Show your loved one how much you care with a romantic, home-cooked meal.
Growing up I asked my mother if she ever got sick of cooking for us. I will never forget her response because it shaped the way I view preparing food for my family today. She told me that cooking was another way for her to show us how much she loved and cared for us. It was like wrapping her arms around us and giving us an extra hug. I still think it is one of the sweetest sentiments I have ever heard. If you love showing your affection with food, this dinner date menu for two will be perfect for you! Don’t worry, we’ll give you a wide range of perfectly paired options!
Cooking is Our National Love Language
Nothing says L-O-V-E like a home cooked meal. A recent study actually found that 86% of Americans are super attracted to a partner who knows how to cook. Furthermore, 71% of Americans claim cooking as their love language!
But we totally understand that it can be daunting to plan a meal that will impress your special someone. Luckily that’s about to change! Our dinner date menu will prove that good food doesn’t have to be complicated, and as we know it can be healthy, too. In fact, there is no better combination than delicious and healthy!
The Perfect Starters
Start the meal off just as your favorite fancy restaurant would!
Healthiest Greek Salad
Get dinner started with a fresh and healthy salad! If you’re going with a Greek-inspired main, a Greek salad is a great choice for a starter.
Try it: Healthiest Greek Salad
Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup Recipe
Going on a tour of Italy tonight? Make some minestrone soup to get the evening started!
Make this starter: Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup Recipe
Homemade Focaccia Bread
All of the best restaurants start you off with some type of yummy bread. Our homemade focaccia is perfect for munching on while your main is cooking!
Here’s the recipe: Homemade Focaccia Bread
How to Build a Winter Charcuterie Board
It doesn’t get much fancier than a charcuterie board paired with your favorite wine! Not sure how to make one? Luckily, this post will tell you exactly what you need!
Here’s how to do it: How to Build a Winter Charcuterie Board
Show Your Love with these Mains
Upscale restaurants have got nothing on you! You can’t go wrong with any of these delicious dishes.
Spicy Fish in Tomato Sauce
Fresh, spicy fish teams up with rich and earthy tomato sauce in this high-protein, Mediterranean-inspired recipe.
You can serve this one with the Greek salad or the minestrone!
Try it: Spicy Fish in Tomato Sauce
One-Pan Rustic-Style Italian Chicken
Take the Italian route with this classic one-pan chicken. Not only is it delicious, but it’s good for you and easy to clean-up, too!
We think the minestrone soup is the perfect starter for this recipe!
Make this dish: One-Pan Rustic-Style Italian Chicken
Meatballs With Walnut Pomegranate Sauce
The pomegranate adds a wonderful sweet and tangy twist to these turkey meatballs. Serve them up with a side of your favorite veggie or pasta!
Try the focaccia as a starter for this recipe!
Serve it up: Meatballs With Walnut Pomegranate Sauce
Mediterranean-Style Greek Pasta Recipe
Speaking of pasta, this scrumptious recipe will leave you and your date feeling super satisfied. It’s packed with fresh and healthy ingredients like spinach, garlic, tomato, and feta cheese!
You can’t go wrong with starters for this one; any of the options above will pair perfectly!
Try it out: Mediterranean-Style Greek Pasta Recipe
Salad Nicoise With Poached Salmon
This colorful French salad is almost too pretty to eat! But with ingredients like tender salmon, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, and homemade dressing, you’re definitely going to want to eat it!
We highly recommend starting off with the charcuterie board if you select this recipe.
Here’s the recipe: Salad Nicoise With Poached Salmon
Easy Zucchini Ravioli
Skip the carb-heavy pasta for some nutritious, thinly sliced zucchini, instead! This dish offers all of the ravioli flavors you love in a healthier little package!
Frankly, any of the starters above will go great with this one, too.
Find the recipe, here: Easy Zucchini Ravioli
Sweet Finishes
There’s no better way to complete an awesome dinner than to finish it off with a mouth watering dessert! Any of these recipes will go great with the mains above.
3-Ingredient Chocolate Cake
Chocolate is the perfect sweet ingredient for finishing off a romantic meal. Not only is this 3-ingredient cake wonderfully simplistic, but it’s loaded with amazing flavor too! It also happens to be gluten-free!
Satisfy that sweet tooth: 3-Ingredient Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Raspberry Truffles
It doesn’t get much more romantic than these homemade chocolate raspberry truffles, so of course we had to include them on this list! Each little morsel is bursting with rich chocolate and tart raspberry flavors that your dinner date will adore!
Make them: Chocolate Raspberry Truffles
Easy Tofu Chocolate Mousse
Our delectable chocolate mousse is a wonderful plant-based dessert for satisfying your sweet tooth. Serve this marvelous dessert after the vegetarian-friendly zucchini ravioli.
Try this recipe: Easy Tofu Chocolate Mousse
Light and Refreshing FroYo Berry Bites
Not a huge fan of chocolate? No problem! These light and sweet frozen yogurt berry bites are an excellent, just as romantic alternative!
Give these a shot: Light and Refreshing FroYo Berry Bites
No matter which combination you choose to make for your dinner date, we just know dinner will be a huge success! Be sure to let us know which recipes you selected and what you thought of them in the comment section!
Also, remember to follow us on Pinterest and like our Facebook page for more awesome recipes for any occasion!
Editor’s note: This post was originally published on January 30, 2013.
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