I’m over Valentine’s Day plans that aren’t truly meaningful. No more hard-to-get reservations, overpriced set menus, and packed dining rooms. This year, I decided to cook for my girlfriend instead. 

She’s been working too hard, and making her drinks, dinner, and dessert felt like the most loving way to show that I care. They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but the way to a woman’s heart is making sure she’s fed and satisfied at all times, to avoid any hangry moments!

All I needed was a little help in the kitchen from clean kitchenware experts GreenPan, for some cookware and appliances to make our Valentine’s Day meal really stand out. 

Delicious pre-dinner drinks with GreenPan’s Spin-n-Go blender

Being handed a tasty drink is one of the fastest ways to help someone relax, so I knew mixing up something sweet and icy was the key to starting Valentine’s Day with a bang. 

I turned to GreenPan’s new Spin-n-Go blender for help. It’s portable and designed for use on the go, so I loaded it up with strawberries, raspberries, ice, and a splash of lemon juice to make a bright, fruity mocktail. Then I hopped in the car to go pick up my girlfriend from work and take her to a scenic spot to watch the sunset. 

Once parked, all I had to do was hit a button and blend everything up to make a delicious evening enlivener we could sip on while watching the sun set over the horizon. How about that for the start of a romantic evening? My partner loved that I’d taken the time to arrange a romantic rendezvous, and she thought the just-blended drink was delicious. 

A hearty dinner made with GreenPan’s Valencia Pro pans

After I drove my girlfriend home and settled her on the couch in front of her favorite movie, it was time to get started on our main course. I pulled out my set of Valencia Pro pans. I invested in a new set of cookware recently because I wanted to gain confidence in the kitchen. Plus, I’d heard that old, scratched up nonstick pans were bad for you, leeching forever chemicals into any food you cook. GreenPan’s Valencia Pro pans are made with ceramic nonstick, which is PFAS free.  

After seasoning a pair of steaks, I sizzled them to perfection in GreenPan’s Valencia Pro frypan. The steak seared up beautifully, developing a golden-brown crust without any sticking or uneven cooking. In the same pan, I sautéed some mushrooms with butter, garlic, and a splash of wine, before spooning the juices over the steaks. Cooking on Valencia Pro pans makes everything feel effortless, it’s so easy. Which is exactly what you want when you’re making a low-stress Valentine’s Day dinner. 

Easy, cozy sides made in GreenPan’s Elite 14-in-1 6-Quart Slow Cooker

Earlier that afternoon I’d prepped some potatoes to cook in GreenPan’s Elite 14-in-1 6-Quart Slow Cooker. Being able to put meals on to heat in advance and know it’ll be perfectly cooked by the time you’re ready to eat is invaluable. 

By dinnertime, the potatoes were tender and ready to be mashed. I added some butter and a splash of cream (it is a holiday, after all!) and mashed them right there in the slow cooker. They stayed warm until I needed them, giving me the freedom to focus on my girlfriend instead of worrying about cooking timings at the last minute. 

You’ll never skip dessert with GreenPan’s Frost

After we’d tucked into our delicious dinner, my girlfriend was overflowing with praise about how great everything tasted. But I still had a surprise up my sleeve. 

The GreenPan Frost is a countertop frozen dessert maker that lets you whip up soft serve, slushies, frozen smoothies and yogurt right in your own kitchen. And what’s better for a romantic holiday than a bowl of rich chocolate ice cream?

I’d mixed up some cream, milk, melted chocolate and sugar earlier in the day. I set it to churn after dinner and it was ready in just 15 minutes, perfect for that post-dinner sweet treat craving moment. 

Watching the whole meal come together felt magical, and serving my girlfriend a bowl of homemade chocolate ice cream with fresh raspberries made all of my hard work worth it. She was over the moon. GreenPan helped Valentine’s Day become a loving experience we shared together, and it made the cooking so easy it barely felt like any effort at all. 

Baking something sweet with Reserve bakeware

There’s no such thing as too much chocolate on Valentine’s Day, so earlier in the day I used GreenPan’s Reserve bakeware to whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies for a late night snack. 

This bakeware is made of PFAS-free nonstick that’s so effective you don’t need to use any parchment paper - the cookies just slide right off the sheet. Plus the pretty pastel color (I got my 7-piece set of Reserve bakeware in Sage, a light green color, but it’s also available in Cream and Twilight, a dark blue) means you can serve your cookies right on the tray. Sturdy and solid, it’s the ideal bakeware to supplement any kitchen. 

My girl was thrilled to tuck into a second dessert, and said the chocolate chip cookies were the best she’d ever had. It made me feel so good to make her happy. 

Why you should cook for your loved ones this Valentine’s Day

At the end of the night, the dishes were manageable (all of GreenPan’s cookware and bakeware is dishwasher safe, but it also wipes clean so easily that it barely needs washing), the house felt warm and cozy, and me and my girlfriend were relaxed and full of great food. 

GreenPan makes cooking at home feel like a pleasure rather than a challenge. Valentine’s Day doesn’t need to be flashy or expensive. The most romantic thing you can do for your loved one is show you love them by cooking something thoughtful.