A Healthy Valentine’s Day Treat: Heart-Shaped Fruit Pops!

The classroom Valentine boxes are ready, the card stores are a sea of red and you can almost hear Sam Cooke’s “Cupid” everywhere you go. It must be Valentine’s Day again. Last week, we offered some suggestions of how to have a fun and fit Valentine’s Day party at school, and we hope that you learned something new and maybe even tried a new idea or two. 

Here’s one last extra special treat for today -- a healthy recipe for the holiday culled from our explorations on Pinterest. Thanks to les petits presents for the idea, and we hope you have as much fun making and snacking on these beautiful, fun fruit pops (with, if desired, a Greek yogurt dipping sauce) as we did! We love these because they’re colorful, festive, encourage trying new fruits and you can get creative! You can use any combination of fruit for a rainbow of possibilities. If you have to have chocolate (and again, a little bit is okay), a drizzle of dark chocolate on these pops will pique the interest of picky eaters without the sugar rush February 14 usually brings. And add a happy Valentine’s Day message by attaching a note to the stick for a memorable and heartfelt treat.

You’ll need:

For the kebabs:

• A knife
• A heart-shaped cookie cutter (optional, but very helpful)
• Skewers or ice-pop sticks
• Red ribbon
• ½ - 2 each of the melon of your choice
• Other fruits: apples, pears, kiwis, starfruit -- whatever fruit you have on hand or is in season near you

For the dipping sauce:

• 1½ cup Greek yogurt
• honey (per your desired sweetness)
• Flavor additions of your choice - lemon or orange zest or cinnamon are good standbys, again to taste

Dipping sauce, variation:

• For a more decadent treat, playing off a great recipe from Mix It Up, add 2 tsp cocoa powder and 1 tbsp melted dark chocolate chips to the yogurt, and honey and cinnamon to taste if desired

If you want to get more creative with the Greek yogurt dips, Yummly has a nice variety of more elaborate options, including Vanilla Bean and Cranberry.

Putting it together:

• 1) Cut fruit into 1-inch slices
• 2) Cut hearts into fruit using a knife or cookie cutter
• 3) Place each fruit heart on a skewer or ice-pop stick
• 4) Tie with a red ribbon or message for your Valentine
• 5) For the dipping sauce, combine yogurt and desired add-ons into bowl, keep chilled

Enjoy, and be sure to share with your loved ones! Happy Valentine's Day from all of us at HSC.