great fast
meals
Due to a family health crisis, I've been on a whole-food, plant-based nutrition plan since 2017, which is a lot like our Eastern Christian fasting regimen! It wasn't easy but it's not as hard as you might think. Let me share some of what I've
learned along the way with you!
Next up:
The Nativity Fast
November 15-December 24
What is True Fasting?
THE NATIVITY FAST
On November 15, we will begin Philip's fast. It is a fast of 40 days (during which the faithful abstain from animal foods, as they do during Great Lent) that continues from the day after the feast of St. Philip until Christmas to spiritually prepare for the coming of the Savior.
Many contend that the fast is attributed to the 40 days of prayer after the anniversary of the death of St.Philip and may have nothing to do with the feast of the Nativity. Nevertheless, it does take place forty days before this great feast, and many Eastern Christians use it to prepare themselves for its celebration. We can do this by fasting from meat and dairy, from sweets, from whatever we choose to be most meaningful to us, or we can prepare in other ways.
It isn't really known when such a fast was introduced. Some say it was observed as early as the sixth century, although some say later in the eighth. However, it was in the year 1166 AD that the Nativity Fast was first formally instituted at a synod at Constantinople to imitate the 40 days that Moses fasted before receiving the tablets of the law.
The fast is designed to prepare us both physically and spiritually for the coming of the Savior at Christmas. We are asked to abstain from meat and dairy products, eggs, and oil, just as we do during the Great Fast, but the rules are a bit less strict. We may eat fish and are allowed oil and wine on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends, and on feast days such as the Presentation of the Theotokos and St. Nicholas day.
Watch ByziMom
Catherine Alexander from
Your Word From the Wise
as she interviews
Abouna Moses from
Holy Resurrection Monastery on how to observe the Fast
See the Video HERE
Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate, Completed October 2020, from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies at Cornell University.
My book is out!...
As you may already know, my family has been advised by our cardiologist to adopt a perpetual fast in order to combat a family health crisis. We've adopted a whole-foods, plant-based, no oil diet...just like our Eastern Christian fast!...full time, and now that we've done it, I can help you get through 40 days of fasting too.
Here are a few of ByziMom's Great Fast Recipes:
Middle Eastern Meze: falafel, tzadziki, tabbouleh & dolmades
Fajita Night: sweet potato tortillas, unfried beans, oil-free vegetable stir fry, cashew nacho sauce, Mexican quinoa, etc.
What's for dinner tonight?
Dormition
Lily Tea Sandwiches
When the apostles opened the sepulcher for St. Thomas,
tradition tells us that they were greeted by the fragrance of
the flowers they saw there in place of the body of Our Lady.
It only seems right that we use this floral theme with which to
celebrate her bodily Assumption! White calla lilies are used
to symbolize purity and marriage, and for this reason, we often
see them in bridal bouquets. On the other hand, they are often
utilized in funeral arrangements as well, since they also represent
resurrection. Since Our Blessed Mother is the immaculate bride
who rose up to heaven today, this is a wonderful symbol of her!
Ingredients:
-
Prepared Hummus
-
White sandwich bread, sliced and crusts removed
-
Carrots, peeled and julienned
Preparation:
These lily sandwiches can be made with your favorite brand of prepared hummus, or with some you make yourself.
Here is the recipe my family enjoys:
In a small blender, add one can of drained chickpeas, the juice of a lemon, a tablespoon of tahini ( or peanut butter), a clove of garlic, and some salt and (maybe) cumin, to taste. Blend until smooth.
Now, take a slice of plain white bread (unfortunately, the pastier the bread, the prettier the flower, in this case) and cut off the crusts...not something we usually permit in our house, mind you, but it IS a feast day.
Spread the hummus rather thinly on the bread, staying away from the edges, and place a few VERY thin carrot sticks across it in a diagonal way, from corner to corner. Roll one edge of the bread toward the edge that lies right next to it, forming a lily flower. Press the edges together to seal. Serve on a platter of lettuce leaves.
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