Walk into any store this week and you’ll be bombarded with chocolate and candy… which is exactly why I’m staying home for the next few days. What kid can resist the pink M&M’s, Hershey Kisses and Sweet Tart hearts?

Last week we stood in the store while Jaclyn clung to a box of brownies and wailed in the loudest possible scream, “I want BOWNEEEES mama!”. Over and over. I’m pretty sure I thought of myself as the kind of mom who would simply leave my cart of food and head for the nearest exit if my kids were causing a scene in the store.

And I did consider that for about one second. And then I tried to bribe her. And then I pretended to walk away. And then I threw my high standards out the window and the brownies into the cart. There was snow coming. And I needed eggs! And there was no way on earth I was making a separate trip back to that store.

I’m all for the occasional sweet. I don’t believe in depriving yourself, but it’s a very rare day that we have dessert in my house. That’s mainly because I don’t have the time to make it. I believe that if you’re going to indulge, you might as well go for the best. And the best is never found in a box of Duncan Hines or in the CVS candy aisle. You can do better than that. And as a matter of fact, you are worth way more than the cheap ingredients that stuff is made of.

I whipped these goodies up on a whim. With only 4 ingredients they are ridiculously easy to make at home, even at 3pm when you have kids glued to your legs. Not that I would know. Ahem.

And if you’re going to indulge, these are a great bet. Cacao alone is filled with magnesium, iron and tons of antioxidants. And hey – it’s Valentines day! Love yourself up. You deserve better than store bought candy anyway.

Peanut Butter & Sea Salt Cups

Ingredients

1 cup all natural peanut butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp cacoa powder
sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

Combine peanut butter, maple syrup and cacao powder into a food processor
Blend until well mixed
Spoon mixture into a small muffin tin and sprinkle with sea salt
Freeze for an hour and enjoy immediately!