Fasting on Wednesday and Friday - meaning, rules, features

Fasting is abstaining from certain foods on special religious days. But this does not mean at all that you need to eat the same food all the time, although many housewives simply get confused about what to cook to diversify the family menu. So, Lent in 2021: recipes for every day.

In fact, fasting days are a great way to improve your culinary skills, learn how to cook healthy, delicious meals, and not panic about it at all. There is one more advantage in preparing Lenten dishes - it is simple and inexpensive. After all, you need the simplest ingredients - cereals and vegetables, fruits, herbs, dried fruits and nuts, and occasionally, on permitted days, fish and seafood. Lent: what are the recipes for every day on fasting days? Read the article!

General recommendations for nutrition during Lent

First of all, it should be noted that meals on fasting days vary in degree of complexity. For example, there are days when the Church recommends that those who are able to do so abstain from eating food altogether and drink only water. On other days, dry eating (eating foods without vegetable oil) will be recommended. On such days, products that do not undergo heat treatment before consumption are recommended.

But, nevertheless, not everything is so strict - during Lent, hot food is also allowed - vegetable soups and stews, porridges, baked dishes from mushrooms and vegetables, jelly and compotes, fruit drinks and decoctions. But on the lightest days of fasting, you can enjoy fish, seafood, red caviar, add vegetable oil to your dishes, and a little red wine in clean water.

Features of godly abstinence

The feat of repentance and prayerful petition must be accompanied by thoughts about individual sinfulness. The believer must also abstain from pleasure trips, watching inappropriate programs, reading “light literature,” etc. If these categories do not let go of the mind, a person is obliged to make a mental effort and break the bonds of meaninglessness.

Depending on the preparedness of the body and health, abstinence differs into five degrees:

For the sick, elderly or beginners, the first type is suitable, with the refusal of only meat foods. Next comes the refusal of dairy products. The denial of fish. In the penultimate position is a complete refusal of oil. Fasting without consuming any food at all for a certain period is a step accessible to believers with unshakable faith and titanic health. Important! On days of abstinence, it is indecent to prepare yourself exquisite dishes from permitted products, because in this way voluptuousness and the desire for a special taste are satisfied.

There is no fasting when the believer leaves the place of the meal with a burdened stomach and a feeling of satisfied satiety. There are practically no sacrifices or hardships, which alone give abstinence great value.

Some Orthodox Christians exchange physical abstinence for “spiritual” abstinence, which is understood as restraining irritability, criticism of other people, and all sorts of quarrels. However, such an attitude does not advance the believer towards true righteousness, since goodwill is inherently implied at all times. Therefore, relaxation in food intake is only self-deception, devoid of benefit.

Lenten food

If a person is unable to comply with the traditional rules of fasting due to health or financial reasons, he must give up entertainment, sweets, and abstain at least on Wednesday and Friday. Communion begins with something small—the denial of meat.

Interesting! Previously, in Russian families, fasting was extremely revered and performed with a pure heart. Some princes observed the rules of abstinence better than many monks. The monks of Egypt echoed the 40th post of Moses and Christ. The monks of the Optina Hermitage in the Kaluga region ate only grass and were famous for their longevity.

Lent calendar for 2021: what you can eat by day

Without going into details, during Lent the following foods are prohibited for Orthodox fasting laymen:

• poultry and meat;
• butter and vegetable fats;
• any fermented milk and dairy products;
• eggs in any form;
• fish and seafood – consumption is allowed on some days.

Great Lent 2021: detailed daily nutrition calendar for the laity

With such a restriction, all the rules of observance of Lent will be observed, and even without going into too much detail, you will be able to follow the path of abstinence and humility of your flesh on special religious days.

Orthodox fast

What is fasting in the Orthodox understanding?
What is its meaning and spiritual meaning? When and how should one fast according to the Charter of the Church? How to avoid harm from misunderstanding a post? The reader will find answers to these and other questions in this book. Here is an excerpt from the book.

The meaning of the post

I want mercy, not sacrifice.

Matthew 9:13

By eating extensively, you become a carnal man, without a spirit, or soulless flesh; and by fasting, you attract the Holy Spirit to yourself and become spiritual,” writes the holy righteous John of Kronstadt. “The body tamed by fasting gives the human spirit freedom, strength, sobriety, purity, and subtlety,” notes Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov).

