What's everyone making for Ash Wednesday & Fridays during Lent?

[ourbabygirl]

I have a hard time with this as I get *really* hungry staying home with the kids...
my kids won't eat soup or salad, so other than PB toast and some other breakfast foods, eggs, cheese pizza, and mac & cheese, I'm out of ideas.

What do you serve?

[c914]

Pasta salad, cheese tortellini with marinara, cheesy garlic bread or bread sticks with marinara, cheese quesadillas with salsa

[pastrygirl]

I'm only cooking for myself tonight, because there's leftover chicken for everyone else. I'm going to make soup, but I don't know what kind yet. I might just thaw a moroccan lentil chickpea soup that I have (Wegmans recipe).

ETA: my kids aren't bound to the fast/meatless thing because they haven't made their first communion yet. My husband is lapsed, so he doesn't do it intentionally, but does eat vegetarian if thats what I make for dinner.

[Twoboos]

I think we'll do quesedillas tonight... and then struggle through the other days, LOL!! DD1 won't eat mac & cheese, tortellini or ravioli, or anything with cheese. They won't eat vegetable soup.

UGH, I just realized they are buying lunch today - chicken sandwich.

[janine]

Nothing special but can i just say there were nuns at the train station this morning with "ashes to go". The Church is really trying...

[Ceepa]

We don't eat a lot of meat here so I'm hoping meal planning will be smooth, but my kids have been sick lately so they're pickier than usual about what they'll eat.

Twoboos - will your kids eat eggs?



ETA: my kids aren't bound to the fast/meatless thing because they haven't made their first communion yet.

Kids aren't included until 14 for abstinence, 18 for fasting:


Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of universal fast and abstinence. Fasting is obligatory for all who have completed their 18th year and have not yet reached their 60th year. Fasting allows a person to eat one full meal. Two smaller meals may be taken, not to equal one full meal. Abstinence (from meat) is obligatory for all who have reached their 14th year.
http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-resources/lent/catholic-information-on-lenten-fast-and-abstinence.cfm

[AnnieW625]

we have some left over spaghetti with non meat sauce (I cooked the meat separately last night). I might make some eggplant to go with that, and then I should have left overs for at least lunch on Friday. We will most likely have salad as well. DD1 will most likely get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I have always included the kids when we don't eat meat.

Other ideas:
bean and cheese burritos
cheese and green chili enchiladas
tuna casserole
clam spaghetti
fresh fish
fish tacos
shrimp creole
cheese soufflé (although I have never made this)
eggplant caponata (from One of the Giada cook books)

[ourbabygirl]

Thanks for the reminder about kids' ages... mine are 2 and 4, so they're exempt. :)

[zukeypur]

My kids are technically exempt at 3 & 6, but I mostly include them anyway. However, I forgot a out it this morning and sent DD to school with a lunchable. Oops! I'm thinking about French onion soup and grilled cheese for tonight, or maybe a fish dish.

[Kindra178]

Frittata.

[pakin]

For Wednesday, we'll have veggie nachos. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Veggie-Nachos-235

For Friday, I plan to make glueten-free salmon cakes.
http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2010/10/gluten-free-salmon-cakes.html

Pakin

DS 4/2001
DD 6/2005

[123LuckyMom]

DH is Roman Catholic. I'm Episcopal. I'm the only one who fasts on Fridays. We do soup and bread for Friday dinners in Lent. Apart from that, we just eat very simply and have no desserts or sweets. Snacks are only cheese, yogurt, fruit, or nuts. We make three exceptions: Valentine's Day, DH's birthday, and my birthday. We treat them like feast days and enjoy our cake and special dinners.

This year we're going to Disney World during Lent. It's not ideal, but it was the only time my sister could go, and we've been trying to plan this trip for two years, so we jumped on the window of opportunity. We'll suspend all Lenten behavior for our trip.

[Gena]

Some of our favorites:

Baked tilapia
Salmon patties (DS loves these)
Breakfast for dinner: eggs and pancakes
grilled cheese and salad
pasta

[pastrygirl]

Thanks for the info on the ages! We always had to do it growing up, so I thought the age was first communion. I'll still include my kids before those ages, but won't freak out if they have meat or break the fast.

[AnnieW625]

Thanks for the info on the ages! We always had to do it growing up, so I thought the age was first communion. I'll still include my kids before those ages, but won't freak out if they have meat or break the fast.

We followed the adult no meat on Friday rules as kids as that is what my parents did (I was born in 1977, my brother in 1980, and my sister in 1987) but I don't ever remember hearing that you didn't have to do it as kids until the mid 90s around the time my sister received her first communion. The church started getting more vocal about changes or dispensations made for kids and the elderly as welll then.

On a side note I was shocked last year when I went to order DD1 her hot lunch she gets once a week (catered by a private a company) that the only vegetarian option besides some California rolls DD1 won't eat was cheese pizza when they routinely serve bean and cheese burritos or meatless pasta the rest of the other days of the week through out the school year. At least this year they added fish sticks so she'll be trying those in a couple of weeks, but for a company that is run by Catholics and for services provided at a Catholic school I thought they would have had more meatless options on Friday. (no idea it was until they sent out a letter around Christmas thanking us for their business and mentioned that they were Catholic as well and were happy that our Catholic school had chosen their service).

[Ceepa]

Thanks for the info on the ages! We always had to do it growing up, so I thought the age was first communion. I'll still include my kids before those ages, but won't freak out if they have meat or break the fast.

Oh yeah, we include DC in the meatless menu, too.

I attached the link upthread because last night I had to review what the rules are now for kids and thought someone else might find it useful.

And I don't know about anyone else, but this thread is making me hungry.

[jayali]

Tonight (ash wednesday) is Lentil soup. Fridays will probably be pizza.

We too do the no sweets with the exception of Valentines Day and my Birthday.

While technically DS is exempt he does do meatless. It is his choice. He doesn't have a choice on the sweets!