Optimize Your Lenten Fasting: Weekly Menu & Tips

Lent begins today, which lasts 40 days. Forty days is the time Jesus spent in the wilderness praying and resisting Satan’s temptation before being crucified. Christian believers give up idle living for 40 days by praying, attending services, and observing specific food rules. If you plan to fast, this article is for you.

People who decide to begin fasting wonder what they can eat. On the eve of Lent, forums and social networks are inundated with questions: Can I eat fish or seafood while fasting? Can you cook with chicken broth while fasting? And most importantly, what can you eat for dinner?

What can and cannot be eaten during Lent?

Traditionally, 1 hearty meal and 2 lungs are allowed during fasting.

The Orthodox Church calls for fasting throughout the entire 40-day liturgical season. Believers abstain not only from meat but also from eggs and dairy products. Moreover, the Orthodox define meat as all animals with a backbone, including fish. Other types of seafood - shrimp, scallops, shellfish, mussels, octopus, and squid - are allowed.

Pregnant women, the sick, the elderly, and children under 16 years of age are exempted from fasting rules.

You can give up coffee, sweets, chocolate, television, or other entertainment as a personal austerity.

Lenten menu for a week

We prepared a lean menu for the week with a ready-made list of products to make it easier for you. We have included a variety of fruit and vegetable dishes in the menu so that your diet is full of valuable vitamins and minerals. You can substitute certain ingredients depending on your taste preferences.

Monday

Breakfast: ½ cup of boiled buckwheat without butter and milk, vegetable salad, 1 medium-sized banana (light snack).

Lunch: 1 glass of cooked rice, 100 g of shrimp, stewed spinach, 1 medium apple (main meal).

Dinner: ½ cup boiled buckwheat, fried tofu with spinach, 1 medium orange (light snack).

Tuesday

Breakfast: ½ cup rice, 100 grams of green beans, fried in vegetable oil, 1 medium-sized banana (light snack).

Lunch: 250 g of spaghetti with baked tofu sauce with tomatoes and herbs, 1 medium apple (main meal).

Dinner: 1 glass of rice with vegetables, 1 large orange (light snack).

Wednesday

Breakfast: 80 grams of oatmeal in water with berries and fruits (light snack).

Lunch: 250 grams of a vegetable stew of potatoes, zucchini, peppers, onions, carrots and green beans, 1 medium orange, 40 grams of assorted nuts (main meal).

Dinner: ½ glass of boiled buckwheat without butter and milk, vinaigrette (light snack).

Thursday

Breakfast: 80 grams of oatmeal in water with nuts, 1 medium-sized kiwi (light snack).

Lunch: 250 grams of vegetarian pilaf with bulgur and seafood, vinaigrette, 40 grams of assorted nuts (main meal).

Dinner: squash pancakes with tomato and herbs (light snack).

Friday

Breakfast: 2 whole wheat toast with peanut butter, 1 banana (light snack).

Lunch: 250 g of spaghetti with mussels and tomato sauce, assorted nuts (main meal).

Dinner: ½ cup buckwheat without butter and milk, 200 g of fried green beans with mushrooms and tofu (light snack).

Saturday

Breakfast: 2 whole-wheat toast with avocado guacamole, vegetable salad (light snack).

Lunch: 150 grams of peasant potatoes in the oven, 100 grams of fried squid rings, tomato sauce (main meal).

Dinner: potato pancakes, vegetable salad, 1 medium apple (light snack).

Sunday

Breakfast: apple pancakes, fruit jam (light snack).

Lunch: 250 grams of lean dumplings with potatoes and mushrooms, vegetable salad, 1 medium-sized orange (full lunch).

Dinner: 200 gr lean pilaf with bulgur and seafood, 1 apple (light snack).

We recommend that you consult with your doctor before sitting on a fast. We strongly advise against fasting for pregnant women, the elderly, children, or people with chronic diseases.

Grocery list for the week in Lent

Grocery

1. Buckwheat - 1 kg
2. Oatmeal - 1kg
3. Rice - 1kg
4. Bulgur - 1 kg
5. Spaghetti - 500 gr
6. Walnut - 200 gr
7. Olive oil - 500 ml
8. Peanut butter - 1 can
9. Bakery products
10. Whole grain bread - 1 pc.

Seafood

1. Shrimps - 1 kg
2. Mussels - 500 gr
3. Squid rings - 500 gr

Fruit

1. Fresh frozen berries - 500 gr
2. Banana - 1 kg
3. Apple - 2 kg
4. Orange - 1 kg
5. Kiwi - 500 gr
6. Avocado - 1 pc.

Vegetables

1. Potatoes - 2 kg
2. Carrots - 500 gr
3. Bulb onions - 3 pcs.
4. Champignon mushrooms - 400 gr
5. Tomatoes - 1 kg
6. Cucumbers - 1kg
7. Mix of lettuce - 2 pcs.
8. Zucchini - 3 pcs.
9. Beets - 2 pcs.
10. Bulgarian pepper - 2 pcs.
11. Peking cabbage - 1 pc.
12. Cilantro - 1 bunch.
13. Basil - 1 bunch
14. Garlic - 3 pcs.

Cooking

1. Sauerkraut - 500 gr
2. Pickled cucumbers - 500 gr

Dairy products

1. Tofu cheese - 200 gr

Semi-finished products

1. Spinach - 300 gr
2. Green beans - 400 gr
3. Mix of vegetables - 400 gr
4. Green peas - 200 gr
5. Seafood cocktail - 500 gr
6. Dumplings with potatoes and mushrooms - 400 gr

Canned food

1. Apricot jam - 1 can
2. Tomatoes in their own juice - 1 can

Sauces and spices

1. Black pepper
2. Seasoning for potatoes

Download the list of products for the fast menu for the week

Download the Costless app and edit the list of foods for a lean menu based on your taste preferences and certain foods’ availability in your home.