Here we are in the first full week of Lent. As this week Rich and I are much occupied away from the home, we are planning many more dairy and egg meals for the kids. In the East, they begin this week with Forgiveness Sunday. They begin with asking forgiveness from all those in their lives and also sometimes have a special emphasis on this prayer of Saint Ephraim of Syria:

O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despondency, lust of power, and idle talk; but grant rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages.

• Sunday - Feast of Saint David of Wales
  Breakfast: Fried Eggs and Cheese Sandwiches, Bananas, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Drunken Italian Pasta, Beet Gratin with Walnuts, Garlic Greens
• Monday
  Breakfast: Pressure Cooker Rice Pudding with Coconut and Chopped Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Layered Bean and Pepper Casserole with Salsa, Cheese and Sour Cream, Cara Cara Oranges
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Mashed Potato Pancakes, Sliced Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pasta with White Bean and Walnut Sauce, Thyme Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots
• Wednesday - Ember Day
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Bananas, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Roasted Brussels Sprout and Squash Salad, Slow Cooker Wild Rice Dressing
• Thursday
  Breakfast: 'Ijja*, Bread, Sliced Apples, Coffee
  Dinner: Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Oranges
• Friday - Ember Day
  Breakfast: Lemon Blueberry Granola Bars, Bananas, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Cauliflower Shawerma Wraps with Green Tahina Sauce, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Ember Day - Feast of Saints Perpetua and Felicity
  Breakfast: Cranberry Orange Almond Bread with Peanut Butter, Coffee
  Dinner: Lenten Sauerkraut Flapjacks, Potato Salad with Peas and Sauerkraut, Fruit Salad

What is on your menu this week? I hope these breakfast and dinner ideas help you make plans, too. 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.



Linking to Menu Plan Monday

Labels: Church Year, Ember, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Lent, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

Joy! It is Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent. This is a little pause in the fast to remember to await our Lord with joy. We are still in the Advent anticipation, and still busy with fasting, praying and almsgiving, but are also taking time to remember the happiness that awaits us in His Incarnation and return in glory.

We celebrated this break in our fast by eating all sorts of treats today that we normally don't have during Advent. The rest of the week is still a normal week of the Advent fast. Also, there are three Ember days this week. These are days of fasting and praying that occur each season, for increase of faith, for conversions, for increase in vocations and for special intentions. If you are not fasting from meat on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, these are days to do so, or simply increase your fasting. If you are already fasting from meat, either make the days vegan or fast completely from food. If you cannot fast from food completely, fast from one or more meals that day. These are days especially dedicated to prayer. Begin with penitence. Generally speaking, since Wednesdays and Fridays are traditionally meat fast days anyway, so during Ember days, they would become full fast days. Fridays are even supposed to be full fast days during Lent for those who are able. Obviously, Good Friday is a complete fast day. Christmas Eve is a meat fast day, regardless of what day it falls during the week, the fast is broken at the evening mass. Jesus presumed we would fast and pray regularly. Fasting is not an option as a Christian, but something we are expected to do.

Oh, in the interest of preserving your faith in the internets, we did not have the fish tacos on Saturday, but Rich baked some halibut steaks with salt, champagne vinegar, safflower oil, thyme, smoked paprika and panko. He served it with rice and steamed green beans. It was delicious. Also, on Friday, it turned out that we didn't have as many eggs as I thought we did, so I made a kind of spanikopita themed bread pudding which was also wonderful. I'll post both recipes soon.

Enjoy this week's menu and feel free to ask any questions.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: : Slow Baked Chuck Roast, Baked Potatoes, Apple Pie


• Monday
  Breakfast: Baked Cranberry Walnut French Toast*, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Vegetable Beef Soup, Artisan Bread, Pineapple


• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Dutch Baby Pancake* with Powdered Sugar and Lemon, Bananas, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Indian Summer Gratin, Clementines


• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Toast and Almond Butter, Apple- Apricot Sauce, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Spanikopita Bread Pudding*, Oranges


• Thursday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Italian Sausage and Potato Bake, Bread to Sop up the Juices, Clementines


• Friday
  Breakfast: Granola, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Green Bean Soup, Whole Wheat Rolls


• Saturday
  Breakfast: Pancakes with Syrup, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Carrot Sticks

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: Advent, Church Year, Ember, Gaudete, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

We are truly rejoicing this Gaudete Sunday, as Yasmina was baptized this morning. We were able to go to our home church back on the west side as our bishop was visiting, and he did the honors for us. I was also able to surprise my prayer group by showing up on time just like normal, with the whole family. I didn't even mention to them that we were coming into the area. What fun that was! The looks on their faces were priceless. We weren't able to fit in everything we wanted to do or all the people we wanted to see in three short days, but it was good to see the folks we did see.

I was going to schedule a bean week challenge this week, but our plans were shifted quite a bit by the baptism, so I think I'm just going to call it for this month and try again in January. We are learning exactly how cold cold is. -2 has been the lowest temperature so far, this month, but we hear it is normal to see lows around -17 and -20 in January. I'm glad our house is well stocked.

We did get our tree this weekend, but we only got home this evening, so we haven't put it up yet. We have three Ember days this week, so Wednesday and Friday will be 24 hour fasts and Saturday will be a sun up to sun down fast for us. The food those days will be for our children who do not fast fully.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Strata, Milk
  Dinner: Snack Tray


• Monday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Raisins, Sliced Apples, Milk, Coffee
  Dinner: After Thanksgiving Soup (from the freezer), Rolls, Salad


• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Whole Wheat Toast, Clementines, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Chili Casserole, Tomato Rice (didn't get to this last week, we still had so much in the way of leftovers)


• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Almond Butter Toast, Sliced Apples, Milk, Coffee
  Dinner: Torteggas, Clementines


• Thursday
  Breakfast: Cheese and Herb Omelets, Clementines, Whole Wheat Toast, Milk, Coffee
  Dinner: Homemade Pizzas, Salad


• Friday
  Breakfast: Cinnamon Toast, Yogurt & Honey, Sliced Apples, Milk, Coffee
  Dinner: Butternut Squash and Cheddar Bread Pudding, Salad


• Saturday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Cinnamon Sugar, Milk
  Dinner: Cream of Poblano Soup, Tortilla Strips, Clementines

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.

Here is the list of foods from the freezer, fridge and pantry that I'm using this week. Anything from the freezer, pantry or fridge that was not bought specifically for this meal or this past week will be included in my lists. I will update this list tomorrow, I just wanted to get the menu planned before I went to bed. Done!

Freezer:
Turkey Soup
Cooked Turkey
Turkey Gravy
Roasted Corn
Mixed Sliced Peppers
Poblano Peppers
Butternut Squash
Mozzarella Cheese

Fridge:
Eggs
Butter
Milk (& Cream from the Top)
Parmesan
Feta
Cheddar
Yogurt
Lemons
Carrots
Celery
Pancetta
Greek Olives


Pantry:
All Herbs & Spices
Salts
Potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Olive Oil
Brown Basmati Rice
Sushi Rice
Hard White Wheat Berries
Soft White Wheat Berries
Steel Cut Oats
Black Beans
Corn Meal
Yeast
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Coffee
Tea
All Sugars
Honey
Almond Butter
Tomato Sauce
Olives
Canned Chiles
Golden Raisins
Apples

Labels: Advent, Church Year, Ember, Faith and Morality, Family, Gaudete, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen