Healthy Love Potion Recipes to Share

Are you nuts about your honey? Your spouse, that is. Show your love by helping them get healthy — and ensure your love lasts for many healthy years to come. Making an effort to get healthy (especially eating the right foods) is one of the best things you can do for your relationship. With better health comes better moods, more energy, and even a better love life. It's also one of the most intimate parts of a relationship, too. Think about it - sometimes in our busy lives the only time we really sit down and talk is at a meal time. Food can indeed can be a contributing factor in the health of your relationship. All the more reason to make sure it's good stuff! But it doesn't have to always have to be about salad. There are healthy foods to match every time and season of your relationship:

• A fresh smoothie right after a robust exercise routine.
• Grilled veggies and watermelon juice on the deck in summer.
• A hearty soup after a long day at work.

Then there are times when it's cold outside.. and you just want to snuggle together in front of the fireplace with a creamy cup of hot chocolate... ... or something even tastier! We love challenging the notion that there's no replacement for decadent foods like hot chocolate. Try some of these enticing examples.

 

 

Coffee Substitute Ingredients Look for a coffee substitute like Oskri, Roma, or Teeccino. Follow instructions on the package to make 2 servings.

Cashew Cream Ingredients

• 1 cup cashews
• 16 oz water

Mocha Peppermint Syrup Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp maple syrup
• 4 tsp carob powder
• 1/2 tsp peppermint flavoring*

Directions: 1. Blend cashew cream ingredients in a blender until smooth. 2. Strain through a mesh strainer into a bowl and set aside. 3. Blend mocha peppermint syrup ingredients until smooth and stir into bowl of cashew cream. 4. Pour in ¼ cup of cream mixture into each mug of brewed coffee substitute. 5. Stir and serve with love.

• Flavorings have a glycerin base and extracts have an alcohol base. Extracts are stronger than flavorings, so use less peppermint if using an extract.

This recipe tastes awesome! (Especially when you have someone to snuggle up and sip it with.) Like most recipes we create at Hallelujah Acres, this one is not just about taste. It's actually good for your heart and it's waistline-friendly, too — and surprisingly, the cashews are the secret. Though rich in nutrients, nuts are often viewed as a weight-gaining source of fat. But the cashews are lower in fat than most other nuts. And it's good fat, too:

• Some 75% of the fat in cashews is unsaturated fat.
• Most of this fat is oleic acid (monounsaturated fat), the same kind of heart-healthy fat in olive oil.
• This type of fat helps to reduce trigylceride levels, which can be a big help to diabetics.

Nuts in general are have a high level of antioxidants, and have been shown to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by as much as 37% (1). And just a quarter cup of cashews provides you with more than 22% of your daily magnesium requirement. Magnesium is needed to balance calcium in the body. Without magnesium, excess calcium intake can cause high blood pressure, heart spasms, and asthma-like symptoms. Magnesium also helps reduce migraines and helps alleviate menopausal sleep disturbances. If coffee is more of what your sweetheart enjoys, here's an exotic and robust coffee-like recipe that you can make (while protecting them from the pitfalls of acidity and caffeine):

Ingredients:

• 2 roasted dandelion tea bags
• 2 tsp carob
• 1 tsp roasted chicory root granules
• 1/2 cup hot almond milk (optional)
• 1 Tbsp honey (optional)

1. Place tea bags, carob, and chicory root granules in a coffee filter and brew in a coffee maker with 16 oz water as you would regular coffee.
2. Pour into 2 mugs along with 1/4 cup almond milk and 1/2 Tbsp honey in each.

Roasted dandelion tastes remarkably like coffee — and it's packed with vitamins and minerals. Dandelion root is a blood purifier that contains high levels of:

• iron
• manganese
• phosphorus,
• protein
• vitamin A
• electrolytes

Dandelion also relieves muscle spasms and reduces inflammation. It makes a truly relaxing drink! And if you want something to "spice" up the romance a little, try our spiced orange cider:

 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups apple cider
• 1 cup orange juice
• 10 cloves
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Combine all ingredients in a pot and heat for several minutes.
2. Strain liquid before serving.

The great thing about discovering healthier alternatives like this together is the accountability factor. The next time either of you wants to give in to hot chocolate, the other can suggest an healthier alternative. Let's face it, when you're tempted to give in, the buddy system is a lifesaver! We use the buddy system for exercise, too — another great way to keep your relationship healthy. Working out together is great motivation. We actually made a free video series about it called Exercise Essentials with Paul and Ann.

 

 

 

Now it's your turn. If you're nuts about your honey, prepare something special that's both healthy and delicious — you just might start something that can build your relationship in the process.

 

Sources:

(1) Nuts and coronary heart disease: an epidemiological perspective, National Library of Medicine. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17125535