Fun Ideas For Valentine's Day

About author / Pamela Chester

Mom of two; graduate French Culinary Institute; kids cooking program instructor; Master's degree in food studies. Creates kid friendly foods and loves her slow cooker.

Aaahh, it’s that time of year again: the time for hearts, flowers, and romantic gestures. But if you are a kid, then Valentine’s Day is really about two things, candy and cards!

Now given that your kids will be getting an overload of candy at school and elsewhere, why not show them your love with some of these healthier, but still enjoyable ideas for Valentine’s Day treats.

Holiday themed milkshakes and smoothies are so much fun! Try starting the day off right with a healthy pink berry smoothie. Simply mix up a cup of plain yogurt (your choice whether it is fat free or not) with a banana, a half-cup of strawberries or raspberries, and a touch of honey (thin with a little milk, if necessary), and you will be sharing a good-for-you treat with your family.

Then for lunch and dinner, you can have some special heart shaped goodies, like sandwiches, pretzels, and homemade pizza. Around here we are working on learning our shapes, so any opportunity to incorporate shapes into daily life is a natural way to include a lesson. Plus it just makes these items that much more fun for the kids to eat.

For the sandwiches, you simply need a heart shaped cookie cutter. You can make any kind of your children’s favorite sandwiches: peanut butter and jelly, turkey and cheese, hummus and tomato, to name a few. If you’ll be making a platter, line it with a heart shaped doily, and use a variety of different breads such as whole wheat, white, and pumpernickel for added visual appeal. Thinly spread the sandwiches with your filling of choice so they’ll be easier to cut. Then use the cookie cutter to carefully cut out heart shapes, and presto, you’ll have a fun and easy Valentine’s Day lunch!

Homemade soft pretzels are a fun snack or side dish that would make a great Valentine’s Day activity. This is definitely a project that needs lots of adult supervision, so you’ll need to set aside a few hours. But it’s so much fun for the kids, plus you can teach them about measuring, the science behind dough, and several cooking processes. Ahead of time, you’ll want to line your work surface with butcher paper or a plastic tablecloth to contain the flour mess, and set up all of your ingredients. Shaping the pretzels into hearts is easy, instead of making the normal folds and twists, just join the two ends at the top into a downward point, making a heart formation. You can also make letters spelling each child’s name or a special Valentine’s Day message.

For dinner, you can continue the heart shaped theme of the day with a couple other items that are cut out. A really easy way to do this is with a tube of crescent rolls or biscuit dough that you can find in the refrigerator section of the grocery store to make a heart shaped bread accompaniment to your meal. For something different, you can try your hand at cutting out shapes from a tube of polenta (an Italian cornmeal product also found in the refrigerator section). Slice the tube into ½ inch rounds, then cut out your heart shapes, and sauté them for a few minutes on each side in a tablespoon of butter until golden brown. Serve with marinara dipping sauce on the side.

Have fun sharing these Valentines treats with your loved ones, both young and old!

Serves/Makes: 10

• 2 envelopes (1/4-ounce size) active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees F)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 6 cups all-purpose flour (more as needed)
• 1 egg white for brushing the tops
• pretzel salt