Date night plus something else we do in our marriage!

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope your week has started off great! I think I’m going to try running again after taking a few days off. I wanted to give my body (and my brain) some time to get back to normal before running again.  It was nice to have a break and I’m excited to go for some miles again today:)  This post today is sponsored by Blue Apron.   We are talking about our date night and something else we do in our marriage!

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We love date night over here, a lot.  Sometimes I can’t believe that we’ve been married for over a year already!  It feels like the time has completely whizzed by!  That is probably because we have crammed a lot into the almost 14 months of marriage!  Something that we have REALLY tried to do with our marriage is have a date night once a week.  We knew going into things that we weren’t going to have a ton of alone time with two, 3 year olds.  Things sure aren’t going to slow down once December 15th hits either so we really have to make sure that our ‘Date Nights’ are a priority otherwise it is kid stuff 100% of the time!  This is especially true because I like to get in bed the same time the kids do lately, ha!.

Whether our date night is out and we have a babysitter or it is at home and the kids are asleep (or downstairs watching Beauty and the Beast like we did one night with Blue Apron), we thrive off of this time together each week.   I’ve got something else I’m sharing at the end of this post that we try to do each week that really helps us too!

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Let’s talk about food first!  My heart rejoices when we receive our order from Blue Apron!  Everything is shipped right to us in a refrigerated box so everything stays fresh and cold even if you are gone when it is delivered.  This means I get a break from the grocery store with these two below because Blue Apron sends exactly what we need and in all of the right proportions!

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We chose to have General Tso’s Chicken and Garlic-Butter Shrimp & Corn for our meals this last time.  Blue Apron adds new dishes to their menu each week so it is really fun to go through and choose exactly what sounds fun to make and eat.  They have a HUGE selection of recipes that you can check out here!

Just in case you aren’t a big time chef, do not worry… the Blue Apron recipes are SO easy to use and follow along.  Each step includes a picture and a great explanation of what to do next.  I’ve been using them for almost two years now and I haven’t had a meal I didn’t love yet!  They help to get us out of our cooking ruts and trying new and fun dishes!

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We started off with the Garlic Butter Shrimp & Corn!

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Knox was a little weirded out by the fact that the potato was purple but Brooke was excited about the purple potatoes because purple is my favorite color!

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The shrimp was AMAZING (it was garlicky and buttery.. the best) and the corn was perfect too!  This was definitely a ‘new to us’ meal.  It was so fun to have a few minutes just the two of us to talk and eat.

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For our next meal we made the General Tso’s Chicken!  We were both really excited for this one!

Thank you Andrew for being the one to cook raw meat at our house.  I have not wanted to do that this entire pregnancy!

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Once the meat is cooked, I’m happy to help again ha!

Nothing like having date night in yoga pants and a running top.  I’ve told you this before but during the second trimester I have not enjoyed eating out that much.  I would much rather stay at home at night and eat. One of the many reasons I love Blue Apron.

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I thought the finished product of the General Tso’s Chicken was so pretty and Andrew said that this was his favorite Blue Apron meal so far!  It had just a bit of spice.  I loved the light crispiness of the chicken and the sauce was so good (yes, I’m slightly drooling as I type this because I want it again ha).

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Blue Apron SUCCESS!

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I wanted to share something else that Andrew and I do each week in our marriage along with date night.  I read about this idea on my friend Zack’s blog (here is the post) and thought it was a really great idea and Andrew totally agreed.  It’s a 30 minute conversation.  We do this each Sunday night together as we head into the new week!

Basically we split up the conversation into 5 different topics: finances, our plans for the week, appreciation (talk about the things we really appreciate about the other person), improvements (things that we can work on to strengthen our marriage and help the other person more) and our goals.

