What can you eat in fasting before Easter? Allowed menu and prohibitions. What you can eat in fasting before Easter Fasting food: a vegetable shawarma recipe for the lenten menu of the laity

In Great Lent 2017, the daily nutrition calendar plays a very important role, for this reason, in this article, each day of the week will be described below, as well as the dietary rules that a believer must follow. In addition, for the Orthodox, they will provide options for dishes that are served at the table during the period of abstinence from harmful worldly food.

Since the strict time will begin very soon, the food calendar by day plays a very important role, for this reason there are several options for such calendars, so that each Orthodox chooses for himself exactly the menu option that is more suitable for the believer.

How to distinguish the degrees of severity of fasting

Of course, a great fast is a rather strict time, but after all, while adhering to certain rules, a person not only deprives himself of some culinary delights, often fasting must be selected correctly for each believer in its complexity. Not many children and the elderly are able to withstand an exceptionally strict fast, which implies eating once a day, rare days of complete refusal of food, as well as the elimination of hot food and oil from the diet on certain days. The degree of severity is usually selected in accordance with the health of the believer, for this reason it is worth considering some options for the severity of fasting.

The first level is the most difficult, since at this time a person can completely refuse any food for exactly forty-eight days, but only experienced and trained people who do not have certain complex diseases are suitable for such a test. An unprepared person simply cannot, without harm to health and his life, completely refuse to eat.

The second level will not be so strict, but still, the Orthodox do not always withstand it, because during the entire fasting time they will have to adhere to a strict dry diet, that is, only dry food is eaten. Dry food is food that has not had any oils added to it and has not been cooked to complete cooking. The third stage is not much different from the second one, since food is simply warmed up a little on it, but it is also not brought to readiness and oil is not added to the dish.

The fourth level suggests seasoning certain types of food with oil, but this is allowed on certain days of strict fasting, in addition to this food is eaten raw or cooked, it also depends on the day of the week. At the fifth stage, a person can eat a certain amount of fish and dairy products, this usually applies to the sick, infirm, children and the elderly. There is also a sixth step, during such a fast a person eats absolutely all foods, excluding only meat dishes from his diet.

Ordinary believers most often turn to the fourth or fifth level, but the first three steps are available mainly to more prepared and strong people who do not have special health problems. The sixth level and the fifth can often be applied if a person has serious illnesses, the elderly and children also observe such fasting rules, it is allowed to adhere to a light version of fasting for those people who work in hazardous enterprises. It's worth arranging ahead of time.

First week of fasting

Monday. On this day, people usually completely refuse to eat, the fact is that Clean Monday is the beginning of a large and strict fast, for this reason it is customary to meet it with particular severity. For the whole day it is allowed to drink several glasses of water, but you should not eat.

Tuesday. The second day of fasting will be lighter, here it is allowed to add some black bread to the water, if desired, after sunset, you should eat some hot porridge, but without adding oil.

Wednesday. As traditions say, this day of the week should be devoted to eating raw and cold food, plain water, various cold compotes, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and honey will do.

Thursday. Since the fourth day of fasting has a slight relaxation, believers will be able to enjoy dishes cooked in the oven or on the stove. It can be buckwheat porridge with mushrooms, or boiled potatoes. At the same time, it is worth remembering that oil should not be added to any of the dishes.

Friday. The fifth day of the week is devoted exclusively to eating dry food, that is, dishes cannot undergo heat treatment, if desired, prepare a vegetable salad, which is seasoned with herbs and lemon juice. For dessert, a fruit salad or dried fruit bars are suitable.

Saturday and Sunday. Weekends are considered holidays, for this reason they are usually relaxed, that is, not added to any dishes. a large number of vegetable based oils. If desired, it is allowed to drink a little Cahors, no more than 200 milliliters of wine is allowed at one meal.

Second week of fasting

Monday. This day is traditionally considered dry, it is allowed to eat fresh fruit salads or cook okroshka from vegetables on kvass. It is not bad to eat bread with horseradish and pickles.

Tuesday. Here, the diet can be slightly expanded, as it is allowed to cook hot soups, boil cereals with various dried fruits, and cook compotes with a small amount of granulated sugar. But it is also forbidden to put any oil in the dishes.

Wednesday. It is worth adhering to a dry diet, cold vegetable soup with pomegranate juice is suitable, it is allowed to eat fresh vegetables and fruits, and it is also great to make a tropical fruit salad seasoned with coconut milk.

Thursday. This day is dedicated to the preparation of hot dishes without the addition of oil, it can be boiled or baked jacket potatoes, which are served with sauerkraut. You can complement your dinner with various types of pickles, and also make tender lenten and carrots as a dessert.

Friday. They continue to adhere to dry eating, you can cook tyuryu, and okroshka or cold cabbage soup without meat will also be an excellent option for dinner. As a sweet, dried fruit bars with honey or tropical fruit salads are allowed.

