Soooo… what did you really eat on Ash Wednesday?

Fess up.  What did you eat on Ash Wednesday?

We know that certain seasoned Catholics and others were not obliged to fast or abstain… but it is laudable to do so without the obligation.

Sooo,… fess up.

After confessions and Low Mass, I started the morning with one cup of coffee.  For lunch I had an egg and a piece of toast.  Tonight, a small piece of salmon and a green salad with a vinaigrette dressing.  Later in the evening, High Mass!

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
This entry was posted in SESSIUNCULA. Bookmark the permalink.

139 Comments

  1. Joshua08 says:

    One can of sardines, a banana and a glass of orange juice, all at about noon…nothing else

  2. 2 cups of coffee in the AM.

    1 Protein shake before 4 PM workout.

    2 bowls of some wicked good (if I do say so myself) black bean soup with a hunk of day old bread for dinner. (It felt like a very monk-like supper, but a nice Abbey Ale would have helped complete the scene.)

  3. Adam Welp says:

    Dolly Madison Cherry Pie and Sunkist soda for breakfast, then a large salad, fish sticks for supper.

  4. Rachel says:

    200 calories in the morning, 200 at noon, clear tea in the afternoon to keep me awake (I just read that that doesn’t break the fast) and at night, salmon and salad and rice and a soy protein bar and warm milk with honey. So I did the minimum. I found it most difficult, but beneficial.

  5. mdillon says:

    Tea for breakfast, bean burrito for lunch, bagel with butter for dinner.

  6. Niall Mor says:

    Breakfast: 1 bowl of cereal

    Lunch: Grilled cheese sandwich, apple

    Supper: Waffles, salad

  7. Teddy says:

    For the whole day I only drank water (about 2 pitchers) and then three crackers after evening liturgy…
    teddybarboza.blogspot.com

  8. SKipped breakfast and lunch (had coffee throughout the AM), then had salad and trader joe’s cheese enchiladas for supper (gave up red and white meat for lent).

  9. NDPhys says:

    A slice of rye bread for supper.

  10. Desertfalcon says:

    I had three cups of coffee in the morning, I managed to hold out all day until din-din’. I had to buy some milk and bread at the store and was so hungry I just bought some really awful Mac and Cheese from the deli that was left-over from lunch and had that for my meal at 7:00pm. I don’t feel so good now.

  11. PeterK says:

    breakfast 2 pieces of toast and breakfast tea
    lunch yogurt protein shake
    dinner bowl of popcorn

  12. EXCHIEF says:

    I’m well over the age where fasting and abstaining are required—but no meat for me today. In fact our family has a practice of no meat on Friday year round. So an extra day (Ash Wed) is no big deal.

  13. MargaretMN says:

    Tea and coffee during the day to keep me going then beans and rice for dinner.

  14. mvhcpa says:

    Breakfast–Two English muffins (no drink)

    Lunch–One bowl of clam chowder (Coke to drink)

    Dinner–Garden salad w/dressing, tuna-fish salad (not a sandwich), Doritos on the side

    I did have a glass or two of Coke during the day, believing that that does not break the fast (but I’ll be glad to accept correction if that is the case).

    I try to make B+L less than what I would typically have for dinner, even though the component B and L often is what I would have for those particular meals. It’s the NO SNACKS that really reminds me of what we are supposed to be doing. (I probably should have made breakfast one English muffin, to stay a little hungrier.)

    Now, waiting for midnight for a glass of chocolate milk!

    Michael Val
    (who always tries to keep the rules, but sometimes cheats in spirit, as his midnight chocolate-milk vigil attests!)

  15. cuaguy says:

    I had nothing until dinner, which was grilled cheese and plain pizza

  16. MikeM says:

    I had some toast in the afternoon, and then I had a tuna sub for dinner (which was bigger/”more extravagant” than I’d have liked, but I’m going to be up late doing some heavy reading for class tomorrow, so I figured I should have something to fuel my brain.)

    Usually, fasting is no big deal for me. For a while not too long ago, I was doing bread and water fasts each month and they weren’t much trouble for me. Today, though, seemed abnormally brutal.

  17. John F. Kennedy says:

    Two cups of coffee in the morning.

    Spaghetti for dinner with the family.

  18. Gwen says:

    Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and oranges
    …then an hour cardio workout
    Lunch: Oatmeal cookie (homemade, not sweet)
    Dinner: fish, potato, zuchinni squash

  19. DavidJ says:

    Breakfast: A banana and a cup of coffee
    Lunch: Small Cup o’ Noodles.
    Dinner Grilled Cheese sandwich and some tomato soup. Actually a bit more than one sandwich because my daughters didn’t finish theirs, and I figured the two extra bites were better than throwing thew out.

  20. Nan says:

    Tea and yogurt this morning, cheese and crackers midafternoon, pancakes and omelette w/mushroom after evening Mass. Tons of water.

    I’m in learning mode on a new job and am v. hungry this week.

  21. A. J. D. S. says:

    Breakfast — a half of a bagel with butter and a cup of coffee
    Lunch — macaroni and cheese (microwave meal) and a glass of milk
    Dinner — two bowls of Kashi cereal with milk, two cups of tea with milk

    Hmm, lots of milk.

  22. dmwallace says:

    Breakfast: Two slices whole-wheat toast with tsp peanut butter with one bowl of café au lait.

    Supper: Greek white bean soup with pita and cracked red pepper hummus.

    I recall the fun days of college when, after midnight on fast or abstinence days, someone would be designated to drive to the Wendy’s late night drive thru and order a round of junior bacon cheeseburgers.

  23. Peggy R says:

    1 Sip of juice in a/m. Busy with a clean up problem at home. No food until after midday mass. Then a serving of rice with beans.And ate a piece of danish with it I confess. Water. I snacked on something else small…oh, a few grapes.

    Dinner: fish filet and tater tots and pickles. I ate a pickle while preparing, I confess. Drank milk.

    I am now thinking I need to go to bed to avoid succumbing to pretzels. I steeled myself against eating any of the little boys’ cookies I prepared after school today.

    I have given up coca cola for Lent. That I have survived well today.

  24. gloriainexcelsis says:

    Breakfast – a Dannon cherry yogurt and cup of coffee
    Lunch – glass of cranberry juice with crackers and cream cheese
    Dinner – a medium-sized salad with tuna and hard-boiled eggs, piece of sour-dough bread and glass of wine.

    I’m 78 years old, so don’t have to fast, but I try to eat less, anyway.

  25. joeysmom says:

    Father, I had a cup of coffee for breakfast
    A small bowl of Garbanzo bean salad (oil, vinegar and parsley)
    Pasta with shrimp and asparagus. I would have felt a bit badly about eating shrimp but we already had it in the freezer and I did not go out shopping.

  26. Daniel_Nekic says:

    Breakfast – one slice of bread, glass of water
    Lunch – water
    Dinner – wasn’t till I got home after singing at Mass – 1.5 dinner rolls, water.

  27. Nothing but water until after the evening Mass. The fast was broken by sampling several kinds of homemade soup at the parish Lenten soup supper. Almost seems sinful to break the fast in such a way.

  28. Will D. says:

    Grilled Cheese sandwich and a can of Tomato Soup. Eaten while staring hard at the box of girl scout cookies I picked up from my niece the other day.

  29. Robert_H says:

    Two cups of coffee in the morning. Nothing else until after I got home from Low Mass around 8pm. Put the kids to bed then had a serving of carrot & cheese casserole with peas on the side. Glass of milk to drink.

  30. thefeds says:

    Breakfast was a cup of coffee.
    Lunch was three tangerines.
    Dinner was a bowl of vegetable soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, and a grapefruit.

  31. Warren says:

    No breakfast.
    Altar server at 11:30am Mass at the University chapel.
    Small serving of fish sticks, rice and a side of peas for lunch.
    Small cheese bun for dinner.

