mediterranean diet: healthy menu meal plan #69
the creamy side of eating well
There’s one food group in the Mediterranean diet that I struggle with overindulging in.
I. Love. Cheese.
And so when springtime rolls around and the good goat milk yogurt is back — the kind worth getting to the Mercado early for — I have plans for it.
Big, creamy, probiotic-packed plans.
All things rich and creamy
Each week I try to shine a light on a different part of the Mediterranean diet — rotating through the food groups that together make up one of the healthiest ways of eating on the planet. This week the spotlight falls on poultry, eggs and dairy.
And honestly? It’s one of my favorite weeks to craft into a newsletter.
What makes it work
The Mediterranean diet recommends around four eggs a week and moderate amounts of dairy daily. Not a lot — but enough to matter. And when that dairy comes in fermented form, like yogurt, it punches well above its weight.
Here’s what’s actually happening when you eat it.
The live bacterial cultures that form during fermentation don’t just make yogurt taste tangy.
They survive the journey through your digestive system and go to work in your gut — feeding and diversifying the microbiome that drives everything from how well you digest your food to how strong your immune response is.
Even your mood has a connection to gut health. The science on this keeps getting more interesting.
TMI?
Goat milk yogurt brings something extra to that picture.
Its fat globules are smaller and its proteins break down differently to cow’s milk, which makes it gentler on the digestive system — something a lot of people notice immediately when they make the switch. Worth knowing if dairy has ever felt like more trouble than it’s worth.
And then there’s labneh.
Take that yogurt, add a little salt, a little lemon juice, tie it in cheesecloth and let it drain overnight. What comes out the other side is something between a spread and a cheese — thicker, richer, tangier — with every bit of the probiotic benefit intact.
Your gut will thank you.
Your taste buds will too.
Take a minute, really. Just one minute.
The good news is that it couldn’t be simpler. I’ve got a short video to prove it.
Leave it for 12 hours and you have the most luxurious spreadable cheese you’ve ever put on toast. Leave it for 24 and you’ve essentially made your own fresh goat cheese from scratch. Anywhere in between works beautifully too. The yogurt does all the heavy lifting while you get on with your day.
The topping possibilities are half the fun. A glug of good olive oil and a dusting of sumac if you want something savory and distinctly Mediterranean. A drizzle of honey and a handful of crushed pistachios if you’re leaning sweet. A bowl of it alongside whatever the market brought you that morning. There are no wrong answers here.
This week’s menu & featured recipe
Today’s menu is built around the poultry, eggs and dairy food group from the ground up.
The labneh anchors the mid-morning snack, three eggs carry a simple zucchini and red pepper frittata at dinner, and the rest of the day draws on the best of what early May is putting on the market stalls right now.
The full recipe is waiting in the PDF — along with three bonus recipes from the archives that I think pair beautifully with this week’s theme.
One batch makes twelve servings and keeps in the fridge all week. Roll it into little balls and store them in olive oil with a few herbs if you want to feel like you’re living your best Mediterranean life. Which, frankly, you are.
If you’re already a paid subscriber — thank you. These issues exist because of your support and I never take that for granted. Your PDF with the full recipe, the complete day’s menu and the shopping list is waiting just below.
If you’ve been enjoying the free side of things and have been curious about what’s on the other side of the door — this is a pretty good week to find out.
So pull up a chair, pour yourself something you love and come join me in the kitchen. The cheesecloth is ready, the yogurt is draining, and something wonderful is already happening in the fridge.
