Fasting

Fry onions (coconut oil on oil days, use a tiny splash of water on non-oil days) with garlic and ginger, add dry red lentils, then boiling water. I just eyeball it, lightly submerge the lentils and add water if needed, until it’s absorbed and the texture is all good. Chuck in some pre-mixed curry powder and a spoonful of peanut butter, serve with rice or bread. Lazy man’s lentil Dahl.

The core is lentils and spices, you can add whatever veggies you want, I often chuck some frozen vegetables in there in lieu of more water. You could add potatoes, all sorts really.

Soak the lentils beforehand to reduce flatulence, but not necessary.
 
These are recipes that I make so I don't have to cook every day. These are some that are especially good for the upcoming Nativity fast as oil is allowed most days.


I make a few changes, like substitute the red pepper for one medium sized beet, cut in pieces much smaller than I cut the squash/potatoes. If I use dry herbs, I make the oil/herb mixture first before anything else, not sure if it matters, just what I do, I also lower the heat to 350 thus extending the cooking time, because olive oil breaks down under high heat.

Another delicious cold weather recipe (very good as is if you like spicy food, and you can easily omit the oil by frying with a bit of water)

 
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Thefinalepic said:
I have began fasting Wednesdays and Fridays to continue on our journey in Christ.

Please let me know your Orthodox recipes for these fasting days, no meat/eggs/dairy/oil/wine.
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For lent I usually cook my food in a slow cooker, I will use grains like split peas, lentil, chick peas or beans, the beans and chick peas you need to soak overnight in water though the others you dont. So you can mix some grains I usually mix about 2, add you onions, garlic, salt, spices and whatever vegetables you want, fill it up all the way with water, close the lid turn it on low heat and let it run over night, when you wake up in the morning the food is done and you have a big batch of food that will last you a few days, you can even freeze some, to make it last even long I will cook a big pot of basmati rice and mix the rice in daily as I eat it.
 
I usually eat a lot of shrimp or shellfish on fasting days if I want to get protein. Peanut butter, and peanut butter powder, is also very delicious and easy to cook with. Having a pressure cooker like an Instant Pot allows you to quickly cook beans and remove some of the anti-nutrient compounds.

I also just love having high-quality pasta too on fast days.

I struggle with removing the oil from my dishes, but in the past when I succeeded at doing this, making a lot of soups was essential.
 
Theres a shop near me that sell bags of dried beans etc. They need soaking over night but you can get enough to last the whole of Lent for like £15. Usually cut up a potato into chunks and boil it with some beans for 45 mins or so, and then do some rice, you can eat it with salt and pepper, if you'd prefer some stodginess add a spoonful of tahini.
 
Nagareboshi said:
I usually eat a lot of shrimp or shellfish on fasting days if I want to get protein. Peanut butter, and peanut butter powder, is also very delicious and easy to cook with. Having a pressure cooker like an Instant Pot allows you to quickly cook beans and remove some of the anti-nutrient compounds.

I also just love having high-quality pasta too on fast days.

I struggle with removing the oil from my dishes, but in the past when I succeeded at doing this, making a lot of soups was essential.
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I didnt know shrimp and shellfish were allowed during fasting?
 
Blade Runner said:
I'm going through the Nativity fast also right now, but I'm not super restrictive. I'm more staying away from the boozing, entertainment and other things that I can commonly do, and trying to focus more on prayers of thanksgiving and for other people. Your prayers are appreciated.
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That's inline with what I do too.

If you can fast, you should of course.

But as my priest says... Remember Satan doesn't eat.
 
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KomnenAl said:
I used to be able to hold all the fasts to a T, but in the last two years it's been an increasingly hard struggle. I've already eaten meat 3 days in a row. As a minimum, from now on I'll try to stay away from junk food, booze, movies, video games and sportsball. After a couple of weeks of that, I'll try to be stricter again.
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Yes, I know part of it is to feel your dependence and mortality, among other things, which can lead you to remembering God and prayer. What's brutal sometimes, since I really don't ingest all that many calories to begin with, is just being hungry. It's good for you but can make you feel mentally out of it, and cause other types of issues that may or may not be good.
 
Blade Runner said:
Yes, I know part of it is to feel your dependence and mortality, among other things, which can lead you to remembering God and prayer. What's brutal sometimes, since I really don't ingest all that many calories to begin with, is just being hungry. It's good for you but can make you feel mentally out of it, and cause other types of issues that may or may not be good.
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I would get very irritable when I would try to do a total fast in the first 3 days of Lent. Being angry at anything is counter productive. I think a more humble fast is more suited for my spiritual level. Being hungry is as distracting as being stuffed with low quality food.

The funny thing is that outside of the Church ordained fasts, I can go without food for 1-2 days and after a few hours, my hunger disappears. No anger issues there .
 
