This post is sponsored by Ghirardelli. The opinions and text are all mine.

We can all agree it’s been a strange year, right? Oddly enough, Alex and I became foster parents in the beginning of March, so we’ve had quite a few life changes over the past six months! While it hasn’t been easy, we’ve managed to get into a pretty good routine. One thing we try to do regularly: Date Night! While we’re not going out anymore, we’ve still managed to have a lot of fun nights in after the kids are in bed!

chocolate cheese board

A woman preparing food in a kitchen

Since spending the evening on your couch doesn’t always feel special, I thought I’d share a few of our date night tips! Here are some easy ways to make your night feel a little more unique!

Make a Plan

This one might not be critical if you don’t have kids, but for us, we try to plan ahead! I literally send Alex a calendar invite for date night. It helps us block out other distractions and make sure we get everything done for the kids before bedtime!

A bunch of items that are sitting on a plate

Elevate Your Snacks

Obviously, snacks are critical to a special night in. I love making cheese plates with all my favorite nuts, crackers, and chocolate. I’m a huge dark chocolate fan and lately, we’ve been stocking up on Ghirardelli Intense Dark chocolate from Publix. The Intense Dark bar is 72% Cacao, which is perfect for something dark but still lightly sweet. I like super dark chocolate so sometimes I reach for 86% Cacao. We also love the Sea Salt Soiree which pairs creamy dark chocolate with flaky sea salt. Ghirardelli Intense Dark chocolate is 2/$5 at Publix for a limited time so don’t miss this deal!

Ghiradelli chocolate bars

Tips for a DIY Cheese Board

I love picking out a few different types of cheese to make a simple snack board. Publix carries a huge selection of specialty cheeses so I can always find something new! Not sure where to start? When I’m making a snack board, I like to get one hard cheese and one soft cheese. Lately, I’ve been loving sharp, aged cheddar and creamy Boursin cheese. If you’re looking to add a third, consider something funky like blue cheese or something you could serve warm like Brie. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it can be fun to sample a variety! You just might find your new favorite cheese.

A bunch of food sitting on top of a wooden cutting board

Pick Out a Game

We love board games! Here are some of my favorite two-player games. (Many of these can be played with more than two people, but they’re great for a date night!)

  • Ticket to Ride– Your goal is to connect various cities by train to earn points. This one has quite a bit of strategy involved, but it’s fast to learn.
  • Tags- See how quickly you can name words in certain categories, like sports teams that start with the letter S. This one is great if you have a short attention span!
  • Sequence- Each space on the board corresponds to a playing card in the deck. Your goal is to get five spaces in a row. It sounds simple, but it quickly becomes competitive!
  • Codenames Duet– You’re trying to get your partner to guess a specific word, but you can only give them one word as a clue. This is a great date night game because you’re working together to win.
  • Five Crowns– Each round, you have to arrange your hand into a specific sequence of cards such as 3 of a kind, or 4 in a row. The hands get larger with every round and the points keep adding up until the very last hand.
  • Exploding Kittens- It’s a bit like Old Maid but with goofy cat drawings and unexpected “action cards” that allow you to do things like sneak a peek at the upcoming cards or steal cards from other players.

What are your date night in must-haves? Do you have a favorite snack or board game? Let me know in the comments below!

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