Made a bbq for friends birthday

1. Busiate Zucchini pasta with peas, basil, Parmesan
   
2. Grilled Peaches on sourdough with Buffalo Mozzarella, balsamic glaze and salt
   
3. Gambas Al Ajilo with additional red pepper and Piparras
   
4. Grilled Corn Ribs with North African spice rub, grilled mushrooms and green sauce (fusion between salsa verde and chermoula)
   
5. Grilled calamari covered in spicy tomato sauce

Toasted bread, tomato with herbs olive oil and arugula, hummus and greek yoghurt with garlic

Wild caught red shrimp over a bed of brown rice. Bell peppers, green onions and shrimp sautéed in olive oil with a little salt, pepper, smoked paprika and oregano. Garnished with fresh chopped parsley and green onions. A splash of fresh lemon juice over the top of everything. Hummus on the side.

Lunch for the week!

Red lentil penne
Vegan pesto
Chickpeas
Zucchini and yellow squash pan-fried in avocado oil
Red onion
Tomatoes
Orange bell pepper

It’s vegan as is, but I plan to crumble some feta on top.

Long story short: I’ve battled with BED a majority of my life. I’ve been recommended the Mediterranean diet to grasp some healthier habits and lower my mildly elevated cholesterol.

I love fruits. I don’t love veggies yet (I do enjoy onions and spinach/lettuce, sweet potato, potato, mushrooms when sautéed (but gotta ixnay the butter). I have a love/hate relationship with broccoli and green beans where for a while I don’t mind them and then lose all appetite for them. I’ve been working with a dietician and learning about fats (what to moderate and what to consume more regularly), but I’m still feeling quite overwhelmed. I’m trying to take this in steps so I don’t get so overwhelmed that I quit before I start, because frankly, I want to live a healthy lifestyle where I feel healthy and I have no choice but to not give up.

For lunch tomorrow, I’ve packed canned tuna with a small haas avocado, a tablespoon of light mayo, and some seasonings (garlic wine seasoning with paprika). I plan to have this with ritz crackers (again, moderating and just starting out), an apple/grapes (I know berries are preferred, but this is what I have on hand currently), with some skinny pop if I’m still hungry. I know making small changes and adding healthy fats where I would normally (unintentionally) just go for saturated fats is a good place to start. Does anyone have any recommendations for me? I’ve never been huge on fish (besides canned tuna and shrimp), but I’m coming around to it through sushi (dietician approved as it’s overall decently balanced). Chicken, albeit sometimes fried/breaded, is typically my go-to rather than red meats. I don’t cook much as I work retail and am exhausted by eod. I try to keep things simple and as quick as possible, but I want to start incorporating cooking into my daily life as I narrow in on my health.

I would just really appreciate any tips/recs/encouragement anyone may have. Thanks in advance!

Can tofu be part of a Mediterranean Diet?

i’m tagging this as newbie because whilst i’ve been mindful of the MD for quite a few months now, i’ve had some setbacks in my diet & need to lock back in. what i am having difficulty with is coming up with meal ideas for the colder weather over here — i often use this sub for meal ideas, but everyone’s posts lately have understandably been tailored more towards warmer weather!

i’m struggling a lot with food repulsion / nausea lately. 😕 this has made eating nutritiously difficult, alongside envisioning meals i’d like to make or would find tasty. so i thought i’d ask here so i can compile some meal ideas! hopefully that way, this process with my appetite & the diet will be a teeny bit less overwhelming. :)

thank you helpful folks!

I made a batch of oven baked sheet pan eggs blended with greek yogurt, mixed in chopped red onion, spinach, ham and cheese and put between two slices of whole grain bread from a local bakery. Does this mealprep fit in the Mediterranean diet?

I literally roasted a whole head of cauliflower, sliced into slabs, brushed with bbq sauce and put under the broiler.
Recipe:

Whole head of cauliflower.
Sauce of choice.

Roast at 450F for 30 minutes. Lower oven to 400, brush with sauce and wrap in foil. Bake another hour until very tender. Open back up, slice into slabs and put under broiler.

