Valentine's Day: A No-Fail Romantic Dinner

Early on in a relationship it's not difficult to sweep your significant other off his or her feet with the simplest of acts. A box of chocolates, a bouquet of flowers, a text message, a playlist, a romantic stare across a crowded room. However, as you move on into the normalcy of everyday life it gets harder and harder to rekindle that passion that was once so abound. It seems every year into a relationship it's that much more challenging to make Valentine's Day meaningful.  

As the undisputed most romantic man in Canada (I swear, I couldn't make this crap up) I'm going to let you in on my suggestions for a never-fail romantic Valentine's Day dinner for two:

1. Plant the Seed: Sometime during the day text, email or call that special someone and let them know you have a special meal planned for just the two of you. The day long anticipation will put the spring in anyone's step.
2. Just the Two of Us: Nothing kills a nice evening together like whining kids, snotty noses and dirty diapers. So, if you've got kids, wait until they're in bed and asleep before getting started on your dinner together. Sure it'll be late—but it's worth the wait.
3. Get Down: Part of rekindling the romance is mixing up the routine. So grab a blanket, lay it out on the bedroom floor and make yourselves a picnic dinner.
4. When We Were Young: Remember when food used to be fun? Sure you aren't going to start a food fight across the dinner table, but there are other ways to find that levity again. Simple things like ordering Chinese and challenge each other to eat with chopsticks using your non-dominant hand. Or finding the fondue set you got as a gift and never used out of the back of the closet. Who doesn't like dinner you can dunk?
5. Stoke the Embers: It's so easy to let the every day get in the way of a relationship. Finding a way to rekindle it is not too difficult. You just need to change gears and remember why you fell in love in the first place. Try pulling out two pens and paper during dessert. Write down 5 places you'd each love to visit in the next 5 years and see how your lists compare. Just a fun distraction from bills, work, chores and the everyday grind.

Valentine's Day dinner doesn't have to be difficult or stressful—make it fun and playful. You'll be amazed how great it feels to relax, unwind and fall back in love, one meal at a time.