You’ve reached the stage in your diet plan where you’ve cut out fried, fatty, and processed foods. Fantastic! Now the problem is you know how to make some really healthy meals and you constantly rotate them. Bored!

So how do you add variety to your diet? Simply, you investigate and learn to make more dishes. Honestly, this takes time and effort. It is easy to find the recipes, but it is not always easy to prepare the food. I can’t even tell you how many recipes I find that look good, until I realize that all the ingredients can only be found at a health food store, and the recipe takes three hours to make!

Here are five tips for finding new recipes

1. Buy cookbooks, or check them out from the library

At least this way, you have a ton of recipes in one place, without having to search the internet for hours. You may find that there is only one item in the entire book worth doing, but that’s okay. If you’re rotating the same three meals throughout the week, it’s worth it!

2. The recipes are already on your food packaging

Look through your cabinets and refrigerator for recipe labels. I have found great meals in boxes of couscous, containers of low-fat cream cheese, and even in boxes of cereal. This method has a real advantage; You already have and enjoy the basic ingredient!

3. Ask

Recipe swaps can be a really cool thing because you get a real life review before trying to make the dish. Friends, family, co-workers, and online chat rooms are a good place to start. Among the people you already know, there could be a ton of ideas right under your nose!

4. Use the Internet

Recipe databases are very popular. You can search for recipes by ingredient, regional cuisine, preparation time, difficulty, etc. Search engines are also useful in the same way. With literally millions of recipes at your fingertips, searching for new meal ideas when you have a spare minute is an easy and almost effortless way to add variety to your daily meal routine.

5. Experiment

Try to do something crazy and improvise. You already know what is healthy, so get creative and try something new. For example: Choose some fresh whole wheat bread. Now, find some healthy vegetables like red bell pepper, spinach, and mushrooms. Throw in some low-fat cheese and lean chicken tenders (or their vegetarian equivalent), and you’ve got yourself a hearty, delicious sandwich. Slice and bake some sweet potatoes, and ta-da! You have a very substantial and healthy dinner. Easy!

It is not easy to have a perfect eating plan. While it takes time and a bit of experimentation, every little step makes a big difference overall. Keep working on it and adding new foods to the menu, and you’ll do just fine!

Eat well!