But with the wrong attitude towards fasting, without understanding its true meaning, it can, on the contrary, become harmful. As a result of unwise passage of fasting days (especially multi-day ones), irritability, anger, impatience, or vanity, conceit, and pride often appear. But the meaning of fasting lies precisely in the eradication of these sinful qualities. St. John Cassian the Roman says: “If, by fasting only physically, we are entangled in the disastrous vices of the soul, then the exhaustion of the flesh will not bring us any benefit in desecrating the most precious part, that is, the soul.” If the fasting person, instead of repentant prayer, love for others, doing good deeds and forgiving offenses through fasting, is dominated by sinful qualities of the soul, then fasting is not a true, spiritual fast, but turns out to be only a diet. “Bodily fasting alone cannot be sufficient for the perfection of the heart and the purity of the body unless spiritual fasting is combined with it,” says St. John Cassian. “For the soul also has its own harmful food.” Weighed down by it, the soul falls into voluptuousness even without an excess of bodily food. Backbiting is harmful food for the soul, and a pleasant one at that. Anger is also her food, although it is not at all light, for she often feeds her with unpleasant and poisonous food. Vanity is its food, which delights the soul for a while, then devastates it, deprives it of all virtue, leaves it fruitless, so that it not only destroys merits, but also incurs great punishment.” Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) writes: “Fasting has a reward in heaven when it is free from hypocrisy and vanity. Fasting works when it is accompanied by another great virtue—prayer.” And in another place: “Fasting removes a person from carnal passions, and prayer fights spiritual passions and, having defeated them, penetrates the entire makeup of a person, cleanses him; she introduces God into the purified verbal temple.”

The purpose of fasting is the eradication of harmful manifestations of the soul and the acquisition of virtues, which is facilitated by prayer and frequent attendance at church services (according to St. Isaac the Syrian - “vigilance in the service of God”). Saint Ignatius on this occasion also Fr.

We must remember that demons are also great “fasters”: they do not eat anything at all. The life of St. Macarius the Great tells about his meeting with a demon, who confessed: “Everything that you do, I do too. You fast, but I don’t eat at all. You are awake, but I am not sleeping at all. You defeat me with only one thing - humility.” Saint Basil the Great warns: “Beware of measuring fasting by simple abstinence from food. Those who abstain from food and behave badly are like the devil, who, although he does not eat anything, nevertheless does not stop sinning.”

“Many Christians... consider it a sin to eat, even due to bodily weakness, something modest on a fast day and without a twinge of conscience they despise and condemn their neighbors, for example, acquaintances, offend or deceive, weigh, measure, indulge in carnal uncleanness,” writes the holy righteous John of Kronstadt . - Oh, hypocrisy, hypocrisy! Oh, misunderstanding of the spirit of Christ, the spirit of the Christian faith! Isn’t it inner purity, meekness and humility that the Lord our God demands from us first of all?” The feat of fasting is imputed to nothing by the Lord if we, as St. Basil the Great puts it, “do not eat meat, but eat our brother,” that is, we do not keep the Lord’s commandments about love, mercy, selfless service to our neighbors, in a word, everything that is asked from us on the day of the Last Judgment (see: Matthew 25, 31–46).

This is stated with complete clarity in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. The Jews cry out to God: Why do we fast, but You
don’t see?
We humble our souls, but You don’t know? The Lord, through the mouth of the prophet, answers them:
Behold, on the day of your fast you do your will and demand hard work from others.
Behold, you fast for quarrels and strife, and in order to strike others with a bold hand; you do not fast at this time so that your voice will be heard on high. Is this the fast that I have chosen, the day on which a man languishes his soul, when he bends his head like a reed and spreads rags and ashes under him? Can you call this a fast and a day pleasing to the Lord? This is the fast that I have chosen: loose the chains of unrighteousness, untie the bonds of the yoke, and set the oppressed free, and break every yoke; divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the wandering poor into your home; When you see a naked person, clothe him, and do not hide from your half-blood. Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly increase, and your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will follow you. Then you will call, and the Lord will hear; You will cry out, and He will say: “Here I am!” (Isa 58:3-9).

“Whoever limits fasting to one abstinence from food greatly dishonors him,” instructs St. John Chrysostom. - Not only the mouth should fast - no, let the eye, and hearing, and hands, and our whole body fast... Fasting is a withdrawal from evil, curbing the tongue, putting aside anger, taming lusts, stopping slander, lies and perjury... Are you fasting? Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, visit the sick, do not forget those in prison, have pity on the tormented, comfort the mourning and crying; be merciful, meek, kind, quiet, long-suffering, compassionate, unforgiving, reverent and sedate, pious, so that God will accept your fasting and grant you the fruits of repentance in abundance.”

Thus, the meaning of fasting is also in improving love for God and neighbors, because it is on love that every virtue that constitutes fasting is based. The Monk John Cassian the Roman says that we “do not rely on fasting alone, but, preserving it, we want to achieve through it purity of heart and apostolic love.” Nothing is fasting, nothing is asceticism in the absence of love, because it is written: God is love

(1 John 4:8).

St. John Cassian also says that for the sake of love for a person, sometimes one can postpone fasting. He writes: “The one who will maintain a strict fast even when his brother visits him, in whose person it is necessary to accept Christ,” should be considered more hard-hearted than a zealot of piety.”

