We are almost through Lent and Holy Week! This is the last week before the ardurous journey through Holy Week. This Sunday is properly called Passion Sunday, which again points to how we in the West have abandoned the early practice of the Church. Passion Sunday was the final Sunday of Lent, while Palm Sunday was the beginning of Holy Week, as a separate and distinct fast and observance. We will mark the Passion of Christ tonight at church, as a remembrance of what Christ did for us and our salvation, and have a recounting of all He walked through in His final week of life on this earth. Palm Sunday ushers in the living with Him those final days and steps, as we walk each day with Him, from Palm Sunday, through His betrayal on Spy Wednesday, His Last Supper and the institution of the priesthood and the Eucharist, His arrest and trial, His crucifixion, and His rest in the tomb, as He harrowed Hell to free those captive to death. We live through the events of that week each year. However, in the West, on Palm Sunday, we also throw the Passion in there, and after we commemorate His triumphal entry, but before we actually commemorate the events of His Passion, as though it were too much to ask people to live those days with Him and with the Church. It is jarring and confusing, especially when even our own calendars and prayer books show that vestige. Regardless, the prayer book marks this day as Passion Sunday still, and we are remembering it. We will keep His final days in mind this week, meditating on His words and actions, as we prepare for the hard Via Dolorosa we will embark on Monday.

Our exciting news is that Jerome should have all dairy products back in time for our Paschal feast. His milk test has gone well, and that opens up all sorts of good foods for him for breaking our fast. We have been able to go to the Stations of the Cross at church here, but we are still leaving for home to have dinner, just because it is so much more complicated to figure out dinners there for Jerome. He has quite a lot back, but the things he still can't have are in everything. Please continue to pray for him, especially that this Lenten journey will bring him closer to the health the Lord intends.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Ful, Shatta, Kalamata Olives, Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce, Jasmine Rice, Fruit Plate
• Monday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Peppers and Onions, Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Sliced Oranges, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Baked Potatoes, Faux Cheese Sauce, Steamed Broccoli, Oranges
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Vegetable Hash Breakfast Burritos (Gluten-free tortillas for Jerome), Dried Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Slow Cooker Root Vegetable Soup, Salad, Bread (Gluten-free for Jerome), Fruit Plate
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Avocado Toast with Citrus Shallot Seasoning and Sprouts, Home Canned Pears, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Shrimp Fajitas, Salsa Rice, Canned Peaches
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Almond Butter Drizzle, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Thai Pumpkin Soup, Crackers (Gluten-free for Jerome), Fruit Plate
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome) with Honey, Sliced Oranges, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Vegetable Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce (using rice noodles, sunflower oil, and coconut aminos), Mandarin Oranges
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Tahina Breakfast Bites, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Leblebi (Moroccan Chickpea Stew), Tamis (Gluten-free for Jerome), Middle Eastern Chopped Salad (Dairy-free), Koulourakia

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 on Saturday.

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Lent, Menu Plans, Special Diet, Tales from the Kitchen