Heart Healthy Start

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Happy Valentine's Day!
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Valentine's Day has a reputation for sweets, chocolate and more sweets. 

And while I'm all for receiving boxes of chocolates (hint, hint) here is an awesome way to start off your V-Day with a heart healthy bang... and yes, chocolate is involved. 

Valentine's Day Strawberry Banana Oatmeal

In the Mix...

• 1/3 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 banana, chopped
• 4 strawberries, chopped
• cinnamon to taste 

On Top...

• 1 tbsp almond butter
• sprinkle of kashi cereal (just for some added crunch)
• Valentine's Day special toppings

I throw my oatmeal, liquids and chopped banana in the saucepan all at once and let it all cook together. This gives the oatmeal a natural sweet taste from the banana without having to add any extra sugar, and also gives it it a creamy texture. 

Okay, now that I have you all wishing you had this for breakfast, here are the heart healthy benefits of this lovely little Valentine's Day treat I enjoyed this morning:

• Oatmeal. Full of omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. This fiber-rich superfood can lower levels of LDL (or bad) cholesterol and help keep arteries clear. 
• Strawberries. Full of anti-inflammatories, which reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer. 
• Soy. May lower cholesterol, and since it is low in saturated fat, it's still a great source of lean protein in a heart-healthy diet. 
• Almonds. Help lower cholesterol. They pack more fiber and calcium than any other nut, are lower-cal than most other varieties, and are an excellent source of vitamin E.
• **Dark Chocolate. The cocoa ingredient may lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels while preventing diabetes and improving the health of blood vessels.
• Cinnamon. Cinnamon may help stabilize blood sugar by helping insulin work better. 

Oh! And what would breakfast be without an ***appropriate amount of coffee!

I have to give thanks to my mom for my 2011 Valentine's Day mug. Hi Mom!

The caffeine in coffee can speed up metabolism and fat-burning, which helps lower your risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity. And black coffee is one of the lowest-calorie drink choices around.

I'll cheers to that!

Hope everyone has a good, healthy and fun Valentine's Day!

Stay Healthy,

• **Dark Chocolate. As much as I would LOVE to say eat as much dark chocolate as you want to, I can't. Chocolate should be consumed in moderation and infrequently. The little Dove heart seen in my oatmeal above is plenty for the day. Proceed with caution....

• ***Coffee. Limit your intake to 2 cups a day. People with high blood pressure, who are sensitive to caffeine or have high anxiety might want to consider skipping the morning cup of joe. 

blog content taken from health.com