Lenten Meal Plan Week #7

Lenten Meal Plan Week #7

SUN-   Tuna Like Lamb

 

 

MON- Baked Tofu and Rice

 

 

TUES- Pasta and Clam Sauce.

 

 

WED-  Spinache and Rice

 

 

THURS- Pierogies

 

 

FRI- Shrimp and Rice

 

 

SAT-  Baked Vegetables

 

 

Lenten Meal Plan, Week #5

SUN- Briani

 

MON- L/O Spinach and Rice 

TUES- Potato Fritters

WED- Baked Tofu and Rice

 

THURS- Pasta Shells and Clam Sauce

FRI- Cincinnati Style Chili and Pasta

SAT- Shrimp and Rice 

 

I never did make Lenten Dolmathes.  I'll just wait till the real thing after Lent. 

Spinach and Rice and Fasting

We are starting our third week of fasting and I can feel it. I'm not as tired and hungry as you'd think. Actually I am sleeping better and have more mental energy. It's a great feeling! I am sure that in a few more weeks I'll be tormented by the late night restaurant commercials and coupons that are delivered to my front door, but for now I am thankful for the fast and that I am healthy enough to participate in this ancient offering. I'd like to reaffirm that this is an offering. Truth remains true today as it did before time... if you want to mature spiritually, you need to be obedient (referring to Adam and Eve and an apple.) In the centuries since, we practice obedience through fasting, prayer and giving.  And since I trust the saints that lived before me I will follow their lead and be obedient to Christ. 

 

 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. (Matthew 17:20, 21) 

 

 We aren't born with "Faith as a mustard seed."  Faith is cultivated, it matures and it is nourished.  Faith isn't belief in your will, we all know what we want, and rarely get it just by desiring it hard enough.  Faith is being aware of God's will and desiring to act upon it even when we don't understand it.

 

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;  for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.  Hebrews 11:8-10

 

Fasting, a "foreign country" for many of us who don't like being told what to do,  when joined with prayer and giving, has its rewards.  It places us in obedience to God's will and returns us to paradise.

 

Now, Back to our scheduled blog post...

  

On the roster of Lenten staples, you can't go wrong with Spinach and Rice. It's loaded with vegetables and you feel like you've actually eaten something. I prefer to serve it with something crunchy like a side of Tarama Salata (which is more of a spread than a salad) on toast.  You could also add a few cut raw veggies. 

• You will first need to wash and chop 1 pound of fresh spinach.  Set aside.
• Saute 3 garlic cloves, a few chopped green onions a few stalks of celery heart including the leaves and 2 chopped onions in a large skillet.
• When the onions are soft and translucent, add a can of diced tomatoes, the chopped spinach, a fist full of chopped parsley, a tablespoon of dill and a tablespoon of chopped mint.   I like to add tons of herbs to spinach to mellow its strong flavor. 
•  When the spinach is wilted, add a can of tomato sauce and 2 c water.  If you didn't add a ton of herbs, vegetable broth is a good substitute. 

• When the sauce begins to boil, add 1 1/2 c rice.  I use Uncle Ben's.  You can use any long grain rice. 
•  Simmer and cook rice for 20 minutes.  Be sure to stir the sauce often so it doesn't overcook and stick to the bottom. 
• Add Salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice to taste and let it sit uncovered till it's time to serve.  



Lenten Meal Plan Week #3

Two weeks down, five more to go and I still have a pile of Lenten recipes I haven't even looked through yet!  Having the meals planned in advance has been such a help. I might plan my meals all year long!  This is what I am planning for this week!

SUN- Briani (Roasted Vegetables) and L/O Spinach in Rice.

MON- Baked Potatoes and TVP Cincinnati Style Chili with Guacamole Salad.

TUES- Baked Tofu and Mushrooms Over Steamed Rice with a Garden Salad.

WED- Veggie Soup and Fresh Rolls.

THURS- Potato Fritters and Baked Lima Beans with Cut Raw Vegetable.

FRI- Shrimp and Pasta Salad and L/O.

SAT- Lenten Dolmathes (didn't get to them last week) and Spanakopita and Rice Pilaf in preparation for Sunday. 

What's for Dinner? Week #2

I've been getting really excited about LENT coming and all that this season has to offer.  I love Lent.  It grounds me, redirects me. It puts me back in my place, in a way.  I find it a very beneficial time and I don't begrudge the restricted diet, added church services and call to increase what I give to others in need.  In fact, I welcome it.  It makes me feel like I am part of something bigger than myself.  Three hundred million Orthodox Christians all across the world and I are repenting (that means we are changing our ways) and fasting these days.  I am by no means alone in this effort.  And if all 300 milllion aren't actually fasting, I am pretty sure at least 100 million are and that's not bad company.

If you are interested in what fasting means and how it's structured I am sure you can find a good answer on http://orthodoxwiki.org  I'm not going to reinvent the wheel trying to explain this topic. So assuming you understnad the fasting guidelines I will continue.. this is after all a cooking blog of sorts. 

Last week a fellow blogger ADVENTURES OF AN ORTHODOX MOM shared a helpful menu planning system she found on another blog and I thought it looked like a good idea.   I followed her instructions and adapted it to my organizational abilities and voila!  Here it is! 

 

 

 

So, really quick, I will let you know that this week I am hoping and "planning" on preparing:

  

MON- Fish Plaki in honor of The Annunciation.

TUES- Pierogies with Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions

WED- Veggie Soup with Fresh Bread Rolls

THURS- Spinach and Rice with Salad

FRI- Potatoes Plaki and Boca Burgers

SAT- Lenten Dolmathes

 

I have a busy week planned and I may not post them all. I might actually post other dishes that I have been working on.  But I thought if I shared my plan with you, it might help you get started too.  My biggest motivator in planning is that I don't want to get in a food rut and break the fast because I am bored or unprepared.

 

Have a blessed fast and good strength for the "good fight."