Saturday 22 February 2014

Foray into Fasting (Daniel Fast Menu Plan)


We've been going for nearly a week.  We're still alive and beginning to say things like "I really miss having a cup of tea"...or my more emphatic "I just want a cracker with butter on it!".  And what I wouldn't give to use eggs in my cooking...

We have been surprised at the things we miss most and the things we couldn't care less about.

As I mentioned a post or two back Dh and I have chosen - well, I chose and he agreed to go along with it - the Daniel Fast for our 21-day church-wide fast.  Our church encouraged us to choose anything that was meaningful to us, but my understanding is that a fast is to do with food.  Choosing to avoid other 'things' is abstinence rather than fasting.  So I chose the Daniel Fast.  We've eaten lots of fruit, lots more vegetables and dipped our toes back into the idea of legumes - something we tend to avoid a bit around here.  With Mr Busy's negative attitude to the texture of 'evil beanies' (as he used to call them) and the unpleasant physical side effects we just don't eat them much.  Basically, the Daniel Fast is plant based foods and water - no animal products.  I found lots of helpful information here and here.

Despite being faced with many times a day when we would love to just grab whatever we feel like eating, having to be intentional and considered about the whole thing is not all that bad either.  It reminds me to be intentional and considered about the things I'm praying about.  I've discovered I'm really bad at focused prayer.  I'm really good at the quick prayers.  You know, the ones where something pops into your mind and you just have a little moment with God and keep going with what you're doing?  Yeah.  I'm good at that stuff.  I'm not good at keeping my mind on more sustained stuff.  I confessed that to God this morning and now my prayer is becoming "help me to pray".

On the food front we're eating surprisingly well.  We've both been surprised at things we've enjoyed this week.  Mr Busy was away on school camp so the girls have done a bit of their own thing.  My brother and his girls had dinner with us on Monday - my girls made dinner for all of them while I made what Dh and I ate.  They've had some of our meals with some taken out and meat thrown in and sometimes they've had to make a salad to go with something I've dug out of the freezer and thrown into the oven.  It's worked OK, but maybe Mr Busy's return will force me to be a bit more organised.  The boy is an eater!

Below is our menu for the first week.



Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Monday
Toast
Sliced banana
Quinoa salad
Chickpea & Veg Casserole
Tuesday
Toast
Sliced banana
Leftovers
Nachos Salad
Wednesday
Porridge
Sliced fruit
Citrus Walnut Salad
Vegetable Curry
Brown rice
Thursday
Fruit salad
Leftovers
Roast Vegetable layer bake
Friday
Porridge
Sliced fruit
Leftovers
Pasta with tomato & veg sauce
Saturday
Fruit salad
Salad in pita bread
Hungarian Casserole
Sunday
Toast w. tomato, mushroom, avocado
Salad in pita bread
Coconut Pumpkin Soup
Snacks
Fruit, mixed nuts, hommus/guacamole with carrots, popcorn
 

 A note on legumes -I tried cooking chickpeas and borlotti beans according to the directions in my 'Nourishing Traditions' book.  Perfect!  No unpleasant, smelly side effects.  I didn't cook my pulses for the 6 hours they said.  I think the chickpeas went for about 3-4 hours and the beans for 2-3 hours after an all-night soak.  It was worth the time and effort rather than opening a tin.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...as a dietician I encourage you to watch to make sure you get enough protein. It's easy to feel fatigued and be missing lots of important nutrients when protein is absent from the diet.

I admire your dedication to your fast. I know it comes from a deep commitment to higher principles.

I cheer you on in your quest for clarity and connection.

Tracy said...

Thanks for your concern about our protein intake. I appreciate you taking the time to comment about it.

Every day we have had nuts, seeds, legumes and of course lots of vegies. The bread I'm using is a spelt and sprouted grain version and before we had leftovers to rely on we had quinoa. I feel like it would be hard to eat more plant-based protein than we've been having given our dinners are also lunches, which means often having two meals with legumes.

But the nerdy part of me is now curious! I may just have to sit down with the Calorie King website and figure out how much protein we're really getting!!

John Meeks said...

Very nice article and fasting menu. I want to share a book that really help me to understand what really is fasting. It is called Be your own doctor and it really help me to understand everything about fasting and its benefits so i want to share it with you. you can check it out here http://beingyourowndoctor.com/

Anonymous said...

OK. I feel much better now. Quinoa is a wonder food. Your spelt and sprouted grain bread sounds interesting. I hope it's tasty too. I'm willing to bet that it is.

Sorry to be a nag. I just get so worried about all of us eating what we need to keep our bodies in tip-top shape.

kristenfeola said...

Tracy, I'm thankful you are seeking the Lord through the Daniel Fast. I have personally seen God do great things in my life as I've humbled myself before Him. I pray God pours out His favor on you in a BIG WAY! Also, I want you to know about another helpful resource. My book, The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fast, offers much help in the way of daily devotions, 100+ recipes, meal planning guides, grocery shopping lists, and information on fasting. Here's the link for more info: http://www.ultimatedanielfast.com/book-the-ultimate-guide-to-the-daniel-fast/. Thank you for sharing about this powerful spiritual discipline with your readers!

Tracy said...

Thanks for your encouragement Kristen. Thanks for sharing your book and website. I will head over and have a look now. It sounds like you have an absolute gold mine going there!