This Valentine’s Day have a romantic meal at home! I have come up with a Valentine’s Day menu that is filled with love and the color red! This will not only save you money, but since you are in control of the ingredients, your home-cooked meal has the potential to be the healthier option.
You can never go wrong with breakfast in bed! While pancakes and waffles are a nice treat, eggs are a super quick breakfast option. I used a heart shape template to shape the egg in an attempt to make breakfast more festive. Add a slice of wheat toast, Greek yogurt, and raspberries for a well balanced meal. Yum!
I chose a Caprese panini for lunch because, while it is filling, it is also light enough to leave me hungry for a nice big Valentine’s Day dinner. Plus it only takes about five minutes to make! I used freshly made batard as my bread and then layered slices of fresh tomato, mozzarella cheese (about 1/3″ thick) and basil leaves. Thumbs up for all fresh ingredients! You can season with salt and pepper as desired, but I think it is equally delicious without the added salt. Lightly drizzle some balsamic vinegar and your panini is complete. Since I don’t have a panini press, I simply heated my panini in a frying pan with olive oil. This panini is delicious crunchy and light with amazing fresh flavors!
Valentine’s Day dinner is the meal I usually look forward to the most. For dinner I made steak in a cast iron skillet served with potatoes and mixed vegetables. The vegetables I used were a combination of zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, red peppers, and carrots.
To make the steak let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking. Letting the steak sit at room temperature allows it to cook more evenly. If you take the steak right from the fridge to the hot skillet, the middle will be too cold and the outside of the steak will burn before the inside cooks. While the steak is resting at room temperature prepare the cast iron skillet. You want the skillet to be really hot for the steak.
Place oil in the skillet. Season steaks with salt and pepper and add to hot skillet. The steaks should sizzle as soon as they hit the skillet. Flip the steaks using tongs about once every minute. Make sure each side has a nice sear. Add about 1 Tbsp grassfed butter, lightly crushed garlic and thyme. These ingredients will give the steak a wonderful flavor. Baste the steak as it cooks with the butter. Continue to cook each side and baste. Use the tongs to rub the crushed garlic over the steak. Once cooked to desired temperature, remove from heat and let sit on a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil and let the steak rest for about 5 minutes. Allowing the steak time to rest helps to keep the steak nice and juicy when you go to cut it. Cut the steak against the grain and serve! Voilà, mouth-watering goodness!
Dinner may be over, but don’t forget dessert! I chose chocolate covered strawberries, but a flourless chocolate cake topped with sliced strawberries would be delicious as well. Remember, everything is okay in moderation, including dessert!
What will you be having this Valentine’s Day?