One desert dweller, answering the monk’s question: “Why do monks in Egypt cancel fasting for visitors?” - answered: “Fasting is mine; I can have it whenever I want. And by receiving brothers and fathers, we receive Christ, Who said: He who receives you receives Me (see: John 13:20) - and: the sons of the bridal chamber cannot fast as long as the Bridegroom is with them. When the Bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast (see: Mark 2:19-20).”

They say that when Saint Tikhon was living in retirement in the Zadonsk Monastery, one Friday in the sixth week of Great Lent he visited the monastery schema-monk Mitrofan. At that time the schema-monk had a guest, whom the saint also loved for his pious life. It happened that on this day a fisherman he knew brought Father Mitrofan a live heather for Palm Sunday. Since the guest did not expect to stay at the monastery until Sunday, the schema-monk ordered to immediately prepare fish soup and cold soup from the heather. The saint found Father Mitrofan and his guest eating these dishes. The schema-monk, frightened by such an unexpected visit and considering himself guilty of breaking his fast, fell at the feet of Saint Tikhon and begged him for forgiveness. But the saint, knowing the strict life of both friends, said to them: “Sit down, I know you. Love is higher than fasting." At the same time, he sat down at the table and began to eat fish soup. Such condescension and kindness of the saint amazed his friends: they knew that Saint Tikhon did not even consume butter, much less fish, during the entire Great Lent on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

It is told about Saint Spyridon, the Wonderworker of Trimifunts, that during Great Lent, which the saint kept very strictly, a certain traveler came to see him. Seeing that the wanderer was very tired, Saint Spyridon ordered his daughter to bring him food. She replied that there was no bread or flour in the house, since on the eve of strict fasting they had not stocked up on food. Then the saint prayed, asked for forgiveness and ordered his daughter to fry the salted pork left over from the Meat Week. After it was made, Saint Spyridon, seating the wanderer with him, began to eat the meat and treat his guest to it. The wanderer began to refuse, citing the fact that he was a Christian. Then the saint said: “All the less must we refuse, for the Word of God has spoken: for the pure all things are pure.”

(Tim 1:15)
.
In addition, the Apostle Paul said: if one of the unbelievers calls you and you want to go, then eat everything that is offered to you without any examination, for peace of conscience

(1 Cor 10:27) - for the sake of the person who welcomed you cordially. But these are special cases. The main thing is that there is no guile in this, otherwise you can spend the entire fast this way: under the pretext of love for your neighbor, visiting friends or hosting them is not fasting.

The story of the Venerable Martyr Kronid (Lyubimov), abbot of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, is instructive. When he was still a young novice, the governor of the Lavra, Father Leonid (Kavelin), sent him to his parents every year. And so, “once passing through Moscow to my homeland,” says the Venerable Martyr Kronid, “I stopped with my uncle. The life that my uncle led was secular. He did not fast on Wednesday or Friday. Sitting down at their table and knowing that it was Wednesday or Friday, I still tasted milk or eggs. At that time, the thought usually flew through my mind: “What kind of person am I that food should be specially prepared for me?” That's why I ate everything that was offered to me. A year before I was tonsured a monk, I once had a dream that I was standing in some kind of temple. Behind the right choir I see a large icon with the image of the Mother of God and the Eternal Child in Her arms. The Mother of God is depicted as tall as a man and wearing a crown... Seeing the wonderful face of the Mother of God and marveling at its beauty, I bowed my sinful knees before the holy image and began to ask for Her mercy and intercession before the Lord. To my horror, I see: the Mother of God is turning Her face away from me. Then I exclaimed in fear and trembling: “Mother of God! How have I offended You, that You turn Your divine face away from me, unworthy?” And I hear Her answer: “Breaking the fast! On Wednesday and Friday you allow yourself to eat fast food and do not honor the suffering of My Son. By doing this you insult Him and Me.” The vision ended there. But it was a lesson for my soul for the rest of my life.”

The other extreme is excessive fasting, which Christians who are unprepared for such a feat dare to undertake. Speaking about this, Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', writes: “Irrational people are jealous of the fasting and labors of saints with the wrong understanding and intention and think that they are practicing virtue. The devil, guarding them as his prey, plunges into them the seed of a joyful opinion about himself, from which the inner Pharisee is born and nurtured and betrays such people to complete pride.”

Speaking about the vainglory of passing the days of fasting, we can cite the following incident from the Ancient Patericon. When traveling monks came to one monastery and sat down to a common meal, boiled vegetables were prepared there for the occasion of the guests. And one of them said: “You know, we don’t eat boiled food, we fast.” Then the elder called him over and said: “It would be better for you to eat bloody meat than to say what you said.” This is how the elder spoke about the traveling monk because the latter showed his feat, which should be secret.

The danger of such fasting, according to the Venerable Abba Dorotheos, is as follows: “Whoever fasts out of vanity or considering that he is doing virtue, fasts unreasonably and therefore begins to reproach his brother afterwards, considering himself to be someone significant. But whoever fasts wisely does not think that he is doing a good deed wisely, and does not want to be praised as a faster.” The Savior Himself ordered to perform virtues in secret and to hide fasting from others (see: Matthew 6: 16–18).

