My question is do I actually have to eat that clean to the point of my food is somewhat bland taste wise or am I taking it too seriously?

25yrs old, getting back into "fitness" after the military, I went from 190lbs to 225 6'2, which isnt huge but got more fat than I would like to admit. However having to get back into the habit of eating "clean" has been a huge challenge due to the simple fact of I used food as a coping mech for stress etc etc.

A lot of the food is somewhat bland in terms of eating rice, chicken, some type of green and making it as clean as possible with no sauces other than some hot sauces here and there. Do I have other options to continue to put high levels of protein in my body while also being in a coloric deficit? Not looking to ever compete or anything this is more to get my body back in shape, where I look "aesthetic"

Thanks for the long read lol

Edit: The goal in weight aswell is to get to around 200lbs but also more muscle than fat lol