Happy St. Valentine’s Day! Did you know that in Finland, the day is celebrated simply as “Friends Day”? I love that.
Brien and I have marked Valentine’s Day in different ways since we started dating. Two years ago, Brien took a side comment I made about homemade pasta being the “key to my heart” and ran with it.
He showed up to my parents’ apartment, where I was living at the time, with a pasta maker, ingredients, and the cookie cutters needed to recreate that heart and key. It was one of the sweetest, most romantic things anyone has done for me.
Last year, he gave me a plan: to visit a drive-in theater! We waited until August, and stopped at a vineyard and restaurant in the Hudson Valley before parking our car outside and settling in to watch Wolverine and The Conjuring.
This year, we’re ignoring all of the “experts’” advice to stay away from restaurants, and are going out to a little Brazilian spot in our neighborhood we’ve always wanted to try. Brien gave me a beautiful necklace (made out of a meteorite!), adding to my growing list of unique jewelry (the first year we were together on my birthday, he gave me a bracelet fashioned out of a Victorian fork). I’ve got a more playful gift hidden away, that I’ll probably give him right before dinner.
But back to today! I’ve been trying to branch out of my oatmeal rut at breakfast, and have been making a lot of smoothies and chia pudding lately. This morning, I wanted to make something festive (i.e. red), and I also wanted to tackle the 456 pounds of tubers and root vegetables we have in the fridge. I love our CSA, and the winter share is awesome… but there are only so many potatoes and turnips a girl can eat!
I decided to incorporate a red beet into my breakfast for color and sweetness, and was really pleased with the result! In addition to containing vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants, beets are also anti-inflammatory, which is helpful if you’re recovering from an intense workout or suffering from GI distress.
Heart Beet Pudding
Makes 1-2 servings
- 1/4 c. chia seeds
- 1 c. milk of choice
- 2 T cocoa powder
- 1 scoop protein powder (optional)
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 beet, chopped
Loosely mix ingredients together and leave in the fridge overnight. (This ensures your pudding will be nice and thick!) The next morning, pour into a high-speed blender or food processor and mix until smooth.
Garnish with: nuts, dried fruit, granola, coconut. Enjoy!
Tomorrow, we’re taking a day trip out to Long Island to do a little preliminary wedding planning. It’s supposed to snow again, and the roads may be icy, so we’re going to take our time getting out and back. Our vision for the ceremony and reception are starting to take shape, and we’re all doing a pretty good job of staying sane and having fun. Isn’t that the whole point?
Do you celebrate Valentine’s or Friends Day?