I wanted to do a little different post on here today because I know I personally love looking beyond just people’s pretty food/outfit photos and seeing more about their real life. I’m showing you a little behind the scenes of some of our go to date night ideas. Almost everything we do is simple and affordable. You may already do some of them but hopefully you get a new idea or remember something that you’ve already done and loved! Enjoy these 5 affordable summer date night ideas 🙂

1- Pack snacks and go for a long bike ride. Obviously this requires bikes so if that isn’t accessible to you, look into renting them somewhere in town because that can be affordable. If that’s not an option, make it a walk instead. We like to go for them in the evenings in the summer when it’s cooled down a little bit. We’ll bring some of our favorite snacks so we can bike somewhere, stop for a minute, and take in some cool scenery. It’s a great way to get outside, explore your town, and get some exercise all in one! My favorite snacks to bring: Perfect Bars (we both love them), Kettle Corn Light Popcorn from Trader Joe’s (weirdly so good to sit and munch on and it’s not messy at all), fresh fruit, Rx Bars, or any homemade treats already made!

P.S. Even though helmets look super dorky, gotta make sure to wear them!

2- Grab a quick, affordable bite to eat and head to the park to people watch/ enjoy an evening outside. You can either bring a little picnic blanket or just sit on benches. We love to grab food downtown and then walk to Mizzou’s campus which is nearby (the med school Eli goes to). It has a beautiful area where we can sit in people watch.

We love to grab a quick bite that has options we both love! Recently we have been loving Noodles and Company because they have options we both love. Eli is a huge pasta guy so he gets his pasta fix and they have a ton of new zucchini noodle dishes that satisfy what I normally like to eat! I tried the Zucchini and Asparagus in Lemon Cream Sauce the last time we went and it was seriously unreal! I made it paleo by not getting the breadcrumbs on top.

They also have a new nutritional calculator on their website where you can see exactly what is in each dish. It also gives a little nutritional breakdown before ordering. I don’t track calories or follow a specific diet plan personally but I still like to be aware of what I’m eating. The calculator makes it easy to do that and stick to whatever lifestyle you follow. It’s a great way to keep you informed about what’s going in your body!

The most important thing in any date night is making sure you both are enjoying it. Eating at a restaurant where you can both find options you love makes it 10x more enjoyable. This is sometimes difficult for us so we tend to go back to the same places.

3- If you don’t feel like getting outside because it’s just too hot, find a fun recipe on Pinterest to tackle together. I’ve been dying to make a fun spicy margarita at home to drink on the porch with some easy tacos! The first recipe we ever made together as *adults* (aka sophomores in college) was a strawberry stuffed french toast recipe we found on Pinterest! We both were so proud of having a Pinterest success and it’s fun to try new things. I found a snapchat picture from way back then of our fancy breakfast 😉

4- Now for one that’s on my bucket list for a rainy Friday or Saturday evening- tackle a DIY project together! One of you may be more into this than the other so try to pick something you both can be a little bit excited about. I imagine us pouring some wine, turn on your favorite spotify playlist (we’re big country music), and get to work! The project I have in mind is sanding and repainting our bar stools. I think we could easily tackle in an evening so why not make it fun?

5- My last and one of our favorite traditions in the summer is to go play tennis at night. We played all the time when we were in high school with friends and it’s a tradition we’ve carried into adulthood. It’s a great sport to play in the summer because it’s basically free. Also you can wait until it cools down to play. You can find used tennis racquets if you don’t have any (or borrow from a friend or family member) and find a local tennis court near you that has lights to play at night. Most high schools have this! Now, let me clarify neither of us are really any good at tennis but it is so fun to hit the ball back and forth, make little competitions while playing, and then go get a summer treat, winner’s pick, once you’re done 😉

We went and played last weekend and the rule was the last set winner take all. You can guess by the picture below who was victorious 🙂

What are your favorite date night ideas?! We always like doing new things and trying to make sure we don’t get stuck in a routine. Hope you enjoyed this post and let me know any other lifestyle posts you’d like to see!

*Thanks to Noodles and Company for partnering with me on such a fun post!*