Kick off your Valentine’s Day bright and early with some love in the morning this year! Start your special sweetheart’s day off with a romantic themed breakfast that shares love from their very first bite! These recipes crafted by health and nutrition experts let you share the love without all the excess sugar. Love, after all, the most important ingredient in any recipe.
Donuts so sweet, your heart will skip a beet!
Healthy Baked Beets Donuts with Strawberry Glaze by Nkechi Ajaeroh, MPH, A Public Health Promotion Expert with a Master’s Degree in Public Health and founder of nkechiajaeroh.com; the creator of The Juice Approach and the author of Make Time for Dinner (an e-Cookbook)! You can follow her at @nkechiajaeroh on Instagram, Facebook and X.
Ingredients:
For donuts:
- 1 medium-size beet/beetroot (peel the skin, cut and boil); or 1 cup boiled beets.
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup of coconut sugar
- ¼ cup of butter or olive oil
- 1 – 2 tablespoons original maple syrup (I used 2)
- 1 egg (optional; you can make this without egg, I have made it without egg, and it was ok.)
- 2½ teaspoons of baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup soymilk or any other milk of choice (both dairy-free and dairy milk can work)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the strawberry glaze:
- 1 cup chopped strawberries (This would make about ½ cup puree)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (you can make yours or use Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol, Powdered Sugar Substitute
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and grease donut pans, then set aside.
- Boil beet, cook till soft; use a fork to check its tenderness.
- Add all the dry ingredients (whole wheat & almond flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a bowl, mix well with a spatula.
- Add the cooked beets, soymilk, egg, and vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, use a spatula to combine.
- Pour this dough into a piping bag, and pipe into the pans or just use a tablespoon to gently scoop it into the greased pans.
- Baked for 12 – 15 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted is clear)
For the strawberry glaze:
Blend the strawberries, and add the powdered sugar and whisk well together.
To glaze the donuts, take a donut and face it down on the glaze, remove, and then place on a parchment paper-lined cooling rack. Feel free to double dip, enjoy with friends and family! Repeat this until you glaze all the donuts.
Notes: This recipe makes 16 small donuts. Make this recipe vegan by not adding an egg, I have made this recipe without an egg, and it worked, however, adding egg makes it lighter and fluffier! You can surely eat these donuts as they are; however, feel free to glaze it for extra deliciousness. Remember to always add more sugar according to your taste. Please note that you can’t roll this batter. In the absence of a piping bag, use a spoon to scoop the batter into the pan. The beets may take up 30-40 minutes to cook and become tender; be patient.
Serving: 2 Donuts | Calories: 248kcal | Total Fat: 8.6g | Cholesterol: 38.5mg | Sodium: 124.2mg | Total Carbohydrate: 34.9g | Dietary Fiber: 2.9g | Sugars: 19.4g | Protein: 5.1g | Vitamin C: 13% | Calcium: 15% | Iron: 7% | Vitamin D: 4% | Magnesium: 8% | Potassium: 11% | Zinc: 7% | Phosphorus: 24% | Thiamin (B1): 9% | Riboflavin (B2): 14% | Vitamin B6: 5% | Folic Acid (B9)
This pink smoothie bowl would make Cupid himself go bananas!
Healthy Pink Smoothie Bowl by Angela Cardamone Campos, a Registered Nurse, Runner, Ironman Triathlete, & Cooking Enthusiast who shares inspiration and some of her favorite recipes on Marathons and Motivation. You can follow her at @MarathonsandMotivation on Instagram and Facebook
Ingredients:
- 2 bananas
- 2 ½ cups frozen strawberries
- ½ cup beets peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 ½ cups coconut milk or your favorite plant-based milk
- 1 cup Ice
Toppings:
½ cup banana slices
¼ cup granola
2 teaspoons chia seeds
Instructions:
- Place all ingredients into a blender and blend on medium high speed until smooth
- Divide smoothie between 2 bowls and top each bowl with banana slices, granola and chia seeds.
Makes 2 Servings
Nutrition:
Serving: 1smoothie bowl | Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 41mg | Potassium: 1002mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 76IU | Vitamin C: 121mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 2mg
You’ll be berry smitten with this swoon-worthy breakfast bake!
Berry-Smitten Lemon Cottage Cheese Bake by Kaitlin Hippley, M.Ed, RDN, LD, CDCES, a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator based in Cleveland, Ohio, with a Master’s Degree in Community Health and expertise as a Media Dietitian. You can follow her at @Kaitlintherd on Instagram.
Servings: 9
Ingredients:
- 2 cups full-fat cottage cheese
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup honey (or maple syrup/sweetener of choice)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ cup almond flour (or flour of choice)
- 1–1½ cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
- (lightly dusted with almond flour or flour of choice)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Grease an 8×10 baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper for easy removal.