Excessive fasting may also result in irritability and anger instead of a feeling of love, which also indicates that it was not carried out correctly. Show... in virtue prudence

(2 Pet 1:5), calls the Apostle Peter. Everyone has their own measure of fasting: monks have one, laypeople may have another. For pregnant and lactating women, for the elderly and sick, as well as for children, with the blessing of the confessor, fasting can be significantly weakened. “One should be considered a suicide who does not change the strict rules of abstinence even when it is necessary to strengthen weakened strength by taking food,” says St. John Cassian the Roman.

“The law of fasting is this,” teaches St. Theophan the Recluse, “to remain in God with mind and heart with renunciation from everything, cutting off all pleasure for oneself, not only in the physical, but also in the spiritual, doing everything for the glory of God and the good of others, willingly and with love, the labors and deprivations of fasting, in food, sleep, rest, in the consolations of mutual communication - all in a modest measure, so that it does not catch the eye and does not deprive one of the strength to fulfill the prayer rules.”

So, while we fast physically, we also fast spiritually. Let us combine external fasting with internal fasting, guided by humility. Having cleansed the body with abstinence, let us cleanse the soul with repentant prayer in order to acquire virtues and love for our neighbors. This will be true fasting, pleasing to God, and therefore saving for us.

Preparing the body for Lent

The basis of fasting days includes such a concept as abstinence from gluttony. We are talking specifically about abstaining from food, and not about exhausting the body by refusing to eat. That is why church ministers remind their parishioners every time that fasting must be within their capabilities, and, of course, it is necessary to prepare for such a diet in advance.

It is worth preparing for Lent in advance, for example, by thinking through the family menu and taking 1-2 fast days a week. And if this becomes a habit throughout the year, it will benefit your body. In addition, during this period you can approach planning a Lenten menu, familiarize yourself with and try new and tasty recipes. When the time of Lent comes, you will not have any problems or questions about what to cook for lunch or dinner for your family.

You should not approach this issue thoughtlessly - otherwise you can cause serious damage to the body, and depression, irritability, and a feeling of dissatisfaction can arise from the feeling of hunger. Then the observance of fasting becomes unbearable and a refusal to fast may occur.

For those who want to avoid such troubles, a consultation with an experienced confessor is necessary; you should definitely tell him about your spiritual and physical well-being, and, of course, ask for a blessing to celebrate Lent.

The meaning of fasting in Orthodoxy

Today, disdain for this tradition is common. Some people think that fasting is only an unpleasant monastic activity that can cause harm to the body. This consideration of the issue is completely wrong, since an Orthodox follower must think about his own soul, and not about his earthly shell.

The meaning of fasting in Orthodoxy

He who raises his consciousness and faith in God rejoices in abstinence and easily endures conventional physical difficulties. The prudent parishioner should make the best use of this time. It is with this that it is customary for true Christians to congratulate on the onset of a period of cleansing from the material and vain.

Important! A simple change in the composition of food is not fasting if the desire to abstain and repent of inevitable sins through sincere prayer does not arise in the mind.

Spiritual limitation stands next to the physical, but rises above it. If a person surrenders completely to the first, the Lord instills the necessary strength to overcome the secondary difficulties of the physical shell. John Chrysostom authoritatively confirms: “Let all parts of your body be involved in fasting through reliance on a strong and persistent mind.”

Lenten cuisine recipes:

Russian Orthodox cuisineRecipes for Lenten Orthodox bakingRecipes for Lenten oatmeal cookies

Today's life sometimes incorrectly considers the essence of tradition - many people see here only the deprivation of material reinforcement through punishment. Orthodox (and any) fasting is the greatest way to achieve the desired result in serving God. By exhausting his own body, the believer removes the dark veil from the soul and opens a mystical path that makes it easier to approach the Heavenly Kingdom.

Abstinence cannot be called hunger, to which all beings are subjected for certain offenses. This tradition acquires religious value only when combined with exercises for the soul (repentance, destruction of vices through prayer).

Fasting is a refinement of the physical flesh, which allows one to get closer to the influence of higher powers and become filled with grace. The Church speaks of abstinence to remind us of the necessary healing of a seriously ill soul, mired in the bustle of everyday life. Certain days in the religious calendar are reserved for such cleansing procedures. They are pure abstinence and balance between the shells, which should restore the primacy of the mind (soul) over the body.

Christ fasted for forty days in the desert

The apostles said that before the advent of fasting, man lost to passions and the devil. Christ set an example of 40 days of abstinence and received the power of the Holy Spirit. Every believer is obligated to follow the example of the Sinless Son and attack his own weaknesses. One who is in fasting has an unshakable mind and is capable of any accomplishment.