Saturday and Sunday. Since these days it is allowed to cook dishes with the addition of oil, you should take advantage of this and bake a Greek sweet pie with nuts, serve a rich vegetable soup with mushrooms, and also cook oatmeal on the water, with the addition of a small amount of nuts, dried fruits and honey.

Third week of fasting

Monday. This week, there are no holidays that could slightly weaken the fast for believers, for this reason, you will have to adhere to the usual meal schedule. Monday is dedicated to dishes that have not been cooked.

Tuesday. On this day, you should make delicious sour cabbage soup with cabbage, serve any kind of stewed or baked vegetables without oil, and raspberry jelly or some fresh berries with honey are suitable as a dessert.

Wednesday. On the third day of the week, we give our preference exclusively to fresh products, these can be berries, vegetables and fruits, dried fruits are also suitable, it is not bad to use honey and nuts for cooking. Pure water and compotes are used as drinking.

Thursday. It is customary to celebrate this day with hot food, you can steam delicious oatmeal in the oven in water, into which a spoonful of honey is poured and nuts are placed. Lenten pancakes or muffins are also served for dessert, it is allowed to drink tea, compote or jelly. For lunch, hot or gazpacho is served.

Friday. For this day, as a lunch dish, it is worth preparing an unusual okroshka for kvass with the addition of pickled mushrooms, a prison would not be a bad option. As a sweet, raspberry or strawberry jelly is suitable, and for the second, a vegetable salad of cucumbers and tomatoes is prepared, to which you can serve a little sauerkraut with herbs.

Saturday and Sunday. On these two days, it is worth considering the menu more carefully, because it is today that you are allowed to add a little oil to your dishes, while eating, a glass of table wine is also placed on the table.

Fourth week of fasting

This time is almost the same as previous weeks, but on Thursday there is a holiday called the Annunciation, for this reason the fast will be slightly weakened. Although on Thursday people can eat hot food, they still add a little oil to the dishes and supplement the diet with fish. If desired, sandwiches with fish caviar or pieces of salted fish are put on the table. You can also bake or boil this product. Fish-based fish soup is prepared, or the fish is fried in a small amount of oil. Further, no holidays are planned for the week, for this reason it is necessary to adhere to a permanent menu.

Fifth week of fasting

This time the week will not please believers with holidays, for this reason they will have to leave a permanent menu, in which they usually devote three days to eating cold and raw, two days a week food is cooked without adding oil, and on the last weekend it is allowed to add a small amount of vegetable product to improve the taste of food.

Sixth week of fasting

During this period, the Orthodox will be able to celebrate, which falls directly on the sixth day of the week. As you know, if certain church holidays dedicated to the holy martyrs, the rules of fasting become more lenient. At this time, fasting people can eat twice a day, while food is cooked in the oven, fried, boiled or steamed.

It is allowed to use not only vegetables, cereals, fruits, herbs and berries, but also add some fish to your menu. In addition, a great holiday called Palm Sunday falls on Sunday, and there is also an indulgence in fasting. It is worth remembering that on this day only fish is added to the diet, but believers will have to refuse fish caviar on the table.

Last week of fasting

Many believe that this time is the most strict for the entire period of fasting, since it is necessary to properly end the abstinence from food, the first day is allowed to eat, as usual, any fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as any products that have not undergone heat treatment. Further, all days will continue according to the usual menu, but Friday will have to be especially noted, since this week we have Good Friday, and at this time it is best to strictly refrain from eating, you can only drink water. If it is not possible to drink only water, it is allowed to supplement the diet with a few slices of black bread. On Sunday, Easter comes, which means the end of the fast.

Probably many Orthodox are already preparing for the start of the longest and toughest fast, which begins immediately after the celebration of Easter, for this time every believer should take care of creating a menu for Great Lent before Easter for every day of 2017 these few weeks of fasting from food.

There are basic rules for each of the weeks of Great Lent 2017. The canon entrusts believers with the right to observe these rules in all customs, there is no difficulty in this, but still they will have to give up some familiar dishes and products, and this is not always easy for the Orthodox. During these forty days of fasting, a person must draw up a menu for Great Lent before Easter for each day of 2017.

In addition, you need to completely abandon any meat products, eliminate fish dishes from your diet, do not eat rich and sweet products, in some cases, lean food is allowed no more than once a day.

But besides the fact that it is necessary to know exactly the menu of the Great Lent for every day of 2017, it is also worth remembering the rules of conduct during the fasting period. For example, it is strictly forbidden for believers to be present at some fun events and festivities, it is worth getting rid of any sinful emotions or bad desires, it is important that a person fully realizes the importance of this moment, and can cleanse not only his body, but also his soul from everything bad.

What are the main rules of nutrition?

Fasting after Easter is considered the longest, and at the same time one of the most strict in terms of abstinence from certain foods, its duration never changes, since it lasts exactly forty days. The meaning of this post is that each believer must independently decide to abstain from some delicious dishes, replacing these culinary masterpieces with more lean and simple ones. Also during this period, you will have to refrain from attending any events where people will have fun and walk, but the Orthodox will devote their free time completely to moral and spiritual development.

