A lot of date ideas involve food. Going out to dinner, coffee dates, meetings at bars, popcorn at the movies… this can be a hard adjustment when you are following a restricted diet. We’re here to help with 20 ideas that will help you and your loved one have a great time and make some memories without compromising your healing journey. Plus we’ve included our favorite picks as well as our hubby’s!

Samantha’s Top Pick: Escape Room

Samantha’s Husband’s Top Pick: Child at Heart Activities (go-karting, arcade games, mini golf…)

Jesse’s Top Pick: Taking a Class Together

Jesse’s Husband’s Top Pick: Going for a Hike/Walk in the Park

20 Date Ideas that Don’t Involve Food

1. Be Children At Heart: Be kids for a day, go play mini golf, go to an arcade, battle each other in laser tag and race some bumper cars! You’ll be laughing your head off and creating a memorable day!
2. Go For a Hike/Walk in the Park: Few things are more romantic than nature, there will be pretty views and lots of time to talk and laugh together.
3. Watch the Sun Rise: Every day the sun rises and sets and we take very little time to notice it. Make Valentine’s Day special by sharing a cup of tea, curling up under a blanket in your PJs and watching the sun come up.
4. Have a Movie Marathon at Home: Do you have a movie series or TV show, you both love? Have a marathon. Make some yummy AIP friendly snacks, curl up on the couch and spend the day together. Extra Fun Points if you make a pillow fort!
5. Go Star Gazing: It may seem cliché but where’s the fun in Valentine’s Day without a little bit of sappiness? Make some of this salted caramel hot “Chocolate” put it in a thermos and go check out the stars!
6. Go to a Museum: Shared experience is the heart of most relationships so go learn some fun facts together (added bonus, a lot of museums are free!)
7. Listen to Live Music: Find out which bars or venues in the area have live music and go check it out. Even if it is at a bar you can order sparkling water and just enjoy the music!
8. Go Ice Skating: I am terrible at ice skating, but I love it. It always makes me laugh and it is one of the few fun ways to enjoy the cold! It is also great exercise.
9. Make a Camp Fire: This is one of my favorites! One of the first things I ever bought myself with my own money was a fire pit because I absolutely love sitting by a fire on a cold night. Build a fire, sit some warm tea and just enjoy it.
10. Go Window Shopping for your Dream Home: My hubby and I did this a lot when we were dating. Go window shopping at your favorite stores or at the mall and pick out all of the things you would like in your dream house. Its fun to imagine your future and its basically like creating a real-life Pinterest Board!
11. Go On a Scavenger Hunt: This could take on many different shapes and sizes, but you get the idea! Maybe create a scavenger hunt of places that are significant to you and your partner for some added romance.
12. Get Massages: Why not relax and pamper yourself to celebrate? Get a couples massage and relax together.
13. Take a Class Together: Is there something you’ve been hoping to try out but haven’t done it yet? Take a kickboxing class, a yoga class, ballroom dancing, rock climbing?
14. Have a Game Night: When was the last time you played a board game? Bust out the Scrabble, Apples to Apples, Yahtzee, and Clue and have a game night! Nothing like a little competition to heat things up
15. Volunteer: Ready to pay it forward? Spend the day loving on your community by volunteering for a great cause.
16. Rent a Moped: This was one of my mine and my hubby’s first dates. We rented a moped and drove around time exploring. It was hilarious and I just laughed the whole time we still look back on it and laugh today.
17. Go Exploring: How well do you know your town or city? Go exploring, you can even pretend to be tourists in your own town and go hit all of those sites you always meant to see but didn’t.
18. Have a Photo Shoot: This idea is great because it can also double as a romantic gift. Whether you hire someone to do it or your break our your tripod its fun to be silly and take some nice photos that you will treasure. When you’re done you can pick your favorites and get them printed and give them to each other as gifts.
19. Go for a Scenic Drive: Crank up the tunes and hit the road for a fun scenic drive.
20. Escape Rooms: These have increased in popularity a lot over the past few years and are lots of fun! These are usually themed rooms that you have to solve puzzles to “escape” in a certain time limit.