You're looking at the same plate of green salad and grilled chicken breast every day. Your grocery list is the same each week and you are finding it hard to stick to your meal plans. It's probably time to add some spark to your daily menu.
There are many reasons why adding variety to your meals is always a good idea. You can keep mealtimes exciting while still eating healthily, instead of having the same foods repeatedly and then turning to junk food out of boredom.
Variety can also give you a range of nutrients, fibre, healthy fats, and more which will keep your digestive system functioning better, improve your gut health, help you lose those inches around your waistline and benefit you in a myriad of other ways.
Luckily, making changes to your menu is easier than expected. Here are eight ways you can add more variety and enjoyment to your meals, recommended by the nutrition experts at, FreshToHome:
1. Spice up your food - Add spices to transform the flavour of your meals. If you like intense, fiery flavours, you can opt for FreshToHome’s spicy ready-to-cook products, such as Devil Habanero Chicken Drumsticks, marinated in fresh cayenne peppers and habanero, and Carolina Reaper Chicken Lollipops, coated in the fiery Carolina Reaper sauce.
2. Be creative with herbs - You can use various herbs creatively to enhance the flavour of your meals. If you want them to blend in, add them in while you are cooking. For a more distinct flavour, you can add them when your meal is ready. For example, you can sprinkle ground cinnamon on homemade sweet potato fries or mix herbs such as oregano, rosemary and thyme when making soups, salad dressings and marinades.
3. Add more colour to your plate - Eating fruits and veggies is great for your health. But did you know that you can gain even more, not only in terms of taste but health as well, if you make your fruit and/or veggies' plate more colourful.
Each colour of the rainbow provides unique nutritional benefits so reach out for items you wouldn't normally have together such as grapefruit, berries, cherries, and pomegranate, or mixing veggies such as bell peppers, broccoli, beetroot, celery, and cucumber. Ideally opt for fresh, preservative-free fruits and veggies that are in season and brought directly from farm to your home.
4. Focus on one food group at a time - If you find it overwhelming to make changes to your meals, you don’t have to add too many new items to your menu all at once. You can focus on one food group at a time, for example you can add new veggies or new meats during any one week, to see how these changes impact your health and suit your taste buds.
You can also start slowly by adding side dishes like salads, such as Coleslaw and Gourmet Salad Mix, or clean label dips, such as Spicy Hummus and Moutabal, from FreshToHome, instead of jumping directly to main courses.
5. Try something completely new each week - Each week challenge yourself to branch out and try a different recipe or cuisine, something that you wouldn't normally opt for. FreshToHome's global kitchen offers a fantastic mix of dishes, from Spanish Gambas and Empanadas, Hungarian Goulash and Chinese meal kits to Arabic street food items such as Falafel and Sambousek, and South Asian favourites such as Tandoori Prawns and Hariyali Chicken Tikka.
6. Go for vegan alternatives - Even if you do not follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, you can occasionally rotate and substitute animal protein with plant protein and plant-based products, by ordering items such as Future Mince, Sausages and Burgers from FreshToHome's vegan meat range.
7. Repurpose leftovers - Get smart about using all the food items you’ve purchased and cooked. Think of leftovers as ingredients for new meals. For example, if you have steamed or grilled veggies left over from last night’s side dish, you can puree them in a blender with vegetable or chicken broth to make soup. Similarly, you can use bits of grilled or roasted chicken, shrimp, or meat to make a fresh salad with green, leafy vegetables. Or freeze the leftovers for days when you need a quick and ready meal.
8. Mix things up - You can also mix and match foods, coming up with unusual and fun combinations that taste great. For example, you can have watermelon with a pinch of salt to enhance its natural sweetness, pair strawberry and basil with frozen yogurt, enjoy pineapples with salsa, make a sandwich with lettuce instead of bread, upgrade a chicken stir-fry recipe with chunks of mango, and so on.
Shopping from FreshToHome - which is a one-stop shop for all your food and grocery needs - can ensure that your meals never lack variety. And by making diverse but well-planned food choices, you can set yourself up for success in both meal planning and maintaining a balanced diet. Curate your menu now!
For more information please visit : https://ae.freshtohome.com/