Who says you have to go out to a fancy restaurant and spend a lot of money for your Valentine’s Day dinner? While the experience is fun, try something new by staying in and making dinner from scratch. With the following recipes, you can enjoy a dish that is original, tasty and - best of all - low in fat and calories.

Before heading for the main course, chalk up your romantic appetite with a healthy salad you can really dig into. For a low-fat, hearty salad that will rival the best in any restaurant, start off by rinsing, draining and drying six cups of baby spinach leaves. Arrange the leaves on your salad plates. Take one small pink grapefruit and peel it, remove the pith and cut it into sliced segments. Now place those slices directly on top of your spinach leaves, followed by a layer of thinly sliced red onions and one cup of sliced mushrooms. Next, take half a cup of fresh raspberries and two tablespoons of chopped walnuts and scatter them onto your salad. For dressing, top your salad with your favorite low-fat or fat-free raspberry vinaigrette.

For dinner, you can enjoy a wonderful helping of salmon and asparagus that is nutritious, easy to prepare and cook, with minimal cleanup. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and lay out two sheets of foil wrap (12”x18” is ideal) onto your counter. Spray each sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place one 5-ounce salmon fillet in the middle of each sheet (2 fillets total). Next, break off the ends of one pound of asparagus and divide the spears into four equal portions beside the salmon fillet. Now drizzle your salmon and asparagus with ¼ cup of lemon juice and a sprinkle of ground black pepper. Bring the sides of the foil up and fold over the top twice. Be sure to seal the ends with enough air to circulate inside. Place your foil sheets with its tasty contents on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes or until the salmon is opaque.

Not up for seafood? Then try this totally healthy lasagna recipe for a filling dinner you won’t feel bad about in the morning. After preheating your oven to 350 degrees, combine the following ingredients in a large bowl: ½ cup of egg whites, 7 teaspoons of parmesan cheese, ½ cup of non-fat cottage cheese, ¼ cup of grated mozzarella cheese, ¼ pound of drained and crumbled tofu, 3 tablespoons of minced garlic, 2 tablespoons chopped basil, ¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper. After mixing, cover and refrigerate. Next, take a large sauté pan and put over medium-high heat with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Cook 1 chopped red onion and 1 stemmed, chopped and seeded red bell pepper for 5-6 minutes until soft. Then toss in 4 cups of sliced mushrooms, ½ carrot sliced, 1 chopped zucchini, 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, ¼ teaspoons ground black pepper and 2 tablespoons of chopped basil. Sauté for 5-8 more minutes until uniformly heated. Mix and set aside. After spraying your ovenproof cooking dish with non-stick spray, spread 4 cups of tomato-basil sauce on the bottom of the dish and layer it with 5 strips of lasagna noodles. Pour your cheese mix on top, followed by the veggies. Top with your remaining 5 lasagna noodles and spoon more sauce on top. Cover with foil and bake for an hour and a half until the sauce bubbles. Bon appetit!

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