Andrew teases me because I get so excited for this conversation together each week.  Sometimes it lasts 10 minutes and sometimes it lasts an hour (every now and then I can’t actually stop talking).  Either way I really love it because it gets us talking about things that don’t usually just pop up on a Tuesday night when the kids are spilling milk and we are helping them search for their art supplies.  As we all know, communication is EVERYTHING and I feel like having time set-up each week to communicate about some important stuff helps us to understand one another better and work together to keep strengthening our marriage!  I love it and I love going into the week together with a plan:)

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If you want to have a delicious date night at home or try new amazing recipes while skipping the grocery store… try Blue Apron!  The first 50 readers will get three free meals on their first Blue Apron order!  Go HERE to get this offer!

Also, I wanted to share Blue Apron’s awesome recycling program.  They have two options for you that you can read all about here!  Oh and don’t forget that there is no commitment with Blue Apron, you can skip or cancel the service at any time!

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What is your go-to date night?

Have any BEST DATE NIGHT stories and/or WORST DATE NIGHT stories?  I would love to hear them!

If you have a significant other… what is one of the foods that they cannot stand!?!?

When was your last break from running?  Why did you take the break and how long was it?!

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41 comments

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I’ve never had a date night (I’ve never had a boyfriend or husband), but if I ever do find the man for me, I hope that we can make sure to have at least one night a week that we really take time to focus on each other and our relationship like this. I’m really happy for you and Andrew. :)

I can sort of count my life lately as a break from running. I’ve been trying to run each day, but I have to walk a lot and don’t go very far. But I’m having my last kidney surgery today, so I’m hoping and praying it goes well and is the last one I will have, and hopefully I can get be back out there running like I used to again soon!!

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Thinking about you Natalie. Please let me know how it goes and I am hoping this is the last one! xoxoxo

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I love your Sunday conversation! My husband and I do something similar- we use the Navigator’s Council journal from Beating50Percent that guides us through questions and a devotion every week. It’s helped us with communication SO much and gives us a fun written record of what we’ve been going through to look back on for years to come! HIGHLY recommend!

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Oh Molly, that is awesome!!! I need to look into this… I love that it includes a written record that you can look back on! I am so glad it has helped you guys so much with communication too, thanks for the recommendation! I hope you have an awesome week!

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Lately our go to date night is that my husband goes out to get something for us to eat while I put kids to bed and then we have a late dinner when he gets back. It’s not the ideal date night because neither of us like to eat very late but we like doing it because it gives me a night off from cooking, and we don’t have to find or pay for a babysitter and we get some good alone time that. We also do a lot of movies when we go out for date night. I’m a big movie person and he loves going to the theater to watch them.

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I LOVE movies too! I think that your date night sounds perfect… you get a break and you don’t have to pay for a babysitter. I love it! I hope you get one soon Jenny:)

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Thursday is our date nite but mostly it’s just walking dogs and grabbing a bite to eat. It’s just time that we focus on each other. I look forward to it. Our conversations happen mostly during the dog walks. Weekends tend to be longer walks with deeper conversation.

Oh my boyfriend doesn’t like rye bread or cucumber. I like both.

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I think that sounds like the perfect date night Sally:) Walks are the best for conversations… no distractions! Oh I love both of those too! I hope your week is an awesome one Sally! I always love to hear from you!

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I really just need to cave and start ordering Blue Apron meals. For some reason I think that ordering them on a regular basis is going to cost way more money than we typically spend on food, but I know that in the end it will actually help us save money AND try some new dishes. Both of the dishes you talked about above look SO good!

Also, I LOVE that Sunday night conversation idea! I am so going to try to start doing that with Chris. I feel like we are really good at communicating, but it’s not always at the best time haha. By setting aside specific time to talk about those things each week, I think we would both talk more openly about them. Our go-to date night is honestly making a good, new meal at home, eating outside on the back porch while we listen to music, and then watching one of our favorite shows together. Boring, but just the way we like it.

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They really were so good! Let me know if you end up ordering them Allison! That sounds like the PERFECT date night to me… I LOVE it. I hope you and Chris have a great week Allison!

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We have a date night each week, too! Definitely going to check out your friend’s blog post regarding the weekly questions!

