Eating a nourishing, well-balanced diet is a key component to living a long, healthy life. But after a while it's easy to get tired of eating the same lackluster salads for lunch or grilled chicken with steamed veggies for dinner. Soon enough, boredom could take over and those unhealthy, quick, convenience foods and drive-through-diet disasters start to look more and more appealing. Don't get stuck in a bland food rut! Here are some tips and recipe ideas to make your healthy meals and snacks more fun, flavorful and exciting.

1. Experiment with New, Exotic Spices and Fresh Herbs

Rather than repeatedly relying on the same familiar seasonings, expand your flavor horizon by purchasing a few new, less-common spices and herbs and giving them a try. Curry powder adds a lot of depth and flavor to roasted veggies, soups and stews. Herbs de Provence can be used in marinades, rubbed on meats and fish, added to soups and grilled or sauteed veggies, and used to flavor sauces. Star anise can be combined with cinnamon, grated ginger and chopped scallions to poach chicken. Toasted Nigella seeds (often used in Indian or South Asian dishes) work well with lentils or in stir fries and curries.

2. Try Tofu

Rather than meeting your protein needs through the usual fish, poultry, beef and pork options, choose tofu instead. Tofu itself doesn't taste like much of anything, but it takes on the flavor of whatever ingredients you cook it with. Extra-firm and firm tofu work well in stir-fry dishes, casseroles and soups and in place of most meats and eggs. Soft and silken tofu can be used as a substitute for many dairy products.

3. Get Saucy!

Venture outside of your comfort zone by taking a crack at a new sauce recipe, or rely on a more convenient route and purchase a new, unique bottled sauce to use on whole-wheat pasta, grilled chicken or fish, or to simmer your favorite seasonal veggies in.

4. Make Your Own Salad Dressings and Marinades

You can jazz up your usual salads, veggie dishes and marinated meats by making your own dressings from scratch. In a mason jar or seal-top container, mix together two parts olive or canola oil and one part acid (vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice or mustard) along with your favorite herbs and spices and a little salt. Shake to combine and prepare to dazzle your taste buds.

5. Favor Flavored Vinegars

And go beyond using vinegar exclusively for salad dressings. Serve a variety of herb-infused balsamic vinegars and other flavored vinegars with your favorite cheeses, fruits and fish recipes (reduce the vinegar until it thickens to make a sauce for fish).

6. Start Zesting

Adding the zest of lemons, limes, oranges and other citrus fruits to your grilled meats and fish, salad dressings, marinades, desserts, baked goods, smoothies and yogurt will really wake up their flavors and give those foods the extra zing you're looking for. You'll want to purchase a microplane for zesting (bonus: it also works well for grating hard cheeses like parmesan, and for grating roots like ginger).

7. Pickle Pair

Pair pickled vegetables with your favorite dishes to up the ante on flavor without adding a ton of calories. Pickle your own vegetables--especially if you have a garden--or buy them already pickled for a quick, easy addition to salads, sandwiches and wraps.

8. Embrace Umami

Caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms are delicious, nutrient-packed and versatile, and they impart an" umami" taste more typical of meats and cheeses but for far fewer calories.

9. Try Kebabs

Food just seems like more fun when it's on a stick, right? To add a fun, flavorful, calorie-free twist on the usual kebabs, use a thick rosemary twig as the skewer. It'll add a tremendous amount of taste but no calories.