A few weeks ago, I shared that C had been reading up about the Mediterranean diet. As you will know she suffers with ME and Fibromyalgia. For the past 7 years she has a lot of the time been bed bound, in pain, fatigued and the rest of the many symptoms that a chronic illness has. Which is why I am sharing a few Mediterranean Diet Meal Ideas.
This past year C has worked hard to restart her education, and is starting full time college in September. She also suffers ongoing migraines, which means she has them 24/7. Last year she started have GON injections which have made a huge difference to her.
A few weeks ago, we were having a chat and C mentioned she had been reading up about the Mediterranean diet. It had been beneficial for a lot of people with chronic illness. She wanted to give it a try, and we will try anything that may help her. I told her to make a list and we will go shopping.
One thing I am loving about this is, we go shopping together and she chooses what foods she wants, and so far it is very easy meals that she is preparing herself.
Table of Contents
Breakfast
Having breakfast is an important start to the day. C will usually have a herbal tea or juice with wholemeal bread with honey. or greek yogurt with fruit and honey or muesli.
Smoothies
Lunch C will make a smoothie by adding
- Greek Yogurt
- Fresh Fruit ā any combination you fancy trying (and she has made a ton of combinations
- Milk ā she is currently not having normal milk, this week she has almond milk
- Honey
A little tip is to keep frozen fruit in the freezer in case you run out, but remember these hold a little more water. Add the milk after blending if needed.
Dinner
This was probably the hardest meal to organise. C wanted to make me redundant and prepare her own meals, but also finding easy and quick dinners that she will eat really tested my brain.
Tray Bake
A very quick and easy meal, where you just prepare and pop in the oven to cook.
- Chicken or Salmon
- Sweet Potatoes
- Peppers
- Red Onion
- Spinach
- Olive Oil
- Seasoning
While oven is warming up, peel and chop sweet potatoes, dice the peppers and onion, dice the chicken or salmon, add the spinach drizzle and coat with olive oil. Add seasoning of your choice and pop in the oven until cooked.
you can add anything to this, but we are staying easy and few ingredients for now.
Egg Fried Rice
Another quick and easy meal that takes minutes to prepare.
- 1 x boil in the bag brown rice ā cooked and cooled
- Cooked Chicken
- 3 eggs
- vegetables ā for example we used peppers, spring onions
- Soy Sauce
- Chinese Five Spice
- Oil
Beat the eggs and add to a heated pan to cook, then transfer to a separate dish. To the same pan add a little oil and stir fry the vegetables, add the cooked rice and stir through, then add the cooked chicken and make sure it is all warmed through. Add the seasoning and eggs mix together and serve.
Stir Fry
Rice Noodles
Cooked Chicken or Prawns
Stir Fry Veg
Seasoning/Sauce of your choice
Olive Oil
Stir Fry the vegetables in a little oil, add the chicken/prawns and noodles and mix thorough and add seasoning
Tuna Pasta Bake
Cooked pasta
1 x tin tuna
1 x tin chopped tomatoes
Sweetcorn
Grated Cheese
Seasoning
While pasta is cooking, add the tuna, chopped tomatoes, sweetcorn and seasoning to an ovenproof dish. Once the pasta has cooked add to the tuna and mix together, top with grated cheese and pop in the oven to cook through and the cheese to melt.
Omelette
3 x eggs
Seasoning
tomatoes etc
In a bowl beat 3 eggs, add in what you want ie tomatoes, cheese, onion anything goes, add seasoning. Heat a pan add the egg mix and just keep pushing in the sides and tipping so it evenly cooks. Then pop under a heated grill to cook the top. This will make a fluffy and light omelette.
How The Mediterranean Diet Is Going
All these are quick and easy no think meals that C can cook. I have just shown her the once and she has made them since. It is great but a little weird that I no longer make her meals.
As for how it is helping with her symptoms, she is sleeping better and in less pain. It has certainly helped which is great. I now have a few more meal ideas to try out with her.
I have also been looking at some lovely Healthy Mediterranean Casserole Recipes, which are perfect for the colder weather.
If you have any meal suggestions I would love to hear them, as we do love trying out new recipes.
The Mediterranean diet is so colourful and healthy. Much easier to meet or exceed your 5-a-day target.
A tray bake is an excellent meal, especially to use up veggies sitting in the chiller. And it’s easy, too!
It really helped C with her Fibromyalgia and it is so easy to live by, the tray bake is a favourite in our house
I do enjoy Mediterranean-style food, so perhaps I should look into this more. I especially enjoy a mix of Mediterranean veg that you cook with a small amount of oil and bake in the oven.When it’s done, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle over sprigs of rosemary -absolutely delicious!
We tried this to help my daughters ME and Fibromyalgia and it really has helped
Diet does make a hell of a difference to everything I think. These recipes are perfect as they are easy yet healthy. Perfect for busy people. I dont have any suggestions but tray bakes are great.
I love tray bakes as they are so versatile to what you put in them
Fibro is horrible. A healthy diet like this definitely should help to feel more nourished, which is important.
Fibro is horrible, and diet does help
Really do help improve symptoms – been eating this way for the last 10 years – worth a shot
It is good to know it has helped
It’s good that the meals are simple enough for C to make on her own. I’m so pleased to hear that she is noticing improvements. Sleeping better and a reduction in pain is quite significant!
It has been great for her and me although I feel a bit redundant now
It’s wonderful that trying this new diet out could help improve her chronic illness. I love Mediterranean food so much, these dinner ideas sound amazing! Love the idea of the traybake and the egg fried rice.
Those two meals are a favourite of hers
These are all very easy recipes to put together, all packed with a lot of vitamins from the fresh vegetables. I like the Mediterranean style of diet, where the main ingredients of the meal are fresh veggies.
I had to think of quick and easy things as C wanted to prepare the meals herself. We have been chatting about more meal ideas as well
A medditterean diet,is one of the healthiest ones x
I love mediterranean food but I never knew it had such benefits. We’re always baking our red peppers, courgettes and aubergines in the oven with olive oil, paprika, garlic and salt as a side dish to our main meal.
Have you tried stuffed red peppers with cous cous? Cous cous is relatively easy to prepare. If you fry some onions and add any protein to it like tuna or chicken and more dice veg, stuffed it into the pepper and top it with cheese and then bake it, you will have a nice healthy dinner. You can do the same with aubergines too.
There is also ratatouille that you can finish with a simple grilled fish on top, mediterranean cous cous salad/ pasta salad for those summer dinners and you want to try something more creative, look into tortilla salad bowls that you can put whatever you wish into it.
Hope this helps š
I was saying about stuffed peppers with her yesterday, we love couscous but C has not tried it as she didnt like it apparently. Great ideas and will try them out with her
Those meals certainly look delicious and not difficult to make. I will certainly try the tray bake
We made the tray bake last night, it is so easy and you can put anything in it that you have in
Good on C for trying to find new ways to help herself. The meals sound so good. They are meals my family would eat and I didn’t realise they could be part of the Mediterranean Diet. I am glad they’re helping her.
She seems to be doing great with it and ejoying it which is great, I am loving chatting to her about meal ideas but not used to her doing her meals herself after 18 years
It is great to hear that it has had a positive impact on her symptons.
I know, it is great to see and also lovely she is preparing her own meals
I’m currently living in Cyprus. I never tire of the simple but delicious Mediterranean diet. Fresh ingredients without sugar and manufactured sauces. The tray bakes are the best – one dish wonders full off delicious goodness (and minimal washing up) Perfect !
It is a great diet and I do love tray bakes