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YES! He has a lot of really interesting relationship posts! I hope your week is an awesome one Laura! I hope your cold disappears all of the way asap!

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If we want a quick date night, we’ll cuddle up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and watch a movie! My boyfriend and I take turns planning monthly dates. Once we’re a little more financially stable after students loans are paid off I want to try to increase it to twice a month dates that we take turns planning!

My worst date night was actually the first date with my boyfriend! He ended up telling me how many kids he wanted (twice!) and I ate too many fried pickles because I’m an introvert and nervous so I started to feel sick. For our monthly date next month I think I’m going to recreate our first date by doing the same thing since it’ll be a year since we first met. Funny enough we look back at the horrible first date and just laugh since we know we’ll be married and have kids. Who knows, maybe we’ll have the number he wants.

Have a fantastic Monday girl!

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Oh I LOVE that you guys take turns planning out your dates! Oh hahah I loved hearing your first date with your boyfriend story, thanks for sharing! YES… recreate that and let me know how it goes! Thanks Maureen!

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We need to do more date nights! Every week we watch GoT together – does that count?
My husband hates mushrooms, which is sad because I love them… :(
I took a couple months off of running in the spring after experiencing A LOT of pain in my shins, knees, and feet. I’m back to running now, but I’m taking it really slow and trying not to over do it!
Love your date night ideas :) We haven’t done Blue Apron for a while – I’m going to order soon!
Have a great day!

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I think date nights count as anything you love to do together, so yes… that counts:) Oh I love mushrooms too! I am so glad that you took the break when you needed it and you are back at it! Have an amazing week Erinn!

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Hi dear I want to marry me

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My boyfriend thinks it’s weird that I really dislike peaches. The peach flavor just tastes fake and gross to me.

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PEACHES?!?!?! WHAT??? Send any of your peaches over to me:) Have an awesome week Fiona!

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We mostly do day dates because the kids are in school so no babysitter expenses! My husband is self-employed and I stay home (for now) so our schedules are pretty flexible. Usually it’s just lunch at a restaurant but in a few weeks we have a movie date planned.
My husband really detests mushrooms and he will not eat beef so when he travels we have steak and beef stew and all of the good food. I just took a week and a half off for a cold (I know, a cold, but it was in my chest) and then tennis many days in a row. It was way too long to take off and I am paying for it now. It will get easier again, though, I’m sure.

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Oh I LOVE that Ali… such a good idea to do it during the day! I am SO sorry about this awful cold that you had… a chest cold is the WORST. Yes, it will get easier again! Keep me updated with how you guys are doing and enjoy that steak next time your husband travels:)

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worst date. omgahhhh. i only went because he was BEAUTIFUL and every girl had a crush on him so obvi i HAD to go since he asked ME, right?!?! UGH. after dinner we went to his house (his roommate that i knew was there) and he asked me to SCRATCH HIS BACK like his mom did. heck no. then he tried to kiss me but i was SO grossed out by then i basically ran out. ? unfortunately i worked at the gym he went to so i still had to see him every day.

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Oh Kimberly… that is SO weird!?!?! I’m glad you ran away!! I have a memory from a date where I LITERALLY ran away too!! Bummer you keep having to see him. Thanks for sharing and I Hope you have a wonderful week and your next date goes A LOT better than that one!

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thankfully that was YEARS ago and now i get to date my HUSBAND!! :)

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Our favorite date nights are dinner and a movie……but we usually eat dinner out then watch the movie at home……..movie theaters are too expensive and people are rude and talk or use their phones during the movie. We usually watch a movie almost every night, so date nights happen a lot!

Both of us don’t use mayonnaise………my husband is just saving on calories and fat, but I cannot stand it. Like it makes me nauseous to think about it. Ugh.
I love fruits that he doesn’t and I like sweet pickles and he does not. The one thing he really doesn’t like is sweet potatoes…….and I love them!! And he likes coffee and I don’t.
I am not on a break from running, but due to the heat and humidity this summer, I cut my running days back to only 3 days some weeks, because it was too gross out.

