I feel like a lot of people run into trouble when they try to eat healthy for 2 reasons:
1. they expect themselves to create gourmet recipes every night or
2. they feel like they have to eat poached chicken and plain vegetables.
Both of these scenarios are headed for a fall. You are either going to be so overwhelmed with the amount of food preparation or you will get bored and buy takeaway.
But there a heaps of really simple and fresh ways of adding flavour to your meals without spending hours in the kitchen. Here are some of my favourite flavour combinations that can be used on meat, fish, chicken and vegetables.
Flavour Combinations
Lemon, basil and garlic
Combine the juice of 1 lemon with 1/2 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp minced garlic (or 1 crushed garlic clove) and 1 Tbsp each of chopped fresh basil and Italian parsley. Pour over char-grilled vegetables such as zucchini, capsicum, Spanish onion and eggplant. Serve. Try this lamb recipe which uses a similar concept.
Honey mustard marinade
Combine 1 Tbsp of honey, 1 Tbsp of wholegrain mustard, 1 Tbsp of soy sauce. Warm in the microwave for 20 seconds to fully combine. Pour over salmon fillets, chicken breast or roast vegetables. Marinade for 10 minutes. Bake in a moderate oven for 30 minutes. Serve.
Chilli, lime and coriander
Sauté chilli, garlic and ginger in a hot wok. Add chicken, prawns or vegetables and cook until meat is done and vegetables are soft, but still have some crunch. Remove from heat and toss in fresh coriander leaves and lime juice. This prawn recipe is delicious!
Garlic, chilli and ginger
These three are killer together!! In a frypan sauté 1 clove of fresh garlic, minced, 1 teaspoon of grated ginger and 1/2 teaspoon of finely chopped chilli. Add meat, chicken or vegetables and you’ve got a killer tasting meal. Especially good for stir frying!
Olive oil, garlic and rosemary
This goes with everything! Lamb, potatoes, zucchini, chicken, you name it. Mix 2 Tbsp of olive oil with 2 cloves of garlic and 2 teaspoons of fresh or dried rosemary. Marinade EVERYTHING in it.
Moroccan spice or harrissa mix
Toss meat or vegetables (pumpkin slices, red onion quartered, zucchini sliced length ways) in 1 Tbsp of Harissa or Moroccan spice mix. Place on a baking tray and spray with a small amount of olive oil. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Pine nuts, honey, mint and cumin
Combine 1 Tbsp pine nuts (lightly toasted if you prefer) with ½ Tbsp of honey, ¼ cup finely chopped mint and ½ Tbsp of cumin. Marinade meat in this mix for 30 minutes and cook on a BBQ. Or stir mix through lamb mince, sauté and serve with pita bread and hummus.
Mexican with lime
In the spice isle of your supermarket find a Mexican based spice mix (paprika, cumin, chilli, oregano and coriander). Mix 1-2 tsp of this with lemon juice and a small amount of olive oil. Rub it onto steak, chicken or fish and grill. Serve with natural or greek yoghurt.
Further reading: Check out this article: 10 ways to add flavour without adding kilojoules.
If you’d like further help with your nutrition please click below:
