Let me tell you a secret.
I used to be addicted to Cheez-its and Coca Cola.
This went on for years.
As a real estate agent, I raced around town showing houses with complete disregard for proper nutrition. I’d sneak into the WaWa or 7-11 and buy a large pack of Cheez-its and a huge Coke for lunch. The punch of the cheesy salt crackers together with the burn of the sugary carbonated soda was bliss—for a moment. Then I’d crash from the sugar high and feel slightly dehydrated.
And guilty.
See, I was a fraud. I taught aerobics at the local gym, pretending to be a health nut, but in the privacy of my office-on-wheels, I was binging on fatty crackers and soda!
And I couldn’t stop.
Enter Lent.
My paternal grandmother was a super duper Catholic, going to mass every week—sometimes multiple times a week¸ reciting the rosary every night, getting Holy Water from the church to bless things, watching the nuns on cable television, and taking me to Sunday Mass after sleepovers and Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.
I figure that makes me about 2% Catholic and okay with God to participate in Lent.
I like the symbolism and stark beauty of Jesus fasting in the wilderness. Heck, if he didn’t eat anything for forty days. Surely, I could give up Cheez-its and Coke!
One day at a time.
No Cheez-its.
No coke.
Forty days.
Done.
I’m not the only non-Catholic observing Lent. There are others, even non-believers, too. Read more here.
For me, Lent has become a time of reflection, discipline, and self-improvement. This year, I quit processed sugar. Instead, I’m using natural sweeteners like honey and eating more fruit. Also, I made a promise to log 10,000 Fitbit steps everyday (on cold wet nights that means doing laps in my living room!).
My Catholic friends get a kick out of me. They promise they’re praying for my blasphemous non-Catholic soul. They’re afraid I’m going to want to start taking Holy Communion, too. When I say, “Lent is almost over . . . Thank God!” it’s tongue in cheek. Lent has saved me from blowing up into an overweight, cracker-eating, soda-guzzling, aerobics-teaching hypocrite. I am hopeful that my grandmother would be happy to know I turned out just a little bit Catholic.
Thoughtful Food: Filet Mignon w/Mushrooms & Caramelized Onions Sauce & A Loaded Baked Potato Bar
With Lent on the mind, I should probably recommend a fish dish, but like I said, I’m 2% Catholic at best, so we’re having good old steak and potatoes!
Filet Mignon w/Mushroom & Caramelized Onions:
Filets or any steak (we buy a large piece of beef at Sam’s Club and it into small filets)
3 onions, sliced
12-16 oz mushrooms (any variety), sliced
6 tbsp butter
Start by making the onion and mushroom topping. In a large pan, melt the butter. Add onions. Cook until softened then add mushrooms. Stir occasionally, cooking for approximately twenty minutes or until onions turn a lovely soft brown. Meanwhile, broil or grill the filets. Top steaks with onion mixture. Yum! Yum!
Baked Potato Bar:
Yukon Gold Potatoes (one per person) – Baked at 350 degrees for 1-2 hours (do not microwave – they won’t taste as good). Once baked, slice piping-hot potatoes down the middle and instruct your diners to top away!
Here are a few suggestions for your toppings’ bar:
½ cup snipped chives
sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese
bacon bits
whipped butter
chopped onions
Thought For The Week:
Thomas Keating said, “Lent is a time to renew wherever we are in that process that I call the divine therapy. It’s a time to look what our instinctual needs are, look at what the dynamics of our unconscious are.”
Did you give up anything for Lent this year?
Heather once again a great read.
I am Catholic… and 12 years of Carholic school. Lent used to be torque as a kid. Now look forward to it. Agreed a time of reflection. So much better than Januaey 1 resolutions. Funny how many Carholic and non Carholics follow lent religiously and can’t keep their resolutions for two weeks. I too take time not really to give up but to also do more volunteering and good deeds for the 40 days of lent. Love the recipes too.
Your articles make me smile every Sunday! Another great read!
Great post! What is so interesting is that you are not Catholic but partake in this very Catholic ritual. I wonder if your draw to it is perhaps more of a connection to your grandmother.
I understand that rituals work and sometimes we need parameters and/or a definitive starting point to ground us and urge our participation; however, growing up with the rules and rigidity of Lent have pushed me far from it. While I can appreciate the concept and applaud the discipline, my goals at this age are to create more lasting practices that I know I can sustain, to find realistic ways to live in moderation, and to try not to focus on ‘giving up’ but more on ‘applying more’ of what makes me feel healthy, feeds my soul, and makes me a better person on a daily basis all year long.
Hadn’t thought about this in a long while so thanks for giving me food for thought!
Great article! Great menu–my vegan mouth is watering!
I think of Lent as a way to know spring is coming. The first yellow forsythia reminds me that everything is new and possibilities abound!
Heather I love this week’s Blog- I remember the cheez-its and coke- I really enjoy reading your blog every week and trying your new recipes. Great job!
As a Catholic who also enjoys lent I loved reading this article! You are a great writer!!