Who doesn’t love themed food?  My kids definitely do.  The kiddos will be finding some special surprises in their laptop lunch boxes on Friday and will wake up to a heart shaped breakfast Saturday morning.

Tackle your Valentine food preparation alone and surprise the crew, or get them involved in the planning and creating.  Either way is sure to bring a memorable Valentines.

Here are some of our favorite love themed ideas:

• Muffins made in a heart shaped pan. (I make these the night before so they are ready for breakfast.)  If we are feeling really crazy, I will mix up a thin icing from powder sugar, strawberries and rice milk.  Then we let the kids “frost” their muffins.
• Hearts make everything lovelier.  Cut toast into a heart and spread with homemade strawberry jam. Make heart shaped sandwiches.
• Serve red and purple foods (strawberries, raspberries, beets, eggplant, red salads).
• Make small heart shaped pats of butter or margarine using a tiny cookie cutter.
• Add some color- strawberries or beets for shades of red, blueberries and blackberries for shades of purple.  We love to blend strawberries into muffins for “pink” treats.
• Make biscuits or scones using a heart shape cookie cutter (or simply roll two pieces into half hearts and squish together prior to baking.
• Use a lace table cloth and add a festive plant centerpiece, don’t forget the candles.
• Sip on some love potion- club soda and cranberry juice or strawberry milk.
• Serve fondue.  Fondues (chocolate, cheese or vegan) are love in a warming pot.  Add some strawberries, cubed fruit, asparagus and warm bread.
• Let them play.  Mix up some peanut butter dough and set out Valentine cookie cutters for the kids to play with while dinner is being prepared.  Make dough by combining equal amounts of (soy, nut, sun) butter and cornstarch.  This is edible, so you don’t have to worry if they have a nibble!
• Let the kids decorate their food.  Tint dressings with natural food color (or just with food like beets) and place in icing bags, add tips and let the kids decorate their veggies with pink ranch or sour cream.
• Add a game, ask each person to go around the table and say one thing they really love about each person present.  Then do the same saying one silly thing about each person and again with one made up thing about each person.  Watch for giggles and spilled beverages.

Photo by timtom.ch at Flickr under Creative Commons