There are soooo many ingredients which you can add to your meals which will make a huge difference to how they tastes, but little to no difference in calorie content – these bits and pieces can be the difference to eating the same boring meals over and over to creating some really great tasting meals which you look forward to. At first the world of herbs and spices can seem a little daunting but soon you’ll get the hang of what works together, what you like and how to take your meals to the next level on the taste chart.

Eggs and avocado on toast.

Toast

I love sour dough, its tasty, chewy and satisfying and it gives a great base to this as it doesn’t go soggy when your runny egg is on it. Of course you can use any bread you want! I don’t use butter or spread as the avocado does that!

Avocado

You can just slice your avocado straight out of its skin and plonk it on top. Here I’ve taken it out, smushed it up and added salt, pepper and squeeze of lime juice which makes it into a lovely spreadable texture. You know when an avocado is ready as the little pip where it was attached to the tree comes away easily from the top of it.

Poached Eggs

There are so many ways to cook a poached egg, but I prefer the silicone booby shaped moulds that you break the egg into and they float on the top of a gentle simmering pan. I find keeping the lid on helps and don’t worry if they sink. Give them a little spray with fry light before putting the egg in and use a teaspoon to get them out so you don’t break the yolks.

Added yumminess…

Black pepper – freshly ground black pepper is a no brainer to stick on top of your eggs, such a simple well known ingredient which can be forgotten.

Chopped Red Chilli – If you’re not sure not hot your chilli is cut a slice and lick it you’ll get the idea as to how much you want on the top. Dried chilli flakes are also a great option as keep for ages. Adds a huge amount in taste and nothing in calories.

Fresh Herbs – Here I’ve used coriander, but parsley or basil would also be a great options. Fresh herbs bring something great to literally every thing you make, I try to make sure I’ve always got some in the fridge when I’m home.

Niger Seeds (onion seeds) – These are the little black seeds you can see on the top. They are seeds from onions and give a lovely flavour sprinkled on top!

Lime – Chilli, avocado and lime are a match made in heaven, so if I’ve got one I always squeeze some lime over the top of the lot.

The great thing about the above is that once you get in the swing of things you’ll realise you can use these to make loads of dishes more exciting, having a stock of fresh and dried herbs and spices allows you to experiment with flavour and get you excited about cooking.

Other ingredients you could use

(with little to no added calories)

• Fresh Ginger
• Fresh Garlic
• Smoked Paprika
• Sesame seeds
• Fresh Mint
• Chipotle paste (smoked chilli)
• Harissa paste
• Sriracha chilli sauce
• Pomegranate seeds
• Feta cheese (weigh this if you’re counting your calories)
• Bacon Medallions – at only about 40 calories each these are a great addition