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The Daniel Fast-- we meet again

During the month of August is a month dedicated to prayer in our church. Two years ago, they added the element of fasting to this month. So as a church body, we completed a 21 day fast called the Daniel Fast. 
My husband and I both completed this fast the first year our church participated. Last year, I was still breast feeding our youngest son and did not participate in the fast. However, this year, my husband and I (along with others in our church) will be starting the fast on Monday, August 4th. 
Now the exciting thing about this is that the last day of the fast is August 24th and my birthday is August 25th. What better way to end a fast than to eat some cake!!

Another couple of things the photo does not show are no yeast and no sweetners of any kind. Remember, this is a fast, it's supposed to be challenging!

As the saying goes, "IF IT DOESN'T CHALLENGE US, IT WON'T CHANGE US!"

This year, I am actually excited about the fast. My eating habits have changed drastically from where they were 1 & 2 years ago. Really, when I began meal planning, I saw that during the day, my food really won't change much.  I will leave out sweeteners like honey and coconut cane sugar for my oats but most everything will be a tweak from the norm. I hope to give a meal plan each week for the three weeks that we will be fasting. 

So here goes week one  I have planned three meals and three snacks. I do not plan on worrying about calories or portions for these three weeks. But really, when you're eating mainly fruits and veggies, you have some room to spare calorie wise. 

MONDAY
B:: fresh fruit smoothie 
Sn:: cucumbers & tomatoes with apple cider vinegar
L:: overnight oats (1/3 cup steel cut oats, 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 tsp chia seeds, peanut butter & banana- allow to sit in fridge for at least 5 hours). I like to eat mine cold but they can be heated. 
Sn:: apple and 10 almonds
D:: Quinoa chili (beans, diced tomatoes, tomatoes sauce, spices, corn, quinoa)
Sn:: pineapple sorbet (purée pineapple and coconut water and freeze)

TUESDAY
B:: Daniel fast friendly cereal with unsweetened almond milk (I believe the kind we bought last time was natures path and there was one kind that was sweetened with juice instead of cane syrup or sugar)
Sn:: apple slices with peanut butter and sunflower seeds
L:: big salad (lots of veggies with olive oil, lemon & vinegar)
Sn:: edamame with sea salt
D:: taco soup (vegetable broth, salsa (no sugar), black beans, pinto beans, corn, brown rice)
Sn:: plain rice cake with coconut cream concentrate and banana slices

WEDNESDAY
B::chickpea pancakes (on my Pinterest board) with puréed strawberry sauce
Sn:: ants on a log (celery, peanut butter and raisins (no sugar))
L:: whole wheat tortilla with sautéed green, red and orange peppers with black beans
Sn:: cucumbers & tomatoes with apple cider vinegar
D:: squash, zucchini & onions with baked sweet potato with cinnamon and unsweetened coconut flakes
Sn:: pineapple sorbet

THURSDAY
B:: cereal with unsweetened almond milk
Sn:: roasted chickpeas (Pinterest board)
L::overnight oats (same recipe as above but replace pb & banana with frozen berries and dried fruit with no added sugar)
Sn:: apple and 10 almonds
D:: black bean burger (if you don't make it check ingredients!!), salad and oven potato wedges with homemade ketchup (Pinterest board)
Sn:: ice cream (blend banana, peanut butter and cocoa then freeze)

FRIDAY
B:: fruit smoothie with chia seeds
Sn:: watermelon with 10 almonds
L:: salad with nuts, edamame & lemon olive oil vinaigrette 
Sn:: apple slices with peanut butter, sunflower seeds and shredded coconut
D:: quinoa chili leftovers
Sn:: rice cake with coconut cream and banana slices

SATURDAY
B:: chickpea pancakes with puréed strawberry sauce
Sn:: cucumbers & tomatoes with apple cider vinegar
L:: whole wheat tortilla with peppers and black beans (and corn)
Sn:: ants on a log
D:: taco soup leftovers
Sn:: ice cream 

SUNDAY
B:: cereal with unsweetened almond milk
Sn::plain rice with coconut cream and raisins
L:: leftover black bean burger and potato wedges
Sn:: apple and 10 almonds
D:: squash, zucchini and onions with baked sweet potatoes. 
Sn:: pineapple sorbet


So there it is!  The plan for week one. Throughout these three weeks, our church will be praying for direction and vision for our church as a whole but also our personal lives as well. 

If you have any questions about the Daniel fast, please feel free to comment below. However, keep in mind, I am not an expert, I'm just sharing my journey with you 😊

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