Make this a Green Valentine’s Day
For Valentine’s Day this year, invite family and friends over to celebrate the holiday and have fun while being sustainable. Gather recycled materials such as food and beverage cartons, scrap paper, magazines, ribbon and leftover wrapping paper to make Valentine’s Day cards, decorations and treats. Here are a few sustainable ideas to get your party started!
Carton Valentine’s Day Boxes
(Photo: Mom4Real)
Teach your kids (and their friends) about the importance of living green while crafting Valentine’s Day boxes from recycled beverage cartons. These easy-to-make boxes are sure to impress your kids and their friends. Start collecting small milk cartons now so you have enough to create Valentine’s Day boxes for all your kids’ friends. Decorate the cartons with red and pink paper, paint and stickers. You can fill the cartons with your favorite candy or paste some treats to the outside of the boxes. When your kids hand out their Valentine’s at school, encourage them to show their peers how sustainable they are!
Chocolate Milk Valentine’s Bundt Cake
(Photo: Michael Cheng)
Bake a heart-shaped Valentine’s Bundt Cake using chocolate milk from a carton. This delectable dessert is perfect for your family or a larger party with coworkers and friends.
Ingredients:
1 cup 2% reduced fat chocolate milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup liquid eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
Red food coloring
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 12-cup heart-shaped Bundt cake pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt until smooth.
- Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, combine eggs and sugar on medium/high speed for 3 minutes, until the mixture nearly triples in size. Add the melted butter and vanilla extract, whisking until well combined. Add a few drops of red food coloring to give the batter a Valentine’s Day color. Once thoroughly mixed, add the dry ingredients and start mixing. Slowly add the chocolate milk, whisking the batter. Once smooth, fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. You’ll know when the cake is done when a fork or toothpick is inserted in the center and comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack or serving plate to cool completely.
- Finally, don’t forget to recycle your chocolate milk and egg carton when you’re cleaning up!
Pink Valentine’s Smoothie
Blend together your favorite red fruits and vegetables for a Valentine’s Day smoothie. Here are some of our favorite ingredients but feel free to change the recipe to satisfy your taste buds.
Ingredients:
2 cups of cold unsweetened vanilla almond milk from a carton
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
(Optional: add a teaspoon of honey to make it a little sweeter)
Directions:
In a blender, add the pomegranate seeds, raspberries and strawberries. Pour the almond milk over the ingredients. Blend until combined, about 30 seconds – 1 minute. Serve in chilled glasses and recycle the milk carton.
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