Guilt-Free Ways to Eat Chocolate

Valentine's Day is synonymous with love, red roses, and CHOCOLATE. But seriously, how many of us need any of the chocolates in the Whitman's sampler? So in honor of this month of chocolate, here are a few of my favorite chocolate hacks that allow you to still eat chocolate but with less guilt.

1. Chocolate-Covered Apricots

You've got dried apricots (which I love) and melted dark chocolate. These make a wonderful grab-and-go snack once they're made. And you're feeling good because you're getting potassium from the apricots and anti-oxidants from the dark chocolate! If you need to make these gluten-free, just make sure to read the packaging on both the fruit and the chocolate.

2. Chocolate, Apricot, and Pecan Cookies

And speaking of apricots - use up any leftovers that you have from making the chocolate-covered apricots and put them in these chocolate chip cookies! Fruit and nuts in a cookie? That's got to be healthy right? This recipe isn't gluten-free (I made them for other people, not my husband), but you could use gluten-free all-purpose flour and just check the packaging on all of the other ingredients.

3. Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you're longing for some regular chocolate chip cookies, try this recipe from Fitness magazine! It substitutes canola oil for the butter! Again, to make these gluten-free, just sub in gluten-free all-purpose flour, like from Bob's Red Mill. (I can't believe I first made these cookies all the way back in 2009 before the Celiac diagnosis!)

4. Gluten-Free Fudgy Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies
These are based on a Hungry Girl recipe, but I used Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Devil's Food Cake Mix to make them gluten-free. So easy and only two ingredients!

Enjoy your chocolaty indulgences this Valentine's Day!