This Valentine’s Day we have everything you need to plan a couple’s cooking date to stock your freezer!
- Do you ever feel like you always do the same thing for date night?
- Are you looking for a unique idea to spice things up?
- Looking for ideas for a date at home instead of always going out?
What about cooking together? Better yet, spend a day freezer cooking together!
A couple’s cooking date is the perfect way to spend quality time connecting. It is also super practical since you will have a freezer full of food when you are finished.
It doesn’t matter if you are dating, newlyweds, or veterans with children. This is a fun activity for any couple that likes to work and play together, and we have all of the best tips to get you organized.
Staff member Kelcey and her husband Daniel filled their freezer with these meals in their apartment!
#1 – Choose What To Cook:
First, be realistic when you choose your menu and plan. If this is a date to just enjoy each other’s company, then you probably don’t want to stress yourself by trying lots of new and complicated recipes.
Easy meals to make together:
- Slow Cooker Mini Meal Plan Vol 2
Includes: 5 easy slow cooker dinners
10 delicious, comforting dinners that are perfect for busy days and nights when it feels like dinner just isn’t going to happen. You’ll make 5 recipes that double to 10 dinners to maximize your time, money, and ingredients.
- Instant Pot “Dump in a Bag” Mini Meal Plan Vol. 2
Includes: 5 easy-to-assemble dinners for the Instant Pot
You can throw together these 10 dynamite dinners in less than an hour! That’s 5 recipes double to 10 meals to maximize your time, money, and ingredients.
- Family Friendly “Dump in a Bag” Mini Meal Plan Vol. 7
Includes: 5 recipes you just “dump in a bag” and freeze to eat later!
These 5 quick and easy recipes double to 10 family-friendly dinners. Comfort and warmth abound in these delicious dinners and will easily change your mealtime routine. Everyone will love the Baked Crunchy Taco Casserole and Turkey Chili!
I’m not saying you can’t ever cook a full menu together though. In fact, having a cooking partner is a great way to reduce the workload on cooking day. But for your cooking date, you want to keep the mood light.
If you both love challenges, then go ahead and pick something new and exciting, like something spicy from our Passport to Eating Mini Menu Series.
For full-on “Date Night,” try one of these more sophisticated plans!
- Winter Valentine’s Mini Freezer Meal Plan Vol. 1
Includes: 2 dinners, 2 side dishes, 2 desserts
This menu includes two restaurant-worthy main dishes, two side dishes, and two chocolatey dessert choices. Pour some wine, light some candles, and you are all set!
- Spring Date Night Mini Freezer Meal Plan Vol. 1
Includes: 2 dinners, 2 side dishes, 2 desserts
We partnered with the Dating Divas to bring you two baseball-themed dinner options for their Knock it Outta the Park date night and movie. See the post for more fun ideas! If you have older children, you might even want to turn this into a fun family movie night.
- Spring Date Night Mini Freezer Meal Plan Vol. 2
Includes: 3 dinners, 1 side dishes, 2 desserts
Linger over fondue in the comfort of your home instead of shelling out the big bucks for date night. Complete with side dishes and dessert.
If you’re a member of ours at Once A Month Meals, you can also get creative and make a custom plan. You can even add a kid-friendly dish for the kids to eat before bed!
#2 – Keep it Fun and Flirty
Staying home may feel like a practical and boring date, but it can be really fun if you make it!
Remember that while you do have the goal of filling your freezer, the day or evening is really about the two of you.
So try to go the extra mile. It really does make all the difference!
- Enjoy each other’s company and the opportunity to work together.
- Make sure you “accidentally” bump into each other a lot while you are working.
- Share a taste test portion of one of the meals.
- Have fun flirting and being romantic, and don’t be afraid to take a short break if you must… (hint hint!)
#3 – Remove Distractions
Next, make sure to clear the day of distractions. Clear your schedule so that you aren’t pressed for time. If you have kids, send them to Grandma’s for the day or plan a play date with friends (make it an overnight arrangement if you can – wink, wink!) You might want to make some rules about using the phone or social media just to keep the day or evening focused on the two of you (but please take pics and share them with us the next day!)
Members Matt and Jenee shared how they send their little ones to Grandma’s and cook once a month so that they can have more time together as a family during the weeks – check out their spotlight in our I Am OAMM series.
#4 – Pick Your PlayList
Now that you have your menu planned and all distractions removed, continue to create the mood with a playlist of all your favorite jams.
It’s all about setting “the mood”…
- Make sure to include “your song”
- Take a break from cooking to dance or smooch when it comes on.
- Use your favorite service such as Pandora, Apple Music, or our favorite, Spotify.
Kelcey and Daniel were able to set up separate work stations even in their small apartment kitchen.
#5 – Divide up the Tasks
You may have heard, “too many cooks can spoil the soup.” Two sets of hands are definitely not too much for a cooking day, but you will want to organize yourselves to keep things moving efficiently, especially if you have a small kitchen.
Here are some tips for major tasks:
Shopping
We think this one is fun to do together if you can. If you’re like most, you probably have fond memories of grocery shopping with your spouses when you were newlyweds~
However, in order to clear your schedule for the cooking day, this may not be possible. If it is going to be one person, it should probably the person who typically shops for the family as they are familiar with the stores and sales.
If you are able to get Grandma (or someone else) to keep the kids overnight, head to the grocery store after you drop them off in the evening and then cook the next day.
Chopping and Prep
You probably only have one food processor, so let one person take control of slicing and dicing items that work well in the food processor. The other person can work on prepping other items such as pre-cooked meat, pasta, or rice as well as chopping herbs, zesting/juicing citrus, or anything else that doesn’t work well in the food processor.
Cooking Recipes
If you chose all “dump in a bag” recipes then you can keep it simple. He does beef, she does chicken. Or he holds the bags while she fills them. Whatever works for you!
If you chose a variety of recipes then you will want to divide them up by type so that you aren’t both trying to use the same appliances. Maybe she takes the oven and stove recipes and he takes the “dump and go” recipes and helps with clean up as needed.
Whatever you choose, it’s about setting you both up for success!
Pack up and Clean up
Once all of your recipes are cooked and cooled, one of you can work on packaging, labeling, and organizing the freezer. This should probably be the person who is most likely to be trying to find these things again when you get ready to eat your meals. The other can load the dishwasher, clear the counters, and take out the trash.
These are just ideas! It doesn’t really matter how you divvy it up, but try to stick to your strengths and whatever works best for your space and for your family.
#6 – Treat Yourselves to Take Out and a Movie
➞ Don’t cook your dinner. (Yes, you read that right!)
We always recommend that you try not to cook dinner on your larger batch “cooking day”, but especially not on your date!
- Plan to order take out from your favorite place (or use up one of the freezer meals you prepped if you like),
- Grab a movie and get comfy on the couch. This is another reason why you want to keep your meal plan simple because you want to leave time to cuddle at the end.
BONUS RESOURCE
