Here are some flavour combinations and quick cooking techniques to make your meals more interesting! These ideas are macro friendly ways to make your food taste better and are designed to be simple and quick enough so that busy people can quickly throw the ingredients together! Keeping your meals interesting will assist in keeping you on track for results!
Olive oil, lemon juice, chopped herbs: parsley, rosemary, chives, thyme, salt & pepper to taste.
Use for any lean protein option; simply coat your desired meat (beef, pork, chicken, fish or seafood) with mix and allow to marinade for anywhere between 2-24 hours.
Soy sauce, (rice) vinegar, garlic, ginger, Sriracha or sweet chilli sauce
Essentially the same idea as above, a little more Asian inspired.
Meat rub
Chilli powder, paprika, cayenne, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic powder.
Mix everything together, sprinkle generously on meat, fish, or chicken and rub with your hands. Spray lightly with olive oil spray, and cook however you want.
For an Indian inspired sauce sauté garlic, diced onion in oil, add diced tomato, ground coriander, garam masala, turmeric, salt & pepper cook until it makes a sauce.
Stir Frying and Fish sauce
Stir-frying is a great way to get a lot of veggies, lean protein, and healthy fat on your plate in a flash. For an instant flavour boost pick up a bottle of fish sauce; it's cheap, and lasts for years. It's essentially calorie-free, but does contain salt. For the stir fry select an array of vegetables (carrot, capsicum, bok choy, broccoli, asparagus, peas), add lean protein (chicken, beef or prawn), some garlic and finish off with a dash (or 3) of fish sauce and you're done.
Deglaze the pan
This is a simple way to make almost every meal that you prepare taste better without adding calories. After you finish sautéing your garlic and/or onions or browning your meat, there will be some crud left stuck in your pan. That crud tastes awesome. To deglaze the pan, just splash with liquor, wine, beer, or vinegar and use your spatula to scrape the sides. The flavour is enhanced and any alcohol evaporates, leaving you with a pan full of goodness.
Sautéed onions
Not much to say about this one apart from sautéed onions make things taste better. Dice onion and cook until translucent, especially with whatever spices the recipe calls for. Then deglaze the pan (see previous tip).
When added to scrambled eggs, a dash of tabasco (or any other hot sauce) and a splash of Worcestershire sauce will give an instant flavour boost. Likewise, Dijon mustard mixed with vinegar, either apple cider or Balsamic, created a quick and easy salad dressing; full of flavour, void of calories.
Make friends with the spice aisle of your local supermarket or grocers, have an array of spices and dried herbs on hand in the pantry for whenever inspiration strikes. Failing that there's always going back to the basics; tabasco, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and mustard (in all its varieties).
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