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It really is so crazy how expensive movies are now! Luckily around here movies are only $5 on Tuesday so we usually only go then ha but movies at home are the best! No to sweet potatoes…. I’m glad you do though Loribeth! Oh I seriously cannot imagine running in the humidity and heat out there! I hope you have a lovely week!

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Friday night has been our date night for more than 26 years! Many times it’s just going out to eat (especially when I was working full time and desperately needed a break.) Even though we never had kids, we still love date night – we ignore our phones and just spend time together. We saw a concert at the LA Greek Theater a couple weeks ago and I kept saying, “Why don’t we do this more often?” We both love music and it was so fun!

I am super lucky – Les will eat anything! I can’t think of a single thing he doesn’t like.

I’ve only run 4 times this entire month – my right IT band is not happy. I’ve been able to ride my bike so I’m not going completely crazy, but I miss running!

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Kathy, I LOVE that you have done date night on Friday nights for over 26 years now! I love it! You two are such a great example to me! Oh I hope that IT band starts cooperating asap!!!! Keep me updated on how you are doing. I wish you could come see my chiropractor here… he has helped my IT band so much!

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Our “go to” date night is always dinner and a movie. Our very first date was dinner and a movie — and we just love snuggling up and watching a movie then spending the whole meal time chatting about it! Bad movies are almost better than good ones!

I love Chipotle — I could eat Mexican food literally daily. Hubby can’t stand it! So I always get my order to go and then we grab him something he likes. How funny!

I’m currently on a “break” from running — subbing in Crossfit 3-5 times a week instead. It’s been since I completed my first ever Marathon last October and was so burnt out from the scorching heat here in NC that I wanted a year off. I don’t think I’ll make it a full year.. especially since the Crossfit classes I take incorporate 100m, 200m, 400m, and mile repeats often (at least weekly).

I’m also craving some running training — so I’m considering an 8-12 week training plan for a fall/winter run.

Does anyone have any ideas for a good training plan? I want to transition away from the “slow but steady” way I trained for my marathon and instead try my hand at getting a really fast 5k time.

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You guys are the cutest Janae! I LOVE that idea to have a mindful talk each week…definitely going implement this!

Out go-to date night is usually just dinner and then walking around some random store hahah. Occasionally we are cool and do fun things like mountain biking!

Thanks for the great post!

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My go to date night is dinner and a movie at home – we are such homebodies! We are childless so we spent a lot of weekends adventuring. He cannot stand eel, or spicy tofu (which I love ).

The longest break I took from running was a year – not due to injury, just because of a lot of changes in my life – job changes, new relationship, burn out and I realized there was more to life than running and racing every weekend. But after that year, I realized I missed running. So I’m back but trying to find some sort of balance (which can be hard in ultra running haha).

We haven’t had any horrible date nights – though I think that me falling asleep on him before 8 pm sometimes isn’t his idea of a fantastic date night. Sometimes he has to wake me up from the couch when it’s actually bed time…

I did years ago have a date who spent our entire date talking about his ex (and not kindly) and then complained he couldn’t find a quality person. I had to bite my tongue. The best part was when I got home (having decided I was entertained but had zero interest) he had messaged me and said I seemed like a quality person but he was looking for a booty call basically. I don’t think I have laughed so hard in my life.

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I love the conversation idea! Those are such important topics that don’t really come up or get the attention they deserve during the week.
My husband and I used to use Blue Apron as our date nights. It’s a little out of our price range now but I’d love to start again once I’m done with school. We did have a nice random afternoon date yesterday, going shopping and then out to lunch. Have to take advantage of doing that while we still can!

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It’s so great that you two do a weekly date night – my boyfriend and I do this too, and I think it’s so important!! Our go-to date is dinner at a new restaurant we haven’t tried yet! The one food he hates that I love is tofu!

My last break from running is right now – my foot is almost healed so I should start running again in the next week or two! It’s been like two months – soooo long and I miss it so much.

