Five Days of the Mediterranean Diet

We talked all about the Mediterranean diet on our main blog, including the who, what, when, why and how. If you've read that, now you're here to give it a go! Below we have five days of the Mediterranean diet for you to try. The best part is, it can be easily adaptable to suit you and your family. Try some or all of these meals and let us know how you go. 

Monday

Breakfast: Greek yogurt topped with honey, nuts, and berries. pro tip: include more nuts or berries if you're a "volume eater" and like big portions.

 Lunch: Grilled chicken or fish with a large mixed green salad, olives, feta cheese, and a whole grain side such as quinoa. This can be meal prepped nearly 5 days ahead! 

Dinner: Baked Mediterranean vegetable casserole with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and herbs. Serve with a side of whole grain bread. This can be served to picky eaters by shredding the vegetables and cooking them down in a sauce for a vegetarian spaghetti bolognese type of situation. 

 Tuesday 

Breakfast: Whole grain toast with avocado slices and a poached egg. If avocados are out of season or too expensive, try simply peanut butter (just peanuts and maybe salt),  hummus or a sliced apple with a drizzle of olive oil. 

Lunch: Lentil and vegetable soup (also a great dinner option!) with a side of whole grain bread and a Greek salad.

Dinner: Grilled prawn skewers with roasted vegetables and couscous. If you're looking to feed picky eaters, you can create breadcrumbs with whole grain bread and oven bake the prawns. You can also create a roasted vegetable dip similar to baba ganoush and dip bread in throughout the meal. 

Wednesday 

Breakfast: Oatmeal topped with nuts, dried fruit, and a drizzle of honey. 

Lunch: Mediterranean stuffed peppers with a side of tabbouleh salad. If this is too much for a mid-week lunch, just roast and slice the peppers and eat them with tabbouleh. You get the same nutrients with less effort! 

Dinner: Baked salmon with lemon and herbs, roasted sweet potatoes, and a side of steamed broccoli. 

Thursday 

Breakfast: Smoothie made with Greek yogurt, spinach, banana, and almond butter – or just repeat Monday's breakfast!

Lunch: Whole grain pasta with cherry tomatoes, basil, olives, and grilled chicken.

Dinner: Ratatouille (vegetable stew) served with a side of wholegrain. No, this doesn't have to look like in the movie, it is literally just tossing together eggplant, capsicum, tomato, zucchini and cooking in a tomato sauce!

Friday 

Breakfast: Whole grain toast with almond or peanut butter and sliced bananas. 

Lunch: Mediterranean chickpea salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, and a lemon-herb dressing. You can also toss Wednesday's tabbouleh with crunchy chickpeas to reduce prep throughout the week. 

Dinner: Grilled lamb kebabs with roasted vegetables and a side of couscous, quinoa, brown rice or even polenta.

This five day prep definitely evokes the idea of a slow, enriching life by the Mediterranean Sea. If this seems like too much work for you, you can prep a base Greek salad with cucumber, tomatoes, olives, red onions, feta and fresh herbs and leave in the fridge for 3 days. Then, just add a grain, chickpeas, lentils and a lean protein for that days serve. Many of the dinners can be prepped ahead of time, too! Whatever works for you, works for you!