+JMJ+ 

The season of fasting is upon us once again! 

I must admit, fasting and abstinence was hard for me in the first couple of years I practiced my Faith. I was borderline hypoglycemic for much of my teens and early 20s. Plus, Fridays were often were marked by those nasty fishsticks, or other rather boring substitutes for meat. 

Once I went out to college, I began to experiment with my own food choices. When looking for resources, I found this blog called Finer Femininity. I highly encourage you Catholic ladies to check that blog out. The author, Mrs. VanPutten, often publishes excerpts of books dealing with the spiritual life and Catholic culture. It is through her that I truly met Maria von Trapp. 

When I first read an excerpt about traditional Lenten practices from her on Finer Femininity, I was floored. (for those who wish to find it, Mrs. VanPutten republishes it every year at the start of Lent, under "From Septuagesima to Ash Wednesday - Maria von Trapp"). I couldn't believe that people gave up so much for Lent! Even more so when I discovered that Byzantine Catholics still follow those ancient standards! 

What are these standards exactly, you might ask? 

What is not allowed: animal products (meat, animal fats, dairy, eggs), wine and oil (weekdays only)

What is allowed: fruits, grains, nuts, veggies, plant-based food. 

Basically, it's veganism. Just without the ideological trappings. 

Sounds very penitential, no? I certainly thought so. 

Admittedly, I was curious. I love a challenge. I thought, if they could do it, why can't I? 

Then one day, I asked myself  NO, the Holy Spirit asked me - why don't I experiment with doing a Byzantine style fast for Lent one year? 

Obviously, I was not going to do be able to do this for the entirety of Lent. For one, I was going to get bored and sick of the foods that were allowed. Two, I was afraid of losing weight (I was already skinny, I didn't need anorexia). And besides, wise priests have always said to break fasting in slowly. So I decided to try doing Byzantine style fasts on one or two of the two canonical fast days - Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. 

The first Lent I tried it was 2019. For my main meal, I had plain quinoa, a salad with no dressing, and a grapefruit. To say that it was unpalatable was an understatement. Why I didn't give it up after that is one of life's greatest mysteries.  

The second was 2020, in which I made a sweet potato quinoa chili. I had had before at Lia's house but this was my first time making it myself. While I really liked how it turned out, my family wasn't a huge fan of it. I also made salads and bread that year.  

I believe I skipped 2021, for reasons that I honestly do not remember. Most likely, I ended up missing my night to cook because I was waitressing, and hence ate whatever my mom made. 

For 2022, I decided to do Veggie Quesadillas. Obviously, with me skipping the cheese. Which was probably just as well, because I had horrendous stomach pains the night before from something I ate. I used breadcrumbs as a binder, which was a smart move in hindsight. Salsa and fajita seasoning are spicy and the breadcrumbs mitigated just enough that I didn't have to reach for the ranch. However, I wouldn't chalk it up as a total success - quesadillas definitely need cheese in order for them to work. 

I ended up missing Ash Wednesday this year because I was stuck buying food instead of making it. But this doesn't mean that I'm giving up on this practice entirely, far from it! However, I have still been struggling with finding food that still tastes decent and is culinarily sound....and something that all of my family will eat.

Between 2022 and 2023, I have been slowly gathering up recipes that could be used for Byzantine fasts. This has led to some rather questionable search results - apparently Pinterest thinks I'm vegan now, lol. The main problem has been that many vegan staples such as chickpeas, mushrooms, lentils, etc. are foods that my family doesn't touch. I suppose many of these experiments will have to wait until I get my own kitchen, lol. 

That being said, there are a couple of resources that I have either found helpful or I will be checking out in the near future. 

The first is the YouTube channel Eastern Hospitality, which is co-hosted by a Byzantine monk and nun. It's a pity that this channel didn't last long because their recipes look really awesome and they had some great insights on Byzantine traditions! 

The second is the book The Joy of Fasting which is co-written by Scott Hahn. This Lenten cookbook features several recipes that can be adapted to fit in the Byzantine requirements. 

The third is the cookbook The ByziMom's Guide to Great Fast Meals. This is the one that I haven't checked out yet, but I really want to! The story behind this book is amazing. This woman and her family have basically moved to observing the Byzantine fast 365 days a year because of a serious health condition. Obviously, they had a lot of time for trial and error, so they must know what they are doing! 

This journey is definitely not over. I think this will be a long journey, but it will be a very satisfying one. And I encourage you all to join me in it! 

What sort of Lenten meals do you do? Do you have any traditional favorites? I'd love to hear them! 

And, if you need inspiration for Lenten meals, I have another post coming this week! 

God bless,

Catherine