The Best Smoothie Parfait to Serve your Sweetie this Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is known for its sweet treats, cards and flowers. But, what if you want to celebrate in the morning?

I don’t know about you, but I think love and chocolate should not be confined to the end of the day.

This recipe is the perfect way to add some affection to your morning, alongside some chocolately goodness. But don’t worry, it’s still a very healthy way to start your day (especially if you power it up with some of these tasty superfood smoothie add-ins).

If you have kids (or in my case, a husband with a sweet tooth), they’ll go wild for this recipe.

By including a few healthy smoothie elements, I was able to fit fresh spinach in without it affecting the taste.

I do recommend that you use a good blender as the frozen banana can be very hard to process – a high speed model will really come in handy.

However, if you don’t have a high-powered blender, a food processor will work also.

Whatever appliance you use, be sure not to add too much liquid, or your parfait will be very watery – and that’s not going to be much fun. Keep the layers nice and thick, and you’ll be in good shape.

This recipe calls mostly for fruits and other pantry staples that you likely have on hand, but there are a few ingredients you might not.

Let me explain the less common ones:

Cacao Nibs

Derived from the same source as the powder mentioned above, cacao nibs are larger pieces of the actual cacao bean.

Think of it as the first stage in the grinding process, when the cacao beans are broken into pieces.

Cacao Powder

This is made from ground up cacao beans; it’s the raw, unpasteurized version of cocoa powder. Cacao powder is very bitter, but offers all of the health benefits of dark chocolate – such as the antioxidants.

That being said, your parfait won’t be bitter, thanks to the addition of the dates and bananas.

Chia Seeds

You might already be familiar with these – remember the popular Chia Pets from the ’80s and ’90s?

These are the same seeds, which have been found to be highly nutritious and come in a black and white variety.

Chia seeds are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and fiber.

They’re also excellent for thickening recipes, as they are gelatinous, growing ten times their weight in water.

When it comes to taste, they’re very neutral, absorbing whatever flavors you pair them with.

Mix it Up

This recipe is versatile. If you’re missing an ingredient, try swapping it out with something you do have.

Just be sure to keep a few frozen bananas on hand, as those are a key player in this recipe.

Here’s my tip for freezing bananas: simply peel them, cut them in half, and freeze them in a zip-top baggy. I always wait until just before the point that they go bad and make good use of them in frozen concoctions rather than letting them go to waste.

There are a few separate processes involved to make each luscious layer of this frozen delight, but you’re going to want to get started by prepping the chia pudding layer.

Give it at least 30 minutes to thicken up before you plan to eat.

The Recipe

Valentine's Day Smoothie Parfait

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Ingredients

Layer 1: Chia Pudding

• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 dash cinnamon

Banana Hearts

• 1/2 banana

Layer 2: Chocolate Smoothie

• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1 frozen banana
• 2 tablespoon cacao powder
• 1 pitted date
• 1 tablespoon protein powder optional
• 4 tablespoons almond milk

Layer 3: Strawberry Smoothie

• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1-4 tablespoons almond milk

Layer 4: Chocolate Sauce

• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
• Cereal
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• dried cranberries strawberries or cherries
• Cacao nibs
• fresh strawberries and bananas sliced

Servings:

Units:MetricUS Imperial

Instructions

1. Start by making the Chia Pudding. In a small glass bowl or measuring cup, combine the chia seeds, almond milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Stir well. Place mixture in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or even overnight.
2. Next, prep the Banana Heart cutouts. Cut your banana lengthwise down the middle, or chop even rounds, working from one end to the other – just be sure your banana is wide enough for your heart-shaped tool.
3. Now, using your cookie cutter, create a handful of small hearts. If you don’t have a cookie cutter, slice the banana into evenly-sized rounds instead. Set these aside.
4. Make the Chocolate Smoothie layer by blending up the spinach, banana, cacao powder, date, and protein powder (if using). Add a little bit of milk at a time and continue to blend – you want the consistency to be similar to a thick milkshake or soft serve ice cream. It will be hard to blend, so take your time and scrape down the sides with a spatula.
5. Place your Banana Hearts or slices in the bottom of a 16-ounce mason jar, and try to stand them up so you will be able to see them pressed against the glass when the jar is filled. Gently spoon the chocolate mixture into the jar on top of the bananas with a rubber spatula.
6. Take your Chia Pudding out of the fridge, give it a quick stir, and break up any clumps with a spoon. Gently top the Chocolate Smoothie layer with the Chia Seed Pudding, and rinse out the blender.
7. Next, make the Strawberry Smoothie layer. Blend up the banana, strawberries and almond milk until smooth but thick like the Chocolate Smoothie layer, adding a little bit of milk at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
8. Finally, make the Chocolate Sauce by mixing the maple syrup, cacao powder and coconut oil together in a glass measuring cup or small dish. The oil needs to be liquid in order for the ingredients to combine. If your coconut oil is solid at room temperature, place it in a glass measuring cup and heat it for a few seconds in the microwave (just until it melts) before stirring in the other ingredients.
9. Top the parfait with a sprinkling of your favorite cereal, dried fruit, cacao nibs, or sliced fresh fruit. Then drizzle Chocolate Sauce over the top, and dig in!