As the clergy say, it is the church canon that helps many believers to better control their emotional outbursts, and some abstinence from worldly pleasures makes it possible to draw closer to God and purify their souls. When people start giving up delicious food and entertainment, after a while they begin to understand that money and values ​​\u200b\u200bcannot be the main meaning of life for a person. In forty days, every believer can rethink his life, as well as free himself from sinful thoughts and negative emotions.

As you know, the longest and strictest post completely prohibits eating any meat products, you will also have to give up chicken eggs, rich pastries, sweets, high-calorie foods, and in addition to fatty foods, you should refrain from eating milk and products from it, except chocolate will remain banned. But that's not all, because the church is especially strict about the use of alcohol and smoking during these forty days, the Orthodox must give up all their bad habits.

But this does not mean at all that during the fasting period a person will have to constantly starve, because there are some types of dishes that turn out to be incredibly tasty and healthy, without the use of harmful products. Below will be described a list of those products that may be included in the daily fasting menu. For example, you should not refuse to eat any kind of cereals, it can be corn, buckwheat, wheat, oatmeal or barley cereals, rice cereals are also allowed.

For the daily menu, black bread is suitable, which is baked from wholemeal flour, it is not bad to purchase yeast-free bread made from various cereals. Any kind of legumes just needs to be included in your diet for the period of fasting, it can be beans or peas, but do not forget about chickpeas and lentils, as they are no less tasty and healthy.

Natural honey and various fruits are suitable as a dessert, nuts will become useful, you should not refuse vegetables in fresh, boiled, baked and stewed form. If there is jam at home, then it can also be eaten, but there should be a minimum of granulated sugar in the delicacy, since sugar is prohibited during this period.

Vegetables can be not only cooked and fresh, but also pickled or salted, it is not forbidden to use various types of mushrooms, they are fried and boiled, and also baked in the oven. Speaking of oils, it is worth mentioning here that creamy products are prohibited, for this reason it is better to take oil on vegetable fat, or use vegetable liquid oils, for example, sunflower or olive.

Although at first glance it may seem that this food will not be enough for 40 days, in fact, you can cook a lot of healthy dishes that will be no less tasty than meat products. The listed products for the menu will help not only saturate the human body with essential vitamins and minerals, but also satisfy hunger.

How to eat right on the days of the week of the big post?

There is a set menu for Lent, it involves preparing only dishes that are suitable for certain days of the week. For example, if we talk about every Monday out of forty days, then you can see that it is important to observe dry eating here, this rule is preserved not only for Monday, but also for Friday, as well as for Wednesday. If you don’t know what dry eating means, then it’s worth talking about it in more detail, because on these three days of the week a believer should eat only lean foods that do not require cooking on the stove or in the oven.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are perfect, rye bread is also used, you can eat nuts and honey, while fruits are used not only seasonal, but also any exotic ones. If we talk about drinking, then ordinary clean water will become the main attribute here, it is very important that the liquid is filtered or boiled. They eat only once a day, and it is better to eat in the evening.

Next, you should talk about nutrition on Thursday and Tuesday, these days it is quite possible to eat food that was cooked on fire, you should pay attention to lean types of cereals and hot soups, vegetables can be used fresh or frozen. Meals are planned for a darker time of the day, and oil is necessarily eliminated from the diet plant origin as well as any kind of fruit.

It will not be difficult to eat every day if you know that Saturdays and Sundays are slightly relaxing days, on these days you can eat food not once a day, but twice, the first meal is taken by the believer in the morning, and the second already in the evening . It is worth preparing these days such dishes that contain vegetable components in their composition, they are usually seasoned with vegetable oil.

There are days on which the laity are generally offered to refuse to eat, for example, on Clean Monday and Good Friday, the Orthodox should only drink pure cold water. In addition, there are other days when believers receive relief in observing strict abstinence from food, this happens on major holidays, for example, during the Annunciation or on Palm Sunday. These days, it is allowed to add boiled or baked fish to your table, as well as any fish products, including fish caviar.

How to eat right by day

In order to strictly observe the fasting menu, you need to know exactly what days and what food is allowed to be consumed, below we will tell you more about how to eat healthy foods by day.

Monday, March 20 . This day is considered the first for Lent, for this reason it is better for believers to refuse to eat, on this day it is only allowed to drink clean water. If a person has indulgences, then he can prepare dishes from legumes for himself, it can be mashed peas, lean soups with lentils, and it is also not forbidden to eat a few dried berries as a sweet. Since the meal is made only once, you can serve both the first and second courses on the table, and sprinkle dried fruits with a little honey.

Tuesday, March 21 . Today it is allowed to cook any kind of lenten dishes and serve them with a small amount of vegetable oil, as a lunch you can use vegetable soup, which is cooked with large pieces of carrots and green peas. For dessert, fruit jelly is used, but it is made only on agar-agar, since gelatin will not work.

