A Foolproof Seasoning Formula for Perfect Meat, Chicken, and Fish

One of the habits that has profoundly impacted my family’s health is cooking most of our meals at home. In our household, the responsibility for that falls on me. If I’m not intentional about it, my husband will default to eating out — which, more often than not, means lower-quality food that takes away from our health rather than adding to it.

When I became a mother, a big part of my responsibility became deciding what we eat. I quickly realized I needed a system. Convenience is tempting — that’s why it works — but unfortunately, unless you’re eating at high-end restaurants, most convenience food isn’t health-promoting. It’s often made with non-organic ingredients, pesticide-laden produce, inflammatory oils, GMO crops, and nutrient-depleting processing methods. On top of that, restaurant meals tend to be too high in refined carbs, spiking insulin and creating downstream hormonal issues.

The easiest way to avoid all that? Have an easy, reliable system for preparing home-cooked meals that everyone enjoys.

A Funny Truth About Adulthood

I sometimes tell my daughters when they’re eager to grow up, “Enjoy being a kid while you can — because once you have your own family, you’ll be responsible for figuring out what to eat three times a day, for the rest of your life." It sounds funny, but it’s true. This means planning, shopping, cooking, cleaning.

Sure, you can buy convenience foods, but they’re rarely convenient for your health. My hope is that my girls will choose healthier options when it’s their turn to make these decisions.

Simplicity Wins

You don’t need to be a chef or follow complicated recipes to cook well at home. In fact, simple meals are often the healthiest. The easier you make home cooking for yourself, the more often you’ll do it.

My Simple Seasoning Formula

This formula works for any protein — beef, pork, chicken, or fish. The base seasonings are always the same: salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. The variety comes in the second part of the formula: choose one green seasoning and one red seasoning. And just like that — perfectly seasoned protein, every time, guaranteed to satisfy.

Base seasonings for all proteins:

• Salt

• Pepper

• Garlic powder

• Onion powder

Something green: oregano, parsley, basil, mint, etc.

Something red: curry powder, paprika, cumin, turmeric, etc.

Here’s how I use it:

• Rub the base seasonings on both sides of the protein.

• Add one “green” and one “red” seasoning.

• Drizzle olive oil over both sides.

• Use your hands to massage the seasonings and oil into the protein so it’s evenly coated.

This means I can go straight to the grill, stove, oven, or Instant Pot without adding extra oil — the olive oil already on the protein is enough to prevent sticking and create a nice sear.

Some examples:

• Pork: green = oregano red = paprika

• Chicken: green = basil red = curry powder

• Salmon: green = parsley red = turmeric

• Beef: green = oregano red = cumin

With so many "green" and "red" spices available — the possibilities are many! Experiment and stick to your favorites based on your family's reviews.

Making It Work in Real Life

To make cooking at home easy — and part of our normal routine — I do just a little bit of preparation the night before. After cleaning up the dishes, I take a few minutes to thaw the next day’s protein. Here’s my simple step-by-step for keeping it stress-free:

• The night before: Pick the protein (important if it needs thawing). Thaw on the counter overnight, then refrigerate in the morning.

• Before cooking: Use the seasoning formula — either right before cooking or earlier in the day so it can marinate.

• Cooking method: Choose grill pan, oven, stove (for fish), or Instant Pot.

Stocking High-Quality Protein

Another key to making home cooking easy is keeping a well-stocked freezer with a variety of meats, chicken, and fish. When habits are easy, they stick — and having dinner ready to go starts with simplifying the decisions. By keeping high-quality proteins on hand, I can skip the last-minute store runs and the stress of scrambling. Dinner is always just minutes away.

This is where Butcher Box has been a game changer for me. They deliver frozen, pasture-raised, grass-fed, and grass-finished meats, plus wild-caught seafood, right to my door every month. Everything is free of antibiotics and hormones, so I know I’m feeding my family the best.

I’ve been a customer since January 2018 — almost eight years — and they’ve never once let me down. Having a stocked freezer means I can focus on creating flavorful, healthy meals without the stress. It’s one of the simplest ways I set myself up for success in the kitchen.

Here’s my referral link for you:

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Final Notes on Seasonings

All the spices I use are organic, and my go-to salt is Redmond’s Real Sea Salt for its rich mineral content — here’s the link. A quick word of caution: most pre-mixed meat seasonings are not organic, often contain pesticide residues, and may be loaded with additives like MSG — a neurotoxin that can slowly undermine your health.

Unfortunately, these are the same blends used in most restaurants.

Let’s change that narrative and build our health instead — one simple, nourishing, home-cooked meal at a time.