Recipe Notes

You'll also need a heart-shaped mini cookie cutter.

This parfait is enough to serve one hungry love bug, or two sweet lovebirds could share.

Looking for something a little different (and more dessert-like)? Try this orange, cinnamon, and cardamom parfait recipe.

Cooking By The Numbers…

Step 1 – Make the Pudding

Make the chia pudding by mixing together chia seeds, almond milk, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Vigorously stir the mixture, then allow it to sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Step 2 – Prepare the Bananas

Peel your banana and slice it in half the long way before cutting out as many hearts as you can with your cookie cutter. Or, you can just cut the banana into slices.

You could also try your hand at cutting hearts our freehand with a paring knife. I tried this, but it was a little harder than I thought it would be.

Step 3 – Blend the Ingredients

Next place the frozen banana, cacao, spinach, protein powder and almond milk in the blender and blend well.

The finished mixture should be very thick and will take some time to become fully blended and creamy.

As you blend, you’ll need to stop and scrape down the sides as you go along.

Step 4 – Add an Artsy Touch

Place the banana hearts at the bottom of the jar. This is a little tricky, but try to make them stand up, and press them up against the glass along the sides.

If you have a wide mouth mason jar, it might be easier to fit your hand inside. This isn’t crucial – if you can’t get them to stick to the sides, simply layer them throughout instead.

Step 5 – Give It That Chocolate Punch

Next, scoop the chocolate layer into the bottom of the jar until it’s about 1/3 of the way full.

Give the chia pudding a quick stir and break up any clumps with a spoon, then spoon or pour the mixture on top of the chocolate.

Step 6 – Strawberries Make Everything Better

Prepare the strawberry layer by blending up the banana, strawberries and almond milk. This layer will be very thick as well.

Again, be sure to scrape down the sides as you go.

Pour this mixture over the chia pudding to nearly fill the jar.

If you have a little extra left over, you can eat that on its own, or pour it into a container and freeze for later.

Step 7 – A Drizzle Made in Heaven

Now make the chocolate drizzle by mixing together the cacao, coconut oil and the natural maple syrup. The oil needs to be fully melted, but not hot.

Step 8 – The Finishing Touch

Finish by topping with cereal, dried fruit, cacao nibs, and fresh fruit. Top with a the chocolate sauce.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Feel free to experiment and make it your own. It’s a great way to enjoy the holiday and drink something healthy, rather than going down the dairy-packed route of a milkshake.

I’ve also enjoyed this treat with chocolate drizzled in between each layer, and that is very tasty as well.

If you are looking for something more sinfully sweet to make for your own sweetie, try our themed Valentine’s Day cookies made with royal icing and classic sugar cookies!

For even more Valentine’s Day recipes, we think you’ll love these:

• Einkorn Heart Cakes with Chocolate Shell
• Red Velvet Pancakes
• Valentine’s Day Cake Pops

What will you make this year for your honey on Valentine’s Day? Tell us about your personalized flavor combinations in the comments!

Unless otherwise noted, photos by Sarah Hagstrom, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details.

About Sarah Hagstrom

Sarah is a health food advocate and loves to spend her time whipping up something healthy and delicious in the kitchen and then sharing either on Foodal or on her own blog "The Seasonal Diet" (www.theseasonaldiet.com). She lives in Sunny San Diego with her husband, where they enjoy running on the beach and weekend adventures.

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