Wednesday, March 22 . Today is a dry diet day, but you can still cook lean cabbage soup for yourself, with the addition of cabbage, and a fruit or vegetable salad is also suitable as a side dish. If desired, the fruit salad is dressed with soy milk or plant-based lean yogurt.

Thursday, March 23 . On this day, you can cook delicious and fragrant fried potatoes, but to make dinner more delicious, you can use your salted preparations for the winter.

Friday, March 24 On this day, you can add any kind of mushrooms to your main diet, it is allowed to cook potatoes with fried mushrooms, or cook vegetable soup in mushroom broth.

Saturday, March 25 . On this day, it is allowed to cook a delicious combined porridge from rice and millet, which is cooked only in the oven, and in order to improve the taste of this dish, various types of dried fruits are added to it, starting with simple raisins and ending with sweet dates and dried apricots.

Sunday, March 26 . To make buckwheat porridge tastier, it is recommended to add a little onion and carrots, which are fried in a small amount of vegetable oil. A salad of fresh vegetables, such as cucumbers and tomatoes, is perfect for such a dish. The dish is decorated with greens and served at the table.

Such a menu can be followed for all 40 days, it is enough to change dishes slightly, on the Internet you can find several hundred recipes that will make it possible to make really very delicious food without violating the rules of the post. It is worth remembering that the last week of the long fast will be the strictest, for this reason it is important to eat only raw vegetables and fruits in the last seven days before Easter, you can not use cooked foods.

But on the last day of fasting - Sunday, people will finally be able to taste the most delicious dishes, as well as celebrate Easter cheerfully. In fact, the list of dishes presented above does not have to be used in such a strict form, because even on a strict fast you can indulge yourself with sweets, for example, cookies are prepared with the addition of honey for oatmeal, it would not be bad to bake pancakes without adding flour and milk.

Lent food implies special, certain foods should be absent from the diet. This time is intended for good deeds, prayers, the search for measures to become better, a comprehensive cleansing of the soul and body. The beginning of Lent is a chance for spiritual improvement and rest from animal food.

The right way to post

We celebrate Great Lent in 2019 with joy and special inspiration. This is a good chance to improve your spiritual life and learn how to eat right. This will help the menu by day with recommendations, it is given below. From March 11 to April 27 - these are the days when there will be Lent. Some dietary restrictions should not be taken as a priority. The spiritual part of fasting is mainly aimed at working on oneself, taking care of loved ones, refraining from condemnation, anger, lies, envy and evil deeds, and the food component is insignificant.

You should not restrict yourself in food, practice diets and fasts if you are unhealthy, travel a lot, are weak, work hard, live in an unfavorable or cold geographical area, breastfeed a child or are pregnant. You are allowed to eat everything according to the recommendations of doctors and your needs. Children also cannot be forced to fast food, they can abstain from some kind of food only if they themselves strive for this and are fully aware of the meaning of fasting. As an option, you can try to plan a children's fast before Easter so that the food is free of desserts, sweets and unhealthy foods, it contains less junk food. This is also a good way to cleanse.

It is also necessary to say about how long Great Lent lasts, the total number of days in it is 48. Correct preparation consists in smoothly lightening your diet, learning to analyze your inner world more deeply and learn more about Orthodox culture. Let's try to introduce this ancient tradition into our lives. Despite the fact that the essence of fasting is not a diet, the issue of proper and varied nutrition is still relevant. Every person who accepts Orthodoxy as his worldview and way of life, undergoes the rite of baptism consciously should understand the topic of fasting. One of the best nutrition calendars is presented in this article especially for your convenience.

Monastic lenten menu for every day

What foods can be eaten in fasting according to the charter of most Orthodox monasteries:

• different types of vegetables (including pickled and salted vegetables, sauerkraut);
• seasonal fruits;
• mushrooms;
• the whole range of dried fruits;
• porridge from cereals cooked in water;
• different varieties of nuts;
• compote based on dried fruits;
• natural kvass;
• homemade jelly.

What not to eat in fasting:

• meat products;
• milk products;
• eggs;
• bakery products;
• all alcoholic drinks;
• candies;
• fish;
• mayonnaise;
• White bread.

Food in fasting by day of the week:

• Monday - the day of dry eating (vegetable and fruit dishes, water, bread, compote);
• Tuesday - hot dishes without oils (stewed vegetable dishes, porridge on the water, first courses, for example, pickle soup);
• Wednesday - the day of dry eating (vegetable and fruit dishes, water, bread, compote);
• Thursday - hot dishes without oils (stewed vegetable dishes, porridge on the water, first courses, for example, pickle soup);
• Friday - dry eating (vegetable and fruit dishes, water, bread, compote);
• Saturday - dishes seasoned with oil (vegetable salads, stewed vegetable dishes, first courses);
• Sunday - products with oils (stewed vegetable dishes, vegetable salads and soups).