  32. Grazed lightly on bread and water throughout the day.

  33. Semper Idem says:

    Tiny piece of fish, tiny bowl of cereal, some tuna noodle casserole, and a piece of pie.

    The pie was too much to pass up. I can resist anything but temptation.

  34. pauljk says:

    One bowl of porridge a day for Lent. Plenty of tea and cofee though as I have quite a physical job.

  35. James Locke says:

    a bowl of oatmean and 2 spoons of peanut butter in the evening…and a lot of water….

  36. Paulus Magnus says:

    Some chips, an apple, and a glass of OJ for lunch. Scrambled eggs in a tortilla with onions and salsa, a few more chips, and a can of soda for dinner.

  37. Geoffrey says:

    Nothing for breakfast (which is usual). Two hard boiled eggs for lunch. Toasted cheese garlic bread and salad for supper. Water throughout the day.

  38. Jerry says:

    Both Fr. Z and at least one of the respondents allude to an upper age for the obligation to abstain from meat. While one is not obligated to fast after beginning their 60th year (i.e., after midnight of their 59th birthday), there is no upper age limit on the obligation for abstinence (can 1252).

  39. smallone says:

    I tend to graze, so at odd times during the day:

    A handful of Cheez-its ™

    1 can Progresso ™ lentil soup

    Provolone cheese on wheat bread with lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, oil and vinegar

    One can of soda

    I had coffee for breakfast and seltzer water for dinner. I made food for the kids but didn’t eat any.

  40. Magpie says:

    Breakfast: two slices of toast and a glass of juice.
    Lunch: nothing
    Dinner: two pancakes, no extras, glass of juice
    Supper: one banana

    I thought I was doing well until the banana, but a check of the fish eaters website revealed that a banana was, apparently, acceptable. In hindsight, I think not.

  41. Ellen says:

    Two pieces of toast and tea for breakfast. A cup of vanilla yogurt for lunch. A peanut butter sandwich and milk for supper.

  42. I didn’t even realize it was Ash Wednesday until this evening.

    Two small bags of Goldfish, some cookies, a carton of milk, a Dr. Pepper, and some amazing Ramen I whipped up. A basic vegetarian day.

  43. TC says:

    6 pkgs peanut butter crackers, too much black coffee.

  44. Navarricano says:

    For breakfast: a plain two egg omelette and a cup of black coffee. For lunch: a piece of grilled salmon with a glass of water.
    For dinner: a mixed salad, another plain omelette and a piece of hake. I did have some red wine at dinner.

    Here in Spain, dinner isn’t until 9.00 or 10.00 p.m. most days and anyway, and lunch is normally the big meal of the day.

  45. Norah says:

    Breakfast – protein drink
    Dinner – kedgeree – this is rice, peas, salmon, curry and a hardboiled egg ( I only eat the white – I don’t like the yellow)

    We don’t eat meat on Fridays during the year and for Lent I don’t cook meat on Wednesdays or Fridays. (In Australia we can eat meat on Friday except Good Friday during Lent)

    I am giving up bread and coffee for Lent this year. Except on Sundays.

  46. kradcliffe says:

    I’m on a course of chemotherapy that messes with my appetite and makes me dizzy and stuff, so I’m not making any modifications to my diet this year. I eat what I can, when I can. I feel sorta guilty about this.

  47. Mark of the Vine says:

    Breakfast: Lemon tea with honey and a piece of toast with margerine
    Lunch: a bowl of instant misou soup and a bit of bread and some water
    Dinner: a tuna sandwich and something called “mutlivitamin drink” (I’m guessing it was some mix of fruits)
    Throughout the day I drank some 3 other lemon teas with honey, on account of my cold.

    I never thought a tuna sandwich could taste so good. When you finally eat something a bit more substantial at the end of the day it’s as if food has assumed some different reality and you really do feel grateful for it. Just my 2 cents anyway.

