Hello there,

What better theme for this week’s message to you than love! it has been a little while since I popped in to your inbox – I have been away in New Zealand at my home on Waiheke Island celebrating my youngest sister’s wedding. A beautiful celebration of love between two gorgeous people that was truly a joy to be a part of. Oh, I do love weddings!

So there has been a lot of love the last couple of weeks in our family and this Sunday we have Valentine’s Day to remind of us how fortunate we are to have loved ones in our lives. One of the most memorable Valentine’s I had was when I lived in London. I was single at the time and knew a lovely couple who held a Valentine’s party for all of their single friends at their house. I thought this was such a generous and inclusive thing to do by the couple who could have easily chosen a romantic dinner out together but instead opened up their home and their hearts to all of us.

When you’re in a couple it’s easy to get complacent on a number of levels, remembering your single friends and making an effort to keep opening connections is something we often become a bit relaxed about. This Valentine’s day I urge you to play Cupid; introduce some new people to each other, have a dinner party, send your friend some flowers and tell them you love them. Valentines Day is not strictly limited to the love between two people, or about spending unnecessary money on material gifts. It’s about shifting the energy from a commercial obligation to a heartfelt day where we extend love to all those in our lives.

As many of you know I love to share my love through my cooking and stand by the belief that the fastest way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. Today I’m sharing with you my Gluten-Free Chocolate Beetroot Love Cake. It’s a perfect love cake as it has lots of raw cacao (chocolate) to increase serotonin and enhance one’s mood and feelings of love.

This cake is nutrient-dense with beetroot, almonds, avocado and more. It is also rich and moist and keeps well. I tested it out on my gluten-free sister and she gave it a big thumbs up. The icing alone is unbelievably GOOD!

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Paleo

CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE

Have a beautiful weekend.

Love Simone X