Spice of Life

Some people make the HUGE misconception that eating clean and eating healthy is boooooring. That couldn't be farther from the truth! I am a huge fan of fuelling with flavour! 

Sure if you are cooking up plain ol chicken boobs all the time it is going to get monotonous. HOWEVER if you are prepping those breasts (or fish fillets, or other lean cuts) the right way boredom be gone!

It is super important that you keep your pantry stocked with a wide variety of herbs and spices. Using these regularly is what will keep your taste buds from getting tired of the same old same old. 

I have a few favourites that I ALWAYS have on hand:

-onion powder

-garlic powder

-chili powder

-cayenne pepper

-basil

-oregano

-parsley

-sage

-thyme

-dill

-cumin

This list doesn't include the collection of Indian/Curry spices I am collecting 

or my sweet spices (like cinnamon or nutmeg)

By keeping these always available I can make a WIDE variety of tasty meals. I also like to keep a range of blends on hand. I don't buy the blends in the store though, no way, those usually have a lot of added salt, silica (yes, that would be sand!), and other preservatives. Make up your own spice blends to save money and not have to worry about the additives. 

Here are a few quick easy blends. Just put the amounts into a jar and give er a shake when you want to use them. 

Sweet and Spicy 

Modified from the 21 Day Sugar Detox

(goes great on chicken!!)

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1/2 tbsp paprika

1/2 tbsp black pepper

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp sea salt

Breakfast Sausage Blend

Modified from the 21 Day Sugar Detox Cookbook

(use a few tbsp in 1 lb of ground pork for easy homemade sausages)

1 tbsp sea salt

1/2 tbsp sage

1/2 tbsp thym

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp red pepper

Ranch Blend

Came up with this one on my own ;)

(Mix 1 tsp with 1/4 cup of plain greek or balkan yogurt)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried dill

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp sea salt 

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Pizza/Spagetti Sauce Blend

Another RYLM original

(put 1 tbsp mixed into 1 cup plain tomato sauce)

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp basil

1 tbsp parsley

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp sea salt

1/2 tbsp cracked black pepper

Feel free to modify any of these to suit your tastes! Finding the right balance for you is important!

The more you try out different herbs and spices and blends the more creative you can get with your cooking. These are a great way to kick up your cooking a notch. Also having all these on hand both on their own or in blends means a tasty meal is only a few shakes of a spice jar away.