Valentine’s Dinner at Home – A Healthy & Affordable Menu for Two
My Valentine and I have become accustomed to a Valentine’s Day tradition that we really love. We stay home. Although this year we’ll be traveling so we’re breaking the tradition and it’s only year three :)
I love spending Valentine’s Day from the comfort of our home. For so many reasons!
- No interruptions – no wait staff and we aren’t in public. I can talk loudly (which I do) and no one will hear it except Mr. W! Lucky him!
- I don’t feel rushed. We can take our time and truly feel relaxed.
- Way…way more affordable. With the way restaurants hike up prices for Valentine’s Day specials, I’d rather go out on another night anyway!
- I love challenging myself in the kitchen. With the cost savings of not eating out, I can afford to spend a little more on my menu for the evening and get creative.
The week or so before Valentine’s Day I start brainstorming what romantic and fun dinner I’m going to be making. I love America’s Test Kitchen for this reason. They have tons of videos I can search through and watch how the recipe is done. This allows me to have a realistic understanding of how difficult something will be.
A day or two before Valentine’s Day I get my groceries. By now I’ve done my research and planned my menu. I have a detailed grocery list and I enjoy putting it into action. This also makes the evening more fun when the groceries are already at home. We open a bottle of wine while we (okay fine, while i cook).
Our very favorite menu? Steaks and asparagus. Sometimes we’ll branch out but for the most part we stick with what we love. I snapped a few photos at Target of their steaks and asparagus but I usually splurge a bit more for steaks – either a butcher shop or Whole Foods.
After wine, steaks and asparagus we might do a little something sweet but try to keep it small. If I make something, I’ll purposely make only two small portions so we don’t have leftovers. While I’ve never made these myself, I think these healthy chocolate covered strawberries from Katie at Dashing Dish sounds like a wonderful way to get something sweet without getting into too much trouble!
Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day! May you feel loved and cherished by everyone in your life. I’m so thankful for your support in following me at FoodCoachMe! XOXO – Steph