My diet is pretty on-point for non-fasting days: I just eat things like steak, veggies, maybe some rice, yogurt and fruit, etc. However I find fasting days very difficult, not because the way the food tastes but because it's harder for me to avoid processed food on these days and I end up feeling like crap. Even when I avoid all processed food, I just basically eat a bunch of rice and beans, maybe some fruit, nuts, and some vegan protein powder for protein. I still don't feel great, but not as bad as when I eat processed foods (mainly just chips and salsa or hummus, or some granola bars, and I usually try to get organic too). Anybody have any suggestions for good things to eat? I might start making my own hummus at least, but it's hard to find chips that don't have seed oil, even if they are organic. Maybe I'll try doing more things with shrimp and oysters, but that does feel like cheating in a way and even then, I don't feel great eating tons of those things. I also have some stomach issues even when my diet is on point, but it gets a lot worse during fasts. I had to stop last Great Lent because I was having really bad stomach problems, I think from the lectins in the legumes. My face even was starting to feel like it was burning, which I never had before Great Lent.

I want to keep up the fast, and Weds + Friday isn't too hard, but the bigger fasts it is very challenging because my energy levels and work performance suffers. I don't mind giving up meat for the taste and enjoyment of it, I just find these health and energy-related things difficult to work with.
 
KomnenAl said:
I would get very irritable when I would try to do a total fast in the first 3 days of Lent. Being angry at anything is counter productive. I think a more humble fast is more suited for my spiritual level. Being hungry is as distracting as being stuffed with low quality food.

The funny thing is that outside of the Church ordained fasts, I can go without food for 1-2 days and after a few hours, my hunger disappears. No anger issues there .
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You feel anger because you subconsciously feel that something is being denied to you. It's your old, fallen, Adamic self fighting against the new.
These are the birth pangs of giving birth to the new man from above. "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."-John 3:3
"I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. or I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" -Romans 7:21-24

You shouldn't break your fast because of that, on the contrary. It is a sign that you are on the right track and that the fast is doing what it is supposed to do. There is no purification nor transformation without the fire of temptation. Even the old alchemists knew that. With the exception of the first-3-days-of-Lent total fast (which is not recommended to beginners), you must not break the fast arbitrarily by your own will, but you can ask your priest to loosen it due to your objective circumstances. This is called ikonomia. Talk to your priest or spiritual father about this.

Hunger comes and goes in waves, and after a short time it stops. Do not give in to its temptation, but persevere and it will pass. Look for resources on intermittent fasting, they can help you. They helped me.

Anger is conquered by prayer. When you feel angry, do your daily prayer rule. Fasting is intended to go hand in hand with prayer, not without it. The saying that "the devil does not eat" says in full that "the devil does not eat, but neither does he pray." And that's the main difference.

Giving alms can also help, as it awakens compassion that quells anger. You cannot feel anger and compassion at the same time. Negative emotions are overcome by practicing their opposing virtues.
 
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Knight.of.Logos said:
My diet is pretty on-point for non-fasting days: I just eat things like steak, veggies, maybe some rice, yogurt and fruit, etc. However I find fasting days very difficult, not because the way the food tastes but because it's harder for me to avoid processed food on these days and I end up feeling like crap. Even when I avoid all processed food, I just basically eat a bunch of rice and beans, maybe some fruit, nuts, and some vegan protein powder for protein. I still don't feel great, but not as bad as when I eat processed foods (mainly just chips and salsa or hummus, or some granola bars, and I usually try to get organic too). Anybody have any suggestions for good things to eat? I might start making my own hummus at least, but it's hard to find chips that don't have seed oil, even if they are organic. Maybe I'll try doing more things with shrimp and oysters, but that does feel like cheating in a way and even then, I don't feel great eating tons of those things. I also have some stomach issues even when my diet is on point, but it gets a lot worse during fasts. I had to stop last Great Lent because I was having really bad stomach problems, I think from the lectins in the legumes. My face even was starting to feel like it was burning, which I never had before Great Lent.

I want to keep up the fast, and Weds + Friday isn't too hard, but the bigger fasts it is very challenging because my energy levels and work performance suffers. I don't mind giving up meat for the taste and enjoyment of it, I just find these health and energy-related things difficult to work with.
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Obligatory speak to your priest comment.

You could maybe discuss other ways to fast, maybe allow yourself eggs and dairy on fasting days or something else that can help. Its not meant to be easy, but its also not meant to ruin your health and make you resentful.

Some people can't fast for health reasons, some people can keep the dietary rules but its pointless because they don't do anything else (this is usually me).

I think in some ways fasting is a good thing for the likes of us men on this forum. The manosphere tells us we should eat steak every day and that being plant based is gay. I think the fact that we are forced into a diet that is plant based is good to keep us humble and remind us that we are not on the same path as the secular manosphere folks, despite the worldly wisdom they might offer us. We are serving Christ even if it means we have to eat like a spineless hippy twice a week.
 
I’m just curious and have a question for other American Orthodox on here. What do you guys do about Thanksgiving dinner? It falls in the nativity season unfortunately.
 
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