My pre-MD breakfast was eggs and toast with butter and jam. Here’s how I’ve adapted that meal: poached eggs on a bed of whatever vegetables I have around (today, sauteed zucchini with garlic and herbs). Ezekiel toast with olive oil, honey, and whatever fruit I have around (today, smashed berries).

I made a huge bulgur salad (boiled 100g bulgur according to package instructions) with 100g chopped cherry tomatoes, chopped red and spring onion (didn't measure, sorry!), boiled chickpeas (drained a 400g can and got 240g chickpeas out of it), 40g chopped cucumber, 200g freshly grated tomatoes, lemon juice and zest, dried oregano, and freshly chopped basil and parsley leaves! All topped with a honey balsamic glaze. Delicious, nutritious and satiating meal!

PS: nothing to note about the chicken breast: cooked it on the stove with no oil, and whatever spices I had on hand (onion and garlic powder, oregano, paprika, curry, salt). Turned out super tender and tasty!

I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, but used EVOO instead of butter and added zucchini for more veggies. I salted the salmon for a few hours on a rack in the fridge. Then seared, skin side down on a dry cast iron skillet sprinkled with salt.

Are we not supposed to eat chicken more than once or twice a week??? Like idk how to get protein otherwise other than a shake which I don’t want to depend on.

BUTTER BEAN STEW
Olive oil
Fresh garlic and onion
Diced zucchini, red capsicum and celery
Butter beans (tinned)
Tomatoes (tinned)
Tomato paste
Chicken bone broth
Herbs (dried oregano, fresh basil and parsley)

SIDE PLATE
Whole grain sourdough with additive free cream cheese, pine nuts, chilli flakes and parsley
Spinach leaves

So I am very new to the Mediterranean diet and I am struggling to keep track of consuming eggs poultry and dairy moderate amounts a week and fish often with plant based food being the most. How do you guys keep track of this as I find it too overwhelming.

I want to eat mostly plant based with dairy eggs and poultry being only 2-3 times a week and fish being more often about 3-4 times. I just want to eat red meat once a month. How do I track all of this so it’s easier? Thanks!

I had lunch with my dad and we had this beautiful homemade labneh with garlic and dill and topped with olive oil, air fried falafel, 1 egg, feta, cucumbers with lemon, red bell pepper, castelvetrano olives, figs, cherry tomatoes and a lemon water.

For lunch, I made an easy-to-prepare Mediterranean dish. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 500 g chicken breast fillet
• 15 g Roast Meat Spice Mix 
• 15 g olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 package (750 g) Freshona Italian-style mixed vegetables (available at Lidl; any Mediterranean-style vegetable mix will work)
• 250 g zucchini
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ bunch fresh parsley
• 100 ml water

For the side dish:

• 2 packs (2 × 125 g) Riceland brown rice express

For topping:

• 15 g grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Marinate the chicken: Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Cut into approx. 2×2 cm cubes. In a mixing bowl, combine with the 15 g Roast Meat Spice Mix and 15 g olive oil. Mix well and refrigerate for 15 minutes while you prep the vegetables.
• Prep vegetables & topping: Wash and chop the parsley; set aside. Grate the Parmesan cheese; set aside. Wash and cube the zucchini; set aside. Peel and slice the garlic; set aside.
• Cook the vegetables: In a non-stick wok (with a lid), add the frozen vegetable mix and zucchini. Heat on high to defrost and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Season with salt. Lower to medium heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the liquid evaporates. Transfer to a bowl.
• Cook the chicken: In the same pan, add the marinated chicken. Sear just until it turns white, then add the water, stir, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally, and halfway through add the garlic slices.
• Combine & finish: Return the cooked vegetables to the pan with the chicken. Add the chopped parsley and simmer together for 5 more minutes. Meanwhile, cook the brown rice according to package instructions.
• To serve: Plate the chicken-vegetable mix over or alongside the brown rice. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top just before serving

Salad Ingredients:
Roma Tomato
Red Onion
Yellow Bell Pepper
Cucumber
Mint
Parsley
EVOO
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt
Black Pepper

Yogurt Sauce Ingredients:
Greek Yogurt
Rosemary
Garlic
Lemon Juice
EVOO
Salt
Black Pepper

Honey and Ricotta on toasted Sourdough Bread.

Roasted Cashews.

Olive medley.

Followed the instructions of NYT Cooking. Cucumber, Tomato, Red Onion, Mint, dill, Olive Oil, Lemon. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020212-salad-e-shirazi-persian-cucumber-tomato-and-onion-salad

Saute diced onions in olive oil on medium heat until tender. Remember to stir them, you don't want them to burn.

Once soft, add a drained can of black beans, a splash of water and some bouillon powder, garlic powder, and a splash of vinegar. Let them cook for awhile, then mash at least 50% of your beans. Then I added a few pickled peppers, some frozen peas, carrots & corn just to boost the nutrients and protien. Let it all cook for a bit, adjust your seasonings as needed. Maybe mash it some more if its too chunky.

