Episode 60: Flavor Toolbox
Summary:
Molly packs this episode of Weight Loss for Food-Lovers with all kinds of useful tips for creating a “Flavor Toolbox” that will transform your kitchen. She provides tips on everything from the staples in her own pantry to simple rules of the road for creating delicious, low-maintenance meals your whole family can enjoy.
This episode gets right to the heart of Molly’s weight loss plan and what differentiates it from so many others. She doesn’t rely upon a rigid set of recipes or set rotation of meals. Nor does Molly incorporate meal deliveries or other subscriptions that she believes are unsustainable in the long run. Weight Loss for Food-Lovers is all about embracing flavorful, approachable, easy-to-prepare foods. And the list of basics that Molly shares is enough to get even the most tentative of would-be chefs started!
And getting started is half the battle. The more accustomed you become to creating delicious meals, the more confident and capable you’ll feel about not only losing weight but staying committed to your plan as a lifestyle that will keep you healthy and happy for years to come.
If you’re interested in the support or accountability a one-on-one coach provides, you can set up a free discovery call with Molly here.
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Topics Covered
· You can make food interesting and delicious without being highly caloric.
· It’s important to get clear about how much investment you are willing to make.
· Prescribed plans with formulaic menus aren’t sustainable. Molly takes a different approach, providing skills that don’t require a perpetual subscription or dependence on specific, limited recipes.
· Molly’s Flavor Toolbox:
o Use fresh and seasonal ingredients. Be mindful of when foods are at their peak of freshness.
o Layer on different textures, temperatures, savory and sweet. Look for ways to contrast different elements.
o Rely on fresh herbs to add vibrancy and freshness.
o Use and vary your flavoring agents depending on your mood. Keep international ingredients in your pantry to have on hand.
o Deploy high heat to lock in flavor whether on the stove or in the oven. (The exception being slow-cooked dishes.)
o It’s okay to eat the same staple meals a few days a week. Keep those ingredients in stock and keep it simple!
o Use full fat as much as possible. It’s satisfying and also encourages your body to burn fat by lowering insulin levels.
o Salt is a whole universe. Molly shares a few of her favorites.
· Plan when you’re going to buy: Work shopping into your calendar so you don’t wind up stuck and vulnerable to bad choices.
· Plan what you’re going to buy: Having a list in hand at the grocery store reduces temptation and impulse purchases that don’t serve your goals.
· Enjoy the cooking experience as much as you possibly can.
· Focus on quality over quantity in selecting ingredients.
· Molly shares her pantry staples. (You’ll want a pencil and paper for this list!)
· Have one or two high-quality knives and keep them sharp. Molly prefers ceramic, which are light, affordable and tend to retain their sharpness.
Key Quotes
· “It’s up to you to decide how much effort, how much money, how much mental thought you want to put into creating a pleasurable experience around food.”
· “I don’t just write out a formulaic food plan and hand it to somebody because the goal of my food plan is for people to become completely self-sufficient in losing weight on their own.”
· “My goal is to help you see how it can be very simple, easy and very flavorful while giving you the confidence to prepare your meals on your own.”
· “Foods at their peak season for harvesting naturally have so much more flavor.”
· “I don’t talk about any food being off limits but I definitely talk about maximizing certain foods, certain whole ingredients, and minimizing things that are concentrated or processed.”
· “Always add fresh herbs at the very end of cooking. The more you cook herbs the more muted their flavor will be.”
· “A lot of what I help people accomplish is to reduce the mental chatter around food and cooking.”
· “Not every meal is going to be just this amazing experience of rapture with food and that’s okay.”
· “When you plan what you’re going to buy ahead of time you’re less likely to buy things you don’t need.”
· “Focus on quality rather than quantity.”
· “You can be creative and explore as you go and spend as little or as much time as you want playing in the kitchen. It doesn’t have to be complicated.”
Links & Resources
Subscribe to Molly’s email list and request her free 6-Point Guide to Kickstarting Weight:
https://www.mollyzemek.com/welcome
Sign-up for a free discovery call at https://www.mollyzemek.com/bookings-checkout/free-discovery-call/book
Connect with Molly
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