Meal Prep Plan: How I Prep a Week of Easy Mediterranean Diet Meals


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The Mediterranean diet is less of a diet in the traditional sense and more like a series of general healthy eating guidelines. It encourages you to put whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and healthy fats like olive oil, seafood, nuts, and avocado at the center of your plate. It also allows for a moderate amount of dairy, eggs, and lean protein like chicken. Red meat, sweets, and processed foods are not 100% restricted, but instead they are considered “sometimes” foods to enjoy on occasion.

This weekend’s Power Hour Meal Prep Plan celebrates this feel-good diet. Carve out about two hours for meal prep on Sunday, and you’ll be rewarded with an entire week of wholesome breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.

This meal prep plan is for anyone who is either already following the Mediterranean diet or curious about giving it a try. It focuses on the foods the diet encourages you to consume the most of — whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and healthy fats like fish and olive oil — and includes a moderate amount of dairy, eggs, and chicken.

This week’s shopping list is full of feel-good ingredients that are key parts of the Mediterranean diet like vegetables, whole grains, beans, and seafood. It assumes staples like olive oil, salt, and pepper are already on hand.

Power Hour: How I Get the Prep Done

A Week of Simple Mediterranean-Style Meals

We alternate between sprinkling the muesli over Greek yogurt, simmering it with milk for a quick oatmeal, and just eating with cold milk as cereal. All variations get topped with half a banana.

Monday and Wednesday, Sourdough Portobello Mushroom Sandwiches: In the morning, I assemble two sandwiches using the cooked mushrooms and remaining ingredients called for in the recipe. I spread goat cheese on the bread in place of mayo to add more protein and flavor. Both sandwiches get wrapped up; one goes to my husband and one stays in the fridge for me to grab later.

Tuesday and Friday, Cauliflower Rice Lunch Bowl with Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas: We each reach for a pre-packed cauliflower rice lunch bowl.

Thursday, Greek Salad topped with a Hard-Boiled Egg: I pack a container with half the remaining undressed salad from the previous night’s dinner. I peel a hard-boiled egg, slice it in half, and add it to the container. I also pack up some of the leftover Greek vinaigrette in a small jar. My husband takes the two containers and assembles his salad at his desk. I’ll take the remaining salad, egg, and vinaigrette and make the same at home.

Monday, Spicy Shrimp Skillet with Tomatoes & White Beans: I make a half recipe of the shrimp skillet and we enjoy it with a couple of slices of the sourdough bread.

Tuesday, Sheet Pan Roasted Tomatoes & Mushrooms over Creamy Polenta: I make a half recipe of creamy polenta. I re-warm half the roasted tomatoes and mushrooms and serve it on top. At the end of the night, I transfer the salmon from the freezer to the fridge to let it defrost overnight for dinner tomorrow.

Wednesday, Easy, Healthy Greek Salmon Salad: I make the full salad but bake just two pieces of salmon. I reserve half of the salad, undressed, and remaining vinaigrette to be used for lunch the next day.

Thursday, Roasted Tomatoes & Mushrooms tossed with whole-wheat pasta: I boil some whole-wheat pasta, rewarm the remaining tomatoes and mushrooms, and toss it together for a lazy dinner.

Friday: It’s pizza night! We head out to our favorite neighborhood spot.

Power Hour Meal Prep is the series where we help you put it all together. We show you how to eat well during the week with an hour or two of Power Hour prep over the weekend. Every plan is different; mix and match to find your own personal sweet spot.





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