- In a large bowl, lightly blend or whisk together the cottage cheese, eggs, honey, vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice until mostly smooth with some curds still visible.
- Gently fold in the almond flour and baking powder.
- Carefully fold in the raspberries, trying not to break them up too much.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and pulling away from the sides and the center is slightly giggly
- Allow to cool and rest before removing from the pan and cutting into squares.
Optional Finishing Touch:
- Light dusting of confectioners’ sugar
- Use heart-shaped stencils for a Valentine’s feel
Serving: 1 square | Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4.5g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 260mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugars: 11g
You’ll fall hole-heartedly in love with these sourdough bagels!
Sourdough Bagels by Tracy Stopler, MS, RD, a registered dietitian, with a Master of Science in Nutrition from New York University, the nutrition director at NUTRITION E.T.C. in Plainview, Long Island, and the head pastry chef at Trace of Sweetness. Tracy has been a nutrition professor at Adelphi University for 28 years. Tracy is also the author of two award-winning novels: The Ropes that Bind and My Brother Javi: A Dogs Tale.
Ingredients:
To Feed / Build Active Sourdough Starter (makes about 85–90 g total, using 75 g)¾ tablespoon (~11 g) mature sourdough starter (or a heaping ½ tablespoon)
- ¼ cup + 2 teaspoons (~38 g) all-purpose flour
- 2½–3 tablespoons (~38 g) water
- Bagel Dough ¾ cup (75 g) active sourdough starter (fed and bubbly)
- ¾ cup + 2½ tablespoons (~191 g) water
- 1½ tablespoons (~30 g) honey or sugar
- 1½ teaspoons (~7.5 g) fine sea salt
- 3 cups + 1½ tablespoons (~375 g) bread flour
- Water Bath6 cups water (same as original; no need to reduce for fewer bagels)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- Optional Toppings:
- Sesame seeds
- Everything bagel seasoning
- Coarse salt (sprinkle on top; do not dip)
- Poppy seeds
- Natural food coloring
- Shredded cheese
Instructions:
1- Feed Your Sourdough Starter (12 hours before mixing dough)
In a clean jar, combine:
- ~11 g mature sourdough starter
- ~38 g all-purpose flour
- ~38 g water
Stir until fully combined. Loosely cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled with plenty of bubbles (8–12 hours).
(Note: This makes a bit extra to account for jar sticking; use 75 g active starter for the dough.)
2- Make the dough. In a stand mixer bowl, stir together with a spatula:
- 75 g active sourdough starter
- 191 g water
- 30 g honey (or sugar)
- 7.5 g fine sea salt
Add 375 g bread flour. Use your hands to bring together (dough will be stiff). Add natural food coloring/
Attach the dough hook and mix on lowest speed for 6–7 minutes (or knead by hand ~10 minutes).
Cover and rest at room temperature for 8–12 hours. For Cinnamon Raisin Variation (optional): Add 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon with the flour.
After kneading, add ~½ cup + 2 tablespoons of raisins and knead in evenly.
3- Shape the Bagels:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (flour bottoms lightly if needed). Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball. Poke a thumb hole through the center, stretch gently into a ring, and place on parchment. Cover with a towel and rise 30–60 minutes until puffy.
4- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C), center rack.
5- Boil the Bagels
Boil 6 cups water + 1 tablespoon sugar.
Boil bagels 2 minutes per side (3 at a time max to avoid crowding).
6- Top and Bake: Remove with skimmer, cool slightly, dip/sprinkle toppings on one side.
Bake at 425°F for 25–28 minutes until golden brown.
Additional Notes:
Recommend using Parchment Paper to prevent sticking issues and flour bottoms if needed.
Measuring Flour Without a Scale:
Spoon into cup until heaped, level with knife.
Approximate Nutrition per Bagel (Plain, No Toppings) These are estimates based on standard ingredient values (bread flour ~364 kcal/100g, honey ~304 kcal/100g, sourdough starter ~200 kcal/100g rough average) and scaling calculations. Actual values vary slightly by flour brand, exact measurements, and baking loss. Homemade sourdough bagels typically range 240–290 kcal each depending on size/recipe.
Serving: 1 portion | Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 56.6g | Protein: 8.5g | Fat: 0.8g
These Valentine’s recipes aren’t just delicious, they’re edible love letters! Share the warmth of your affection with some charming, homemade, dietician-approved recipes that let you serve love for breakfast!
About the author:
Charlene Bazarian is a fitness and weight loss success story after losing 96 pounds. She mixes her no-nonsense style of fitness advice with humor on her blog at Fbjfit.com and on Facebook at FBJ Fit and Instagram at @FBJFit.