On a note! The rules for observing Orthodox fasting are described in the Typikon (book of the Divine Rule), Nomocanon (Byzantine collection of church instructions), Menaion and other similar works.

The practice of abstinence is incredibly developed in the Christian world - the number of fasting days sometimes reaches 200. The severity of fasting described in these books differs for monks and lay people.

First week of Lent: what to eat

In 2021, the first week of Lent falls on March 15 - 21; popularly it is also called “Fedorov’s Week.” During this period, it is customary to remember all the deceased of the Orthodox faith and loved ones.

Sample menu for the first week of Lent

• Monday: During the day, it is advisable to refrain from eating food and drink only clean water as needed.
• Tuesday: Warm water and rye bread during the day.
• Wednesday: Fruit salad for breakfast, coarsely chopped fresh vegetables for lunch, vegetables or fruits sprinkled with lemon juice for dinner.
• Thursday: For breakfast, dairy-free porridge with a little salt, for lunch, pureed vegetable soup with herbs, for dinner, stewed vegetables with rice. During the day, compote or jelly, herbal tea.
• Friday: If possible, repeat Tuesday's menu.
• Saturday: For breakfast, buckwheat porridge with onions fried in butter, for lunch, lean vegetable puree soup and potatoes with mushrooms, for dinner, vegetable casserole with salad. During the day, a little wine diluted with water, jelly or fruit drink, compote.
• Sunday: For breakfast, any dairy-free porridge with salt and sugar and a drop of sunflower oil, for lunch, stewed vegetables from dinner and cabbage salad with herbs, for dinner, grilled vegetables and a fruit and vegetable smoothie. Compote, fruit drink, a little diluted wine, green or herbal tea.

When does Lent begin and end in 2021?

Lent begins the day after Maslenitsa. Having eaten plenty of pancakes and pancakes, Orthodox Christians remove all prohibited foods out of sight. In 2021, the Fast will last from March 15 to May 1. This time is divided into weeks, which are called Weeks. Food conditions vary these weeks.

When starting Lent, you should remember that it is important to reach its completion. You should definitely give up alcohol and bad habits. Fasting is not only a diet with the goal of cleansing the body and losing excess calories. This is spiritual cleansing, first and foremost.

Even in the Bible there are examples of how saints partially broke Lent. This means that if you really want a piece of bread, but the rules today prohibit you from doing so, you can eat it. But only if you really wanted to. This does not apply to unhealthy foods and drinks. For example, alcohol or fast food.

Second week of Lent: what to eat

In the second week of Lent, it is customary to remember the parable of the publican and the Pharisees, and also to remember the holy great martyrs and deceased relatives. As for nutrition, it becomes cyclical after the sixth week.

Sample menu for the second week of Lent

• Monday: For breakfast, a portion of chopped raw carrots and a handful of raisins with nuts. For lunch, a salad of raw champignons with a dressing of vinegar and lemon juice with garlic and herbs, a slice of wholemeal bread. For dinner, toast from grain bread with a spread of crushed berries, fruit or vegetable salad. Drink just clean water throughout the day.
• Tuesday: For breakfast, any porridge with the addition of frozen berries or honey, for lunch, mashed potatoes with cabbage and cucumber salad, for the evening, baked mushrooms and 2 apples. You can drink dried fruit compote, green or herbal tea.
• Wednesday: For breakfast, you can make a thick fruit smoothie with bananas and eat a handful of nuts. For lunch, you should treat yourself to a serving of vegetable salad made from root vegetables, with a dressing of herbs and lemon juice. Dinner will be a fruit salad and a handful of dried fruits. During the day, drink fruit drink diluted with water.
• Thursday: Barley porridge without sugar, boiled in water. For lunch, grilled vegetables baked without oil with a slice of toast. For dinner, you can make a salad of baked or fresh vegetables, season with vinegar or lemon juice. Thick jelly will add satiety, and you can drink green or black tea.
• Friday: You cannot use thermally processed food in your diet, so the entire menu consists of fruit or vegetable salads, fruits, nuts and dried fruits.
• Saturday: For breakfast, pea porridge with the addition of onions fried in oil. For lunch, pureed pumpkin soup with croutons. For dinner, you can treat yourself to vinaigrette or stewed vegetables. A little wine diluted with water, tea, herbal infusions, compotes are allowed.
• Sunday: Grated carrot or pumpkin salad, fruit smoothie. For lunch - vegetable soup with cereal, a slice of wholemeal bread. For dinner, vegetables are sliced ​​and baked into a tower shape in the oven with cucumber salad. Cook thick jelly, compote, drink some red church wine.

