Date Night In: February

Our date night in project continued in February. This year Tracey and I are creating themed date-night-in baskets. We are always looking for ways to maximize our time together. Now that we both are working, and working opposite schedules, it is important to both of us to find fun ways to spend the time we have together.

Originally we had considered a romantic heart themed date night in, but after a very complete Valentines Day we decided on something different. February was a dreary month for both of us. As an Arizona native, the cold cloudy weather has me craving sunny bright days. We planned a weekend by the pool as is started to warm up, just to be rained in which is not common in this desert home of ours. This inspired our February date.... a tropical date in.

On our Honeymoon, we stayed in airbnbs along the California Coast. Our favorite home was by the beach in Encanitas where we spent our days in the sun, our evenings in the bath, and ate at 101 Diner. There I had tropical pancakes for the first time. I have been craving that trip, the airbnb, and those pancakes since our honeymoon so we decided to try to make our own. If you every make to Encanitas make sure you stop at 101 Diner and order the tropical pancakes complete with coconut syrup.

Honeymoon in Encanitas California- June 2016

For our February date night in we made tropical pancakes. We followed two different recipes. One for the tropical pancakes and one for the coconut syrup. Although no pancakes will every compare to the ones we had on the coast, these pancakes were a sweet addition to a drizzly chilly weekend. It also gave us an excuse to use our new griddle which was a wedding present from our California family. Our pancakes were topped with strawberries, pineapples, homemade toasted coconut and bananas.

Tropical Pancakes Recipe 

Coconut Syrup Recipe

After our pancakes we enjoyed our tropical face masks, lotion, bubble bath, and new nail polish. Our tropical date would not be complete without Jack Johnson. I had the opportunity to see Jack Johnson live a few years ago and it was a remarkable experience. If you ever get the chance to see him, do not let it pass.

January's Date-Night-In Basket:

• Pineapple 
• Strawberries
• Bananas 
• Shredded Coconut 
• Tropical Juice/Flavored Water
• Coconut Scented Candle
• Coconut Scented Body Wash/Bubble Bath 
• Coconut Foot Cream
• Coconut Face Masks
• Nail Polish
• Ingredients for Tropical Pancakes 

I can not wait to see what our March Date-Night-In has in store for us.
- Shannae Johnson