Suggestions needed :)

You're on Page 1 of 2
Go to
  • I'm in a long distance relationship, and I haven't seen my boyfriend in about 2 months. In the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be making a trip to see him, and I'm so excited!!

    I was hoping to make a romantic, yet healthy, dinner for us. Anyone have any suggestions? I was hoping to steer away from the cliche romantic Italian! LoL

    Also, I wanted to bring him a little gift just because...would it be cheesy to get a little teddy bear? Any ideas?



    Haha...ok I'm done with new threads for today!
  • Well, I can give some romantic dinner suggestions, however, I'm not sure how healthy you can consider them. I am new to losing weight, and I have just started trying to find some new recipes. However, there is one, from the biggest loser cookbook that always gets rave reviews which is pecan crusted chicken. Just coat the chicken with an egg white and put on crushed up small pieces of pecans and bake it for about 20 minutes. I have a less healthy version but more delicious version of this where instead of egg you use maple syrup and you mix the pecans in breadcrumbs and then you fry it with olive oil. But the healthy version is almost as tasty! My boyfriend also loves the salmon I make, but the top of it is coated in lemon-olive oil- and crushed up kettle cooked potato chips... It's healthier than most recipes but it is not the greatest. You can also do whole grain pasta with lots of fresh veggies in it like mushrooms and basil and tomatoes.
  • I'm in the same boat as you, I'll be seeing my man for the first time in almost four months on the first of nov.
    My man thinks taco's can be romantic faire. Guys are romantic in different ways then women are. Put something sexy on and serve them cold cereal and they are happy.
  • I know how you feel. My husband is deployed and he's going to be back in April after not seeing him for 8 months, and I want to plan something really romantic for the day after he comes home.

    But no italian, huh? Well, start off with a really nice salad. Then for the main course, what about some stuffed chicken/turkey breasts with some grilled veggies like asparagus?
  • Yeah. Lingere and order a pizza. He'll melt! Make dessert though... chocolate covered strawberries!

    Oh, you said diet frinedly. Alrighty.

    Steak and veggies. Red meat gets such a bad rap and it's really not bad for you in moderation. Potatoes? You could do sweet or yellow gold which has less carbs.
    I think someone already suggested salmon, which is what I would go with. A nice rice pilaf as a side.
    Dessert... fruit... done creativly. Fancy shapes, some dips maybe (dark chocolate or yogurt)...

    A gift? In my experience, guys secretly like to be romanced, too. A bear wouldn't be a bad idea.


    I would order a pizza though...
  • Quote: Put something sexy on and serve them cold cereal and they are happy.


    So true...lol
  • its especially true if you have the romatic fruity pebbles. They are irresistable.
  • I made this for dinner the other night.

    Chicken Breast Stuffed With Feta Cheese and Sundried Tomato
    SERVES 4

    4 chicken breasts, pounded thin
    1 medium red bell pepper, diced
    6 garlic cloves, minced
    5 large sun-dried tomatoes, diced
    1 teaspoon thyme
    8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled finely
    1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I use Italian style)
    olive oil
    salt
    pepper
    toothpick (or Butcher String)
    green onion, chopped (for garnish)

    1.Sauté garlic and red bell pepper, in Olive Oil, for about 3 minutes (just enough to"combine" the flavors).
    2.Put aside to cool.
    3.In a bowl, combine Feta cheese, breadcrumbs, thyme, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic and red pepper mixture.
    4.Toss until well mixed (this will be your "stuffing").
    5.Lay a flattened piece of chicken breast on a cutting board or your counter.
    Put a 1/4 of the above mixture on the flattened chicken breast like you would be making a burrito and roll as tight as you can get it.
    6.Secure it with a toothpick or butcher string.
    7.Place chicken breast "roll" on a baking sheet (I spray it with Pam so it doesn't stick), brush with olive oil (this gives it a nice golden brown texture), and season with salt and pepper.
    8.Preheat oven to 350°F.
    9.Cook for about 35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 180°F.

    I served it with Basamic Roasted Asparagus

    Balsamic Roasted Asparagus Recipe
    SERVES 8

    2 lbs thin asparagus spears, trimmed
    cooking spray
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon pepper
    2 tablespoons butter (I use Margarine)
    2 teaspoons soy sauce
    1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

    1.Preheat oven to 400.
    2Arrange asparagus in single layer on baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.
    2.Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
    3.Bake for 12 minutes.
    4.Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat.
    5.Cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned.
    6.Remove from heat, stir in soy sauce and vinegar.
    7.Drizzle over asparagus, toss well to coat.

    And white wine and lemon risotto

    1 1/2 C arborio or other short grain rice
    2 Tbsp olive oil
    4 1/2 C chicken broth
    1/2 C white wine
    1 lemon
    salt and pepper to taste

    Directions
    1.Bring chicken broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Turn heat to low and cover to keep warm.
    2Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and a sprinkling of salt, and saute until translucent and just starting to take on color.
    3.Add rice and saute until translucent, approximately 2 minutes.
    4.Add a ladleful of broth to the rice and stir until absorbed.
    3.Repeat until broth is gone. Over time, it will take longer and longer for the broth to be absorbed, and the rice will take on a creamy texture.
    4.Add wine; stir until absorbed.
    5.At this point the rice grains should be swollen to several times their original size and tender to the bite. If not, continue cooking with water until the rice is done.
    6.Zest lemon; reserve for garnish.
    7.Squeeze the juice from lemon. Add to the risotto and stir until absorbed.
    8.Remove from heat.
    9.Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in lemon zest and serve immediately.

    There are some good recipes at www.weheartfood.com it's an awesome recipe blog.
  • Okay, I'm a pickier eater so, if either of you are picky here's an idea.

    Baked Teriyaki salmon
    Baked red Potatoes
    Asparagus
    Rolls

    We cut ehte red potatoes into large chunks and spray them with cooking spray (or sprinkly with olive oil) and add seasonings of your choice. I like to spray them with cooking spray and throw them in a ziploc bag with the spices and shake it up to coast everything evenly. Then bake them until they are about halfway done. Take a fillet or two of salmon and pour some bottled Teriyaki on top (or marinate it before hand) and bake that until done. We do the asparagus in the oven or microwave with just a little water and we like them to be a little crunchy. Nothing fancy but pretty good. I don't usually do rolls or breads with dinner but you might want to for a special occassion.

    Or you could always do spaghetti and garlic bread. Though you'd need to be careful about the fat content particularly on the garlic bread.

    I think anything stuffed (peppers, zucchini, chicken, turkey, yada yada yada) seems romantic because it'll make him think you spent all day on it, even though you don't really have to.
  • but shantroy's ideas sounds freakin amazing!
  • I've been wanting to make this for a while.... Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. I don't know how romantic all that garlic would be though!
    http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...-GARLIC-105502
  • If it's a romantic evening you want, stay away from the garlic!!!
  • omg, that chicken sounds good!
  • Chicken is always romantic lol
  • hehe yeah I'm in a long-distance relationship with my guy too. I just saw him after four months in september.. going to see him again in two weeks.
    When he came over he cooked pizza from scratch and made his own sauce.. so this time I wanna make something when I go up.
    I love shantroy's idea. Chicken is what I was planning too..
    I'm thinking of doing a chicken tandoori dish~