4 Healthy & Romantic Valentine’s Day Lunch Recipes

If you’re planning to spend the first half of your Valentine’s Day indoors, cooking that special someone a romantic lunch is an excellent way to show that you care. However, cooking up something that’s high in nutritional value, low in calories but still tastes good can be tricky. Fortunately, if you stick to natural, unprocessed ingredients, it’s possible to put together a lunch that’s full of flavour and good for you. In this article I plan to show you how to do just that by listing 4 Healthy & Romantic Valentine’s Day Lunch Recipes.

1) Heart Warming Vegetable Soup

This heart warming vegetable soup recipe is a perfect winter warmer that also has a romantic twist. The vegetables in the soup contain high levels of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients while the cream and extra virgin olive oil add a good amount of healthy fats to the soup. In addition to this, the soup contains just 251 calories per bowl.
 

Equipment Required:
– 2 Heart Shaped Bowls
– 2 Spoons
– 1 Frying Pan
– 1 Stockpot
– 1 Wooden Spoon

Ingredients:
– 500ml Of Vegetable Stock
– 5 Chopped Small Mushrooms (50g)
– 2 Tablespoons Of Cream (36ml)
– 1 Chopped Medium Sweet Potato (114g)
– 1 Chopped Small Bell Pepper (74g)
– 1 Chopped Small Carrot (50g)
– 1 Chopped Small Onion (70g)
– 1 Tablespoon Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (18ml)
– 1 Teaspoon Of Black Pepper (6g)
– 1 Teaspoon Of Dried Parsley (6g)
– 1 Teaspoon Of Salt (6g)

Instructions:
1. Place the frying pan on the hob on a low to medium heat.
2. Add the extra virgin olive oil and vegetables to the frying pan, sprinkle them with half the black pepper, parsley and salt and then fry them for 5 minutes.
3. After 5 minutes, pour the contents of the frying pan into the stockpot, then add the vegetable stock and the other half of the black pepper, parsley and salt.
4. Place the stockpot on the hob on a high heat until the soup mixture starts to boil, then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 30 minutes, making sure that you give it a good stir with the wooden spoon every 10 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, take the stockpot off the hob, turn off the heat and pour half the soup into each heart shaped bowl.
6. Drizzle a tablespoon of cream on top of each bowl of soup and create an ‘x’ shaped kiss with the cream.
7. Add a spoon to each bowl and enjoy the heart warming vegetable soup with your partner.

Yield:
– 2 * 465ml Bowls

Calories:
– 502 Calories Total
– 251 Calories Per Bowl

Nutritional Information:

2) Love Struck Soy Sauce Beef With Vegetables

Love struck soy sauce beef with vegetables is a fantastic Valentine’s Day lunch option which has a rich, satisfying flavour and weighs in at just 335 calories per serving. The beef supplies plenty of healthy fats, protein, selenium, vitamin B3 and zinc while the vegetables also contain lots of health boosting nutrients.
 

Equipment Required:
– 2 Heart Shaped Plates
– 2 Forks
– 2 Table Knives
– 1 Frying Pan
– 1 Mixing Bowl
– 1 Sealable Container
– 1 Wooden Spoon

Ingredients:
– 5 Chopped Small Mushrooms (50g)
– 2 Beef Fillet Steaks (226g) (cut into heart shapes)
– 1 Chopped Small Bell Pepper (74g)
– 1 Chopped Small Onion (70g)
– 1 Tablespoon Of Soy Sauce (18ml)
– 1 Tablespoon Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (18ml)
– 1 Teaspoon Of Black Pepper (6g)
– 1 Teaspoon Of Cayenne Pepper (6g)
– 1 Teaspoon Of Salt (6g)

Instructions:
1. Place the black pepper, cayenne pepper, extra virgin olive oil, salt and soy sauce in the mixing bowl and mix them thoroughly with the wooden spoon to form a marinade.
2. Add the beef fillet steak, bell pepper, mushrooms and onion to the large mixing bowl and coat them fully with the marinade.
3. Once the beef fillet steak, bell pepper, mushrooms and onion are fully coated in marinade, pour them into the sealable container and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours to allow the marinade to fully soak in.
4. When you and your partner are ready to eat, remove the sealable container from the fridge, place a frying pan on the hob on maximum heat and leave it for 5 minutes to warm up.
5. After 5 minutes, pour all the ingredients from the sealable container into the frying pan.
6. Fry the beef fillet steak for 2 minutes on each side, then take the frying pan off the hob and turn off the heat.
7. Place a beef fillet steak on each of the heart shaped plates and then arrange half the vegetables around each one in a heart shaped pattern.
8. Add a knife and fork to each plate and enjoy the love struck soy sauce beef with vegetables with your partner.

