How to prepare a hearty meal for bae on Valentine’s Day

Learn how to prepare a healthier meal that is well-suited for your significant other.

By Acosta Andreana Cain

Feb 12, 2019

As Valentine's Day approaches, the pressure is on to make your significant other feel loved through gifts and personal time. Cooking for your loved one has always been considered as a sweet and genuine gesture of love. But making it healthier will add a touch of thoughtfulness into it. So here are some easy ideas that you can follow to make your meal healthier for your loved one!

This guide will revolve around using the healthy plate, which is designed by the Health Promotion Board (HPB). According to their website, its goal is to be a “friendly, easy-to-understand visual guide for creating balanced and healthy meals”.

Importance of having balanced meals

When asked about the main reasons why we find it hard to maintain a balanced meal, Mdm Ong Eng Gim, chair of the Food, Nutrition & Culinary Science course in Temasek Polytechnic, says that eating out plays a major part in the issue.

“For example, when you order the chicken it comes out very greasy,” she says. Mdm Ong advises learning how to mix and match options and to switch to healthier food alternatives.

Giving excuses is also another main issue. For example, not caring for our health just because we are “still young”. However, Mdm Ong says, “[Health] is a worthwhile investment. Think about what you are pumping into your body for all 3 meals!”

“Since couples are always together it’s very easy to influence each other and do what the other is doing. So if being healthy is hard at first doing it together will be easier,” said Calvan Kok, 18.

For the athletic bae

Mdm Ong advises that “[they] need to make sure they have enough protein that is of high quality.”

This is because, during their workout, their body will use the proteins to repair and rebuild all the muscles that were broken down.

A simple meal you can prepare for your athletic bae would be Chicken Fried Rice. Since athletes also require high calcium for bones, you can consider preparing simple milk-based desserts such as milk pudding.

Here is a simple recipe for Chicken Fried Rice, which Samyuktha Gurusamy, 19, prepared for her boyfriend:

An example of how a meal would look like using the healthy plate.

For the adventurous bae

Is your bae the one who is always looking for new things to try? Then this tip is the perfect one for him/her!

Mdm Ong suggests cooking up dishes that feature new types of grains such as quinoa, brown rice, or multi-grain rice. Quinoa, known as a supergrain, is high in fiber and is a great high-quality source of protein. These grains also help to add colour into your dish, making it more appetizing.

These grains are very flexible and can be used to substitute for white rice.

Tight on budget?

Being healthy does not mean it has to be expensive nor organic. Buying fresh fruits and vegetables is sufficient to cook up a healthy meal.

For cheaper alternatives, Mdm Ong suggests trying beans as they are a good source of protein and fibre.

She also suggests going for “fillers” if you do not have enough money to cook a larger portion. For example, the remaining lettuce and tomatoes that you used in the dish can be used to put around the main dish, thus making the dish appear like there is more of it.

Adding that Valentine’s Day Touch

Want to jazz up your meal presentation? Up your game with cute lunch boxes, ribbons, or even a heartfelt handwritten letter!

You can get affordable food decorations at Daiso! With items at $2 each, you can easily get adorable decoration items at a cheap price.

Adorable forks, rice shapers, and lunch boxes are some of the things found in Daiso that can jazz up your food presentation! Photo by: Acosta Andreana Cain

You can also garnish your dish with pistachio nuts! Its uniqueness, touch of colour, and texture will tie your dish in even better. Pistachio nuts are also loaded with nutrients and antioxidants.

If you are still pondering on what to get for your significant other, preparing a healthy meal for him/her is the perfect gift! It is thoughtful, creative, and most importantly, beneficial to his/her health.

“Even if your cooking doesn't turn up well, it’s the thought and effort put in which counts,” said Ms Gurusamy.

“It shows how much you love him or her.”