What I Eat in a Day | easy mediterranean diet recipes for beginners

[@BergenholtzChannel]

I have the book, but actually SEEING how you put it together, especially with the little extras, and how you plate it makes all the difference. Maybe if you revise your book in the future, you can add the recipes, too.

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Hi there - Thanks so much for your compliments, they make my day! And as far as a future book goes... if there is one, I might actually try to tackle a cookbook! In the meantime, the PDFs that I create to accompany these videos and my website will hopefully have me covered. Cheers, Caroline

[@Rae-m9r]

You are encouraging & delightful! God bless!

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Thank you so much, Rae. It is so nice of you to send me such a thoughtful note! Cheers, Caroline

[@joeyk5]

Oh this was fantastic. Thank you so much

[@mediterraneanminutes]

You are so welcome!

[@katiaruffin4906]

Hi Caroline, I can’t wait to get your book! Your videos always makes my soul happy…pure joy to watch 😊

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Oh thank you, Katia! What a really nice comment that I'll take to heart! XO Caroline

[@rebeccahoward4163]

Everything looks delicious!

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@rebeccahoward4163 Thanks Rebecca! Hope you get the chance to give the day a try! Cheers, Caroline

[@ladybrooks3885]

Another great video. Just love you, your tips and suggestions so much. Thanks again.

[@mediterraneanminutes]

You are so welcome, Lady B. Thanks for always chiming in with a supportive note. XO Caroline

[@doveandolive1153]

Nicely done Caroline! Just proves how simple and easy it is to incorporate into our daily meals.

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@doveandolive1153 Thanks, Dove! That’s just what I was trying to show… glad you thought it worked! XO C

[@pattycake8272]

Oh this was great thank you

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Glad you enjoyed it, Patty! XO Caroline

[@norazapatakrey8927]

Thank you. I like your practical videos.

[@mediterraneanminutes]

So nice of you to say so, Nora. Thanks much! Caroline

[@JackieJames-j6y]

Really great menu Thankyou

[@mediterraneanminutes]

You are most welcome 😊 Jackie! I hope you enjoy it! Cheers, Caroline

[@RenySouthCarolina]

Everything looks incredible!😍

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Hey Reny! Nice to hear from you. I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Cheers, Caroline

[@eloradanan1837]

I just purchased the book and find you reviewing the recipes and how you work them into your day, super helpful. As a visual person, it is really apricated. What does your everyday exercise routine look like?

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Hi Elora - Well, It’s pretty simple these days, I get in a lot of walking everyday, especially shopping for groceries (!) and shoot for about 10,000 steps. Seems to be enough for me. I’ve fallen off the wagon a bit on yoga though… used to do a 20-minute routine every morning from an old video I first started using about 25 years ago (and yes, it was video format so that tells you how old it was!) but it’s been pretty hard to fit it in lately. Anything that gets you up and moving around works!

[@ManuelaChristina1]

Yummy 😋 everything looks so yummy 😊

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Thank you 😋 Manuela! Always nice to hear from you! XO Caroline

[@melindac3764]

Thank you for these videos. You make it easy to understand and I love that it is using food items that are easy to find at grocery store and simple to prepare. I just ordered your book!?

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Hi Melinda! Thanks for the note. I really did try to make the menus easy enough for anyone but also easy enough to jazz up if you are in the mood! Enjoy the book. Cheers, Caroline

[@dawnclass176]

I love your videos I wish you would do this plan once a week It would be so helpful and keep me on track! ❤

[@mediterraneanminutes]

`Oh, if only...great idea Dawn but it would probably put me under the kitchen table to do it once a week! I will try my best though to make every video helpful to staying on track. That's what my goal is and I can tell, it's your too! Cheers, Caroline

[@lindaberardi8307]

I just bought your book. It’s really helpful as well as your videos like this one.

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Awesome, thank you, Linda!

[@pbk3405]

I have my copy and love the pie chart visual. As a former teacher, I appreciate the SMART goals and the chart for my favorite foods. I’m adjusting things according to my own tastes-I will never eat a banana in any form! Of all the ‘Mediterranean Diet’ books I have, this is my favorite! Thanks Caroline!

