Almond Raspberry Chocolate Hearts

I tend to go a little bit over the top with Valentines Day every year… I think it’s a fabulous holiday, and I’m always surprised that more people don’t enjoy it! To me, Valentines is all about showing gratitude and love to everyone in your life. It’s like getting a warm fuzzy hug, in the middle of our cold Canadian winter. Who wouldn’t want that?!

This year for Valentines, I made two fun & healthy recipes to celebrate. For breakfast, we enjoyed oat milk and chia seed pudding. The pink layer was made with Salus Beet Crystals by Flora Health, and they are each topped with juicy raspberries.

If you have not yet tried making chia seed pudding, it is the easiest breakfast ever! You can make it the night before so that the chia seeds expand. Chia seeds contain essential omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and iron. Sometimes referred to as the warrior superfood, chia seeds are an excellent source of fibre, and a perfect meal to eat before exercising, because of their sticky nature. They are one of few plant foods that provide a complete protein – they contain all 9 essential amino acids that the body needs.

Try making my Coconut Chia Parfait or these Overnight Oats with Raspberry Chia Jam. You can really get creative with chia seeds and overnight oats, and add whatever fruits you prefer.

I also made these chocolate almond raspberry hearts. I have been making a version of this with just almond butter and chocolate, but decided to get a little bit fancier for valentines day.

High quality dark organic chocolate is a good source of iron – providing about 11.9 mg per 100 grams of chocolate. So you can indulge in these sweet treats, with no guilt!

For the chocolate you will need:

250 g Dark Chocolate (I use Enjoy Life chocolate chips, they are dairy free, gluten free and SO good)
1/2 cup coconut butter
2 tablespoon coconut oil
2-3 packets of Four Sigmatic Cordyceps Elixir, or Reishi Elixir (optional)

For the filling you will need:

chia seed jam (find the recipe in this post)
organic almond butter
a pinch of himalayan pink salt or celtic salt

Top with: dried rose petals (crushed into small pieces) or hibiscus flower petals

Directions:

Melt the chocolate, coconut butter, and coconut oil on low heat. Whisk in the packets of Four Sigmatic functional mushroom elixir (of your choice).
Pour 1 tablespoon of the melted chocolate into the bottom of each silicone mold. Let sit in the freezer for 5-10 minutes until this layer is solidified.
Use a teaspoon or small spatula to first add the almond butter, then chia seed jam to the middle of each chocolate heart. Try to keep the almond butter and chia seed jam away from the outside of the mold.
Pour the remaining chocolate over the almond butter and chia seed, ensuring that it reaches the sides of the mold so as to seal the filling in the center.
Let cool in the freezer one last time for at least 10 minutes.
Enjoy with a glass of red wine, or a cup of herbal tea!

Why Add Functional Mushrooms?

You might be thinking, why would I ever want to add mushrooms to this delicious chocolate recipe?! Well, they actually have many health benefits, and add as nice nutty flavour.

Functional mushrooms are a great way to support your immune system, relieve stress, increase energy, increase mental focus, and even help fight cancer and aid the body in detoxification. They are adaptogens, meaning they will help your body deal with long term and chronic stress, and restore normal physiological function.

Which mushroom should you add to your chocolates?

Try Reishi – the mushroom of immortality + vitality to enhance mental calmness and relaxation.
Or, try Cordyceps to help boost your natural energy levels! Cordyceps helps oxygen get into the blood stream + increases athletic endurance

Superfood chocolates? Sounds like a pretty good idea to me!