Our fun and healthy Trim Healthy Mama Valentine’s meal.
This year I wanted to have health-promoting foods at our Valentine’s meal.
Last year’s meal was fun and special, but it did include a lot of sugar.
Trim Healthy Mama Valentine’s Meal
This year we made chocolate-dipped strawberries using the “Skinny Chocolate” recipe from Trim Healthy Mama (made with coconut oil and sweetened with Stevia).
I also made a strawberry sauce to go over cheesecake, and heart-shaped chocolates with a different chocolate recipe all from the same book.
All were sweetened with Stevia, but still very satisfying. We left the table feeling like we had indulged in very decadent desserts, and yet it was all good for us!
We had Cheeseburger Pie (Trim Healthy Mama recipe), a green salad, and olives for the main course.
The table was set with rose petals and heart decorations, and candles on thrifted china saucers.
{My daughter came to the table wearing a Heart Flexi Clip that fit our heart-themed meal perfectly.}
Last year I bought heart-shaped ice cube trays from the dollar store, and made ice cubes with juice. This year I used the same trays to make ice cubes one day, and heart-shaped chocolates the next day.
The cheesecake recipe is also from Trim Healthy Mama.
It was such a blessed time of family fellowship and encouragement.
My three-year-old recently asked his older sisters, “Where does Mom come up with all of these fun ideas? Oh, I guess she uses her imagination!” He says the funniest things, in such an exuberant voice!
Related Posts:
10 Trim Healthy Mama Valentine’s Desserts
A Trim Healthy Mama Valentin’s Celebration
Angela says
February 19, 2013 at 5:53 pmThank you Joy for the response and explanation! I'll have to experiment a bit and try the Nunaturals brand you recommended. I think it might be fun to try and grow some stevia this year as well!
Joy Kincaid says
February 20, 2013 at 4:48 amYou're welcome, Angela!
Joy Kincaid says
February 19, 2013 at 1:15 pmThank you, Angela!
We've been using Stevia for years now, although I used to believe only the green Stevia was healthful. The problem is, it can leave a bitter aftertaste. I grew some Stevia last year in my herb garden, and you can dry the leaves and add them to tea, and I do like it that way, too.
Truvia contains Stevia, Erythritol (a sugar alcohol derived from fruits), and natural flavors. So it isn't pure Stevia. I use it in some things, such as the cheesecake recipe I mentioned above.
Lately, one of my favorite Stevia products is NuNaturals Pure White Stevia Extract. It only takes a very tiny amount (making it very affordable), and it isn't bitter like some Stevia products.
Stevia isn't an artificial sweetener, as it's plant-derived. I hope to grow some again this year just for fun. Some brands of Stevia do have a bitter aftertaste, though, and it might take some getting used to. I hope that helps!
Angela says
February 19, 2013 at 5:00 amSounds like a wonderful Valentines dinner full of love!! 🙂 Children really do appreciate the special effort us Mommas put into things! I love all the little touches you used to make your dinner so enjoyable!
I wanted to ask you about Stevia…is it the same as Truvia or totally different? I am in the process of trying to eliminate most sugar from my diet, but still would like to have a few ways of enjoying some sweeter things once in a while. 🙂 I am not a huge fan of artificial sweeteners as they taste strange to me. Does Stevia fall into this category?
Jarnette Smith says
February 19, 2013 at 2:57 amHi Joy! I love your heart theme…from the table setting to the ice cubes. 😀 We have the same cute silicone heart tray which my daughter received a couple years ago from a friend for her birthday. She made ice cubes all week and added them as they froze to our fridge's ice maker. When anyone used the auto ice maker, they would get hearts with cubes…fun. 😀 My sons would probably love the cheeseburger pie. I make a cheeseburger soup recipe, which our third son LOVES…so much he requested it on his birthday last month. 😀 Looks like the dinner was a healthy gathering filled with LOTS of LOVE.
Blessings,
Jarnette
Joy Kincaid says
February 19, 2013 at 4:33 amHi Jarnette! What a cute idea to add heart ice to the ice maker! I'll have to pass that on to my daughters…I'm sure they'd love doing that.
It was great hearing from you!
♥Joy
Grace Mae says
February 19, 2013 at 2:05 amSounds like you all have a wonderful day. Hope to see you soon. Where did you find the heart ice cube trays? I am wanting them now. Blessings and Shalom, Grace Mae
Joy Kincaid says
February 19, 2013 at 4:31 amI got them at the dollar store here. They still had quite a few of them the last time I was in there. Hopefully we'll get over all this sickness and see you one of these days! ♥Joy
Emily says
February 18, 2013 at 3:46 pmLooks very festive! I like the heart-shaped chocolates and ice cubes. I'll have to keep an eye out for a heart ice cube tray!
Joy Kincaid says
February 18, 2013 at 9:56 pmThank you, Emily! I love those ice cube trays–they're very useful, and they only cost a dollar!