[@mediterraneanminutes]

You are so welcome! And if I could convince you to copy and paste your comment here and put it right into the customer review section on Amazon, I'd love it! Thanks much. It means a lot to know that a teacher thinks it deserves a good grade! XO Caroline

[@pbk3405]

@@mediterraneanminutes You don’t have to convince me! I will do it. 😊

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@pbk3405 Thanks, thanks and thanks!

[@sallyt3358]

I enjoyed learning about the Mediterranean diet meal plan. Your meals looks so healthy and delicious. Thanks.😊😊😊

[@mediterraneanminutes]

You are totally welcome, Sally. Welcome to the channel and our little tribe! Cheers, Caroline

[@VThriver]

Caroline you look fabulous! I love your hair color, makeup, and that pretty silver top. I think this is my favorite video of yours yet. I'm ordering your book today!

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Thanks so much for the compliments and most of all for the support! I hope you find the book as valuable as I hoped it would be for everyone! Cheers, Caroline

[@lindakeller3259]

You are great 🎉

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@lindakeller3259 Thanks very much, Linda! XO Caroline

[@SabrinApollo]

I just got the book last week after watching several of your videos. Thanks!

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Ooh, Sabrin, how nice to hear from you. Hopefully you really get some value out of it! Cheers, Caroline

[@ginajordan5016]

Very nice!

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Thank you, Gina! Cheers!

[@melissaandrews1603]

I’m making that scrambled egg dish tomorrow morning! And I love cottage cheese with pineapple!

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Hi Melissa - Then you're gonna be starting off the week in a really healthy way. Good for you! Cheers, Caroline

[@leslielousma7913]

Just ordered your book!

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@leslielousma7913 Thanks much, Leslie! I really appreciate the support and hope the book is helpful! Cheers, Caroline

[@debbiecronje3792]

I bought the book and love it. I cannot find the pdf link you are talking about regarding the printable recipes, for the 30 day kick start plan.

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Hi Debbie - It is a PDF for today’s video, not the whole book. You can find the link in the description of the video. Hope that helps explain it! Cheers, Caroline

[@pmarlowe1638]

I have the book and am finding it both helpful and motivating! Although recipes are online, I’d love a recipe book next! I guess I can do some printing & create my own. Just let us know if you decide to publish one! Thanks so much!

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@pmarlowe1638 I am working on it…slowly… and it will probably take me at least another year to complete! So stay tuned. Meanwhile, tha PDF makes it pretty easy to get these recipes all in one simple printable so you don’t have to go to the website! Enjoy, Caroline

[@pmarlowe1638]

@@mediterraneanminutes Great news!

[@sharronleman5768]

Can you let me know where you purchased your salad dressing shaker. Love your book and always enjoy your videos. Thanks

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Sure, Sharron. It is on that list of my kitchen supplies in the description and if you want a direct link (which helps me out a little), it is OXO Salad Cruet: geni.us/AM7u (Amazon) but you can always go direct to Amazon to source it. It is the OXO brand salad shaker and as I mentioned it comes in two sizes. Cheers, Caroline

[@shoppingmom6]

Love the honey jar with the pump. Dis you get that in Spain? Your channel is great! My husband has stage 4 cancer and we are trying to eat the Mediterranean way. Your channel is helpful. I just downloaded your pdf. Can't wait to get in the kitchen😊

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Hi Shopping Mom! Thanks for the comment. I did buy that honey jar in Spain so don’t know where it might be available elsewhere. With all the honey that George’s bees sare with us, it has come in handy! Enjoy the PDF and welcome to the channel. Cheers, Caroline

[@LolaMarigold]

Good heavens I could never eat that much food in a day!! It all looks so yummy though. Some good ideas here.

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@LolaMarigold Hi Lola! Of course, you can adjust all the portions to whatever works for you… for example, I frequently make a single egg skinny omelette (and you can find a video about it on the channel) and the portions for the shrimp salad and the sandwich was for George, my portions were quite a bit smaller. So it’s all up to you, but the combination for all these foods really is a nice balance day’s worth of menus! Cheers, Caroline

[@LolaMarigold]

@@mediterraneanminutes Thanks!

