I will try and make my own gifts; she has plenty of construction paper cards with designs cut out of them to prove it. In addition to my one-of-a-kind paper cards, I like to try and make something for her too.

This year my gift was in the form of baked overnight oats soaked in Zevia Creme Soda and a strawberry puree.  The strawberries were meant to turn the oats red, for a romantice effect, but I guess I needed more since it didn't work. As you can see in the pic, they burned, but lucky for me, Kelley likes crispy burned things. So she enjoyed my edible homemade V-day gift. Success! My “card” came in the form of a small notepad paper with fluffy words and a picture of a stick flower (drawings last longer than the real thing)…hey, I’m no artist.

4 Strawberries pureed with Zevia Creme Soda added

Oats and Chia Seeds prepared to soak in Zevia overnight

Oops! Too long in the oven.  There were supposed to be hearts in there too...

If you don't feel like burning anything for your sweetheart, here are several healthy yet delicious treats from past posts I suggest you try. These are easy to make and can even be made ahead of time. Try one of these and make your loved one smile....

Crunchy Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Greek Yogurt Banana Bread

Frozen Fruit and Squash Puree

Easy Banana Ice Cream

Homemade Instant Oatmeal Mix

Homemade Rice or Regular Pudding sweetened with Stevia

There are plenty of recipes to try and one is sure to be a success with your loved one. Give one (or two) a go and let me know the result. Hopefully everyone is happy and healthy.

Enjoy your Valentine’s Day, everyone, thanks for reading!

Kelley, Happy Valentine’s Day to you. I love you!