There are special days in Great Lent:

• Clean Monday (in the first week) - fasting;
• 2, 3, 4, 5 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) days of fasting - food with bread and water;
• Environment - the use of natural wines;
• day 40 of the Holy Martyrs - food with vegetable oil and wine;
• Palm Sunday - fish dishes, caviar, wine, vegetable oil.

Meals for Holy Week (the final week):

• Maundy Monday, Maundy Tuesday, Maundy Wednesday - a ban on processed food, raw food days;
• Maundy Thursday - dishes with vegetable oil, wine;
• Good Friday - fasting;
• Great Saturday - fasting or minimal nutrition with olives, bread, dried fruits;
• Easter holiday - on this day, all Lenten restrictions are removed, you can eat any food.

It should be noted that monastics do not eat meat even outside of fasting, but nevertheless, good food is provided in the monasteries and their diet is rich in nutrients.

Now you have an idea about what foods you can eat in fasting and when you should starve. In fact, there is nothing complicated in planning a diet; for daily nutrition control, you can buy a special calendar, where there are many monastic recipes. We urge you to take the food of Great Lent seriously and be sure to combine it with spiritual perfection, otherwise you do not need to fast.

List of Nutritious Lenten Foods for the Laity

Here are the best foods that fit into the framework of Great Lent and supply the body with many valuable substances for maintenance, health, vigor and good mood:

• different types of table vinegars;
• edible algae;
• lean bread (lavash or other bread products with a neutral composition);
• tomato paste and ketchup;
• lean mayonnaise;
• adjika and many other sauces;
• all kinds of nuts;
• all kinds of seeds;
• pasta and flour products without unnecessary ingredients;
• dried fruits;
• all types of cereals (a good option is cereals with dried fruits);
• mushrooms;
• legumes (eg lentils, peas, beans);
• fish and caviar (as well as shrimp, squid, all this is possible on certain days according to the calendar);
• seasonal and exotic fruits (the more variety of fruits, the better);
• seasonal vegetables (from vegetables you can cook a lot of healthy dishes, eat them pickled, salted, for example, cabbage, beets, carrots, celery);
• homemade sweets (fruit and berry jam, jam);
• lean chocolate;
• milk (coconut, soy and other types);
• drinks (decoctions and infusions of herbs, teas, coffee, jelly, compote, juices, fruit drinks);
• soy yogurt and cheese;
• lean marshmallows;
• marmalade;
• berries;
• Turkish Delight;
• halva and gozinaki;
• sugar and lollipops;
• Korean cuisine (salads).

When Great Orthodox Lent begins, there is no need to drastically change the diet and starve for a long time. As you already understood, by abstaining from all meat and dairy foods, the laity does not need to torture themselves and severely limit themselves during fasting. On the contrary, variety and lightness should reign in the home cooking of Lent. Severe restrictions are intended for highly spiritual persons carrying a feat.

How to keep an Orthodox fast?

Fasting in the monastery and in the world

We figured out what you can eat in fasting, and what to abstain from, and how to properly distribute your diet over the days. You understand that monastic food differs significantly from worldly food, since the monastery has a special charter and the most serious restrictions on food. We are ordinary people, a strict fast is not for us, we can observe fasting days at our discretion, because everyone has different opportunities. Thus, by eating right, you will be able to maintain and increase your health.

Leaving a post

It is important not only to start Great Lent correctly, but also to complete it with dignity. Everyone asks when you can eat after fasting. Usually, all Orthodox begin to eat normally when Easter comes. Ideally, a rich meal is arranged after the Liturgy. It is important not to overeat, but to switch to the usual diet gradually. After completing your post, you need to go to the Easter service. Before communion, the Orthodox experience special religious feelings, and after this sacrament they are overwhelmed with great inexpressible joy, compensating for all the efforts made earlier.

You will be interested meatless recipes, we will describe them below.

Recipes for meatless dishes without animal ingredients

Lenten first course - tomato soup

Components:

• water - liter;
• chopped tomatoes - 450 grams and tomato paste - 4 tablespoons;
• canned white beans - 420 grams;
• onions - 1-2 pieces;
• olive oil - 2 large spoons;
• chili pepper - a quarter of a small spoon;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• wine vinegar - 1-2 large spoons;
• Provence herbs - 2 small spoons;
• sugar - 1-2 large spoons, as much pepper and salt as you like;
• for croutons - ciabatta or baguette, salt, garlic - 3 cloves, olive oil - 3 large spoons.

In the oil heated at the bottom of the pan, saute the onion for about 5 minutes, add pepper, garlic, fry for a couple of minutes, put the tomato paste, fry for another minute. Next, put the herbs and tomatoes, then pour water and wait for it to boil. Add the beans, draining the water from it, after cooking for a quarter of an hour, add black pepper, salt, sugar, vinegar. Cook under the lid for 10 minutes. Cook garlic croutons in the oven - fry the bread in oil with garlic.

