Mediterranean diet WITH RECIPES

[moonstorm]

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Erm... chicken smothered in pesto with salad and olive oil dressing.

Taken from this thread

Hello.

I eat a lot of frittatas (sp?) after the gym. Gently fry up sliced zucchinis and peppers in a heavy based pan with a small amount of olive oil then turn down the head add a few beaten eggs. Cook for around ten minutes, depending how many eggs, and throw in herbs and feta cheese. When it's nearly cooked put under a cool grill for 5 minutes. Protein-tastic :).

My personal trainer is obsessed with protein - he has me eating two packets of chicken breasts for lunch with salad every lunch if I'm seeing him.

I want some nice ratatouille style recipes.

Gosh, what did I start with that thread?

I shall have to call up SIL and beg for her recipes!

A lot of what she eats is just nice ways of cooking vegetables in different oils and herbs etc, makes them more interesting I guess. Nice cheeses, but just small portions.

She does mushrooms, just fried in a little bit of Garlic Olive Oil with parsley, I've had them a couple of times when she's cooked and they are delicious, feel like a real treat.

Not really Mediterranean but low carb...

Lettuce fajitas. SO amazing. Fry up chicken, onions, peppers, cajun spices, replace tortillas with large lettuce leaves and serve with sour cream, smashed up avocadoes and home made salsa.

I don't eat mushrooms :(.

Just had 2 boiled eggs, a few tomatoes and an apple for breakfast. Heading to the gym soon despite impending tonsilitis.

That's a great idea happiestblonde - I'd much rather have a dollop of sour cream than the tortilla.

It's messy but amazing

Yum these sound good. I think, for me taste is the key - eat a dish full of flavours and I'm satisfied for longer than after chocolate etc. I need the intensity without resorsting to processed stuff.

It had never occurred to me to me to put pesto on chicken but had ot last night and was really nice - now I have to make my own pesto...

I could really do with some recipe ideas. The lettuce fajita sounds great, I'm going to give that a try.

Any alternatives to pasta and pesto??

What about just chunks of vegetables with pesto - maybe strips of courgette?

Thanks Queen

Sequins Yes! Ring her now. Waiting for the droves of YABU people to come over and help us with their wisdom

Ooh I'll sign up here as I love that kind of food.

I make a mean tomato and veggie sauce - just soften aubergine, red onion, courgette and pepper, with garlic and canned chopped tomatoes. It's nice chunky but we also blend it and freeze it, it's really versatile.

We've been roughly following the Dukan diet since November, which is very like this and I've lost nearly 3 stone in that time- only 8 pounds off my pre-pregnancy weight now. We've been eating a fair amount of tofu, which has been surprisingly nice... We get it in lots of different forms from a Chinese supermarket- one is like paper sheets that we've cut into strips and boiled - sounds strange but tastes really like pasta!

What do you do with it then?

My ratatouille recipe:

Fry a large onion(chopped and diced) in 1 tablespoon of olive oil (I used a heavy bottomed casserole for this)
After five mins on a medium heat (onions softening) add in a diced red pepper and a diced green (or yellow) pepper
Brown two diced aubergines in another pan with olive oil (add to casserole)
Then soften up two diced courgettes in the second pan (which was used for aubergines)
Add all together
Add in some tomatoe puree - I used chopped tinned tomatoes instead
Add in some (peeled-I didn't in this case) chopped tomatoes, I used four medium sized ones.
Keep simmering on a low-ish heat all the time (cover if necessary)
Add in chopped thyme and basil (I use frozen stuff, goes in straight)
Simmer for another 15 mins (should take about 45 mins in total)
This made me about 8 good size servings.
(I did not add salt as DD eats it too...)
DH and I have eaten this for every meal for the last two days (lunch and supper)

It's yum!

lurking with interest as i have no recipes to add, but I'm definately gonna follow this thread and steal use all of your great tips and recipes. Am so miserable with my weight and shape just now that I think this change of eating style may be exactly what I need.

Sequins You may have done us all a favour with your other AIBU thread and yes I second phoning SIL straight away

Moon Great thread. Can't wait to see how it develops

We've added pesto and chicken, or just olive oil, garlic, Parmesan cheese and chillies. Tastes great!

Ohhh I'm joining! I want to lose 22lb and DH has a lot to get rid of plus his heart is bad.

Also a good brekkie is whole meal toast with avo, tomato, lemon and salt & pepper. DEEEEElish.

Happiestblonde - some of your food suggestions on the other thread look really tasty, can you give us some more examples of your meals? Have just made the scrambled eggs with spinach, chilli, pumpkin seeds, some tomato, is yummy!

Happiestblonde how did you make lasagna with courgette ribbons please?

I want in.

I desperately need to lose some weight but I don't want to feel unhealthy doing it, IYSWIM. (No just-coffee-and-grapefruit diets like in my youth! :) )

I love pesto on chicken and in pasta. If you haven't tried red pesto, it is amazing, I like it more than the green pesto.
Tonight I diced celery, yellow pepper, red onion and tomatoes. Sauteed in a little olive oil with garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, ground chili pepper, ground black pepper and paprika. Served on whole wheat rotini pasta, with chicken drumsticks cooked with hot sauce.

On the pesto front - I use the jars, but have found rather than a jar of red pest, use green pesto, but add a load of tomato puree. It's just turning it into red, but the flavour is more intense and 'fresh' - have a go. I agree, red is the best.