Monastery menu for Lent

The menu recommended by the church is actually quite varied. Many housewives come up with more and more recipes with each period of restrictions. Meals during fasting should be moderate, but do not exclude delicacies and tasty dishes:

Cereals and beans. The list of these products is huge: buckwheat, rice, pearl barley, peas, millet, spelt, oatmeal, beans, etc. You can make porridge, cutlets, zrazy, casseroles and soups from cereals. Vegetables. They provide an excellent base for purees, pie fillings, and are used to make stews and soups. On special days, you can treat yourself to fried potatoes. Fruits, berries, dried fruits. You can cook compotes, jelly and jam, bake in the oven with honey. You can prepare thousands of different dishes, the main thing is to use your imagination. Nuts. You can not only sprinkle them on desserts and porridge, but also make pates and cheeses, salad sauces and nut milks from them. Mushrooms. They can successfully replace meat by adding them to potatoes. Mushrooms are also used to make soups, fry them in a frying pan, prepare pates and stuff them.

Third week of Lent: what to eat

This week, the Orthodox cross is taken out of the altar so that all believers can venerate it. As for nutrition, the menu will resemble the second week, where dry eating alternates with meals of hot lean food.

Sample menu for the third week of Lent

• Monday: For breakfast, fruit smoothie with banana, a slice of lean bread. For lunch, salad with croutons and tomatoes, with a spicy vinegar dressing. For dinner, a salad of beets, carrots, cabbage and herbs, garlic and lemon juice. You are allowed to drink water and green tea.
• Tuesday: For breakfast, hot millet porridge with pumpkin in water with honey. For lunch, lean cabbage soup with tomatoes and herbs, croutons. For dinner, buckwheat cutlets with onions and mushrooms. During the day, orange juice or fruit drink diluted with water.
• Wednesday: For breakfast, a handful of a mixture of dried fruits and nuts, a glass of fruit smoothie. For lunch, champignon salad with garlic and lemon juice dressing, a slice of lean bread. For dinner, a hearty salad of fresh vegetables and herbs. You can only drink clean water.
• Thursday: For breakfast, oatmeal with added sugar and cocoa powder. For lunch, thick lentil soup. For dinner, you can stew potatoes with mushrooms and add sauerkraut, onions and sugar to it.
• Friday: For breakfast, pour cold boiled water over buckwheat in the evening. For lunch, a salad of grated carrots and beets, with a dressing of lemon juice and ginger. For dinner a portion of fruit. You can drink clean water with lemon juice throughout the day.
• Saturday and Sunday: These days are united by the fact that it is allowed to eat hot food with butter, but only in the morning and evening. The menu can be borrowed from the previous diet, and on Sunday you can drink wine diluted with water.

Lenten baked goods without meat, eggs and milk

Cookies, pies, pancakes - all this can be prepared without animal products. Caring and busy housewives have long come up with lean analogues of delicious baked goods. I offer you the most delicious options.

Brine cookies

Brine cookies - the taste of childhood. If this is your first time hearing about this, then you are probably perplexed - cookies and pickle juice, are they compatible?! How compatible! You may have already tried it more than once, but you just don’t know that the composition was exactly like this. Be sure to try it. By the way, I prepare it not only during Lent. After all, the whole family is delighted with it all year round!

Ingredients:

• Cucumber or tomato brine – 110 ml.
• Baking soda – ½ tsp.
• Vegetable oil – 100 ml.
• Granulated sugar – 100 g.
• Wheat flour – 320-330 g.
• Vanillin - a pinch

Preparation:

The dough prepares very quickly. Therefore, we immediately turn on the oven to heat up to 200 degrees.

1. Pour brine and vegetable oil into one bowl. Add granulated sugar and soda. Mix everything.

2. Sift the flour and place it in a common bowl. Next add vanillin. Mix everything. As a result, knead a soft and pliable dough that will not stick to your palms.

Flour comes in different varieties. Therefore, I do not recommend adding everything at once. Leave a little. If it's not enough, you can add more. We monitor the consistency.

3. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, about 1 cm thick. Using a curly or regular knife, cut it into strips, about 1 cm wide. You can now cut them in half, but you can also use long sticks.

4. Line a baking tray with baking paper. We lay out our blanks here at a short distance from each other.

5. Place in an already preheated oven. They bake very quickly. As soon as they are browned, you can take them out. Approximate baking time is 10-20 minutes, depending on the individual characteristics of the oven.

Can be served hot, warm or completely cooled. Bon appetit!

Pies with cabbage on lean dough

Beautiful, appetizing and incredibly tasty pies. Soft dough and juicy filling. They are prepared without milk or eggs. Contains only 4 main ingredients. Find out more now!

Ingredients:

• Flour – 300 g.
• Vegetable oil – 100 ml.
• Water – 100 ml.
• Sauerkraut

Preparation:

1. For the filling we need cabbage. Squeeze it out of the brine.

If your cabbage is too sour, you need to rinse it with cool water, let all the liquid drain, then squeeze it well.

2. Heat enough vegetable oil in a frying pan. When it warms up well, send the prepared cabbage here. Stir until the butter is evenly mixed. Cover with a lid and let simmer for 10 minutes until soft.