Lenten second dish - stewed cabbage and mushrooms

Components:

• cabbage - up to 1 kg;
• champignons - 400 grams;
• vegetable oil - about 3 large spoons;
• salt, pepper, lemon juice - 2 small spoons.

Randomly cut the cabbage and mushrooms, heat the oil in a frying pan. Mushrooms are fried first, then cabbage is added to them. After pouring a small amount of water, simmer the dish under the lid until the food softens. If necessary, add water. Mature cooking time white cabbage- about an hour, if it is Beijing or young cabbage - 20 minutes is enough. Season the finished dish with pepper, salt, lemon juice, leave on fire without a lid for 3 minutes to evaporate moisture.

The main dishes for fasting can be prepared quickly and tasty on those days when it is necessary, and with the right selection of products, the impression of an inferior diet will not be created.

lean salad

Components:

• carrots - 2 pieces;
• tomatoes - 2 pieces;
• cucumber - 1 piece;
• apple - 1 piece;
• onion - 1 piece;
• lemon - half;
• vegetable oil - a large spoon;
• herbs, salt, sugar.

Grate carrots with a Korean or simple grater. We cut onions, tomatoes, cucumbers. Grind the greens, cut the apple, removing the skin. Oil, salt with sugar, lemon juice squeezed out of a lemon - make dressing from these products, mix everything.

Lenten cookies

Components:

• water - 200 ml;
• flour - up to 400 grams;
• baking powder - half a small spoon;
• salt, sugar, nuts, dried fruits basil or other herbs;
• vegetable oil - 70 ml.

Pour oil into water. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, gradually combine the liquid with the dry component. Keep the resulting dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. From a layer of dough, with a thickness of 2 to 4 mm, make any shape - round, diamond-shaped, square, triangular. To make cookies sweet, dip them in sugar with chopped dried fruits and nuts. For salty cookies, use basil with salt. Bake cookies pierced with a fork in the oven for 15 to 25 minutes at a temperature of 200 degrees.

Oatmeal cutlets

Components:

• oatmeal - a glass;
• onion - 1 piece;
• potatoes - 1 piece;
• carrot - 1 piece;
• spices, garlic and herbs.

Lean cutlets are easy to prepare. Soak for about 20 minutes the flakes in hot water. Grate onions, potatoes, carrots, crush the garlic with a garlic press, chop the greens. Mix vegetables, garlic gruel and herbs with oatmeal, add salt and pepper (you can add any spices). Using a spoon, fry the cutlets on both sides. In this recipe, we also recommend including mushrooms and eggs on non-fast days.

Lenten nutrition is unthinkable without potato dishes, mashed soups. For lunch, you can cook hearty cabbage soup, for dinner, serve pancakes, pilaf, pancakes without animal ingredients. To make the dishes more interesting, you can make lean mayonnaise or various sauces. For a sense of celebration on ordinary days, the best solution is a lean cake or lean pizza.

So, we talked about all the generally accepted features of the diet and the preparation of lean dishes. Let there always be light, healthy, tasty lean food on your tables. Do not forget to attend church services, come to the temple not only with your troubles and problems, but at any free time. It is not difficult to observe the Great Lent of Christians, the main thing is to tune in to it correctly.

Great Lent is not only a time of abstinence from fast food, but also a period of spiritual purification. It is designed to prepare believers for the Easter holiday, so that everyone can meet this bright day with a pure soul and an open heart.

The time of physical and spiritual abstinence is a period given to a person in order to moderate his desires and needs and thereby draw closer to the Lord. Daily prayers for yourself and your loved ones, as well as the rejection of worldly pleasures elevate the soul and allow it to develop in piety and faith in happiness. Lent in 2017 will begin on February 27 and continue until April 15. For this period, the church recommends that all Orthodox Christians adhere to the lenten menu, excluding meat products from their diet.

First week of fasting

Monday, 27 February. Today, according to church canons, it is worth refraining from eating and devoting time to prayers.

Tuesday, 28 February. On Tuesday, limit your diet to eating bread, mostly black, and water, kvass and tea without sugar are allowed as a drink.

Wednesday, March 1st. Eat raw fruits and vegetables. You can diversify the menu with dried fruits, nuts, herbs and bread.

Friday, March 3rd The church does not allow the use of vegetable oil. You should also limit yourself to raw foods. You don't have to cook on this day.

Saturday, March 4th Stick to the Friday menu today. Grape and apple juices are allowed.

Sunday, March 5 Today, cooking with the addition of vegetable oil is allowed. It is also allowed to drink dry red wine in small quantities as a sacrament.

Second week of fasting

Monday, March 6th Allowed porridge on the water, vegetable soup, potatoes, fresh vegetables and fruits.

Tuesday, March 7th. You can diversify the menu with jam or jam. As the main food, use cereals cooked in water, as well as dried fruits and nuts.

Wednesday, March 8 Include hodgepodge or other dishes using cabbage in your diet.

Thursday, March 9 Add vegetable oil to cereals on the water. Homemade food is allowed.