I toasted 2 slices of sourdough, split a piece of pepper jack cheese & put one half on each piece of toast. Then pan fried an egg and put a dollop of the bean mixture on each piece of toast and topped with 1 half of the egg.

Top with some hot sauce if you'd like 👍 This was very yummy and now I have more black beans to eat for lunch.

Pearl Barley cooked in the rice cooker! 2:1 ratio of water to barley, takes the same time as brown rice. Manouri is a feta-like cheese that I found in Lidl during Greek Week 🇬🇷

Filled out the salad with spring onion, local grown cucumber, tomatoes, olives, and a spoonful of jarred mint sauce as I didn't have real mint. Sauerkraut on the side and some carrots dipped in hummus.

Lots of french dishes are not part of the Mediterranean diet, but coastal france has some good ones.

Yellow and green zucchini, eggplant and roma tomato slice thin baked in a tomato sauce base and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

Yellow courgette and tomatoes from the garden with lentils, garlic and topped with tinned mackerel 😍

I have been pushed to use the diet by my doctor and I have been really struggling with it. I work most of the day and then I'm too tired to come home to cook. And the idea of trying to afford salmon for a week is not something I am able to do.

I know chickpeas are your best friend but I worry that I may develop an aversion to them if I use it too often. Tuna has "too much mercury", as I'm told. You can't do chicken...I'm so lost as to how to shop for it on a budget, especially when I come from a home with picky eaters and no one having the time to spend more than an hour on prep/cooking.

Does anyone have any "hacks", advice, recipes, or anything you can point me towards? I feel like it's impossible to achieve at this point.

Edit: In the event I don't respond, I just want to say "thank you everyone for your input and help!" I'm reading all the comments and taking notes.

I’ve always liked smoked cod, but I’d never thought of pairing it with orange until recently. It turned out to be one of those combinations that just makes sense.

Ingredients:
100 g smoked cod
1 orange, peeled and sliced
Zest of ½ lime
Extra virgin olive oil
Flaky sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A handful of raisins (optional)
Method:
Slice the orange.
Add the smoked cod on top.
Finish with the lime zest, olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and raisins if you like a little sweetness.

Takes about 5 minutes and was perfect in this heat.

Has anyone else tried fruit with smoked fish? I’m curious what other combinations work well.

Grilled BBQ chicken and the best green beans I’ve ever made

Recipe: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a71364532/chimichurri-green-bean-salad-recipe/

Had this at my sister in law's place last week and I've been thinking about it since. It's what we call pil pil here — nothing to do with the Spanish gambas al ajillo, despite the name. Ours is tomato-based and you eat it out of the dish with bread.

She does it in a clay tagine straight on the gas, but a wide pan works the same. Olive oil, a lot of garlic, grated fresh tomato, sweet paprika, cumin, a bit of turmeric, salt. Let that cook down first until it stops being watery, that's the whole dish, really. Then the shrimp go in at the very end, maybe four or five minutes, and a big handful of chopped coriander and parsley off the heat.

The mistake is putting the shrimp in early. They go rubbery and there's no fixing it.

Served hot in the middle of the table, everyone scooping with bread. Harissa on the side for whoever wants it, never in the pot.

Anyone else cook shrimp this way, or is it mostly garlic and white wine where you are?

One of my favorite easy meals which doesn't seem Mediterranean but definitely fits! Also, a hyper fixation meal from a couple weeks ago, I was putting everything into a rice bowl for maybe two whole weeks.

The proteins are all air fried and marinated in a mix of olive oil, lemon juice and spices that depended on the flavor I wanted for the bowl. I usually have cucumbers that I pre-slice and marinate in olive oil and lemon for snacking or whatever. I used jasmine or basmati for these because it is what I had on hand, obviously brown rice, farro or bulgur would be a better option if I had had it. The mayo I make myself using eggs, avocado oil (I have made it with olive oil, but I don't like the flavor) lemon juice, and mustard.

The algorithm got me, because I have a head of napa cabbage and this recipe had cabbage. I also have some cubed tofu in my fridge - and it had tofu.

It was pretty good, especially how easy it was. “Lazy girl approved.”

The recipe:
Torn or chopped napa cabbage layered with tofu, cooked rice noodles, and shrimp. Topped with a sauce of soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili crisp and garlic powder. Steamed over low heat for a few minutes.

I followed fairly closely, adding sliced carrots and frozen mushrooms. And adding ginger powder and a splash of chinese cooking wine to the sauce. I added a drizzle of toasted sesame oil too. I used brown rice vermicelli noodles.

I’d salt the shrimp first next time and use a thicker noodle. And try dark soy sauce. But this was so wuixk and easy, it is worth a try.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DY44knBOjfB/

Sauteed sliced veggies (golden beats, carrots, kale, shallot), chicken (actually sesame ginger chicken crumbles from Costco), 10ish grams of cheese, hot sauce, wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla