This February, Get the Love Bug!!!
What in THIS world today does LOVE AND KINDNESS mean?
Would you agree,
Kindness is the quality of being gentle, caring, and helpful.
Kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.
Kindness isn’t something you’re generous with. Kindness IS inherently generous. To be kind is to be generous.
Generosity is a quality like unselfishness, honesty, and patience. When you show generosity, you might give away things or money or put others before yourself. But generosity is about more than cash and stuff. When you’re forgiving, loving, and gentle to people, you show generosity of spirit. If you give others help or credit or something positive, that shows generosity.
The world would certainly be a better place if more people showed generosity to others, agreed?
Remember the old tale about stone soup?
A starving man comes to a village, but no one would spare him a crumb. He put a stone in water in a pot over a fire. The villagers became intrigued, watching him stir his soup. Eventually, a boy came over with a potato, then a woman with a carrot, another person with an onion, a farmer then donated some milk, and so on until it turned into a real stew that could be enjoyed by all.
This illustrates the value of sharing, of showing love and kindness, and it also reminds us that we ALL have been given skills, talents, and gifts within ourselves to be shared with others. No matter how small or insignificant you might think things you do or say are, they are not.
In my personal experience with LYME disease, it taught me that in giving, I GOT GIVEN JOY!
When I was so sick and felt so insignificant and lonely, I would do everything I could to get to a shopping center parking lot periodically. I then placed on the windshields of cars, little cards I printed on my printer at home that had my dog’s picture and a short encouraging message.
A woman walked up to me with one of the cards in her hand. I was so scared at first! I thought, “Oh no, she is going to yell at me!” She smiled and said, “Are you the person who put this here?” I of course, said yes. She responded with, “Well, you just made my day.”
What “something lovely” can you share with a stranger this month of February when the LOVE BUG is known to come out!
Well, I am sharing these yummy healthy LOVE Bites with you all that my husband Greg devours around this time of year, but yes, I am the one that must make them!
Chocolate Cheesecake Love Bites -NO BAKE raw, gluten-free, vegan, and paleo!
Crust:
- 1 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or raw honey or ¼ teaspoon stevia
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil solid
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Filling:
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews (soaked in warm water for at least an hour and drained)
- 1/3 cup coconut cream (the thick part only of a chilled can of coconut milk)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted and cooled
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or raw honey or ¼ teaspoon stevia
- 6 oz raspberries or strawberries
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup lily’s or other healthy dark chocolate chips melted for drizzle
- Make the crust mixture first. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until crumbly paste forms. If you process it too long it will start to resemble nut butter; I like some crunch in the crust!
- Get a muffin tray and put paper muffin cups in all muffin spaces. Press the crust mixture into a paper muffin cup and slightly up the side. Chill while you make the filling.
- For the filling, you’ll want to use a high powdered blender to get the filling very creamy, or a food processor can do the job, too, if you don’t have a blender.
- Place all filling ingredients in the blender or processor and process until very creamy. Scrape down the sides a few times between blending. Once thick and creamy, divide the mixture among the 12 muffin spaces on top of the chilled crust. Cover and place in the freezer for at least 3 hours to set. You can also refrigerate overnight to set.
- Once set, drizzle with melted chocolate, and serve.
- I sometimes freeze these, or they are good in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- TAKE A LOVE BITE!