Friday, March 10 For variety on the menu, make a vinaigrette, pea soup, and potato cutlets.

Saturday, March 11 Allowed to add homemade preserves to the main menu. Today is the first parental saturday, on which the Orthodox visit the cemetery in order to honor deceased relatives.

Sunday, March 12 On this day, fried potatoes, fruits and vegetables are allowed.

In general, the menu of the second week of fasting includes all the main products, with the exception of food of animal origin, so housewives can use it every day to prepare new dishes. Only alcohol is completely excluded. The prohibition also applies to excessive consumption of food.

Third week of fasting

Monday, March 13 Any cereal cooked in water or vegetable broth is allowed.

Tuesday, March 14 Eat cabbage rolls, fresh vegetable salad and boiled potatoes.

Wednesday, March 15 Diversify the menu with nuts and fresh herbs. They provide a sufficient amount of energy and contribute to the rapid saturation of the body.

Thursday, March 16 Today, for a change, make red bean lobio.

Friday, March 17 Buckwheat cutlets and rice porridge with raisins, as well as fruit compote will improve your mood.

Saturday, March 18 As a main dish for lunch, please the household with a pickle and a vinaigrette containing a large amount of vitamins. Today is the second parent saturday. Visit the cemetery and pray for your deceased relatives.

Sunday, March 19 Vegetable borsch, as well as potato cutlets with the addition of fresh herbs, will delight you with their taste.

Fourth week of fasting

Monday, March 20 On this day, eat legumes with the addition of dried fruits.

Tuesday, March 21st. Today for lunch, serve vegetable soup with large pieces of carrots and green peas, as a dessert, you can make fruit jelly.

Wednesday, March 22 Fresh cabbage soup and fruit salad seasoned with sweet soy milk.

Thursday, March 23 Today, your homemade preparations will come in handy with fried potatoes.

Friday, March 24th Add mushrooms to your diet. With their wonderful aroma, they will remind you of the approach of the long-awaited summer and charge you with good emotions.

Saturday, March 25 Make a combined rice and millet porridge in the oven, adding dried fruit for taste. March 25 is the third parental Saturday.

Sunday, March 26 Add fried onions and carrots to buckwheat porridge, also prepare a healthy salad of tomatoes and cucumbers. Decorate dishes with herbs.

Fifth and sixth weeks of fasting

During these weeks, you can use the recommendations from the previous days and cook according to your taste preferences. Still not worth using for cooking butter, as well as mayonnaise and other dressings, including milk, eggs and other foods of animal origin.

Seventh week of fasting

The last week of Great Lent is extremely strict. This is the final stage before the celebration of Easter.

Monday to Wednesday the church imposes a ban on cooking - use raw fruits and vegetables on the menu.

AT Thursday porridge from any cereal cooked in water is allowed.

Friday- a strict day on which only bread (better yesterday) and water are possible.

AT Saturday it is forbidden to eat food. Drink plenty of fluids so as not to harm your health.

Sunday falls on the celebration of Easter and marks the end of Lent.

This is an approximate list of products that you can replace with others that are similar in composition. Such a strict fast is made up for clergymen and monks, and ordinary people you can make indulgences by eating foods necessary to maintain yourself in good condition. Remember also that sick people, pregnant women and children should not maintain such an ascetic menu, as they need much more vitamins.

Great Lent: what is it and what kind of food can be consumed, what should be the menu for fasting before Easter. Ordinary people have different attitudes towards fasting: some consider their observance optional, others that fasting is a diet, others live at this time according to an almost strict monastic charter ... In fact, Great Lent, however, like any other, is a cleansing of the soul from bad thoughts. Its basis is not exhaustion of the body at all, but abstinence from abundant food. Lent is a preparatory period before the celebration of one of the most important Christian holidays.

It is generally accepted that the Easter fast is a long 40 days of carrot and beet cutlets, empty potatoes and porridge and sauerkraut with cucumbers. But it's not all that scary! The list of allowed dishes includes lasagna and spaghetti, you can enjoy pizza, dumplings, and pies ... But milk, meat, eggs, cheese and cottage cheese will have to be excluded from the menu. Fish in fasting before Easter is allowed only twice: on the Annunciation and on, and vegetable oil - only on weekends. In the first and last weeks, it is recommended to eat foods that do not require cooking, such as vegetables. But on the rest of the fasting days, even the cooks of the monasteries say that you need to eat the usual dishes, that is, the lenten menu should not radically differ from the usual one. Please cook and eat your favorite stuffed peppers, spaghetti (but do not put eggs in the dough), borscht (mushroom or bean), pilaf, pancakes or dumplings, but vegetarian. And remember that everyone can and should measure the observance of Orthodox canons during the days of fasting before Easter with the state of their own health.

