Mia Kouppa Great Lent Meal Plan 2021
A FREE downloadable resource to take you from Clean Monday to Orthodox Easter which includes a Meal Plan and additional Lenten Recipes
Download your FREE Great Lent Meal Plan 2021 and your FREE additional Great Lent Recipes here:
This is most certainly our favourite time of the year. The period of Great Lent which precedes Orthodox Pascha, along with the weeks of Kreatini (Meatfare) and then Tyrini (Cheesefare) which come before it are opportunities for renewal, spiritual growth and a deepening connection with our faith.
The choice on how to live during Great Lent is a personal one. There are certainly “rules” which are dictated by our faith, but situations, contexts, beliefs and capabilities vary and so anyone who is interested discussing their own personal reality is encouraged to speak to their parish priest or spiritual father.
Generally speaking however, there are three main ways to connect to our faith during Great Lent; prayer, almsgiving and fasting. To help with the latter we have once again provided you with a free, downloadable meal plan to take you all the way from Kathara Deftera (Clean Monday) to Pascha (Orthodox Easter). This meal plan should be looked at as a sort of inspiration, and although you can certainly use it religiously (pun intended!), you can also choose to use it as a guide to help you and your family during the next 40 days and then through Holy Week.
How to Use the Great Lent Meal Plan 2021:
- Although you can print the meal plan to have it as a reference, it is best used on the computer. That way you can link directly to the recipe posts.
- Any recipe in the calendar which is underlined and in blue font can be clicked, and then the recipe will open in a new tab on your computer.
- Any recipe which has an asterix (*) next to it is included in the additional downloadable document called Great Lent Recipes.
- In the Great Lent Recipes document you will find recipes not yet published on our website. Many, but not all of them, are included in the meal plan calendar. Others are presented as additional options, for you to use as you like.
- We recommend you look through the entire week when planning your menus. That way you can shop accordingly, and make any switches you would like to make.
- We recommend you read the first page of the Great Lent Meal Plan for additional information and tips.
Regardless of how you choose to use the Great Lent Meal Plan, and no matter how you choose to fast, or not fast, there are a few words of wisdom that our mother used to remind us of, and we feel it is important to share these with you.
- When you are fasting, you should not look at anyone’s plate but your own, meaning, do not judge what others do in regards to fasting and do not compare yourself to others. Fasting is personal.
- What comes out of your mouth is more important than what goes into it. So, fasting is only meaningful if you use it as a way to remember that coming closer to God also means treating others with kindness, respect, compassion and love.
As mentioned previously, fasting is only one way to prepare for Pascha, the others being prayer and almsgiving. There are wonderful prayer resources available, including on-line. You can find some resources on the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Canada website by clicking here or on the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America by clicking here.
Regarding almsgiving, we encourage all of you to consider ways in which you can gift money, food or other goods (including your time) to those who are in need. During the Nativity Fast, we asked everyone to donate what they could to a charity which was dear to our hearts, the ALS Society of Quebec. You can certainly choose to do so again now by clicking on this link. At the same time, there may be charities that you prefer to support. Let us know how you are offering alms during this period of Great Lent in the comments section of this post. We would love to hear about the good work that you are doing, and remember, sometimes the best gift you can offer to someone in need is your time and your compassion.
Wishing you all a blessed lenten period,
xoxo Helen & Billie
Download your FREE Great Lent Meal Plan 2021 and your FREE additional Great Lent Recipes here:
Interested in our previous Lenten Meal Plans? Check them out here:
Thank you for all your great recipes. My family has enjoyed every dish I have cooked form your site—especially your milopitakia! Thank you for the inspiration! Sophia
We are so happy to hear that Sophia! Thanks for taking the time to comment, and we hope that you and your family continue to find recipes to love here 🙂 Thanks for being part of our Mia Kouppa community! xoxo Helen & Billie
For those who adhere to the rules of fasting, Lent can pose some culinary challenges. However, if you know what to do, you can still create delicious meals. Thanks for posting this!
You’re welcome Nick!! We do our best to offer delicious healthy options during this time. Thank you so much for your kind comment and support! xoxo Helen & Billie