My meals lack flavor. .getting discouraged. .

Find some seasonings/herbs you enjoy, and cook with them. I used to cook everything in butter and paid no mind to how much I was putting into things. I cut butter out of my life completely for about a year before I realized I can still cook with it to make delicious food, I just don't need as much of it (and don't need to cook EVERYTHING in it). Moderation is key.

hazelgoddess wrote: »

Hey guys while in trying to eat better I've cut out a lot of the stuff I used to use (mainly butter) now everything seems to lack any flavor. . Any recommendations or advice would be great!

http://janetandgreta.com/cookbook/looneyspoons/
http://allrecipes.com/ (Allrecipes focus is not necessarily on healthy or low fat food, but a healthy eating section, as well as a vegetarian section does exist.)

Do you like mushrooms and/or onions? I've always loved mushrooms but have normally just eaten them raw. Onions have FINALLY started to grow on me and I feel like mushrooms/onions really add flavor to so many dishes. I love them with pasta (I just make single portions with lots of veggies) and on "hamburger steaks". Also, have you tried still cooking with the things you like, like butter, but just using 1/4 of the amount? The other day I added butter to my homemade mac & cheese and measured it out with my food scale and it was only 25 calories worth, but I felt that it still added flavor and my meal turned out really good.

Then today, for example, I had a falafel wrap and used this Annie's organic "goddess" dressing. It's 120 calories but I used my food scale to make sure I only had a half serving, and for only 60 additional calories it really added a lot of flavor to my meal!

Also- best combo EVER for chicken (especially boneless skinless thighs)- rosemary and garlic!!!!! I never used to like garlic but now I use it basically every day and take garlic pills too. lol

Basil makes everything taste better! Cinnamon too, but not with basil LOL.

Another thing you may find to replace the fat is spicier foods or sour foods. Salsa, jalapenos, lemons, pickles can all add flavor without adding a lot of calories.

I still use butter. But a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon.

I will steam fish for example, and just before it finishes will add about 5g of butter to it.

Don't take anything completely out of your food plan. Just learn to exercise control.

That said

Garlic
lemon
Ginger
Hot sauce
Crushed black pepper
Salt

Are a staple for me.

I also have about 40 other spices and seasonings I use. Indian, Chinese, Thai, Italian, French. I use them all. But without salt, their flavor isn't released. And no spice replaces the texture improvement of food like fat.

At the risk of offending someone, I have found that recipes of vegans/vegetarians are very helpful in spicing up ones diet. Those recipes use herbs and spices very well. Just take their recipes and add meat.

I also do not use salt much at all. I rarely use it while cooking and never at the table. I DO use a lot of herbs and spices. With a few exceptions (chili powder, California pepper, curry powder) I do not use blends. I prefer to add individual herbs and spices to taste.

My staples:
onions and fresh garlic. I often saute them in a little butter or oil first before adding the other ingredients

Spices:
black pepper (freshly ground using an adjustable grinder so I can get really fine, cracked, or anything in between)
paprika (both sweet and smoked. Not a fan of sharp or half sharp)
cumin
coriander
ginger
saffron (wonderful in any chicken dish)
cinnamon
ground celery seed
ground chili pepper (both ancho (minimal heat) and cayenne)
nutmeg (I grate my own. Is especially nice in egg dishes)

Herbs:
basil (both fresh and dried, depending on the dish)
oregano (dried only, has better flavor than fresh)
thyme (both fresh and dried)
summer savory
parsley (only fresh. dried has little flavor)
rosemary
cilantro (fresh only. Like parsley, there is little flavor in dried)

If you have an option, do not buy from the grocery store. The brand name spices are lower quality, not the freshest, and very expensive. If you buy in bulk from a store, make sure it is a store that has a lot of traffic and turnover. Often their herbs and spices sit for a long time and they just top off the jars so the old stuff gets mixed in with the new. Also, the constant opening of the jars to measure for a customer can make them lose flavor more quickly because the volatile oils dissipate when exposed to air. Stores with higher turnover have fresher. You do not need to replace every 6 months. Figure 1 year for herbs and ground spices, 2-3 years for small whole spices like peppercorns, cumin seeds, etc., and up to 5 years for hard whole spices like nutmegs and cinnamon sticks. Herbs and s[ices are annual crops so if you replace in 6 months, there is no guarantee you are not replacing with the same year's crop.

Personally, I get mine mail order from either Penzey's or The Spice House (same family. The two companies are run by siblings who learned the business from their parents who ran a spice store in Milwaukee for 50 years) They are much fresher, higher quality, and about 1/2 the price of grocery store brands.

ETA: one more thing. A squeeze of lemon or lime juice adds a nice fresh flavor to many dishes too.

michelle172415 wrote: »

hazelgoddess wrote: »

I'm not much of a salt person at all.. not because I can't have but I just don't really care for it anymore lol

This could be part of your problem. Try salting your food as you cook it, don't add it after the fact. Salting your meat before cooking is especially good. My husband claims to not like salt, he'll never, ever add it to his food, but he loves my cooking, and I salt virtually everything. It's part of the cooking process to get a superior end product.

I agree with this...If food tastes like nothing, it is lacking salt. So unless you have health reasons to eat salt free, use it while cooking and everything will taste better. Also Butter is the best thing... I cook everything on butter and it is not problematic even on my 1200 kcal diet.

Butter is awesome, why not use it? If your food is too dry, add olive oil. Also, yeah, use salt. Use Lite Salt/Nu Salt and go to town. Use Accent (MSG). Use preblended spices like Mrs. Dash. Use marinade. BBQ sauce. Sirarcha sauce.

A ton of things you can do.

herbs and spices, salt and pepper...

also, I still use butter and oils for cooking...dietary fat is healthy in appropriate amounts.

Moderation. A little bit o' butter, a little bit o' salt. I continue to love my food and continue to lose weight.