9 Ingredients for the Perfect Date Night Dinner ...

1. Candles

One of the first non-food related ingredients you need for the perfect date night dinner is candles! It doesn’t have to be over the top, and one or two will do. This gives the lighting a sense of intimacy instead of harsh focus. They can be placed on the dinner table, or somewhere else in the room, and try to choose an exotic, but simple scent like vanilla. Men love that!

2. Protein

Whatever you do, serve protein at your meal. Either in the form of chicken, fish, turkey, roast, steak, or your favorite vegan protein. I would avoid tofu at all costs, and usually men go more for meat. If you’re vegan, and he’s not, make him something special on the side if you can. Protein is great for date night dinners because tryptophan, an amino acid found in protein it helps promote serotonin in the body. Plus, protein promotes satiety and improved brain cognition. This will help ensure you have a great conversation and aren’t leaving your man starving an hour later! The amino acids in protein also help prevent a low mood, which is of course important on your date night!

3. Veggies

Even if you’re not huge on veggies, make a few anyway. They’re healthy, and they give a sense to a man that you can cook. It also reminds most of them of the warming feeling they got as a child when theire mom cooked them dinner. Veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes, marinated kale salad, and mushrooms usually go over well with men. I’d avoid too much garlic, onions or broccoli to reduce gastrointestinal disturbances! Salad also works here, and makes for my favorite fresh way to add veggies in.

4. Wine

If you drink, have a bottle of wine on hand. If you don’t drink, be sure you have some kind of beverage besides water or soda. Most men like wine or beer, water or tea. Even if they end up drinking water, it makes for a nice impression that also adds a touch of hospitality. Men love this!

5. Great Dinnerware

Another thing to be sure you have for your date night dinner is nice dinnerware. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but don’t pull out the paper or plastic plates for your date! You can get matching glass plates and glasses at the dollar store! Make things look nice, even if you don’t have a lot to spend. Maybe your man won’t care about this, but if you’re going to make things special, try to make things look nice in the process.

6. Chocolate for Dessert

I always suggest having chocolate in some form for dessert. It promotes the same feelings as love and it induces libido-boosting hormones. Plus, everyone loves chocolate! Anything goes here, and it can be as healthy as you want it to be or not.

7. Fruit

Another thing you could serve for dessert, or even an appetizer is fruit. You could even serve it with the meal. Many men either don’t like veggies, or don’t have a huge sweet tooth for chocolate. This gives them the option of having something else to nosh on besides the chips in your pantry, which hopefully, you don’t have anyway!

8. A Healthy Grain

Quinoa, brown rice and wild rice are all excellent to make as a healthy grain to serve. Even if you don’t eat them, most men love them. Serve a side of this just incase they’re not huge on veggies.

9. The Right Seasonings

Maybe you have a high tolerance for spicy foods, but your man might not. On the same hand, if you like bland foods, he might like a little more flavor. I would suggest going for a good salt-free all purpose seasoning, just a bit of high quality sea salt, black pepper and lemon. Those flavors work well on just about anything, and most people love them, no matter what their taste preference.

If you know some tips for making the perfect date night dinner, speak up! What are your secret ingredients for date night success?