Splurge on a Romantic Dinner…at Home + Valentine’s Giveaway

Splurge on a Romantic Dinner...at Home (plus a Valentine's Day Giveaway) from Vicki-Arnold.com

Splurge on a Romantic Dinner…at Home

When most people talk about Valentine’s day, the usual plans include a romantic dinner out. When you have children you have to find childcare for, this can quickly get expensive. My husband had the brilliant idea for one anniversary to put our kids down early for bed (they were all toddlers/preschoolers at the time) and we had a romantic dinner, just the two of us.

We picked one of our favorites that we do not get to do very often – steak. We grilled ribeyes and sauteed some mushrooms. I’m pretty sure there was another veggie, but I can’t remember. The steak and mushrooms are the standout in this memory.

We have also done things like make copycat recipes of our favorite restaurant meals. You can find recipes online for things like cheddar biscuits, shrimp linguine, and a particular pasta dish that had bacon, asparagus, and a spicy sauce.

A few ideas on how to make it work:

  • One parent can tackle the bath and bed time routine while the other cooks dinner.
  • Cook dinner together and then put the kids down right before you eat.
  • If it is too much work to get a full meal together before it is too late, try doing a special dessert.
  • If cooking is out of the question, you or your spouse could pick up a take home meal from your favorite restaurant to enjoy at home, you’ll still save on the tip and baby-sitter costs.

When you consider that a meal in a restaurant can run upwards of $50 (plus gas to get there and baby-sitter costs), you will probably find that you can create a killer meal at home and enjoy it in the intimate atmosphere of just the two of you.



More Valentine’s Ideas

Are you ready for some other Valentine ideas? I hope so! You will want to check out:

Surprise Your Valentine Giveaway!

Now time for the Surprise Your Valentine Giveaway! We want to say “Thank You!” to Applebee’s for sponsoring one of our giveaways, with a $50 gift card, perfect for a Valentine dinner or a family dinner. You will want to check out their new kid’s menu, even if you leave the kids home! You can stay up with what’s new in the neighborhood by following them on Facebook and Twitter!

Also included in this Surprise Your Valentine Giveaway is a $200 Amazon Gift Card!

To enter this giveaway, you must be 18 years old and living in the United States. Winner will be notified by email, on February 4th and will have 48 hours to claim their prize before a new winner will be chosen.

Ready to enter?

 

 


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Comments

  1. my favorite thing: he is my best friend

  2. My favorite thing about Valentine’s is focusing on the love of God and sharing that with my kiddos. : )

  3. He makes me laugh.

  4. I love celebrating V-day with my husband. He’s so kind to me!

  5. He’s intentional in our marriage!

  6. Alisha Caudill says

    I love Valentines day, usually spent at home with the hubby and kiddos

  7. rayraycartucci says

    I have two valentines…my wonderful husband and my five year old son. They fill my life and just add joy every day

  8. Dorothy Teel says

    My Valentine has been mine for 46 plus years and he loves me as I am and I love him also

  9. Carla Pullum says

    Valentines is the candy!!!!!

  10. My husband is my Valentine. He is the sweetest and most generous person I know. He puts gas in my car, helps with housework, and even buys groceries. He’s always willing to help out one of our kids or a neighbor. After 34 years of marriage, he still makes me weak in the knees.

  11. My favorite thing about my valentine is that he loves me unconditionally!

  12. My valentine is kind and responsible.

  13. Wild Orchid says

    I love that he is my best friend, and he can always make me laugh!
    Thanks for the chance to win!

  14. Would love to win. My Valentines plans have mostly been ruined by being broke college students, haha

  15. Danielle F. says

    My favorite thing about my valentine is his sense of humor.

  16. Love this contest! I also really like your idea of doing a fancy meal at home. We dont’ do that nearly as often as we could.

  17. There are so many things to love about him. I admire his patience and compassion. He is also a little weird like me (but in a good way).

  18. Love the at home date idea, we have done this the last couple valentines days…we make it an easy meal but with fancy premade things we usually wouldn’t buy. It still is cheaper than a night out and a babysitter

  19. that its only one day a year

  20. I love my valentine’s sense of humor

  21. I like the chocolate that tends to be around!

  22. My favorite thing? Hes my best friend.