Your lean protein meal does NOT have to look boring
Tonight when I got back from the concert, I was so hungry that I just wanted to grab something from the fridge and eat it immediately. Yeah I still have some calamari from the fishermen’s market in Bang Saen (200 baht – approx. 5.6USD/kg!). YUM!
Oh, I have some fresh spinach as well. I thought, ok, just stir fry it with some soy sauce, that’s it.
But that’s kind of boring isn’t it. I don’t wanna end up being Dwayne Johnson’s meals.
How can a normal person eat these in a day?
From Liveignite website.
Anyways, I am not sure if his meals really look like this though. No spices? No nothing? He eats like 1000 kcal of cod a day…. yikes.
I think I would die of boredom if I have meals like these. EVERY DAY!!!! Food is so important for me, I understand that you need to stick to your macros and all, but I still want to make some effort that I can enjoy the process of preparing the meal, appreciating the ingredients, and most importantly, tasting it!
So my calamari deserved something special. I liked my stuffed bell peppers from the other day with Moroccan spices so I’ve decided to use them again on my squid. I put on top of 200g of boiled spinach with Himalayan salt and pepper only. Actually there was no need to season it, as I just poured the grill tray over the veggies – the juice was already salty enough!
All you have to do is to chuck these spices into the bowl of squid, and MIX THEM TOGETHER!!!! Spices I used are: cumin, turmeric, cayenne, ground chilli, cinnamon, black pepper, and garlic. I crushed some cloves of garlic, and added a teaspoon of olive oil, and seasoned it with Himalayan pink salt. THAT’S IT! The whole thing took a few minutes.
I use this mini grill for quicker cooking. Et voila, within several minutes, it is done! How easy is this.
There are so many spice mix you can use – I do Indian, Cajan, Italian, Mediterranean, Korean, Mexican, you name it! Turns your dish into something incredibly beautiful and appetizing! The same thing can be done with other ingredients. Garnish it with some parsley or other herbs you may have. Play around with colours. Mix with different vegetables.
For example, I just pre-mixed taco spice mix like this, and I just use it whenever I feel like eating Mexican food. Or when I want to eat some lean protein, I just make a quick stir-fry with these spices and you have a wonderful main dish! Below is my seafood taco, which I ate with some guacamole.
Many of my friends say “wow your food looks incredible! what’s your secret?” There is no secret! I just happen to care about my food a bit more than they do, and just try to be creative, that is all. It doesn’t take more time to make those either.
Happy cooking!
