Fast and Frugal: Date Night Dinner in 15 Minutes

Can you create a special date night dinner at home in 15 minutes?  How about for under $10?  You bet!  Here are a few tips to make it easy, frugal, and fun:

• To save time, look for a high quality pre-packaged meal, jarred sauce, or frozen dinner that has taken care of the prep work for you.  To help save money, see what's on sale or use a high-value coupon with your purchase.

• Don't forget the details!  Use “real” table linens for a romantic touch.  Don't have any?  Not to worry!  Grab a scarf to throw on the table from your own closet. You can also use:  bedspreads, sheets, blankets, or pieces of fabric from your craft stash.

• Turn down the lights, light the candles, and turn on some romantic music.

• Eliminate as many distractions as possible:  Eat after the kids have gone to bed, turn off cell phones, etc.

• Think about some topics of conversation ahead of time that really focus on the two of you, otherwise you'll probably end up rehashing the mundane details of your day or talking about the kids.  On our agenda:  Our Marriage Goals for the Year.

I recently put these tips into practice making a date-night meal for my husband.  Here's a rundown:

I found these Campbell's Skillet Sauces my local Cub Foods store near the boxed dinners.  There are six yummy-sounding varieties: Creamy chipotle, Fire Roasted Tomato, Toasted Sesame, Marsala, Scampi, and Thai Green Curry.  They're just $2.29 and help you create a nice meal for two in 15 minutes or less.

Here's the frugal part:  Look for the in-store coupon on the display that takes $2 off your purchase of meat with your purchase.  It's in stores during the month of February.  What a great high-value coupon!!  I used my Skillet Sauce to come up with a special quick-and-easy date night creation:

pasta with shrimp and Artichokes

• 1-lb. fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
• One pouch Campbell's Skillet sauces, Scampi flavor
• 1 can artichokes, drained
• 1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Give the artichokes a chop.

Saute the shrimp little olive oil until no longer pink.

Add the Add the skillet sauce, chopped artichokes and parsley.  Heat through.

Serve over pasta topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Garnish with parsley and serve.

Doesn't it look elegant?

View my Google+ Gallery  to see more photos from our romantic night and how I prepared for it.

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and Campbell's #cbias #SocialFabric.  All opinions are my own.