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The food looks good, but your belly looks even cuter! I love it :) Also, I hope you get to enjoy some running this week!

Our usual go-to date night is getting dinner and eating/watching a show once we put our kiddos down for the night. What are we going to do once they don’t go to bed at 7:30?? When we have a sitter and it’s not 110 degrees outside, we love to do active dates like rollerblading or riding bikes.

My favorite date night was rollerblading and yogurt in the park, but it started with changing a sweet lady’s tire. Worst date night was when we dropped off the kids at church and ran to a froyo place only to realize they didn’t take credit cards and that’s all we had and of course we had already served our froyo. The guy was really sweet and gave it to us and we drove back later and paid for it.

My husband cannot stand onions unless they are in salsa. He also doesn’t like corn. Weirdo :-P

Last break from running was in Dec/Jan. I was dealing with some IT band issues. Now the husband is having major knee pain and I think it’s from his IT band. Any suggestions on stretches or certain rolling out to do?

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If you want to do more cooking at home date nights I love the Date Night In book from the not without salt blog:
http://notwithoutsalt.com/dating-my-husband/

The stories are great and they give you ways to prep ahead, so you aren’t rushing or overwhelmed on your date night. It’s now my go-to wedding gift.

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You and your little bump are absolutely adorable! I love the Sunday night conversation idea – I’m definitely going to try that.

One food my husband can’t stand is frosting…which blows my mind. It also means we’re a match made in heaven because I normally only like my frosting with a dusting of cake. ;)

My last break from running was the longest I’ve ever taken…10.5 months. I got pregnant, and it just didn’t feel right from the beginning (it hurt weirdly even in the very early weeks). I’m building back up slowly now and have my eye on a 1/2 marathon this December.

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I’m pretty sure coming up with a yummy dish in the kitchen is one of the best date nights ever! My boyfriend and I love cooking together!
Our go-to date night is usually a picnic outside or a Netflix night! We only have two fur babies as children, so we kind of have date night multiple times a week!

My boyfriend, Nick, can’t stand ranch dressing (or any dressing for that matter! Crazy right?) I LOVE ranch dressing on pizza, salads, with veggies, you name it! But, he’s so not a fan!

I usually take breaks from running after big races. I tend to lose all motivation and take a few weeks off completely. Then, I find myself signing up for another race and get back into the swing of things.

So glad you’re feeling better Janae!! Happy Monday!!

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We seriously need to get back to date nights! My son is 16 months and we live far away from family, so I am totally crazy about others watching him. These stay at home dates really need to happen!

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Ugh, I’m taking a break from running right now. My left foot is killing me ever since my run this past Friday night. The weather has been perfect for running, so it’s making it that much harder. But I know to take the time it needs and not rush it. It’s hard though. Ever since he went to 3rd shift, we can’t do date night or morning. When I wake up, he gets home and goes to sleep. He wakes up at 3 when I pick our daughter up for school, we eat an early supper and he leaves by 5:30. He works 11-12 hour days, 6 days a week and sleeps when we are awake on his 1 day off. SO…we try to chat and catch up when he wakes up over his coffee. 3rd shift is excellent for his job, and not at all for home/family life. But I LOVE your idea of covering those important topics and planning a 30 minute chat date each week. I love that, thank you for sharing !!

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Date nights are the best and it’s great that you guys stick to them so religiously despite everything else going on! Keep it up!

I love stay-at-home date nights (probably even more than the nights out). We love to just make dinner together … Mix up a fun cocktail … And then watch a show or movie. Simple but nice! Food he hates the most – Broccoli … And anything green for that matter. Sometimes I wonder if I’m dating a 29-year-old or a 9-year-old :)

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The first time we discovered our fav pizza place, Nice Guys (the place where they have the awesome white balsamic dressing I’m still trying to recreate). The facial expressions and sounds that came from our table as we tried their garlic knots for the 1st time… hysterical! Just sounds and facial expressions like we’d died and gone to heaven! We were lucky that we went early and we were the only people there. Now almost five years later it is always packed when we go!

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