7 Easy Healthy Date Night Dishes

By Alexis Frankel on November 25, 2016

It’s Friday night and you have a hot date with your even hotter Tinder match. For the purpose of this article (and my darkest fantasies), let’s say your Tinder match is heartthrob, Ryan Gosling.

You call up Ryan and ask him what he has planned for tonight, which you find out is absolutely nothing. You suggest dinner and drinks over your place although you have nothing prepared. While you have nothing prepared, you are determined to be Mrs. Gosling by the end of this date. You also note you will have to make something healthy to maintain Mr. Gosling’s hot bod.

Don’t worry! Here are seven mouth-watering meals that are sure to make your date fall in love.

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1. A cheap but fancy steak, with an arugula salad and roasted cauliflower

This fancy, but cheap meal will have Ryan all juicy for you, just like this steak. The arugula salad and roasted cauliflower will have him convinced that meat isn’t the only thing on your mind. Serve with a nice glass of red wine to bring out the flavors of the steak. The entire meal costs $10, or possibly under depending on where you buy your ingredients.

2. Turkey and Brussels sprouts club sandwich

Make this sandwich with your Thanksgiving leftovers. If you find this article farther away than in the glorious days after Thanksgiving where you can feast and not have to clean up the mess it took to make the meals, it is still a cheap meal.

Brussels sprouts are particularly cheap, but are also healthy for multiple reasons. They act as antioxidants and are a good source of vitamin C.

“Inspired by classic club sandwiches, this seasonal twist relies on fresh-cut turkey, and swaps the tomato for cranberry sauce and the lettuce for leftover Brussels sprouts, ” said the author of the recipe and The Kitchn founder, Kelli Foster.

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3. Pasta with bolognese sauce

Although pasta is messy, the fact that this is not spaghetti lessens chances of spillage. You can’t have a Lady and the Tramp moment, but this dish will make him want to kiss you. I admit it, tons of ground beef piled on top of pasta does not initially sound healthy, but look at the ingredients. The sauce is loaded with carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. Carrots are packed with vitamin C and garlic acts as an immune booster. Just because it’s healthy does not mean it will not fill you up. This hearty recipe results in tons of leftovers.

4. Sneakily healthy, creamy pasta

The author of this recipe, Vicky Nguyen, claims she can sneak vegetables into her boyfriend’s pasta. Use this recipe to sneak into Ryan’s heart. He’ll be impressed you managed to make pasta healthy. Nguyen’s boyfriend is a picky eater who believes that he is a super taster; however, she believed this healthy dish could stoop his vegetable aversion.

“He claims to have ‘super tastebuds’ and I don’t buy it,” Nguyen said. “He’s a noob, and … if he really did, he’d be able to taste the greens in this pasta.”

5. Japanese-style shrimp and veggie meal

This meal will have you saying “sayonara” to your single status. Break away from the urge to throw shrimp into pasta, and convince your date that you’re totally healthy. Top on some rice if you really need some carbs. Although it is good to have carbohydrates in your diet (your body can go into ketosis if you do not have enough of them) they should not be the staple in every meal. In general, vegetables and fruits should take up half the portion of a dish, which this recipe does.

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6. A sweet and savory salmon dish

Maybe salmon, mango, and mustard sounds a little off-putting, but this combo of sweet and savory makes its appearance in dishes like orange chicken. Give it a try and Mr. Gosling will definitely give you a try.

Spoon University contributor, Michelle Loret de Mola, eats this dish because it is super tasty, but also because she knows how healthy it is.

“If you haven’t already heard, salmon is packed full with Omega-3 and has the kind of fat you can be happy about eating,” Loret de Mola said. “So if you didn’t already love it for its fresh taste, now you can love it because it’s good for you.”

7. Mini pizza “cookies”

Give your date something a little better than pizza with these pizza cookies. The recipe is easy with its “memorizable” four ingredient grocery list (pizza dough, pepperoni, mozzarella and pizza sauce). Make it a little healthier by adding different toppings on it. Make a veggie supreme with peppers, olives, spinach, onions, and mushrooms. Chop them all up into tiny pieces for some vegetable sprinkles. Eating a recipe like this combats everyone’s true dinner desire: getting pizza delivered. Eat eight of these cookies instead of eight pizza slices. It’s pizza without the penalties!

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