I was down for the count with strep a couple weeks ago, so my normal grocery shopping, cooking, and planning was not done at all. Meals last week were interesting.

Fortunately, there was a teen skating night scheduled for Elijah's birthday, which meant that he could have a good time, even though I was not up to cooking and baking up a storm. Also, a sweet lady from church made five different types of cake for the coffee hour, partly because of his birthday, and since we weren't there, even delivered them to our house after liturgy.

This week, we walk the Via Dolorosa with the Lord. It is such a tough week for us, spiritually and emotionally, but one of growth. It is a week of preparation, both spiritually and physically, which is fitting, given our created nature.

I did the huge Paschal shopping trip on Friday, to try to avoid doing most of it this week. 10 hours, four counties, eight stops, and most of it is finished. That's the down side of living in a small, rural area in the middle of the state. However, I was able to find a localish chocolatier who had lambs, since the convent where we normally get ours didn't have them available this year. There is still one shopping trip necessary, but it's for a few things that would go bad if bought too early. We have our yellow onion skins to dye our blood red eggs. The eggs from the Passover meal, covered in the blood of Christ who is our true Passover. Some of the food preparation will begin on Wednesday, and we'll fit it all in between the church services this week.

Our meals are light and simple this week. We also don't restrict the youngest on dairy, though during Holy Week we try to follow the stricter Lenten guidelines more closely. Since our small ones don't do the full fast between the Maundy Thursday service and the Paschal Vigil, I do have meals planned those days for them. I'm sure our oldest kids will be participating, though, so I'm going to have to figure out how to make small enough quantities to feed them, but not fill our fridge when we need the real estate for the Paschal feast. Even though our spring break is this week and next, the schools, and therefore the kids' activities and my choir practice, are in session, so we have to work around them this week, too. We're trying to only skip what we have to, but it's a little frustrating that in an area where probably 90% of the people or more celebrate the Paschal feast (or at least dye eggs and have a big dinner with their families), that they never have spring break on either Holy Week or Bright Week. In fact, they don't even align the government schools with the local college's break. Alexander was on break two weeks ago, and the local schools were on break last week. I grew up in a college town and the schools all have spring break at the same time. We will walk with Christ just the same. We will meet Him anew and come to know and love Him deeper. Then, the joy and miracle of His resurrection, which gives us the hope of overcoming death will rise again in our hearts and lives.

May God grant you all a blessed and holy journey to the Paschal celebration.

• Sunday - Palm Sunday
  Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Breakfast Sausage, Toast, Bananas, Strawberry Yogurt, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Braised Beef with Tomatoes, Onions and Garlic, Giardiniera, Rolls, Salad
• Monday - Holy Monday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Orange Slices, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Balela, Bread, Fruit
• Tuesday - Holy Tuesday
  Breakfast: Strawberry Yogurt, Toast, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Spring Herb Soup*, Rolls, Salad
• Wednesday - Spy Wednesday
  Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Dates, Fruit Plate, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegetable Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce, Quick Sesame Noodles
• Thursday - Maundy Thursday
  Breakfast: Potato & Vegetable Hash, Fruit Plate, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Moroccan Garbanzo Bean Pockets, Salad
• Friday - Good Friday
  Breakfast: Almond Butter Toast, Bananas, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegetables Jalfrezi, Herbed Cous Cous
• Saturday - Vigil Saturday
  Breakfast: Granola, Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Mejeddarah, Sliced Oranges

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up.

Labels: Church Year, Family, Holy Week, Homemaking, Lent, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen, Triduum