Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Not a Fun Day


Today is Ash Wednesday.  This marks the beginning of the Lenten season.  Today is what is called a "fasting day" which means I can only eat three times: One normal meal, and two mini-meals (when combined cannot equal the size of the normal meal).  And NO meat. 


I'm about to die, I think. I know the whole point of the fasting is to suffer, so it doesn't help to complain, but I'm still about to die. 


For breakfast I had two eggs with butter.  

For lunch I had a banana and two slices of cheese. (Normally, I try to stay away from fruit, but I was severely limited in what I could have today).

 And for dinner I had tilapia with brussel sprouts.


Not. Enough. Food. 


And I majorly dislike seafood. Of any kind. 


I've had a headache all day, and been pretty tired... course, that could have to do with the fact that I walked 2 miles today, and had to do an hour of "core strengthening" at the gym. 

I'm pretty sure I won't be able to walk tomorrow. 

The kids had a really light lunch since I couldn't think of what to give them. They had some grapes, some bell peppers and a ... larabar.  Yup, they were starving by the time school was out. 

I picked up some frozen tilapia (yeah, I know, but we don't have fresh here in Kansas) from the grocery store, thawed it, put it in a casserole dish, topped it with lemon, capers, and a stick of butter, and baked at 375 for 15 minutes. 

I've never made fish. Ever. So I was really scared to see what would happen. Thankfully, it turned out okay. The flavors worked together well. It was still too fishy for my liking, but less offensive than other fishes I've had.  Regina and Tom really liked it. The baby wouldn't touch it. And the other two said they liked it, but then wouldn't eat it.  Meh. 

Earlier today I was so hungry I thought "I think even eating butter straight would be delicious." No lie. 

Lent is not for wimps.  I might want to be a wimp then....

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14 comments:

  1. SaraFebruary 23, 2012 at 4:09 AM

    Yesterday was hard! I had half a banana for b-fast since my son who just got braces couldn't handle it. I had 1 fried egg for lunch, and 3 fried eggs for dinner because we were going to the fish fry where there would have been lots of questionable ingredients for me. I think the only thing that kept me going was the infusion of fat as I sipped my cup of coffee all day that had 2 T of coconut oil in it.

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  2. fuzzyFebruary 23, 2012 at 7:18 AM

    Children are NOT required to fast, and if they can't eat grains, then it is incumbent upon you as their parent to give them food that they can eat. If that means meat, feed them meat and you eat fish.

    Catholicism is not a rock to break people, for pity's sake. Find something they can/will eat.

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    1. HeatherFebruary 23, 2012 at 10:16 AM

      Being that I'm a cradle Catholic, I am well familiar with the fasting rules and ages to which they apply. Since two of my kids are over the age of seven, they ARE required to go without meat. They are NOT required to only have 3 small meals. They had normal amounts of food, just without the meat.

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    2. Sarah FaithFebruary 23, 2012 at 1:52 PM

      Actually, it's 14 years old not 7 for Latin rite Catholics (1983 Canon 1252). Not that you did anything wrong, just sayin'...

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  3. koriFebruary 23, 2012 at 7:52 AM

    Yesterday was tough :-(. Not only is this the first Lent that I am not pregnant and/or bfing full time i.e. - I actually have to fast and abstain (yuck!) but not eating meat on this diet is HARD! Anyway, I got through it too. The kids had an easier time than I expected. We did eggs and sweet potato for their breakfast, tuna mixed with tons of homemade mayo and black olives and pickles on the side for lunch, and "fried" cauli-rice topped with a fried egg for dinner. They were a little miffed about the lack of meat, but we got through it. I think adding more eggs and fat into the day makes it doable for the little ones. And I know it sounds gross, but my kids do snack on slices of butter occasionally. The little one (23months) especially loves it and is constantly asking for "piece butter?"

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  4. Tony HFebruary 23, 2012 at 8:49 AM

    My kids love cod .. Its not as "fishy" as some of the other choices although Im partial to Halibut steaks on the grill "in season"..

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  5. HeatherFebruary 23, 2012 at 10:18 AM

    Well, it's good to know we're not in it alone. :)

    We'll try the cod next week, thanks, Tony!

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  6. Polly MetallicFebruary 23, 2012 at 11:33 AM

    How about a cheese based meal instead of fish. A nice big quiche with cheddar, mushrooms, spinach etc. Maybe a frittata with vegetables and cheese. You could also make a hearty vegetable soup without meat.

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  7. Sarah FaithFebruary 23, 2012 at 1:47 PM

    Eating butter straight IS delicious!!

    You might want to strategically time a pregnancy to coincide with Lent. I have done this many times. It sure comes in handy to be dispensed around this time. Nyah nyah. ;)

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    1. HeatherFebruary 24, 2012 at 7:07 PM

      I spent the first... five?... years of my marriage doing just that. lolol I hoped for this time, but no dice. drat

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  8. FashionistaFebruary 23, 2012 at 3:41 PM

    Tuna is a great option and kids love it! Love your blog!

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  9. KathiFebruary 24, 2012 at 6:32 PM

    I was also going to suggest quiche. I did ours tonight with crab and spinach. I had egg salad for lunch with some butternut squash soup. Oven baked sweet potato fries. I know you're trying to cut back on carbs, but the kids aren't. I love 'tuna burgers'- tuna, grated zucchini, and a bit of grated onion with egg as 'glue'. Salmon patties. Shrimp. Sun or nut butter.
    Yes, if you give up grains things like cheese pizza and Mac and cheese are no longer options, but there are still ideas out there. Lots of Fridays before Lent is over.....

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  10. KendraFebruary 26, 2012 at 12:13 PM

    I've been trying to find ways to make salads and vegetables stay appealing and keep my green veggie intake up high.

    Perhaps check out things like 'Raw Cashew Cream Sauce.' (Lots of links if you search.) The creaminess is a nice change from mayo. You essentially just soak the cashews a bit and then blend them up with dill or red peppers or curry-- whatever flavor you're interested in.

    I've found these are delicious and not too hard to make ahead of time to help keep salads and veggies appealing. Might be an option to help out if you're eating less meat.

    Good luck!

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  11. westroxjewFebruary 26, 2012 at 12:37 PM

    It sounds like you are not a fish person, so I would highly recommend using a sauce that you like for chicken or pork chops and use that on your fish. Tilapia is a plain (sort of boring) fish even for people who like fish. Try baking your fish in the oven with a flavorful sauce--the fish will take on the taste of the sauce and not really taste like fish.

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