Valentine's Day meals families can easily make

Keep dinner simple with the family's favorite variety of pasta topped with tomato sauce.Ronzoni pasta, including the Smart Taste pasta, is on sale at ShopRite this week for only 88 cents.Try adding a strawberry and spinach salad as a side. (The strawberries sometimes trick the kids into thinking it's not a salad.)Kick the basic PB&J up a notch with a little inspiration from local restaurant PB&U's February Special, the Chocolate PB, Strawberries and Fluff sandwich. While the restaurant uses fresh strawberries, the at home version will simplify things by using jelly.What you'll need: Hazelnut Spread, Strawberry (or Raspberry) Jelly, Bread (Wheat or Whitewheat) and Fluff (optional)Combine ingredients to make a sandwich.Heart-healthy eggs mixed with taco night leftovers will wake everyone for Valentine's Day.What you'll need: Eggs, Milk and SalsaStart by preparing scrambled eggs as usual. When the eggs are almost done cooking, add one spoonful of salsa for every egg used. If desired, add a sprinkling Mexican mix cheese.View the list »
Heart-shaped cookie cutters are not the only way to make a meal for Valentine's Day.

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Anyone armed with a heart-shaped cookie cutter make a meal worthy for Valentine's Day. Toast can be made with a heart-shaped fried egg inside. Lunch's sandwich can be cut into a heart. Desserts from brownies to Jell-O can be heart-shaped.

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But, heart shapes are not the only way to celebrate food-wise. Families can celebrate with red and pink foods and even with foods that are heart-healthy.

Heart disease is the top killer of women, and health problems associated with heart disease are growing with children, so it makes sense to sneak in foods that take care of the hearts in the family in Valentine's Day meals. Foods like eggs, tomatoes, apples, nuts and grains help keep the heart healthy, according to the American Heart Association.

The morning can be started with special Valentine Eggs, made with taco night leftovers. Lunch can go fun with inspiration from a local restaurant. Dinner can stay basic with special dessert shake. These meal ideas are not approved by the American Heart Association, but do incorporate foods -eggs, tomatoes, hazelnuts and grains- that help keep the heart healthy.

The best part? It's likely little extra shopping is needed for these meals, they aren't expensive and they are easy to make.

Check the list for information on how to make the meals.

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  • Heart-healthy eggs mixed with taco night leftovers will wake everyone for Valentine's Day.What you'll need: Eggs, Milk and SalsaStart by preparing scrambled eggs as usual. When the eggs are almost done cooking, add one spoonful of salsa for every egg used. If desired, add a sprinkling Mexican mix cheese.
  • Kick the basic PB&J up a notch with a little inspiration from local restaurant PB&U's February Special, the Chocolate PB, Strawberries and Fluff sandwich. While the restaurant uses fresh strawberries, the at home version will simplify things by using jelly.What you'll need: Hazelnut Spread, Strawberry (or Raspberry) Jelly, Bread (Wheat or Whitewheat) and Fluff (optional)Combine ingredients to make a sandwich.
  • Keep dinner simple with the family's favorite variety of pasta topped with tomato sauce.Ronzoni pasta, including the Smart Taste pasta, is on sale at ShopRite this week for only 88 cents.Try adding a strawberry and spinach salad as a side. (The strawberries sometimes trick the kids into thinking it's not a salad.)
  • Finish the theme with a simple dessert that doesn't involve waiting in line at a chocolate store.What you'll need: Strawberry Ice Cream, Milk and Hazelnut SpreadIn a blender, measure one heaping tablespoon of hazelnut spread per two scoops of ice cream. Fill the blender with milk until the ice cream just starts to float (covering about 3/4 the ice cream). Mix the ice cream, hazelnut spread and milk to desired consistency.Note: Make it healthier by substituting strawberry ice cream with strawberry frozen yogurt.
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, South Jersey Frugal Family Examiner

Samantha Sinclair is constantly looking for ways to enrich the lives of her two boys for the least amount of money possible. As a former camp counselor and newspaper reporter, she uses her creativity and research skills to achieve this goal. She loves good deals, good playground weather and...

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