It’s the end of Week 5 of quarantine and if you’re like me, you might be getting a little bored with your meals.
In efforts to combat this, I came up with 7 ways to make our meals more exciting, interesting, and flavorful. I thought I’d share my list with you! Aren’t you lucky?
If you try something below and you don’t like it, guess what? You don’t have to do it again! That’s the beauty of cooking – trying something different next time.
Half the time when I try something new, I don’t like it. But then the other half of the time, I come up with something absolutely amazing, and then I have a new thing to add to my meal rotation!
Cooking isn’t about perfection. It isn’t about getting it right the first time. Just like riding a bike, cooking takes practice. I’m wondering if maybe that’s why some people aren’t that fond of cooking – they feel like they have to do it right the first time. The joy, however, is actually in the messing up.
Cooking is about enjoying the process of learning what you like and dislike. Finding new flavors. The love you experience when you share a meal with others. And it’s about family.
It’s a wonderful lesson in mindfulness. It’s a whole sensory experience – taste, smell, sound, feel, sight. Cooking gets me out of my head and keeps my mind off of everything that’s going on. I focus on the present moment instead of what I’m afraid of “might” happen in this crazy time.
Maybe it’s not like that for you, but it is for me. Regardless, I hope that you and your family are well, and I hope that you enjoy these tips!
1) Go for zesty
Add orange, lemon, or lime zest to your salads or salad dressings, frozen veggies, chicken, fish, smoothies, chia pudding, homemade muffins, etc.
2) Go for tapas
Turn your next meal into finger foods. Pretend you just ordered a charcuterie plate at a super tasty restaurant, and serve small slices of meat and cheese on a cutting board or large platter. Add fruit and nuts, a drizzle of honey or hot sauce (or both!), cut up veggies, grain-free crackers, whatever your little heart desires.
Or serve all your finger foods on saucers instead of big plates – just like Spanish tapas!
3) Go for frozen
Freeze berries or grapes for a simple, yet quick treat.
4) Go for blended
Make a smoothie out of stuff that you need to use up and turn it into popsicles. Banana or berries always help to mask the flavor of greens.
The fun is in the creation – blend up a few things, taste it, and see what it needs. Does it need more sweetness? Add a few more berries or another half of a banana. Is it too sweet? Add a tiny bit of water or coconut milk to even it out.
5) Go for flavor
Add broth instead of water when cooking up plain frozen veggies.
Toss root veggies in a little olive oil and steak sauce before roasting. Or pesto. Or BBQ sauce. Or that random spice mix you bought a while ago and never used.
6) Go for more flavor
I love this trick. I cook my ground beef or steak in a cast iron pan. When it’s done, I remove the meat and then saute my veggies or greens in the leftover fat.
It makes them more flavorful and helps to conserve our other cooking fats, like olive oil or butter. Especially in this weird time where I can’t just hop over to the grocery store whenever I want like I used to!
7) Go for playful
Be creative – make your food look different!
- Make chips or waffles out of something besides potatoes and flour, like sweet potatoes (I’ve got a nice recipe I’m working on, so stay tuned!).
- Cut your veggies in unusual shapes. For example, if you’re slicing carrots, why not slice them diagonally? Or try julienning? (Just google it)
- Use cookie cutters on your veggies, deli meats, or sandwiches.
- Instead of ricing your cauliflower, rice broccoli or butternut squash.
How is your cooking game? Are you bored with your meals yet?
Let me know if you try any of these, or if you have other great ways to spruce up your meals and make them more exciting. Simply comment below!