3. Mix equal amounts of water and vegetable oil in one bowl (100 ml each). Add flour here and knead into a soft, pliable dough. You don’t need to add salt, because the cabbage will have enough saltiness for the pies. Wrap the soft ball of dough in film and set aside for 15 minutes to rest.

4. Don't forget about cabbage. Stirring occasionally, bring it to readiness. Transfer to a plate and let cool slightly.

5. Divide the resulting dough into approximately 16 equal parts. Roll them into balls. Roll each into the thinnest possible rectangle.

6. Closer to one edge, slightly retreating, place a spoonful of filling. Now we cover the cabbage with this nearest edge, as shown in the photo.

7. Then cover it with two opposite sides.

8. Roll it into a roll. Place the finished products on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Heat the oven to 190 degrees. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

9. For a more golden brown crust, 5 minutes before the end of baking, you can brush them with steep tea leaves on top and send them to brown in the oven for another 5 minutes.

Bon appetit!

Pancakes with mushroom sauce

Very tasty Lenten pancakes that you can treat yourself to during Lent. They are prepared simply, quickly, from available products. I recommend!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22c4kICK7o0

Ingredients:

• Cold water – 1 glass
• Hot water – 1 glass
• Soda – ½ tsp.
• Salt – 1 tsp.
• A little vinegar
• Flour - approximately 1.5 cups
• Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp.

Glasses for measuring products must be the same.

Filling:

• Fresh champignons – 150 g.
• Garlic to taste, optional
• Onions – 1 pc.
• Greens to taste

Fourth week of Lent: what to eat

The Middle Cross begins, or in common parlance, the Midsummer of the Holy Pentecost. Another week is called “Laudation”, since on Saturdays they pray to the Most Holy Theotokos.

• Monday: For breakfast, a serving of fresh or thawed berries or a fruit smoothie. For lunch, cabbage salad with carrots and herbs. For dinner, a serving of fresh fruit and a salad of leafy greens with cucumbers and lemon dressing. Black or green tea throughout the day.
• Tuesday: For breakfast, a serving of millet porridge in water with salt and sugar. For lunch, thick pea soup with croutons. In the evening, you should stew vegetables without oil and eat them with sauerkraut or pickled cabbage. Dried fruits compote.
• Wednesday: For breakfast, raw beet salad with lemon juice and seeds. For lunch 2 apples and 2 carrots. For dinner, you should treat yourself to a salad of Chinese cabbage, peas, corn and herbs with lemon juice. You can drink carrot juice or vegetable smoothie.
• Thursday: Hot salad day. For breakfast, you can bake 2 eggplants in the oven with a large tomato, and cut them with herbs and season with vegetable oil. Grilled vegetables will be a good lunch. And in the evening you can bake mushroom caps in the oven with herbs. Don't forget to cook thick jelly.
• Friday: Cold Soup Day. For breakfast you can make it fruity, and for lunch – vegetable. In the evening, for satiety, make a thick smoothie with bananas and enjoy a handful of dried fruits or nuts.
• Saturday: For breakfast, buckwheat porridge with fried mushrooms and onions. For lunch, lean borscht with a slice of whole grain bread. For dinner, fried potatoes and salad. During the day you can drink diluted fruit drink.
• Sunday: Today is the Annunciation, so you can eat fish during the day. For breakfast, you can treat yourself to a sandwich made from coarse gray bread with lightly salted fish. For lunch, cook fish soup with millet and vegetables, and in the evening bake a piece of lean fish and potatoes in the oven. You are also allowed to drink wine and drink apple compote throughout the day.

Fifth week of Lent: what to eat

This week, all churches are holding services in honor of Mary of Egypt.

• Monday: For breakfast, pour buckwheat or oatmeal without sugar in cold water in the evening, you can add a little salt. For lunch, a salad with greens from vegetables that are available. For dinner, you can make a fruit salad or a thick smoothie with nuts and lemon juice. You can drink cold green tea throughout the day.
• Tuesday: For breakfast you should cook vegetables stewed without oil with lettuce. For lunch, tomato puree soup with croutons. For dinner, cabbage rolls with mushrooms and pickles. During the day, drink fruit drinks, compotes or herbal decoctions.
• Wednesday: Oatmeal with water, with added salt and sugar, optional toast from lean bread. For lunch, mushroom soup with vegetables and noodles (without adding eggs). For dinner, a serving of vinaigrette and boiled jacket potatoes with coarse salt. Green tea throughout the day.
• Thursday: For breakfast, a vegetable sandwich without heat treatment, a slice of bread. For lunch, a salad of sauerkraut with onions and sugar and 2 sweet apples. For dinner, buckwheat and cucumber salad soaked in cold water in the morning. Dried fruits compote.
• Friday: Fruit day. During the day, you can eat fresh or frozen fruits and berries in the form of thick whipped drinks, salads, or simply in their pure form. You can also include dried fruits and walnuts in the menu for satiety. It is best to drink plain water or mint infusion during the day.
• Saturday: For breakfast, a portion of any porridge on water with sugar and salt, you can add fruits, seeds or honey. For lunch, lean bean soup with a slice of black bread with seeds. For dinner, halves of baked potatoes with spices, tomato and red onion salad. Compote or jelly during the day.
• Sunday: Millet pancakes with flour and sweet fruits, a cup of green tea with jasmine. For lunch, a serving of pureed vegetable soup with croutons. For dinner you can indulge in some wine and lentil cutlets. In the afternoon – peach juice diluted with water.

