Lenten Fast Meals

[dzheremi]

To prepare for Lent in our Church, the Copts of Albuquerque go to Al-Quds grocery/restaurant (as the name implies, it is run by a Palestinian family…very nice, and the best falafel in town by far), with whom we have an agreement to get a discount on fava beans bought in bulk. Something like 28 cans (or whatever a flat is), and then we split them by three (or however many are buying in that day), so each gets about 10 cans for about $5 or $6. If you stretch them out, that amount of fava beans can last anywhere from 20 to 30 days (assuming 2-3 servings/days per can), which is about half the fast. Then you can either do it again and finish out the fast that way (and then not look at a fava bean again until next year’s Lenten fast!). with a couple of cans left over to donate to the local food bank or keep for when the Holy Fifties are over, or use a portion of the money you’ve saved to buy some other food (I usually go for pasta, because the carbohydrates are really helpful for my energy level after so many watery meals).

I’m writing all this to show that if you plan ahead, you can fast on a tiny budget. No need to go into debt, which, as Malphono points out, is really against the spirit of the fast in the first place. You save, you give, and you deny yourself so that you can give more.

May you all experience a blessed and transformative fast this Lent.

 

[MaxMarieOFS]

All this so-called “vegan” stuff may be very nice, (well, for some anyway: personally I hate fake meat and fake dairy, but never mind that), but it seems to me there’s an inherent problem in that all these so-called “vegan” things are astronomically expensive. Frankly I don’t see Lent as a time to have to go into debt by purchasing what are essentially luxury items in order to abstain from meat, etc. Maybe it’s just me, but that seems the antithesis of the spirit of what Lent is about.

When you say “Vegan Stuff” you mean the ready made items? Yes? Not the recipe blogs I’ve provided, I hope. As they are neither expensive nor luxuries. It is FAR less expensive to have a vegetarian diet than a meat eating one. Especially with the cost of meat and dairy skyrocketing. The ladies in my Catholic Homesteading group are complaing that the cost of milk has nearly tripled.

I did mention that ready made veggie meats are expensive. However, they are not luxury items. For some, they are a necessity. In truth any convenient ready made item could be deemed a luxury. I pay more for prewashed veggies. Less time to cook, more time for prayer. Lunch meat? Crazy expensive. No one considers them a luxury. Any mom will tell you they are necessary.

Other than that, I agree with what you’ve said. That’s why I said in the exact same paragraph that it is better to learn how to make your own. Lentil Loaf is delicious! A little labor intensive. Mushrooms are a fabulous meat replacer.

If you poke around the Vegan recipe blogs you find these little nuggets of wisdom. People can use a ready made product to get started. Then learn to make their own.

 

[babochka]

Lunch meat? Crazy expensive. No one considers them a luxury. Any mom will tell you they are necessary.

I’m a mother of 5, ranging in age from 2-10. I can’t remember the last time I bought lunch meat. Way too expensive. Everybody has to weigh the convenience vs. cost factors. For my family of 7, we try to keep our groceries below $800 a month. That doesn’t leave much room for convenience foods. Still, we find a way to buy the things that are important.

 

[5Loaves]

I really feel a lack of guidance on this matter. I tried to ask one of the local priests in confession about this during the Nativity Fast, but he was just kind of like…whatever you want…

I think this interview with Fr Moses is a very helpful discussion of Fasting. If you click on “show more” you can see all the very useful questions Catherine asks Fr Moses in this segment.

All the ‘restrictions’ I cannot eat anyway. So basically this ‘fast’ isn’t a fast for me at all. So instead of ‘fasting’ according to the ‘tradition’, I’m cutting out food entirely. It’s just 24 hours. Won’t kill me. Because my diet is ALREADY restricted, I just didn’t feel I was giving enough by simply cutting back …
.

From the above video interview with Fr Moses, a perspective on “fasting” for people with health issues and those already eating a very limited diet are considered in answering questions:

1. If a person is a perpetual vegetarian, like a monk in the great schema or an individual who has made a life choice to not eat meat, how does that person’s diet change during fasting times?

1. Father, you were born with Type 2 Diabetes. Will you please explain how medically necessary diets modify the fasts?