  48. Genna says:

    I’m past the age of required fasting but had 2 cups of coffee (left out the sugar) for breakfast, a bowl of home-made minestrone soup and a slice of dry bread for lunch. Then remembered I’d used chicken stock – duh! I think it was seeing the celebrant in magenta, which clashed horribly with the purple tabernacle veil that caused the senior moment. Atoned in the evening by having one sliced mozzarella and one sliced tomato with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and basil, and one slice of dry bread, plus four small biscuits with blue cheese and an apple. During the day, coffee, no sugar, and water.
    Hmmmmm. I seem to have pigged out . . . .

  49. Geometricus says:

    One cup of green tea, no honey, around noon. One bowl St. Raphael’s potato soup after 5:15 mass and FOUR (oops) pieces of round store bought French bread, then an orange and two cups of “Sleepytime” tea just before bed.

    Incidentally Fr. Z., you came up in the conversation at the soup supper before choir practice, and Pamela Cheney and her “usual suspects” say hi. She regaled all of us at the table with the story of how she accidentally dented your WWII-era paten when she was acting as the sacristan at St R. when you first arrived. [What paten wasn’t from WWII. It survived the bombing during WWII. The paten and chalice are from the from the late 18th or early 19th century. Hi to all!]

  50. Breakfast: 1 cup of coffee, cream and sugar.

    Lunch: 1 small bowl of rice with vegetables.

    Dinner: 2 pita bread with peanut butter.

    Water.

    I’m hungry now…

  51. talonh says:

    Breakfast – nada
    Lunch – oatmeal
    Dinner – nada

  52. cwillia1 says:

    I am a 60+ Latin Rite member of a Byzantine parish. On Monday I had black coffee and a slice of bread for breakfast, A bowl of rice with left over shrimp for lunch and a bowl of bean+macaroni soup for dinner. On Wednesday it was raisin bran coffe and milk for breakfast, bagel, cream cheese and cheddar broccoli soup for lunch, crackers, goat cheese and bean soup for dinner. I have some trouble maintaining my weight so I eat 3 meals a day for lent but do not snack. I also give up my normal 1-2 pints of Guinness in the evening, at least until my weight falls to a certain level.

  53. Frank H says:

    Breakfast: 1 bowl of cereal

    Lunch: tuna sandwich

    Supper: Veggie bowl from Chipotle

    No between meals coffee, coke, etc.

    I’m finding myself a bit flummoxed at the realization that I’m just 4 years away from that magic age of 59, when the fast no longer applies. That sounded so old when I was a kid, but now…

  54. albizzi says:

    Breakfast: Nothing
    Lunch: Nothing but a cup of coffee
    Dinner: White rice with a bit of grated cheese and some crepes with white sugar.
    But I was so hungry that I went into the kitchen after midnight to cook and eat two eggs, drinking half a glass of red wine. Then only I could sleep.

  55. Gregg the Obscure says:

    A few cups of black coffee in the morning.
    Dinner: salmon, carrots, polenta and a glass of Malbec.

  56. Bryan says:

    Bowl of oatmeal plain for breakfast and a cup of black coffee.
    Hard boiled egg and 2 slices of tomato and a 16oz diet Dr. Pepper for lunch.
    A cup of tuna-noodle casserole and another cup of coffee (decaf) for dinner. Oh, and a handful of unsalted peanuts for desert.
    Mass at 7, took Eucharist, and said the Rosary when I got home.
    C’est tout.

  57. Ef-lover says:

    Breakfast– some grapes, orange and apple and 2 crakers

    lunch/dinner combo– fish, green beans, baked potato with butter, and green salad

    then off to 5:30pm mass in Norwalk, CT

  58. medievalist says:

    Plain bagel with butter at noon.
    Pesto and walnut pasta for dinner and a slice of apple pie.
    No snacks.

  59. tjtenor2 says:

    Glass of orange juice for breakfast, small salad for lunch, homemade mac and cheese and green beans for dinner.

  60. benyanke says:

    Breakfast: Small serving of oatmeal
    Lunch: Small serving of Mac and cheese
    Dinner: Some darn good potato soup

  61. Kerry says:

    I did a fast the easy way, was sick,could keep nothing down, and gave great homage to St. Ceramica of Kohler.

