Going Meatless for Lent?

As many a good Catholic knows, meat is a non-option for Friday nights. However fun those Parish Fish Fries are...sometimes fried fish isn't the healthiest choice to make. Also, if you're like me, you can get bored easily. 

Then there are those of us who decided to go completely meatless for Lent - a sacrifice more for those in the Midwestern region than for me down on the Gulf Coast. Nevertheless, it can still be a challenge. What makes things even more challenging is the fact that college cafeterias have only a limited selection of food, so you have to get creative. So I decided to do a little research and find some college budget friendly, vegetarian options.

1) Applebee's - they have chains all around the country and provide some options for us meatless Lent-ers. You can try their Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo Pasta - I've eaten it before and it was pretty good for seafood outside of New Orleans.

2) Atlanta Bread Company. This past Wednesday, after a busy day of classes, my boyfriend surprised me with their Veggie Sandwich delivered to my dorm room. I was a little skeptical at first, but the Nine Grain Bread they use is truly delicious. I would definitely recommend it. Also, their Potato Soup is wonderful with French Bread.

3) Denny's. Everyone loves a good breakfast and Denny's is one of my favorites. Next time you stop by check out their Veggie-Cheese Omelette, Pancakes, French Toast, or Belgian Waffle.

4) Any Mexican Restaurant. They will usually have Cheese Quesadillas, Bean Burritos, and Vegetarian Taco Salad and they are always very delicious and cheap.

5) Any Chinese Restaurant (especially the buffets). Low-prices and all you can eat Shrimp Fried Rice, Shrimp in Lobster Sauce, Vegetarian Eggrolls, and Fortune Cookies!

These are just a few that I find are close to college campuses and offer good alternatives to the fish fry.

But what about on campus? Sometimes we don't have access to a car or we don't have time between meetings and classes to make it off campus. Here's a list of what I can usually scavenge from those slim pickings:

For Breakfast:

1. Biscuits

2. Pancakes, Waffles

3. Cheese Omelette

4. Fruit and Granola (I keep dried fruit and granola in my dorm room for mornings I can't make it to the cafeteria)

5. Cereal, Oatmeal

For Lunch:

1.  Caesar Wraps (Pita Wrap, Lettuce, Cheese, and Dressing)

2. Chowder (Corn or Potato)

3. Vegetable Soup 

4. Baked Potato (with Cheese and Sour Cream)

5. Cheese Pizza (sometimes our cafeteria has Alfredo Pizza)

For Dinner:

1. Pasta (White Sauce or Red Sauce w/o Meat)

2. Macaroni and Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, and Mixed Vegetables

3. Grilled Tilapia, Broccoli, and Scalloped Potatoes

4. Shrimp Po-Boy and Fries

5. Red Beans and Rice (without Sausage)

Newt is Coming!

I have always been a big fan of our former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. Recently he has given me even more reason to love him.

Newt is one of the thousands of people that will be entering the Catholic Church this Easter! His conversion has gone widely unpublicized, except for a few speculations made by Catholic bloggers - most notably AmP.

This story has filled me with so much hope for the Republican Party! Not only is the new face of the RebP, Bobby Jindal, a convert to our Church, but now we can all rejoice in seeing one of the oldest and most trusted members of the Party joining in at the Communion table as well!

During this Lenten season, let's all remember to pray for out RCIA brothers and sisters. Catholic Converts are always some of the most faithful.

My Catholic, Homeschooling, Pregnant-With-Number-Seven, Cousin is Very Smart

Recently I have been trying to find some class project that I can do during the season of Lent with my 5th Graders - something that will get their minds toward service, sacrifice, and stewardship. 

I came up with a few ideas:

- Crisis Pregnancy Center Supply Drive

- Easter Crosses

- Prayer Pals

But I was reading Amy's blog and saw what a great idea she had for her kids during Lent:

- Sacrifice Eggs

You can read about the idea here.

I think it's a great class project, particularly because of the time crunch I am in currently trying to fit in the rest of the Sacraments before CCD ends! It's something we can do at the beginning of each class that would not take up too much time, but allows for loads of discussion when we open our eggs after Easter!

Long Break, Lots of News

Being gone for Mardi Gras since last Friday has left me a lot of news worth blogging about:

1) 40 Days for Life is underway!

2) As is the magnificent season of Lent! I found some pretty cool articles about the season, including tips and ideas for fasting and almsgiving.

- this is a really nifty list of 25 things to do to help celebrate Lent, recommended by Fr. Marvin Kitten S.J. via Facebook

- EWTN features this helpful Lenten calendar, including reflections and questions for each day.

- On his blog, Mark Shea posted this excellent essay about Mary and the Rosary during Lent.

For Lent this year, I have decided to abstain from meat everyday of the week, not just on Fridays. I am also doing a daily rosary or a prayer reflection each morning and night. As a religion teacher, I always try to stress to my students the importance of fasting and almsgiving and how it means more than just "giving something up" for Lent. I always felt that doing somethin

g to help the community would be more fulfilling for the youngsters. This year, I plan to have my class participate in a baby supply drive for the local Crisis Pregnancy Center.

3) LifeSiteNews.com posted this article responding to the growing epidemic of sex-selection eugenics and abortion. I found it particularly interesting. The amount of suffering women go through because of abortion never ceases to amaze me. How can neo-feminists support such activities?

4) I came across, in my opinion, the greatest website ever created last night. I thought it was the perfect way to start off the weekend!

{LOLSaints}