Well hello there! Guess what! Eat-all-the-chocolate Valentines Day is right around the corner! Which for some of us is all woohoo – love, red, sparkly things and for some of us it’s all woohoo chocolateeeeeeeeeee <insert sugar high here>. So before I jump into this super sweet round up, let’s talk about chocolate for a second!
Chocolate is super yummy I know, I know – BUT when Paleo {or just eating healthy} it’s super important that you pick out the right kind of chocolate for all of your dishes. Here are some rules of thumb to remember when you’re in the store drooling looking at all the different options.
• Chocolate shouldn’t have soy! You read me right, soy is not invited to this party – so read the ingredients really carefully to insure you’re not accidentally buying a chocolate that has soy, soy letchin and doesn’t say “may contain soy” on it!
• Dark Chocolate = love! Darker the better baby! I like to stick somewhere between 70-85% dark, just depending on what the store has for a good price with all of my requirements! Sometimes it can get pricey for a good bar of chocolate – but if you’re just eating it as is, spending an extra dollar on a darker super nice chocolate is better than buying 2 crappy bars!
• For chocolate chips I always go straight to enjoy life chocolate chips! They’re soy, dairy, nut and allergen free! Plus they’re mini which makes them adorable! But if you can’t afford chocolate chips don’t worry! Just chop up a bar of chocolate into small pieces!
• If you’re melting chocolate for something remember that now you’re eating the awesome chocolate without additives or random stabilizers so it’ll melt a little different than the old stuff and it won’t behave the same way so if it’s your first time working with it, buy extra chocolate as a just in case! Also when melting it, make sure your bowl is DRY and you melt it low and slow!
I think that about covers my tips for chocolate – oh wait, last bit of Liz-Advice: Bacon + Chocolate = best friends. So you know, make bacon for Valentines Day too!
Maple Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies
It’s a cookie, with bacon and chocolate and maple. I mean it screams love … ’cause everyone loves bacon! Right? Yes! The best part? These are totally a “guy approved” so the special man in your life has something extra special on this oh so special day!
Almond Butter Truffles
True story, on Valentines Day you can’t go wrong with a good chocolate truffle especially these ones from my first book, Paleo on a Budget. And the added almond butter makes it ten times yummier than it was before! And totally mix up the toppings, flavorings and all that jazz!
Chocolate Coffee Cookies
I feel like the title explains why these are perfect for Valentines Day and just life in general! It’s coffee, in a cookie with chocolate chips! I know, you’re equally as excited as I am. Don’t wait, just make them now, think of it as pre-gaming for Valentines Day!
Primal Raspberry Cupcakes
I can’t give you a sweets treat round up with out cupcakes, that would be very very mean of me! So here’s the best cupcake you’ll ever have! AND if you need a double dose of Chocolate add in some chocolate chips along side with the raspberries!
Mug Cake
I posted this mug cake recipe this time last year — because first off you can’t go wrong with a cake that takes less than five minutes total to make. But mainly because sometimes you either don’t want to cook or some people just don’t like to bake, which makes it the perfect thing to make for yourself or that special someone really anytime of the year!
P.S. If you want to see a slight variation on the recipe check out the Mug Cake in my newest book – Paleo Meal Planning on a Budget!
Chocolate Bark
An oldie but a goodie – a super quick + yummy dessert that can literally have any topping you want on it! It’s also a fun + inexpensive treat to bring into work or to school and share with friends!
Pancakes!
Ok this isn’t dessert -this is breakfast. But Valentines Day doesn’t have to start later on in the day! You can totally rock some chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast to get your day started! OR you can rock breakfast for dinner + serve it with some bacon and eggs!
Happy Valentines Day!!!
xoxo
Liz-
Leave a Reply