  62. 7 AM: A few handfuls of raisin bran and some coffee (gulped down in the car)
    Noon: Tea and a few potato chips
    9 PM: A plate of left over vegetables

  63. Sedgwick says:

    Lentil soup and grilled cheese, LOTS OF COFFEE.

  64. Alencon says:

    A banana at 7pm and a cup of coffee substitute at 9pm (giving up my five cups of coffee a day for lent).

  65. introibo says:

    two eggs and coffee for breakfast
    some 5 day-old lentil soup for lunch
    Cinncinati chili for supper

    The kiddies, even those below the required age, all complied with fast and abstinence rules..and the older kids were complaining all day. I guess that’s how it should be. (no, not really)

  66. robtbrown says:

    Breakfast: Coffee and homemade Raisin Bran
    Lunch: Clam Chowder
    Dinner: Sweet and Sour Shrimp (frozen)

  67. boko fittleworth says:

    Eamonn’s Dublin Chipper, in Alexandria, VA, was closed when I got there at nine, so I had fishticks. Kanye West’s favorite. I had been looking forward to a cod sandwich and chip butty with curry sauce all day. I offered it up.

  68. sea the stars says:

    Nothing for breakfast.
    Bowl of veggie soup for lunch.
    Bowl of veggie soup for supper.

  69. Fr Martin Fox says:

    Everyone’s self-denial is admirable. FYI, the fast is one full meal, and two collations that together do not equal a full meal…

    For me:

    I was up for 6:15 am Mass; after, a buttered plain bagel (I had a coupon–free!) and coffee.

    Nothing till dinner, which was around 9 pm: a plate of pasta with a mixture of alfredo and spicy tomato sauce. I had a salad with that, and bread came with it. I had one beer. No dessert. (I did have a sip of a 7-up and a bit of pizza, because while I was waiting for my takeout order, a family asked me to sit with them and answer some questions, and they offered me something–the mother said, “here’s a 7-up, no one drank it!”)

  70. doublenan says:

    Breakfast: 1 piece of butter/jelly toast, small can V8
    Lunch: Tuna casserole
    Supper: Tuna casserole (smaller portion)

    I’m paying more attention to fast and abstinence at 70 than I did when I was younger…not doing it perfectly, mind you, but understanding the theology a little better and wanting to improve. Having you, a dynamite pastor and asst. pastor to help point the way helps tremendously, too! Thank you, Fathers!

  71. SGCOLC says:

    midmorning: tea and plain bread

    evening: macaroni & cheese, canned green beans, and stovetop popcorn.

  72. Tim says:

    Yes, I am also full of admiration; most did much better than I.

    Breakfast: one bowl porridge with skimmed milk, no sugar, black coffee
    Lunch: apple and tea
    Supper: Leek soup, tomato and cucumber salad, clementine, tea

    Tim

  73. Eggs, tuna salad and nuts (and I am nursing a baby).

  74. TundraMN says:

    Nothing to eat but the Most Blessed Sacrament and to drink, Most Precious Blood as well as milk and juice.

  75. snowowl1234 says:

    Breakfast: 2 small slices of banana bread
    Lunch: 1 cup of cereal
    Dinner: Cheese ravioli with tomato sauce

  76. EENS says:

    No breakfast (Fast from midnight)
    Mass (TLM)
    Lunch : Baked Cod and asparagus
    Supper: sliced apples, sardines, Italian bread with olive oil and blue cheese

    and — Plenty of water throughout the day.

  77. paglia says:

    A mug of coffee for breakfast.
    A mug of coffee for lunch.
    A bowl of raisin bran for dinner.

    It’s particularly hard with little ones in the house.. Somehow they sense that the big people in the household are hungry and -perhaps to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to them – they start asking for food in enormous quantities. Cooking all day long without ‘taste testing’ is difficult. :)

  78. Tricia says:

    I had tea. Then just some bread through the rest of the day.
    Please pray for me as I don’t do fasting well and I am REALLY trying to work on that this Lent. I don’t have a good track record in this department! I am so uplifted by all of you. God bless.