[@garyrobinson3991]

Would love to hear a little about how you ended up in Spain and a little about daily life there. Would love to move to a warmer climate. What made you choose Spain? Which area are you in and what's it like? Really interested. Thank you x Kelly

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Hi Kelly - I've been asked about this quite a bit and some day I'll do a short video about the backstory (actually just did my first personal tale last week on the channel). But to give you a quick answer right now...I met my best friend María José San Roman, a Michelin chef, in Italy about 20 years ago when we were both attending a private conference on olive oil. She convinced us to visit Spain in 2014. We loved it, returned the next year, bought an apartment in Alicante on the Mediterranean coast and returned to the US in order to sell EVERYTHING we owned and head back here with 2 suitcases each and 4 small boxes. We love it. Best weather in all of Spain (milder swings than other areas), super nice people, wonderful food, no guns, extraordinarily affordable cost-of-living which allowed us to also buy a small farm in the mountains above Alicante so that George would have a "happy place" too... hmmm, what did I leave out? Did I say amazing food???? ha ha ha! So, I highly recommend it. Biggest challenge is learning a new language but I keep at it every day! Let me know when you are coming to visit and I can fill in the blanks over a coffee or glass of... Cheers, Caroline

[@AMcDub0708]

Ooooh I love Alicante! I studied in Murcia in Spain years ago in 2004-2005 and I still dream about that country. So beautiful.

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@AMcDub0708 Hi there! Murcie? Of course, that’s right down teh street so to speak! And you are gonna love this Sunday’s video… I shot it all in the Alicante Central Market. Stay tuned! Cheers, Caroline

[@angelkisses5933]

I always wanna an live for a couple of weeks with people like urself to help get me into a routine an help with any mistakes ect, I need to lose weight badly an I need to be more importantly healthy, I have high cholesterol, high blood pressure an a fatty liver 😔 I also have ADHD and find it hard to start things like this unless I'm show ect in person an kept in a routine if that makes sense x

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@angelkisses5933 Hi Angel, well you are definitely not alone. Lots of people have a similar problem with learning to eat this healthy way. I hope my videos give you a.good start on doing it, and you might like to look into my new book. It’s a very simple 30-day plan to get you started! Best of luck! Cheers, Caroline

[@mandyb7277]

I’ve noticed pecans are not on the Mediterranean Diet list, is there a particular reason? I am new to the diet but have the trees in my yard and love them so!

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Hi Mandy - I have NO idea how I missed your message… it just popped up today and I’m sorry for the late response. You raise an interesting point and one I noticed when I first moved here. Pecans are not all that common but I don’t think it’s for any particular reason. Must be that they are not grown here as much as walnuts and almonds? In fact, I had a hard time finding them too. But, short answer, absolutely no reason not to include them in your healthy diet! Cheers, Caroline

[@My-Sadie]

Are these meals you make good for a type 2 diabetic to loose weight?

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Hi Sadie - Yes, the Mediterranean diet is oftened recommended by medical professionals for that reason but I would always suggest you check with your own healthcare professional and make sure they agree that it is right for your particular needs. Best of luck with your own healthy journey! Cheers, Caroline

[@venternicky9599]

I❤your videos

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@venternicky9599 Oh thanks for taking the time to tell me. It was a nice boost to the morning for me to get your message! Cheers, Caroline

[@annboudrot2562]

I don't eat eggs so what are some ideas without the eggs. Also, how do you keep an avocado half fresh and not turn brown after you used it in the morning?

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Hi Ann - There are lots of breakfast options on the Mediterranean diet without using eggs at all and I have a few suggestions in another of my videos, but...I frequently go for yogurt or almond butter for protein, less so cheese, namely cottage. And a nice potpourri of blendables in a smoothie. As far as the avocado goes, I leave the unused side in its skin, seal it up by smearing a bit of lemon juice on the cut and smoothing a little plastic wrap over it. When I unwrap, I use the flat edge of the knife to smooth off any brown and it's good to go like new! Cheers, Caroline

[@annboudrot2562]

@@mediterraneanminutesthank you so much! I love your videos

[@ingrid2543]

I’m not an egg eater either.

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@ingrid2543 And of course, that’s perfectly ok too. Best of all about this diet is that there are so many options you never have to eat anything you don’t like! It’s all about you… Cheers, Caroline

[@lily5952]

You can use chickpea flour for an egg free omelette alternative. Or soft set tofu for a scrambled egg alternative. If you can't eat egg because of a sensitivity but you like the taste, you can also add Indian black salt, which has a sulfurous taste (similar to eggs).

