This post has been sponsored by Pop Secret®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Finding a sitter and a night free from activities can make date nights ridiculously hard. So we've started having date night at home. A movie date night in is just as fun, especially with a yummy popcorn bar. Pop Secret® Movie Theater Butter is a great base for these easy flavored seasoning recipes.
Plus, Pop Secret® has partnered with Fandango for a discount offer to see the upcoming “Bumblebee” movie in theatres this December. Start lining up your sitters! This would make a great date night out!
Purchase 2 packs of Pop Secret® in a single transaction and upload your receipt to the website. You'll be given a Fandango promo code towards one movie ticket (up to $8 value) to see “Bumblebee” in theatres December 21st. Shoppers that unlock the Pop Secret® Ibotta offer can even earn cash back for their purchase.
How to Plan a Movie Date Night In
Our nights in tend to be very casual with lots of kid interruptions. What works best for us is to set up a movie night for the kids at the same time as ours. We pop them their own Pop Secret® Movie Theater Butter popcorn and turn on a movie we know they'll enjoy. Then, we set up camp in the bedroom to watch our own movie. But we do something a little different with our popcorn.
Popcorn Bar Seasoning Recipes
The delicious buttery flavor is great on its own but when doing a date night in, it's fun to get a little creative with the snacks. A small popcorn bar, with flavored popcorn seasonings, is a way to make the date night feel a little more special. We pair the popcorn with some of our favorite candies keeping things easy and fast.
Popcorn seasonings are super easy to make. They adhere best when you add them to the popcorn straight out of the microwave but you can also sprinkle them on as needed while you're snacking. I came up with 3 flavor ideas, all of which are the perfect accompaniment to the buttery taste of Pop Secret® Movie Theater Butter popcorn.
Parmesan Rosemary Popcorn Seasoning
• 2 TBSP Parmesan
• 1 TBSP rosemary, fresh (use 1 tsp if using dried rosemary)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
Spicy Chili Lime Popcorn Seasoning
• 1 TBSP Chili Lime Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
Onion Popcorn Seasoning
• 1 1/2 TBSP onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
Mix the ingredients for each recipe together in small bowls. Sprinkle over the popped popcorn while still hot.
I made larger batches so that they could be ready to go for our next date night. The version with Parmesan should be kept in the fridge and will last a few weeks. The recipes noted above are perfect for a single serving. My favorite way to use these is to eat a few small portions of popcorn, each with a different topping so I can taste them all.
Not only are these popcorn seasoning recipes great for our date night snacks but they'd make a fun gift idea for friends. It's super easy to put together a fun movie-themed gift basket where you can include a copy of your favorite movie, some Pop Secret® Movie Theater Butter popcorn and the pre-made popcorn seasonings.
The popcorn seasonings can be made ahead of time, so putting together your movie watching snacks won't take long at all.
Having a date at home is awesome because it can be really flexible. They don't have to happen at night and can be the best way to spend a weekend afternoon. I can take a break from household chores and sit back for a few hours to relax with my husband. 
My husband works long hours, so finding time to spend together can be hard. And while we want to get out, just the two of us, we also make sure we can fit in family time. Fitting in a movie at home is a great, easy way to spend time together. Having no travel time to factor in means you make the most of your time together. But we try to make sure that we don't let work or our honey-do lists creep into movie time. 
We are definitely a family of popcorn lovers, especially the Pop Secret® Movie Theater Butter Popcorn! Now it's the “Better Way to Pop” with no artificial preservatives, flavors or dyes; instead, it's colored naturally with annatto and paprika.
This winter, Pop Secret® is partnering with Fandango to help families save on movie night to see Bumblebee in theatres! Simply buy 2 packs of Pop Secret® in a single transaction and upload your receipt to the website. You'll receive a Fandango promo code towards one movie ticket (up to $8 value) to see “Bumblebee” in theatres December 21st. Shoppers that unlock the Pop Secret® Ibotta offer can even earn cash back for their purchase. It couldn't be easier!
My family can't wait to see “Bumblebee” which is the prequel to the Transformers movie that came out a few years ago. It's the story of a young woman trying to find her place in the world who stumbles upon what appears to be a broken down VW Bug in a small California beach town. She quickly learns that this is no ordinary car! My kids have been fans ever since their grandmother gave them their dad's old Transformers toys from when he was little!
Looks like our next movie night out will be a family date night. And those are pretty great, too. In the meantime, we'll start planning our next movie date night in!
Click here for the FANDANGO + BUMBLEBEE DISCOUNT OFFER.
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