Yield:
– 2 * 237g Servings

Calories:
– 670 Calories Total
– 335 Calories Per Serving

Nutritional Information:

3) Romantic Roast Lemon Salt & Pepper Chicken & Bacon With Green Beans

If you and your partner prefer, chicken over beef, romantic roast lemon salt and pepper chicken and bacon with green beans is a brilliant alternative to the recipe above. The chicken is packed full of choline, phosphorus, protein, selenium, vitamin B3 and vitamin B6 while the green beans contain high levels of dietary fibre, manganese, vitamin A and vitamin C. In addition to this, the entire lunch contains just 325 calories per serving.
 

Equipment Required:
– 2 Heart Shaped Plates
– 2 Forks
– 2 Table Knives
– 1 Baking Tray
– 1 Mixing Bowl
– 1 Saucepan
– 1 Sealable Container
– 1 Sieve
– 1 Wooden Spoon

Ingredients:
– 100g Of Green Beans
– 2 Chicken Breast Fillets (226g)
– 2 Slices Of Bacon (16g)
– 1 Tablespoon Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (18ml)
– 1 Tablespoon Of Lemon Juice (18ml)
– 1 Teaspoon Of Black Pepper (6g)
– 1 Teaspoon Of Salt (6g)

Instructions:
1. Place the black pepper, chicken breasts, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and salt in the mixing bowl and mix them thoroughly with the wooden spoon to form a marinade.
2. Once the chicken breasts are fully coated in marinade, pour them into the sealable container and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours to allow the marinade to fully soak in.
3. When you and your partner are ready to eat, remove the sealable container from the fridge, wrap a slice of bacon around each chicken breast, place them on a baking tray, heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit), put the baking tray in the oven and cook the bacon wrapped chicken breasts for 20 minutes.
4. While the bacon wrapped chicken breasts are cooking, add the water to the saucepan, place it on the hob on a high heat and bring the water to the boil.
5. Once the water starts to boil, turn the heat down to medium, add the green beans to the saucepan and boil them for 10 minutes.
6. After the green beans have boiled for 10 minutes, tale the saucepan off the hob, turn off the heat and drain the green beans into the sieve.
7. After the bacon wrapped chicken breasts have cooked for 20 minutes, remove the baking tray from the oven and turn it off.
8. Place a bacon wrapped chicken breast on each of the heart shaped plates and then arrange half the green beans around each one in a heart shaped pattern.
9. Add a knife and fork to each plate and enjoy the romantic roast lemon salt and pepper chicken and bacon with green beans with your partner.

Yield:
– 2 * 180g Servings

Calories:
– 650 Calories Total
– 325 Calories Per Serving

Nutritional Information:

4) Valentine’s Day Tuna Salad

This Valentine’s Day tuna salad is a simple but effective lunch idea for fish lovers which weighs in at just 360 calories. The tuna contains high levels of phosphorus, protein, selenium, vitamin B1, vitamin B3 and vitamin B6 while the remaining salad ingredients add a good mix of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients to the meal.

Equipment Required:
– 3 Forks
– 2 Heart Shaped Plates
– 2 Table Knives
– 1 Mixing Bowl

Ingredients:
– 100g Of Chopped Lettuce
– 100g Of Green Peas
– 12 Cherry Tomatoes (206g)
– 2 Cans Of Tuna (370g)
– 1 Tablespoon Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (18ml)
– 1 Tablespoon Of White Wine Vinegar (18ml)
– 1 Teaspoon Of Black Pepper (6g)
– 1 Teaspoon Of Salt (6g)

Instructions:
1. Place the black pepper, extra virgin olive oil, salt and white wine vinegar in the mixing bowl and mix them thoroughly with one of the forks to form a marinade.
2. Open the cans of tuna, drain them and then place the tuna into the small bowl with the marinade.
3. Crush the tuna into the marinade using the fork and then mix it thoroughly, ensuring that all the tuna chunks are coated in marinade.
4. Leave the tuna in the mixing bowl for 20 minutes to allow the marinade to fully soak in.
5. While the tuna is soaking, place half of the bell peppers, lettuce and green peas on each of the heart shaped plates.
6. After 20 minutes, remove the tuna from the mixing bowl and add half the tuna to to the centre of each heart shaped plate.
7. Arrange six cherry tomatoes on top of the tuna on each plate in a heart shaped pattern.
8. Add a knife and fork to each plate and enjoy the Valentine’s Day tuna salad with your partner.

Yield:
– 2 * 412g Servings

Calories:
– 720 Calories Total
– 360 Calories Per Serving

Nutritional Information:

Summary

If you decide to try your hand at cooking a healthy and romantic lunch this Valentine’s Day, I hope these four recipes prove useful. I’ve tried to use a range of ingredients in each recipes, so whether you’re a fan of chicken, fish, red meat or vegetables, at least one of the recipes should be suitable for you.

Now I want to hear your thoughts. Are you planning to cook a healthy and romantic lunch for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day? Do you have a favourite lunch recipe that’s missing from this list? If so, let me know by leaving a comment below. Also, please Like, +1, Pin or Tweet these recipes, so that as many people as possible can incorporate them into their Valentine’s Day.