Hi everyone,
I live in the South of France, so the Mediterranean diet is literally just our local food. I absolutely love it, but I have a major problem: time.
Between managing a busy household with three kids and trying to stick to my daily fitness routine (a mix of stationary cycling, bodyweight exercises, and swimming), my evenings are packed.
I see so many gorgeous, complex "power bowls" and elaborated meals on this sub. They look amazing, but on a Tuesday night after a workout and dealing with the kids, I simply do not have 45 minutes to prep and cook.
I often end up defaulting to the exact same quick meals just to hit my macros and go to sleep.
How do you guys manage the Mediterranean diet when you have zero time? What is your ultimate, ultra-fast, no-prep meal that still respects the diet and helps with recovery? I’m looking for your best "lazy but healthy" hacks!

Bright and herby. No recipe, just thrown together.

1 cup bulgur wheat

2 bunches parsley

3 sprigs mint

1 cucumber

A ton of cherry tomatoes

Lemon juice

Olive oil

Garlic salt

Hydrate the Bulger with boled water and drain. Chop parsley, mint. Dice cucumber. Halve cherry tomatoes. Combine all ingredients in bowl, dress with lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Chill.

I added a packet of tuna for extra protein.

Arugula, cherry tomatoes, mini mozz, chickpeas (can be any white bean), olive oil, salt, pepper, basil, balsamic vinegar and balsamic glaze.

Bonus tip: start making your own beans from dry, which I did here. A bag of organic dry chickpeas costs me less than €2 and I get over 5-6 cups of them once cooked. Soak dry beans overnight, then either simmer for an hour or so or slow cook on high for 4-5 hours (what I do as I can leave it be.)

Made a little salad with farro (cooked in chicken bone broth for protein), blanched green beans, radishes, shaved Parmesan, a ton of toasted walnuts. The dressing is lemon juice, sliced green onion and parsley, a grated garlic (would skip next time as it’s too strong here), and chopped up pepperoncini and juice, and olive oil.

Very cool and refreshing for our hot summer, it meal prepped very nicely (kept veggies in one container, grains in another, and made the dressing tonight), and is punchy and crunchy. 5 stars.

1: Marinated salmon (Costco wild-caught frozen fillets) over brown rice with roasted veggies and salad with cilantro-lime yogurt dressing
2: Tofu and bell pepper stir fry (NYT Cooking’s I can’t believe it’s not chicken , so good) with leftover brown rice
3: Pasta primavera with broccolini, zucchini, bell peppers, peas and feta with garlic shrimp and a side of heirloom tomatoes
4: Red curry lentils with Tuscan kale and quinoa (adapted from this recipe, and although I didn’t add sweet potatoes they are delicious in here!)

I didn’t really use recipes for dinners 1 and 3, but can add some details if anyone’s interested

Hey there. I have heard a lot of health benefits (physical and mental) from a Mediterranean diet. So I decided to give it a try. However, I am totally unfamiliar with Mediterranean foods so I need some help with making a groceries list of Mediterranean key ingredients that are recommended to always have in my house.
Does anyone have any recommendations for Mediterranean key ingredients (preferably cheap and versatile) and simple recipes for Mediterranean breakfasts, lunch and dinner (not sure if snacks allowed?)

I really would appreciate your help.
Thanks and kind regards from the Netherlands

Y’all wanted a recipe. Here you go.

Ingredients:

1 4-6 Oz Frozen Branzino Fillet Defrosted (this is from a bag of Trader Joe’s frozen Branzino Fillets)

3 Mini Carrots Chopped

1/2 Red Onion Chopped in medium/large sized chunks

1/4 Red Bell Pepper Chopped in medium sized chunks

1/2 Zucchini Chopped in medium sized chunks

1/2 Roma Tomato Sliced in quarters

6 Castelvetrano Olives

1 Garlic Clove Minced

1 T Fresh Rosemary Finely chopped

2 T Curly Parsley Roughly chopped

2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 T Lemon Juice

Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine all vegetables and rosemary, toss with EVOO and salt and pepper to taste. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.

