Valentine’s Dinner at Home // Under $60

If you remember in my last post, Valentine’s Day is all about the food for us! Whether we go out or eat in – which is about 50/50 each week depending on how we are feeling. This year we decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day early and teamed up with Whole Foods to bring you the perfect Valentine’s Dinner you can make at home for under $60!

Now, you know we shop at Whole Foods pretty often (usually 2-3x a month) in addition to some of other favorites (Trader Joe’s, Target, Costco), but we almost ALWAYS get our meat at Whole Foods. It’s just the TOP of the line and still affordable.

Shopping List

• 2ct Filet Mignon
• 1/2 lb Shrimp
• Handful of Asparagus
• 2ct Yukon Potatoes
• Gorgonzola Cheese
• 4 Garlic Cloves
• Tablespoon of Chopped Onions*
• Butter*
• 1ct Lemon
• Seasonings – salt, pepper, garlic powder*
• Red Wine Reduction
  • Ferrari Carano Wine* or any red wine on hand
  • Balsamic Glaze*
  • Honey*
• Mini Cheesecake
• Strawberries

*Items we already had on hand and not included in the the cost. Quantity/Weight may also vary your cost. We chose LARGE filets. Our total cost was just under $60. We also snagged a dozen roses for $20.99 (Huge sale for 2 Dozen starting 2/7 for $24.99).

How to Make the Perfect Valentine’s Dinner At Home

Note – Most of our prep is “to taste” and we wanted to keep this as simple as possible for those that do and don’t cook often.

Dinner

• Asparagus + Potatoes // Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the asparagus, trim the bottoms, spread them out on half of a cookie sheet (we put foil on top for minimal mess when cooking), cut up the potatoes, place them on the other half of the cookie sheet, season to taste (we use salt, pepper, garlic powder, fresh garlic, and a squeeze of lemon, sometimes we add thyme). Bake in the oven for 25 min. Be sure to cook these BEFORE the meat and seafood because the meat only takes 6 min and seafood only 5 min. 
• Filet // You have to get a great sear on both sides and the best way to do that is to heat the pan on high but before it burns, turn down the heat to a medium-high and add meat with a tablespoon of butter with some fresh rosemary. We usually will add another tablespoon of butter depending on the thickness of the meat. Give it 3 min per side, basting it every minute with the butter. Once there is a beautiful sear, put the pan with the steak directly in the 400 degree oven. Depending on how you want your steak prepared is how long you leave it in the oven for example, we like it medium-rare so no longer then 4 minutes in the oven. Once the internal temperature of the steak is 120 degrees, set it aside to rest. Don’t throw away anything in the pan yet – keep it for the reduction! 
• Shrimp // Shrimp is one of the easiest dishes to cook and it adds tremendous value to the plate. To start, heat a pan with olive oil and butter while peeling the shrimp.We add a little fresh garlic to the pan for flavor. Place shrimp in the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. It really only takes about two-three minutes each side to cook the shrimp. You know its done when it is a beautiful pink color. 
• Red Wine Balsamic Reduction // This is Optional, but tastes OH SO GOOD! Take the drippings from the steak pan and mix them with about 1/4 cup of red wine. Reduce the wine down and add balsamic with a little honey for sweetness. Once the sauce has reduced by about a third, it is ready to serve! Make sure to taste it prior to turning the burner off just in case the wine needs more time. 

Dessert

The most hassle-free BEAUTIFUL dessert option! And – it is delicious!

• Strawberries // Wash and cut a small handful of strawberries (no stems), throw in a processor (We used our Magic Bullet) with a splash of water, some honey & sugar until pureed. Pour in a squeeze bottle, like this, and create a design on your plate! We just zig-zagged the middle section.
• Cheesecake // Place your cheesecake directly in the middle and top with a freshly slice strawberry!

This is one of our FAVORITE meals to date that we have made. We am a sucker for a good Surf and Turf and this dinner did not disappoint! What are you doing for Valentine’s Day? Are you ready to make the perfect Valentine’s Dinner at home for yourself, some gal pals, or a loved one?

This post is sponsored by Whole Foods Reno. As always, all opinions are our own and 100% honest. We will never share anything we do not love.Thank you for supporting the brands that make Change With Us possible! xo

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