[@michellegorka7969]

I noticed a lot of lemon use. I'm very allergic to lemon. Any suggestions for a substitute ingredient?

[@mediterraneanminutes]

Hi Michelle - Well, admittedly, I am a lemon lover so of course I use it often but I’d suggest that any another ingredient that would provide an acidic element would work just as well…pick a favorite vinegar maybe. And if you like the flavor of citrus, my constant spice companion in the ktichen is sumac! Hope these ideas help you. Cheers, Caroline

[@michellegorka7969]

I guess I didn't realize sumac would taste like citrus. I think someone gave me some sumac berries. I'll give it a try. Thanks for the tips.

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@michellegorka7969 It’s my favorite spice and has a bit of citrus to it but deeper. Quite nice. Hope you like it too!

[@corinnminyard4859]

Yes everything is delicious but since I’ve started eating the Mediterranean diet I’ve gain 7 lbs which is very upsetting. I was doing keto and lost 25lbs, but got off of it so decided to try the Mediterranean diet but as I said I’m gaining weight, I don’t know why. ☹️

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@corinnminyard4859 Hi Corinn - I’m sorry I can’t suggest a solution, perhaps your nutritionist could advise. If you went directly from a fast amount of weight loss with another type of diet to the Mediterranean way of eating, it could be that your body is resetting its “set point” from your first pass at losing weight. Often, people will experience some weight rebound if the loss has been significant in a short amount of time. General medical advice is to lose 1-2 pounds per week in order to retain that loss. It may not be the Mediterranean diet per se that is the problem but I would certianly watch your portions and calorie intake in case that is playing a role in the return of some of your weight loss. There is an interesting free course on Cousera from Emory University that might be interesting to you, especially the first few videos that explain what you might be expreriencing. Here’s the link: www.coursera.org/learn/weight-management-beyond-balancing-calories Good luck with your healthy journey, you can do it! Cheers, Caroline

[@lily5952]

It could also be that your body is retaining more water now compared to when you were doing keto. It happens a lot more than you'd think.

[@phillipsmom6252]

To get the skins off garbanzo beans, run them through a salad spinner. 👍

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@phillipsmom6252 Oh that’s a really clever idea, P Mom! Thanks, I’ll have to try it. XO Caroline

[@mediterraneanminutes]

hey, P Mom, I have another question. Do I put the beans in already drained with no liquid? Or add water in the spinner? Inquiring minds want to know! XO Caroline

[@phillipsmom6252]

@@mediterraneanminutes drain the beans 👍

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@phillipsmom6252 Ok, I’ll try it soon, Thanks again! XO Caroline

[@ingrid2543]

I purchased your book, I’m half Spanish, my great grandfather went to the Art Institute and was taught by Picasso’s father, Picasso was his classmate and I have my great grandfather’s sketches framed on my wall.

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@ingrid2543 Oh what an exciting personal history of Spain! Lucky you… and thanks much for supporting my effort and buying the book. I truly hope you enjoy it. Cheers, Caroline

[@dianasthings729]

Just an FYI, avocados are not Mediterranean. They are Mexican and Central and south American. I don't know why people keep including them in the Mediterranean Diet. I'm Italian and we don't eat them.

[@mediterraneanminutes]

@@dianasthings729 Hi Diana! You make a good point about where avocados originated - like potatoes and itomatoes - that came to Europe in the late 1400s during the Columbia Exchange. But there are acres and acres of avocados grown here in Spain too. And the Mediterranean diet is all about a healthy balance of healthy foods including avocados. After all, it doesn’t have to have originated in the Mediterranean to be a part of the diet, like all those wonderul tomato dishes from Italy!

[@lindamaldonado6807]

Because avocados are good for you, with healthy fat. Just like other Mediterranean foods.

[@lindamaldonado6807]

Exactly!

[@lindamaldonado6807]

People eat corn all over the globe too and that originated in Mexico.😊

[@marybell4533]

So why do you eat tomatoes that originated in central Mexico also? We all eat food and spices that originated in other parts of the world. And avocados are grown in southern Italy.