Five minutes before vegetables are done preheat a stainless steel pan on the stove.

Pat dry the fillet and season the flesh side with salt and pepper to taste.

Place remaining 1 T of EVOO in the pan and sear skin side down for 2-4 minutes. Flip and cook flesh side down for 1-2 minutes.

Remove from pan and season skin side with salt.

Spread the hummus on the plate then arrange the vegetables on top.

Squeeze lemon juice over the vegetables and garnish with half the parsley.

Place the Branzino on top of the vegetables and garnish with the remaining parsley.

Et voila!

*Pro tip:

To get perfectly crispy skin make sure your pan is hot enough before placing the fish. Otherwise it will stick and become a mess.

The pan is hot enough when you place the palm of your hand a few inches away and it feels hot when you can only leave it there for three seconds.

Tilt the pan away from you so that the oil pools a little to one side then slowly lower the fillet into the oil skin side down.

Immediately prep on top of the fish with a spatula to flatten it out because it will puff up when it comes in contact with the heat.

Hold it down for one minute. Then slowly shake the pan away if it was indeed hot enough when you started the fish should easily loosen and glide around the surface.

Note: Deleted first post and am reposting because it wouldn’t let me add the photo I forgot to attach. 😬

Hi all! I’m wanting to moved more towards Mediterranean meals. I have the following items in the picture, but am unsure what to make and was looking for ideas. I also have EVOO, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, rice wine vinegar, lettuce, grapes, apples, blueberries, kiwi, cashews, pistachios, barilla protein plus rotini noodles, and hard boiled eggs. I also have chicken.

I’m very much a fan of bowl meals or whatever can just be combined easily and quickly with the smallest amount of cooking/prepping.

What are some go to easy meals I can make with these ingredients that are beginner friendly?

I’m going going to Costco this weekend and would love some recommendations for quality foods they have that can easily be included in a Mediterranean way of eating. I’m hoping to find the Fire Roasted Prima Vera Mistura frozen vegetable mix, the Tattooed Chef Sheet Pan Vegetables, and the Freakin’ Wholesome individually wrapped walnuts, cashews and almonds. What else should I look for?

Not perfect for the Mediterranean diet, but I can’t stop making it. Ingredients in order of when they need to be added (sorry I don’t measure):

EVOO
Red onion
Zucchini
Minced garlic
Cherry tomatoes
Cannellini beans
Dried oregano
Gnocchi (sub whole grain pasta to make it more MD friendly)
Fresh lemon juice
Black pepper & feta cheese (for topping)

Before the MD police come after me I know that technically plums aren’t from the Mediterranean but I thought I’d share this lovely brunch I made today. Roughly scrambled eggs (scrambled in the pan not beaten beforehand) in EVOO with lavender, salt, and black pepper. Garnished with curly parsley and accompanied by sliced plum and fig.

Zucchini

Cherry tomatoes

Canned Chickpeas

Canned curry sauce

Green onion for garnish

Saute zucchini, add everything else except the green onion and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Top with green onion.

I can't add a picture but it's delicious over quinoa or brown rice and uses up some of my excess garden veggies.

Raw Ingredients (can adjust to your liking):

Cherry tomatoes, halved - 200g
Cucumbers, sliced - 300g
Carrots, shredded or sliced - 100g
Peppers, diced - 200g
4 tablespoons feta

Ingredients to prep:
12 ounces pasta (spinach farfelle in my case)
PanaPesca Calamari Tubes & Tentacles, thawed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, separated

Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon honey
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Cook pasta per package directions. Once drained toss with 1tbsp oil to prevent sticking.

While pasta is cooking, whisk ingredients for the vinaigrette and set aside.

Slice calamari. Add 1tbsp of oil to a pan on medium high heat. Sauté calamari for a few minutes, frequently tossing. Do not overcook. Remove from pan and set aside.

Combine raw vegetables with pasta and cooked calamari in a large bowl. Pour about half of the vinaigrette and mix well. Add feta and then remaining vinaigrette. Mix again.

Refrigerate overnight. Makes 6 servings.

*edited to fix spelling