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Is it just me or has anyone else noticed how so many holidays seem to be centered around junk food? From Halloween candy to Christmas cookies to Valentine’s Day treats to Easter baskets it feels like my daughters collect enough candy from the holidays alone to feed an entire army (and we actually did help feed the army by shipping our Halloween candy to them one year!). And since holidays, which seem to pop up every other month, are intertwined with birthday parties, school rewards, and other special occasions (King Cake for Mardi Gras anyone?) I often feel like I don’t even get the chance to “treat” my kids to something special because everyone else does it for me. But that’s because we aim to let treats truly be a “treat” at our house, which means not getting one every single day (or even every other day), and it sometimes feels like the rest of the world isn’t quite on board with that idea. This post is not about that though…it’s actually about how “treats” can be fun and exciting without also being full of sugar or artificial colors (or from a factory)!
I know people get caught up in wanting to give kids something special – and some people even think I am “depriving” my children when I don’t want them to have highly processed junk food – but how special is it really if it’s also not good for their health? Sure a piece of candy here or there probably won’t hurt anything and my kids certainly eat junk food like that on occasion, but the point is I can offer something that’s better for them and just as exciting! I think it’s up to us to decide what foods are deemed as “special.” If I put a little extra thought into how a certain food is presented, and I tell my girls it’s extra special then guess what? They agree and get pretty excited about it. They are young (4 and 7) so I’m not sure how long this will last, but you should have seen how they were clamoring over the pictured heart shaped fruit (on the kabob sticks with ribbons) while I was busy taking a million pictures of them. They were thrilled when I finally said they could gobble them up. Was it a little more work than ripping open a Pop Tart? Sure, but not much and I personally think the extra effort was worth it to feel good about what I was feeding them. 
So in the midst of the standard candy this Valentine’s Day I hope you’ll consider trying out some of these holiday-themed alternatives as well (as I’ve said before…cookie cutters aren’t just for cookies!):
- Heart or X & O shaped cheese or fruit (apple, kiwi, & honey-dew melon pictured above) either by itself or with other pieces on kabob sticks.
- Homemade whole-wheat brownies (pictured & recipe below) that are heart-shaped or have heart shapes on them using unsweetened coconut, homemade whipped cream, unsweetened cocoa powder, or crushed nuts…you could even stick a small heart-shaped strawberry on top.
- Heart-shaped homemade whole-grain pop tarts.
- Whole-grain breads (like banana, zucchini, or pumpkin) baked in heart-shaped muffin tins.
- Whole-grain muffins baked in either full-sized or mini Valentine’s-themed paper muffin holders (can be found at Michael’s Craft Store or Target).
- Heart or X & O shaped breakfast pancakes (pictured) either plain or with flavored cream cheese – try mixing in fresh pureed strawberries or an all-fruit raspberry jelly to make it pink – in the middle to make it a sandwich.
- Fruit or cheese squares stuck with Valentines-themed toothpicks (can be found at Michael’s or Target).
- Heart shaped PB&J sandwiches for lunch (save the bread scraps in the freezer to make croutons or stuffing another day).
- A Valentine’s themed lunch with a heart-shaped sandwich, heart-shaped fruit, and even heart-shaped cheese on a salad!
Please share your “real food” Valentine’s Day ideas in the comments below! And now here’s the recipe for those brownies…
- ¾ cup whole-wheat flour (I tested this recipe with King Arthur’s organic white whole-wheat flour, which is 100% whole-grain)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa, you will have much better results if you use “dark” cocoa (Hershey’s makes some)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup maple syrup (or honey – my family is divided because I loved the maple version and they loved the honey version)
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 eggs
- ¼ cup chopped nuts (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9X9 inch square glass baking dish with oil or butter.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl including the flour, cocoa and baking powder and set aside.
- In a small pot on the stove melt the coconut oil together with the maple syrup and vanilla extract.
- Once the coconut oil is melted whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the egg and keep whisking until it’s mixed together thoroughly. If using nuts fold them into the batter with a spatula.
- Pour the batter into the glass baking dish and bake for 16 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Eat or store in an air-tight container at room temperature – enjoy!
I just made brownies yesterday by slightly altering another recipe. I used 2 eggs, applesauce, coconut oil, a bit of maple syrup and some sugar (gasp! – no more than 1/2 cup. I didn’t think they were too great, and I even used half white, half wheat. I was excited to see this recipe, but bummed to see the comments that it was caky and dry too. I am going to try butter maybe. I shouldn’t have to have a glass of water to get a brownie down. We ended up pairing it with ice cream. Let me know if you have any modifications.
I would say you modified the recipe. I just made this today following her recipe exactly and it was delicious! Perhaps try the original recipe first , you might like it.
I modified a different recipe to make it more real food, not hers. I was excited to see hers, but in the comments, I am seeing many of the same feelings I had toward the other recipe I made, which was with two eggs and more moist than hers.
I was a big baker before changing the way I ate. And I was so pleased at how this recipe came out. Satisfying yet not sickening like tradition sugary sweets. I also came up with a quick ‘icing’ for a more decadent brownie. Natural peanut butter, cocoa, maple syrup, vanilla and a splash of milk and delish!