Lenten recipes

Fasting is not only possible, but also must be delicious. Food during Lent can be varied, the main thing is not to deviate from the recipe and not to use animal fats.

Tomato soup

To prepare this delicious soup you will need:

liter of water; 300 g white beans; 500 g large dense tomatoes; 1 onion; a small pod of hot pepper; 3 cloves of garlic; 2 tablespoons sugar; salt and pepper to taste.

For bruschetta, take yesterday's yeast-free bread, a couple of cloves of garlic, olive oil and salt.

Preparation:

peel and cut into small cubes the onion, garlic and pepper; Place a thick-bottomed pan on the fire, add a couple of drops of oil and fry the prepared vegetables; Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, cut off the skin and finely chop; add beans and tomatoes to the vegetables, add water; season with spices and simmer covered for 20 minutes; prepare crackers (cut the bread, rub it with garlic and butter, place in an oven preheated to 120 C); add sugar to the soup and cook for another 30 minutes.

When the soup is ready, you can puree it with a blender or eat it like this. The taste will not change, but the consistency will become more pleasant.

Oatmeal cutlets

Since meat is not allowed during fasting, and on some days even fish, cereals come to the rescue. From oatmeal you can make hearty, tasty cutlets that are indistinguishable from meat cutlets.

You will need:

a glass of oatmeal; potato; carrot; onion; spices to taste.

Preparation:

pour boiling water over oatmeal and leave to swell; peel and grate vegetables; combine cereals with vegetables, add spices and mix; Form cutlets and fry on both sides in a frying pan greased with oil.

If desired, you can add mushrooms to the cutlets.

Sweets made from seeds

There is a recipe for an incredibly tasty treat with seeds. He will definitely not leave anyone indifferent.

You will need:

200 g sesame or sunflower seeds; 2 tablespoons honey; a pinch of cinnamon; salt to taste.

The preparation here is quite simple. You just need to fry the seeds in a dry frying pan and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Serve the sweetness on bread or instead of jam for tea.

Holy Week of Lent: What to Eat

At the end of this week, on Saturday, Christ was crucified on the cross, and on Sunday, all Orthodox Christians around the world will celebrate Easter. In terms of nutrition, it is considered the most strict week in Lent, similar to the first, but on Friday you are not allowed to eat anything, but only drink clean water as needed.

• Monday: For breakfast, banana and apple salad with honey and lemon juice. For lunch, cold tomato soup with cucumbers and sweet peppers. For dinner, cabbage salad with apple, carrots and herbs, a portion of nuts. Pure water with lemon juice.
• Tuesday: For breakfast, dried fruits, nuts and 2 bananas. For lunch, lettuce with cucumbers and tomatoes, herbs and lemon juice. For dinner, a thick fruit or vegetable smoothie, or just sliced ​​fruit.
• Wednesday: Carrot salad with raisins for breakfast. For lunch, cabbage and cucumber salad with a drop of vinegar and herbs. In the evening, blend vegetables and fruits with juice to make a thick smoothie, adding sunflower seeds when serving.
• Thursday: For breakfast, any porridge with salt and butter, but without sugar. For lunch, Lenten pickle soup with rice or pearl barley, a slice of whole grain bread. For dinner, any baked vegetables with salad and a little wine. Mint and chamomile tea during the day.
• Friday: During the day you are allowed to drink only clean water, it can be heated a little.
• Saturday : The last day of Lent, so you can treat yourself to sweet millet porridge with water for breakfast, but with the addition of honey. For lunch - thick pea soup with fried vegetables. For dinner - fried potatoes with onions and mushrooms, cucumber and tomato salad with onions and greens, vinegar dressing. During the day you can drink compotes, green or black tea.
• Sunday: Easter has arrived and you can return to your usual menu, but protein products of animal origin should be introduced into the diet with caution, in small portions.

How to fast correctly

Compliance with all strict rules of abstinence depends on many factors. Some people cannot do this for health reasons. In this case, you need to first talk with the clergy to determine how abstinence will be implemented.

In general, it is highly advisable to first take a blessing from a priest. The main principle is abstinence from food of animal origin. It is very important to accompany your work with prayer. This will inspire strength of spirit and help you get closer to the spiritual goals that a person sets.