By Dawn Hall, Author of Busy People's Super Simple Menus Cookbook

Valentine's Day is among the many holidays that have become commercialized. At times, it can cramp a family's financial budget. What is most important about Valentine's Day isn't how much money you spend on the one you love, but rather that you spend time making the one you love know how special they are to you.

Regardless of whether you are celebrating Valentine's Day alone with your sweetheart or allowing your children or friends to join in, everyone will appreciate this delicious dinner menu for this special occasion. Any fine restaurant would be proud to serve this, with its lovely presentation and fine flavors. Plus, you can make it at a fraction of what it would cost at an expensive restaurant and in less time than it'd take to drive to the restaurant!

For added fun, I've incorporated these ideas into our family's Valentine's Day dinners. If you like to be creative, and are open to a change of pace, then try a few of these ideas yourself:

• Make this meal together with your valentine. Cooking together can be so romantic. If your love doesn't know how to cook, not to worry! This meal is easy enough to make together (and will teach your spouse a lesson in how to cook). Who knows, after preparing this with you they may find they like cooking and next time cook it for you! Wouldn't that be a nice surprise! (Feel free to take my lead on this and mention it as an idea to your beloved.)
• Leftovers of this meal can be reheated in the microwave for a wonderful lunch (your co-workers will wish they had your lunch)!
• To make the dinner even more memorable, request that everyone dress in their finest attire.
• Light numerous candles, not only on the dinner table, but throughout the living room. Then, for an inexpensive change in scenery, move either the dining room table or kitchen table into the living room and turn on soft, pretty acoustic music. If your living room has a fireplace, have a crackling fire burning for extra ambiance.
• Place handmade name cards at each place setting.
• Splurge on something sweet, but don't think of this as the day to go hog wild and eat anything or everything that is sweet. If your Valentine normally purchases a large box of your favorite chocolates for you ask them to either purchase a small box and share a few pieces for dessert, or ask them not to buy any candy at all and instead make a low calorie dessert you can both enjoy guilt free. (The dessert recipe suggested with this meal is sweet, light and satisfying.)

Supplies for Dinner (click for full list)

Sweet & Succulent Shrimp Kabobs
Calories 150 (9% fat); Total Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 224mg; Carbohydrate: 9g; Dietary Fiber: 1g; Protein 25g; Sodium: 554mg
Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 other carbohydrate, 4 very lean meat

12 kebob wooden skewers
1 (2-pound) bag frozen extra large size, tail-on shrimp peeled and divined (31-40 shrimp per pound)
1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1/2 cup cocktail sauce
2 tablespoons honey
Yield 6 (2-kabob, 5 shrimp per kabob) servings

New Horizon Rice
Calories 83 (8% fat); Total Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Carbohydrate: 18g; Dietary Fiber: 2g; Protein 2g; Sodium: 194mg
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch

1/2 cup cocktail sauce
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole grain instant brown rice
1 cup frozen 3-Pepper and Onion Blend vegetables from a (16-ounce bag)
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
Yield 6 (1/2-cup) servings

Sunshine Vegetable Medley
Calories 56 (0% fat); Total Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Carbohydrate: 12g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Protein 3g; Sodium: 214mg
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 1/2 vegetable

1 (1 lb.8 oz.) bag frozen California blend vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mix)
1 cup apple cider or apple juice
Remaining (16-ounce) bag 3-pepper and onion blend vegetables (1-cup used in rice dish)
2-tablespoon imitation butter flavored sprinkles
Yield 6 (3/4-cup) servings

Dessert-Chocolate Raspberry Four Layer Cake (click for recipe)

Timeline/Instructions

1. 30 minutes before dinner, in a medium size saucepan on high heat, bring to a boil 1/2-c cocktail sauce, 1/2-c plus 2-T water and 1-c plus 2-T whole grain instant brown rice.
2. 26 minutes before dinner, start chopping 1-cup of the 3-Pepper and Onion blend into small pieces.
3. 23 minutes before dinner, add the 1 cup frozen chopped 3-Pepper and Onion blend to the rice and return to a boil.
4. 22 minutes before dinner, stir in 1/2-t Old Bay seasoning to the rice and reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
5. 19 minutes before dinner, in a 2-quart saucepan stir together 1 (1 lb. 8 oz.) bag California blend (broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mix) along with the remaining bag of 3-Pepper and Onion blend and 1 c apple cider.
6. 17 minutes before dinner, turn the heat on high under the vegetables, cover with the lid and cook.
7. 15 minutes before dinner, plug in the electric grill to preheat it.
8. Start preparing the shrimp kebobs. Slide 5-extra-large raw peeled and deveined shrimp onto each skewer. If needed (because shrimp are frozen together or too frozen to thread onto the skewer) run the shrimp under cold water in the sink to help remove any ice.
9. 12 minutes before dinner, stir the vegetables, stir and turn off the rice.
10. Stir the vegetables, cover and continue cooking on high. Return to making the shrimp kabobs.
11. 8 minutes before dinner, spray the top and bottom of the indoor electric grill generously with non-fat butter flavored cooking spray. Lay the shrimp kabobs on the grill. (If the sticks cross over each other that is fine.) Sprinkle 1 1/2-t Old Bay seasoning on the shrimp, close lid and cook. The skewers will stick out of the grill, and that is fine also, but make sure the shrimp are all inside the bottom and top of the grill.
12. 6 minutes before dinner, stir together 1/2 c cocktail sauce and 2-T honey until well mixed.
13. 4 minutes before dinner, using a pastry brush, spread the cocktail and honey sauce over the shrimp. If needed, rearrange the shrimp to make sure they are cooking evenly and spread the sauce on the other side of the shrimp, close lid.
14. 2 minute before dinner, turn off the vegetable medley.
15. Place the rice down the center of a large serving platter.
16. Drain the apple cider from the vegetables and place in a bowl, stir in 2-T imitation butter flavored sprinkles and stir. Put on the dinner table.
17. Place the Sweet & Succulent Shrimp Kabobs on top of the rice and put on the dinner table. (If desired, use the pastry brush to remove sauce from the grill and spread onto the shrimp.)

* Allow 30 minutes for the chocolate raspberry four layer cake recipe. Click on the link above to view the recipe, timeline and supply list for dessert.

This meal is from Dawn Hall's Busy People's Super Simple Menus Cookbook by Thomas Nelson Publishers. For more free menus with downloadable and printable grocery list go to: www.DawnHallCookbooks.com

Dawn Hall is the author of the award winning Busy People's Cookbook Series including the just released title: Busy People's Super Simple Menus Cookbook, (137 healthy, homestyle-meals made in 30-minutes or less); Slow Cooker Cookbook, Low-Carb Cookbook, Diabetic Cookbook, Christmas Cookbook, Low-Fat Cookbook, Busy People's Down Home Cooking Without the Down Home Fat Cookbook and 7 Simple Steps to a Healthier You. Her books are currently available at all fine bookstores and on the internet. Her website is: www.Dawnhallcookbooks.com