So, let's talk about what you can eat in fasting before Easter. On "damp days", that is, during the first and last weeks fasting, you should eat only thermally unprocessed, that is, raw food and lean bread. These are the most severe days - you can’t even drink hot tea or compote. But all sorts of salads and vegetable cuts with bread are quite suitable. The menu of such days may also include fruit salads, consisting of chopped pears and apples, persimmons and tangerines-oranges, grapes and kiwi ... As a dressing - liquid honey and / or orange juice. All this is eaten with lean bread. Great breakfast or dinner!

By the way, you can add any nuts you like to such a salad: walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts ... And there’s no need to talk about the benefits of fruit-nut-honey mixtures, you can eat them at least every day.

You can make cold tomato gazpacho soup. In a blender, you need to mix half a liter of tomato juice, about a kilogram of fresh tomatoes, a couple of cucumbers and a couple of onions, bell peppers, a clove of garlic with two or three sprigs of celery, fresh sprigs of basil and parsley. All you need to salt and pepper to taste and serve with lean bread. By the way, if you do not want to use tomatoes (they are still expensive and not particularly tasty in winter), you can take more tomato juice, homemade is best.

Dishes for ordinary days

For the most part, on fasting days, you can eat exclusively vegetarian food without oil (including without vegetable oil). For breakfast, you can cook, for example, delicious porridge.

You will need:

• apple juice (preferably homemade) - 1 cup;
• water - 1 glass;
• rice (preferably brown, long, but regular is also suitable) - 300 g;
• seedless raisins - 100 g;
• cinnamon - 1.5-2 tsp

Pour juice and water into a saucepan, add rice, raisins, cinnamon. Cover with a lid, put on a small fire and cook. After 40 minutes, turn off, but do not remove the lid - let it brew. Before serving, the dish can be decorated with pieces of fruit, it will be not only beautiful, but also useful!

You can have lunch with lean borscht with sauerkraut and mushrooms:

• beets - 120 g;
• sauerkraut - 60 g;
• dried white mushrooms - 15 g;
• onion - 1 large;
• carrot - 1 medium;
• flour - 5 g;
• vegetable oil - 25 g;
• tomato paste - 25 g;
• bay leaf, allspice, parsley;
• salt - to your taste.

Wash mushrooms and boil - we get broth and soft mushrooms. We cut the carrots with onions and beets and sauté in oil with salted cabbage. At the end of the browning process, add flour. Pour vegetables with mushroom broth, add bay leaf, allspice and tomato paste. Sliced ​​mushrooms are fried in vegetable oil and also sent to borscht. A small amount of oil for passivation is acceptable. After that, cook borscht for another half an hour. We rub separately cooked beets and at the end of half an hour add to the borscht. Bring to a boil and turn off. Serving to the table, for beauty and aroma, sprinkle borscht with parsley.

For dinner, you can serve cabbage salad. Even from several of its species: kohlrabi, red-headed, brussels or kelp ( seaweed). We cut the cabbage, mix with grated carrots, canned corn and bell peppers. This dish is very tasty with lean bread and boiled potatoes sprinkled with fragrant fresh dill.

Weekend Dishes

During these periods, when cooking, you can use any vegetable oil and seafood. For example, on the weekend you can please yourself and loved ones with a honey cake:

• sugar - 1 cup
• water - 1 glass;
• vegetable oil - half a cup;
• honey - 2 tbsp. l.;
• soda - 1 tsp;
• cocoa - 2 tbsp. l.;
• coriander and cinnamon - a pinch each;
• half a glass of nuts;
• kishmisha - half a cup;
• baking powder - 0.5 tsp;
• flour - 1.5-2 cups.

Mix and grind sugar with water and vegetable oil. Heat this mass a little and add honey to it. Separately, you need to mix soda with cocoa and add a pinch of coriander and cinnamon. Then combine both mixtures, grind until completely homogeneous, then add half a glass of chopped nuts and the same amount of raisins, as well as baking powder and flour. As a result, you should get a dough of the consistency of thick sour cream. Bake for half an hour at 200°C.

This gingerbread can be cut across into layers-cakes and smeared with any jam - you get a pie. Gingerbread pie is especially tasty with rosehip broth.

Soda pancakes will delight children:

• flour - 2 cups;
• salt - 1 tsp;
• sugar - 4 tsp;
• mineral water with gas - 2.5 cups.

Sift the flour, add salt and sugar, pour in the soda and knead the dough, similar in consistency to sour cream. We cover it with a film and leave it warm for 40 minutes. We bake pancakes in vegetable oil - and on the table, pouring honey and / or jam.

You can also cook a transforming pie with mushrooms. Grind and fry a large onion in vegetable oil, and then add a couple of medium-sized carrots, a few sprigs of celery and a pound of chopped champignons there. In the same pan (or stewpan) you need to pour a liter jar of tomatoes in their own juice and simmer for another half an hour. We put part of the finished filling in a pan, on top - plates of puff pastry (purchased is quite suitable), then the filling again, then again the plates. 4-6 layers is enough. Bake the mushroom pie for about 20 minutes in an oven preheated to 180 ° C.