[...] Heart Fruit Bouquet [...]
How do you keep the fruit from turning brown?
Hi Amy. I squirt a little bit of lemon juice on it. Jill
I made whole wheat chocolate red velvet cupcakes for a valentines playgroup using beets and made my own cream cheese beet icing (adapted from weelicious), also bought a heart shaped pancake pan from target. My kids (2 and 3) love my beet pancakes – and yes, they know there is beets in them because the help puree and pick them out at the store. I will be making them pink heart shaped pancake sandwiches for school this week.
I tried my very first experiment with coconut flour making brownies, it was very good!The combination of chocolate and coconut was awesome, I assume the coconut oil in these has the same effect, I will be trying this recipe next!
Is there a substitute for coconut oil? Wondering if I could use something I already have in my pantry rather than taking a trip to the store. Thank you!
I would think you could use just regular vegetable oil.
Hi Marla. Some readers have substituted butter for the coconut oil at a 1 to 1 ratio and had good results. Goodluck! -Amy
[...] and make the CUTE fruit hearts pictured on the left or try one of the ideas posted by Lisa Leake at 100 Days of Real Food. This year I think I’ll show my kids I love them by give them something good, innocent and [...]
[...] Day treat with a little bit of chocolate? Then you must try this Real Food Brownie recipe from 100 Days of Real Food, filled with real food goodness like coconut oil and cacao. We eat sprouted grains and raw food as [...]
I’ll definitely try this recipe but not with Hershey’s cocoa. I’m disappointed you used it. Hershey’s chocolates are full of ingredients you wouldn’t feed your children (HFCS, artificial flavors, carageenan, soy lecithin, GMOs, etc.) (http://gmoinside.org/valentines-day-villains-guide/). Even though their cocoa may not have those ingredients, how do you support a company that uses them? There are much better cocoas available from much better companies.
If we vote with our dollars, shouldn’t we purchase a good product from a company and thus encouraging them to make more of the same type of products. Businesses see which products sell. If they say, “oh we have a real food product and no one buys it,” we let them justify the junk in their other products. Just a thought.
In some cases, yes, I agree, especially with smaller companies. But I honestly don’t think Hershey really cares about what people think. If they did, they wouldn’t have spent $500,000+ fighting against GMO labeling in CA. Until customers stop buying the bad products from Hershey, I don’t think buying the good is going to make much difference. I also think there are much better cocoas than Hershey’s and I’d rather spend my money with companies that sell better products all around.
Hi Judy. Thanks for your feedback. ~Amy
These came out very dry the first couple of times. This time I added 1/4 cup applesauce and used 1/3 cup coconut oil instead of 1/2 cup. They came out better.
I made the brownies last night using only 1 egg, and I was not so much of a fan. I used organic raw cacao powder but everything else was according to the recipe. They were very dry. I love the ingredients used but wondering what else could be added to not make them so dry. I ate mine plain but my husband had to eat his with some ice cream.
Hi Katie. Several readers have modified by adding an egg or switching out the coconut oil for butter. Goodluck. ~Amy
Zucchini Brownies
1 cup almond butter
1.5 cups grated zucchini
1/3 cup raw honey
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup dry cocoa
1 cup or less dark chocolate, or gluten free chips
Preheat to 350. combine all ingredients, pour into greased 9×9 baking pan, bake 35-45 min. until toothpick comes out clean.
I made these brownies last night but made a few changes. Instead of using an egg I used an overripe banana that I had in the freezer (thawed out of course). I chose to use honey instead of the maple syrup and added in chopped walnuts. I love the dark chocolate banana taste they have! I put the leftovers in a container and put them in the fridge and when I tried them today they had a nice fudgey texture.. they’re even better than they were last night
I just made these and really enjoyed them. I love that they are not too sweet., they have a really nice texture. These are going to be my go-to brownie from now on. My 4-year old loved them. Thanks for all of the great recipes!
I used honey., followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great.
I was wondering if you could substitute agave for the maple syrup/honey. And if so, would you use the same amount?
Hello Amy. We do not use agave. This might help explain why: http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/. ~Amy
[...] the big boys got home from school I made batch of these whole wheat brownies while the kids were at school. A note on the recipe, I use honey (not maple syrup) and I use 2 [...]
So it sounds like you didn’t add any sweetener then (the honey or maple syrup)?
Yes, I did add sweetener, I used honey. I am thinking the raw cacao is a more chocolate taste than nestles cocoa. I also think my whole wheat flour was not ground fine enough which made it gritty (I also have a nutramill). Have you ever used liquid stevia to cook with? I wonder if I use honey and maple syrup together or maybe add some liquid stevia if that would make it sweeter? I will try this again using the exact products you did. I may have to cut back on the raw cacao powder when using, dont really know.
I agree that the freshly ground flour would cause the gritty texture. I have a wheat grinder as well, but test recipes with the same stuff that everyone else will be using so I’ve experienced that difference in sweet baked goods. Also, we don’t use stevia…I think it’s fine if you process the leaves yourself, but most people are buying it already processed, which can be questionable.