Valentine's Day Food Ideas

Kim J-

Valentine’s Day. Some love it, others hate it, and some don’t even notice that it’s come and gone. While me and my husband were dating and during the first years of marriage, we almost always went on a date for Valentine’s and it was usually to Boston Pizza. Then we were off to see a movie afterward. Because of that tradition, pizza became our official Valentine’s dinner!  When we had our first baby, we didn’t have any family around and didn’t know anyone to take care of him. So, we did the next best thing and ordered pizza into our apartment and watched a movie. As our kids got old enough to eat with us, we extended the tradition onto them and I started making pizza for all of us. Although I don’t do any extra special decorating, I do try and make my family feel loved by creating a special atmosphere that night. I make themed foods, light some candles, and make a tasty dessert. 

If you’d like some inspiration for things you can do to make your family feel extra special this Valentine’s Day (that don’t cost anything extra), then here you go!

Breakfast

Heart-Shaped Pancakes. 

This recipe is so easy and so versatile. I came up with this recipe many years ago when my husband first found out he was gluten sensitive. I wanted a pancake that could be made gluten-free and still taste just as yummy. I also wanted a recipe that wasn’t high in calories so it calls for applesauce instead of oil. If you’re not worried about gluten, they turn out just as yummy with white flour. I’ve even used a little whole wheat flour mixed with regular white flour and that’s also been very tasty. 

One thing I absolutely love about this recipe is that it can be made in a blender. The batter is creamy and it’s so easy to pour straight out of the blender. To make the pancakes heart-shaped, I just poured the batter into a disposable piping bag and cut a small hole in the end. You can get even fancier by adding a little red food colouring to the mixture so your pancakes will turn out pink. I recommend using these natural dyes. You can top them with a sprinkle of chocolate chips and some strawberries to keep with the theme or just serve them with plain maple syrup. I also made each of my boys their first initial just to make it feel extra special all while taking the same amount of time and effort. 

Video

Lunch

We love smoothies and shakes for any meal of the day. But often it ends up being for lunch and we pair it with a sandwich or some fruit, nuts and veggies. To make it Valentine’s themed, have your base contain either frozen strawberries or raspberries. I also add in bananas, vanilla protein powder, and almond milk. You could serve it in a red or pink cup if you have one, or put a themed straw with it.

Supper

Heart-shaped pizza is our family Valentine’s supper! Of course, there’s no getting around making these. My oldest often reminds me that’s what we need to have and gets very excited about the idea of having them again. I like to use as easy of a crust as possible. I don’t have a go-to pizza dough recipe, so I’ll share Courtney’s pizza dough recipe since hers is so simple and she’s the queen of pizza. If you’d prefer a high protein pizza crust then you could try Kim B.’s Recipe out instead. You can top them however you like of course! Our family is dairy-free so I just buy some orange and white dairy-free cheese. Everyone can choose what they like on each pizza, my husband and boys usually just like pepperoni and black olives. I, on the other hand, like pineapple, peppers, tomatoes and spinach, all depending on what’s in my fridge that day!

The Atmosphere

The most important part is the atmosphere. Nights like these are core memories for my family. The dimmed lights, the candles, the place settings, and the individual servings make things special and each person feels like they are being catered to. I usually buy some sparkling juice and put fancy dishes out so it’s all a little extra special that night. It’s almost more fun when Valentine’s falls on a weekday because the extra care and attention is even more unexpected compared to if it was on a weekend. Since I have all boys, notes, frills, and Valentine’s things don’t really interest them. But, when it comes to food, I can see that they notice and love it. Having my husband and boys love the food and attention given to them at the table makes my mom heart feel good. 

Think of Others 

I know some moms or wives might feel like this day is specifically for them. I definitely used to be the girl who would get a little offended if I didn’t get flowers or chocolates. Now, I see it as something totally different. Instead of thinking about what might be done for me on that day, I just like to think about what I can do for others on Valentines to make them feel special. Boys and men don’t mean not to think of us on that particular day. It’s often just not in their nature to.

Instead, we can show them how much we love and care for them and make the day just a little extra special by the food and mood we offer them when they come to the table. In a roundabout way, we benefit as moms and wives too because we get to enjoy the food and atmosphere as well. Just like Christmas, it’s better to give than to receive. And maybe, if you get lucky, whatever men or boys forget that it was Valentine’s Day, will thank you by doing the clean-up instead. 

I hope these ideas help you this Valentine’s as you show a little extra love to your family.