New Mediterranean Meal Plan
The Mediterranean diet is based on the principles followed by people in the Mediterranean for a long and healthy life. It is actually my preferred diet to follow.
The diet is focused on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, cereals and pulses. It includes seafood, some poultry, eggs and dairy, and very little red meat. The ingredients on such a diet are as natural as can be.
Unlike other diets, a Mediterranean meal plan also considers how we eat and how we move. Mediterraneans tend to make meal times relaxing without distractions (do not disturb ON ✅) and incorporate exercise as part of their daily routine. This means walking wherever possible or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
This particular diet is a favorite of mine. I’ve been posting plenty of Mediterranean recipes on the site of late. Today I’m giving you a preview of my new Mediterranean meal plan in the form of four simple to prepare hearty meals, covering multiple days.
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Mediterranean Roast Garlic & Bell Pepper Chicken Pita
Ingredients for 2 servings
- Roast Pepper Sauce
-
- 2 cups red bell pepper, diced (10oz / 300g)
- 1 cup eggplant, diced (3oz / 100g)
- 1 tomato, quartered (3oz / 100g)
- 6 cloves garlic, whole (unpeeled)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley , roughly chopped (0.7oz / 20g)
- ½ lemon, for the juice only
- sea salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- Chicken
- 9oz (250g) chicken, sliced into tenders
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- To Serve
- 2 wholemeal pita
- 3 tablespoons greek yogurt
- 2 cups mixed leaves, optional (8.5oz / 240g)
- fresh cilantro
- Set an oven to 400°F / 200°C / Gas 6.
- Place the bell pepper, egg plant and tomato and whole garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Drizzle with half of the olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 15-20 mins until the bell pepper is blistered, a little charred and softened.
- While the veggies are roasting, it’s time to prep the chicken. Heat a griddle pan (or skillet) to a high heat. Toss the chicken in a little olive oil and seasoning. Place the chicken in the pan and sear for 3-4 minutes. Turn and repeat until browned and cooked through.
- Remove the baking sheet with the vegetables on from the oven. Allow to cool for a few minutes before handling. Squeeze the garlic cloves from the skin and transfer onto a clean chopping board with the remaining veg. Chop and mash together. If cooking a large batch you can add this mix to a food processor.
- Transfer to a bowl and add chopped parsley, lemon juice and the remaining olive oil. Stir, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- To assemble, warm the pita breads. Top with a portion of the roast pepper sauce, mixed greens and grilled chicken. Drizzle over the Greek yogurt and enjoy!
- If meal prepping portion the chicken, yogurt, mixed greens and roast pepper sauce into meal prep containers. Wrap the pita separately and assemble just before eating.
Available in the FitMenCook app
Open this recipe in the FitMenCook app to add the ingredients to your shopping list, scale the recipe and track your calories. Enjoy!
Smashed Tomato Avo Toast
Ingredients for 2 servings
- 10.5oz (300g) of cherry tomatoes, on the vine (preferred)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- sea salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 avocado, mashed
- 2 eggs
- 2 slices wholegrain bread (2.8oz / 80g)
- Set oven to 350°F / 180°C / Gas 4.
- Toss the tomato halves in olive oil and seasoning. Transfer to a baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 20-25 mins, until soft and fragrant.
- Meanwhile bring a pot of water to the boil, gently add the eggs and cook for 6 minutes for soft boiled eggs. Remove and plunge into ice cold water to stop them from cooking further. Then peel.
- Toast the wholegrain bread. Top with avocado, juicy roast tomatoes, soft boiled eggs and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
- For meal prep I recommend warming the tomatoes and toasting the bread just before assembling. Depending on how much time you have in the mornings, you could even boil the eggs in advance and store in the fridge.
Spanish Chickpea & Spinach Stew
Ingredients for 2 servings
- Chickpea Stew
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5.3oz (150g) onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste/puree
- 3.5 cups vegetable stock (28 fl oz / 840ml)
- 10.5oz (300g) chickpeas, drained
- 7oz (200g) red potato, diced
- ¼ lemon, (use a peeler to take off two large pieces of skin, no pith)
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- 2 cups spinach (60g)
- Garnish
- fresh flat leaf parsley
- ½ lemon, juice only
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon flaked almonds
- Place a large deep sided pot on a medium heat. Add olive oil, onion and garlic. Season with salt. This is the key to an amazing Spanish stew. Allow about 10 minutes for the onion and garlic to slowly become translucent and soft, if they begin to color reduce the heat.
- Add smoked paprika and cumin. Stir. Next add tomato paste and allow to cook stirring for 2 minutes.
- Add the vegetable stock, chickpeas, potato, bay leaf and lemon zest. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the potato is cooked and the flavours have developed.
- Finally add the spinach. Stir to wilt. Then remove from the heat. Find and remove any large pieces of lemon zest.
- Serve and garnish with lemon juice, olive oil, flaked almonds and fresh parsley.
Roast Almond and Honey Bars
Ingredients for 8 bars
- ¾ cup quick oats (60g)
- ½ cup Almonds, toasted (57g)
- ⅓ cup raisins (48g)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup peanut butter (125g)
- ¼ cup honey (85g)
Tip: We will start by roasting the almonds. This brings out the oils in the nuts and really transforms the flavor so it’s worth the extra minute.
- Place the nuts in a dry pan on a medium heat and shake every few seconds until they smell toasted and are beginning to turn golden.
- Allow to cool then roughly chop the almonds into smaller pieces. Mix with the other dry ingredients (oats, raisins, cinnamon).
- In a separate bowl mix the peanut butter and honey together. If it is difficult to mix, place in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften.
- Add the dry ingredients to the honey-peanut butter mix and stir until there are no dry oats remaining.
- Line a loaf tin with baking parchment paper, approximately 8 x 2 inches (20 x 5 cm) in size. Or spray with olive oil. Transfer the mix into the tin and press down using the back of a spoon to compact the mixture. Place in the fridge for an hour or overnight. Then remove, slice into portions and wrap up.
Note: I like to store these bars in the freezer to avoid temptation and that way I can make a really large batch. Equally these will be fine in a sealed container at room temperature for 5-6 days.
