When you have little kids and money is tight, at home date nights can be the way to go.
Feed the kids a simple supper (they can eat your leftovers for lunch the next day if they are feeling deprived), give them a tasty dessert to make them feel special, and put them to bed a little early. This might mean wearing them out at a trip to the park, taking early naps, or even no nap so they will actually lay down. Then you can enjoy a late dinner with your spouse.
(Another option would be to have supper as a family and have a dessert date after the kids are in bed. Even simpler and more budget friendly.)
I have 10 sample menus for you to use for ideas. Switch the recipes around and I’m sure you can find a combination that you and your husband will both enjoy. (I’ll take one of each dessert, please!)
Menu 1:
- Main: Grilled Garlic Butter Steaks
- Side: Roasted Green Beans
- Side: Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
- Dessert: Peanut Butter Truffles and Chocolate Caramel Truffles
Menu 2:
- Main: Baked Salmon
- Side: Simple Rice Pilaf
- Side: Sauteed Vegetables
- Dessert: Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Pie
Menu 3:
- Main: Mongolian Beef
- Side: Hot Rice
- Side: Steamed Broccoli
- Dessert: Strawberry Vanilla Bean Tarts
Menu 4:
- Main: Honey Garlic Chicken
- Side: Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
- Side: Tossed Salad
- Dessert: Salted Caramel Skillet Brownies
Menu 5:
- Main: Skillet Lasagna
- Appetizer: Italian Layer Dip
- Side: ChiChi’s Italian Salad
- Dessert: Caramel Apple Crisp
Menu 6:
- Main: Chicken Picatta
- Side: Easy French Bread
Carrabas Bread Dipping Sauce - Side: Creamed Brussel Sprouts
- Dessert: French Silk Pie
Menu 7:
- Main: Seafood Crepes
- Side: Sauteed Vegetables
- Side: Cheddar Sage Biscuits
- Dessert: Chocolate Molten Fudge Cake
Menu 8:
- Main: Marinaded Chicken breasts
- Side: Lemon Pasta
- Side: Stir Fried Green Beans with Ginger and Onions
- Side: District 11 Bread
- Dessert: Homemade Peppermint Mocha and Sweet and Salty Chocolate Drizzled Popcorn
Menu 9:
- Appetizer: Easy Roasted Red Pepper Dip
- Main: Steak
- Side: Avocado Pomegranate Jicama Salad
- Dessert: Pavlova
Menu 10:
- Main: Homemade Pizza
- Side: Caesar Salad
- Dessert: Ice Cream
Do you have a go to meal for an at home date night?
Linking up to some of these parties and Lovely Ladies Linky, Wise Woman Link-Up, Welcome Home Wednesday, Homemaking Link Up, Thriving Thursday, Pin It Thursday, Fabulously Frugal Thursday, Mommy Brain Mixer, All Things Thursday, From House to Home, Proverbs 31 Thursdays, Let’s Get Real, Thrifty Thursday, Family Fun Friday, Hearts for Home, The Weekend ReTreat, Fellowship Fridays, Faith Filled Friday, Frugal Homeschool Friday, Link Party Palooza, Weekend Wind Down Party, Follow Our Thrift, Strut Your Stuff
What a great list of links for “dating in,” Deanna! Thanks for linking to my Avocado Pomegranate Jicama Salad! 🙂
Thanks so much for your comment! Your salad looks amazing. Avocados and pomegranates are some of my favorite things so I can’t wait to try it!
Wow. My mouth is watering! This is awesome–thanks for all the inspiration, and for the link love! 😉
Thanks for all your yummy recipes and for the comment! (Your oven baked pancake was a hit with my husband!)
Yum! I’ll take one of each dessert, too! 😀 Thanks for linking up to my Carrabba’s dipping spices recipe! Hope you have a lovely Valentine’s Day!
So glad that I’m not the only that thinks the sweets all sound amazing! I love bread and oil at restaurants, I don’t know why I’ve never made it at home. Thanks for your recipe!
Thanks for the link, Deanna! 🙂
Your welcome! Peppermint sounds like a pretty perfect finish to a Valentine’s dinner.
This is a great list for meal planning, period! I love to have a couple of super yummy, restaurant-quality meals at home per month. I find that it keeps us from feeling like we’re in a rut or we’re missing something by not eating out much. Pinned it–this is a great resource!
Thanks! There are so many great recipes. I love how you do some tasty restaurant quality meals each month. I bet your family really looks forward to it. Thanks for pinning too!
Our go-to date night meal is a nice (but cheap) bottle of wine with some good cheese, sausage, grapes, apples and dark chocolate. It means no cooking for me and we can just watch some Netflix and enjoy ourselves. Stopping by from the Lets Get Real link party.
LOVE your go-to meal! That sounds about perfect to me. When I traveled with a friend in Europe we did about a meal a day like that (plus bread of some sort from a bakery) and they were the best. I’m always for no cooking.
Thanks for sharing in the Let’s Get Real blog hop! These are some great pairings, just in time for Valentine’s Day!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting! You are right, so many great sounding combinations. Valentine’s Day is a great time to try out a new fancy meal.
Love this! So many great ideas!! Love doing at home date nights! Stopping by the Weekend re Treat Link Party. ~Angela @ http://lemoinefamilykitchen.com
Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Date nights are fun for trying out new tasty looking recipes. 🙂
We made homemade pizza for Super Bowl. It was pretty good. We definitely need to eat at home more. Love the ideas!
We really enjoy homemade pizza in our house! We have it most every Friday. I need to start trying some fun toppings out!
Homemade pizza cost us more than frozen pizza. Do you have any suggestions for making pizza night frugal?
Oooo, yes! This might become a post. 🙂 Thanks for the question. But in the meantime – buy things on sale, use what you already have, and proportion ingredients so you don’t pile on more than you need. Hopefully I can get it written soon!
We love Dinner Date Nights In! Thanks for including my Tart recipe in your menu! Happy Valentines Day!
You are welcome! You have so many tasty recipes, I think I want to make most all of them. Hope that you have a great week.
We eat dinner early…five…so putting them to bed early enough isn’t a great option for us, but a dessert date would work!
Thank you for joining the WWDparty and linking to us. I’m pinning this to our board!
Yeah, when we did an at home date night last month I had to have a snack to last until after our daughter went to bed a little before 8. Definitely a lot later that a normal supper. Dessert date would be a lot easier.
I usually cook every night except on the weekends because I enjoy cooking for my family. I will definitely be using some of these recipes. Thanks for sharing and linking up with us at the #WWDParty – Happy Valentine’s Day.
I enjoy cooking too! I’m the opposite of you – I cook on the weekends and we eat leftovers during the week! Thankfully the family hasn’t minded yet. 🙂
Most of our date nights are at home and we love it. It is nice to get out now and again but I like being able to do it anytime without having to worry about a babysitter or the budget. These are great menu ideas. Honestly, any meal is a luxury if I don’t have a kid hanging on me while I eat 😉
I agree! It’s so much simpler (and cheaper) to just stay home! Oh my goodness, yes! What is a meal with out kids trying to climb, needing help, wiping up spills. 😉
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Oh, number 5 sounds fabulous! Thanks for sharing and for linking up with us on our last Weekend Wind-Down Party (I’m late browsing due to a move!) – hope you link up again this weekend! God Bless!
The skillet lasagna is amazing! We really like it! Hope you are getting all situated after you move and everyone is adjusting! Have a great week.