*This post is done in partnership with Date Night In Box (DNIB), but all thoughts and opinions are 2LWithIt’s*
Date Night In Box (DNIB) is a monthly subscription that sends a curated box of everything needed to plan a romantic date night at home. Each box includes: a custom Spotify soundtrack, an optional dinner menu (complete with recipes for apps, entrees, dessert, and drinks), games, crafts, and thoughtful conversation starters.
One of the things I like most about DNIB is their partnership with Tri-Development Center of Aiken County (TDC). TDC helps individuals with autism, head and spinal cord injuries, and intellectual disabilities, find employment in Aiken, South Carolina. TDC finds the helpful hands that put together each and every DNIB (and Kids Night In Boxes, too). I love to support companies that give back to their communities, so if you’re looking to give a gift that supports a good cause, look no further!
This month’s theme is “Sensing More,” which touches on all of the different ways we interact with our world (and each other). Each activity in this month’s box is centered around a sense, so by the end of the date, you and your partner will have done activities that hone in on your senses of: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.
Unlike previous boxes that have included a paper brochure to guide couples through the date, this month couples are asked to go to a website, where they’ll listen to an audio guide that walks them through each of the date night activities (including the optional dinner menu).
As always, there is a curated Spotify playlist DNIB creates just for this date box; the music changes every month. I’d say this month’s tunes are more intimate ones, including hits from greats like Alicia Keys, Adele, and Eric Clapton. Also, as a twist on the monthly candle that’s usually included in DNIB boxes, couples will find the “smell” activity includes items that can be used as candles after the date.
For this month’s optional dinner menu, instead of a paper pamphlet with recipes, everything you’ll need is included on a printed recipe card. DNIB did this for the first time last month and just want to give a shoutout to them for continuing the rad change! The card is super convenient to take to the grocery store (hello, easy shopping list I don’t have to rewrite), plus it easily fits in a stack or box of recipe cards.
This box was also the first DNIB since I’ve adjusted to my new diet, so I was excited to make and try almost everything on the menu! The main dish was a parmesan, panko, and almond-crusted tilapia, which was super light and very tasty. I left the almonds on the side because I haven’t done enough food reintroductions to know if I can handle nuts . . . but it was still delicious, because the panko added that extra crunch!
The other recipes were a series of small mediterranean plates aka appetizers, including: tzatziki dip, tomato & cucumber salad, and white bean & basil hummus. Instead of pita, we subbed corn tortilla chips because they’re gluten-free (new diet modification). There was no desert recipe included, so we subbed the suggested wine tasting for our “dessert” and tried two bottles of red from Trader Joe’s. If you’re more of a foodies, white wine would probably be more suitable choice . . . but we’re both pickier with whites, so we opted for reds instead.
As always, DNIB evenings include a variety of activities to do with your partner. To keep the theme with this box, couples will find five different activities that, as mentioned earlier, involve the five senses in one way or another. The activities include:
-TOUCH: the box includes massage oil (ours was lavender) and massage cards, which include tips about the different kinds of massage and reflexology points on the body.
-SIGHT: a tactile puzzle that pulls apart (the texture feels like a mousepad my mom had in the 90’s . . . if people reading this even know what mice are nowadays)? It also has images printed on it that can be used for a cool memory game.
-TASTE: five caramels with tasting cards and a wooden knife to do a tasting with your partner. It’s really cool to just zero in on one sense and focus on the texture and flavors of the different caramels.
-SCENT: three gem melt scents that you can put on a candle warmer and try and guess the scents. We got two of the same scents, but it was still fun to burn them and soak in the aromas during the date.
-SOUND: last but certainly not least, relationship questions. These pair nicely with the faith-based discussion questions. Both ask couples to talk about the foundations of their relationship – the former asks questions related to first impressions and thoughts about each other early on in the relationship; the latter asks the couple to consider passages related to “blind faith” and other sense-related instances of trust.
All in all, we really enjoyed how interactive this box was. The audio guide throughout the date added an extra dimension that really personalized the date. It was nice to have the option to see a printed guide as well, if you’re breaking the date up over multiple nights, or have other distractions (like kids or pets) that might make it hard to listen to the recording. This date helped us see just how much we rely on our different senses, and how by focusing in on one at a time, the sensory experience of the date became that much better.
Between the music, the wine, and all of the activities (the caramel taste test was our favorite), we had a really nice time reconnecting about little details from when we met, which of course snowballed into future plans and how we can continue working together on things we do together, whatever that may be.
The theme for next month’s box is “Great Love,” which gave us major Great Gatsby vibes (book nerd first, but the movie that came out a few years ago is pretty splendid as well). Looking forward to checking out what’s inside that one . . . a girl can hope for something champagne-related, right?!
For pricing and more details about the boxes, check out Date Night In’s pages here:
Use code “1FREEWITH3” for a free box with the purchase of three;
limited quantities apply.
