Our Healthy(ish) Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

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Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to celebrate love in all aspects of your life. We like to think of it less as a mandatory romantic holiday, and more as a lovely excuse to show a little extra appreciation for your best friend, parent, dog, or your sweetheart. A box of chocolates is probably the most traditional Valentine’s Day gift (and we’re not opposed to the practice — chocolate is absolutely delicious!), but sweets are hardly mandatory. So this year, we decided to select some top-notch gifts that are a little healthier for your body, the environment, or our communities than a classic box of chocolates. 

1. For a perfect, affordable date night: McBride Sisters Collection Hawkes Bay Sparkling Brut Rosé

We’re believers that it’s perfectly healthy to enjoy the occasional glass or two, and Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to break out the bubbly. This sparkling brut rosé is an ideal option for a low-key date night: As it turns out, you don’t always have to get super spendy to enjoy a high-quality wine (this pick earned an “Editor’s Choice” and 91 Points from Wine Enthusiast, and we have no qualms stating that they know a lot more about wine than we do). We’re also fans of the inspiring women who run this winery, which has the distinction of being the largest Black-owned wine company in the United States. Check out their Black Girl Magic sparkling wine collection, too — they’re absolutely delightful. 

McBride Sisters Collection Hawkes Bay Sparkling Brut Rosé ($25; McBride Sisters)

2. For your best friend: Bonne et Filou Dog Macarons

Are these dog macarons incredibly extra and wildly unnecessary? Yes, yes they are. Are they also a delightful gift for your pup, and totally healthy for them? Also yes. They’re made with human-grade, corn-free, wheat-free, preservative-free ingredients: The base recipe is just oat flour, honey, and coconut oil, with a yogurt filling. We’d 100% snack on those, and we’d definitely present them to our pups.

Bonne et Filou Dog Macarons ($24; Bonne et Filou)

3. For the long distance love: AquaRossa Roses

Okay, perhaps this is the one gift that’s exactly as classic as a box of chocolates — but these flowers are genuinely special. Their farms are Rainforest Certified, which warms our little environmentalist hearts, and the company is a woman-led business based in Guatemala. Besides — and this is based on our experience — these roses are exceptionally lovely and long-lasting. You can’t go wrong. 

AquaRossa Roses (from $80; AquaRossa Farms)

4. For the herbalist: Love potion from Aesthete Tea

Aesthete Tea’s Love Potion may not actually have any magical powers, but this blend of organic Assam black tea, rose, caraway, and fennel sure tastes like it does (and it might also make your skin glow — rose tea is known for that). Aesthete Tea is a QBIPOC, woman-owned brand based in Portland, Oregon, and it’s one of those super lovely local businesses that connects with their community in cool ways. 

Love Potion (from $10; Aesthete Tea)

5. For the sustainability lover: United by Blue Recycled Wool Cardigan

Made from sustainably-sourced materials, the clothes from United by Blue are incredibly environmentally friendly — and for every product purchased, this company cleans a pound of trash from oceans and waterways. Of course, their clothes also look great — very classic and clean-lined — and are super soft to the touch. 

United by Blue Sweater ($95; United By Blue)

6. For the workout-obsessed woman in your life: The BellaBeat Ivy

Okay, this one is definitely not the cheapest option on the list, but if you’re looking for the perfect gift for a woman who loves to work out (while staying stylish) the BellaBeat Ivy is an ideal gift.  It’s the only health tracker designed and engineered for women, and it automatically tracks activities, provides biometric readings, and comes with an app that provides helpful insights. 

The BellaBeat Ivy ($249; BellaBeat)

7. For the incurable romantic: Knit Soy and Metal Candle

These natural, hand-poured candles are free from any ingredients you don’t want in your air — which are unfortunately so common in commercial candles. These pure-as-snow candles are made in Baltimore, Maryland, at a small company that also hosts candle-making workshops. Choose from layered, fresh scents like Blood Orange, Black Currant Tea, and Avocado Cilantro. 

Knit Soy and Metal Candle (from $10; KSM Candle Co)