Alright, so Valentine’s Day is coming up, right? And I always want something sweet, but honestly, trying to be a bit healthier these days. Store-bought stuff is usually loaded with sugar. So, I thought, why not try making some healthy-ish treats myself this year?
I spent a bit of time scrolling online, looking for ideas that didn’t seem too complicated. Found a few things that looked promising – stuff using fruit, nuts, dark chocolate. Decided to give a couple of simple ones a go. Nothing too fancy, just wanted something tasty without feeling guilty afterwards.
Gathering the Goods
First step was hitting the grocery store. My list wasn’t too crazy:
- Dates (the Medjool ones are good, softer)
- Raw nuts, like almonds and walnuts
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Some coconut flakes
- Greek yogurt (plain, full fat tastes better)
- Lots of berries – strawberries, raspberries
- A bit of honey or maple syrup, just in case
- Good quality dark chocolate (like 70% or higher)
Got everything back home and laid it all out on the counter. Felt kinda prepared, you know?
Making the First Treat: Date Energy Bites
I decided to start with some no-bake energy bites. Seemed easiest. I grabbed my food processor – haven’t used it in ages, honestly. First, I chucked in the dates (made sure to remove the pits, almost forgot that!) and the nuts. Whizzed them up until they were mostly broken down. It was really loud.
Then, I added a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder and a splash of vanilla extract. Mixed it all up again until it started sticking together, like a big ball of dough. It looked pretty decent, actually.
The slightly messy part was rolling them into balls. My hands got sticky pretty fast. I rolled some of them in coconut flakes just to make them look a bit nicer. Popped them onto a plate and put them in the fridge to firm up. Easy peasy.
Next Up: Berry Yogurt Parfaits
Okay, next I wanted something fresh and maybe a bit prettier. Parfaits seemed like a good bet. This was super simple. I grabbed some small glasses. Washed a bunch of strawberries and raspberries.
I just started layering things. A spoonful of Greek yogurt at the bottom, then a layer of mixed berries, then another layer of yogurt, more berries. I did maybe three layers in each glass. I thought about adding granola, but wanted to keep it simpler and lower sugar.
For a tiny bit of sweetness, I drizzled the smallest amount of honey over the top layer of berries. Stuck a nice looking strawberry on top of each. They looked quite elegant, I thought, for minimal effort.
The Verdict
After letting the energy bites chill for about 30 minutes, it was time to taste test. The energy bites were surprisingly good! Chewy, chocolatey, not too sweet. You could really taste the dates and nuts. Definitely hit the spot for a chocolate craving.
The parfaits were great too – fresh, tangy from the yogurt, sweet from the berries. Very light. Felt like a proper dessert but without the heaviness.
So yeah, my little experiment worked out! It took a bit of effort, mostly the prep and cleanup, but it wasn’t hard. And the results? Tasty, looked kinda festive, and much healthier than grabbing a box of chocolates. Definitely felt good making something myself. Might even do it again next year.