  79. I am 17, and fully intended to keep the fast and abstinence rule, but, I slipped up and three pieces of candy in the afternoon. Here’s what I ate:

    Breakfast: Skipped breakfast
    Lunch: Fish sandwich and french fries
    Dinner: Fettucine Alfredo

  80. Steve K. says:

    Drank coffee all day, but then I am a civil servant, comes with the territory.

    Lunch: grilled cheese sandwich and some fries. That’s it.

  81. Craig says:

    Lunch – McD’s fish sandwich, fries, yogurt

    I think next year I’m going to try just bread and water though.

  82. Ruben says:

    Breakfast – 2 slices of wheat bread, coffee
    Lunch – 1 Slice of wheat bread, coffee
    Dinner – Macaroni & cheese, toast, fruit and some chips…ok…and some orange juice.

  83. Jenny says:

    Being 20 weeks pregnant, the fast was completely out for me. I did avoid meat and had a nice spaghetti and marinara sauce for supper.

  84. Ralph says:

    You folks are SOOO much stronger than me.

    Bfast – two piece of toast w/ cheese
    Lunch – PBJ Sandwich, olives, small pickle, orange
    Dinner – cheese enchilada, rice and beans (a big serving I confess)

    I did avoid snacks and drinks other than water, which for a fat guy like me is a huge success!

    Even with the above, I was sure I was going to die! :)

  85. Dan says:

    I didn’t have anything for breakfast, and around 1pm I had a small salad (no meat) and a bagel (with a glass of Trappist beer, of course…), and then around 8pm I had a small cup of clam chowder. I’m going to try and give up meat and do the traditional fast for all of Lent…hopefully I won’t give in after a week or so!

  86. dcs says:

    Lunch – bowtie pasta with diced tomatoes, onions, peppers, and carrots
    Dinner – Green salad with light dressing and a lemon zinger

  87. Bornacatholic says:

    Nothing for breakfast or lunch. Cup of Tomato Soup and a Fried Cheese Sammich for supper. For desert, The Bride gave me a kiss

  88. I wish! Fasting plays heck with my blood sugar, making me irritable, depressed, and totally nonfunctional.

    Besides, I’d say that being buried under three feet of snow during Snowmageddon 2010 without electricity or heat for three days, and no telephone for a week, makes up for it. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

  89. Mariana says:

    Breakfast – tea and knäckebröd (crispbread?)
    Lunch – cups of tea
    Dinner – spaghetti with tomato sauce

  90. TNCath says:

    Breakfast: Coffee
    Lunch: Peanut butter crackers and a Coke
    Dinner: Grilled cheese and a spinach salad

  91. Pregnant or nursing, you’re eating for two. Sick people, you’re excused from fasting for an equally good reason. Don’t feel guilty. Just be obedient and take that as your mortification opportunity.

    Breakfast: coffee w/out sugar or cream. Tactical error. Not eating breakfast made my whole morning pretty worthless for work.

    Lunch: apple, fast food fish sandwich, waffle fries with hot sauce, Diet Coke. Got a huge amount of work done after lunch, so I could get off early to get to church for Ash Wednesday. Walked home, caught the bus.

    Dinner: supermarket sushi pack, water. This was a mistake, as the sushi pack didn’t have enough protein to really do the job, and I was digesting while walking, so my body temperature dropped pretty badly at one point. But it did stick to my ribs most of the night once I got to church.

    After walking to Mass by devious ways in order to avoid snowdrifts (which took about 30 min longer than usual), singing for Ash Wednesday Mass and then doing choir practice, I felt a bit shaky when I got home. So I drank some kefir (yogurty drink), which did the trick, and then went to bed.

  92. Jordanes says:

    Nothing for breakfast.
    Small cup of lemonade for lunch.
    Vegetarian lasagna with green beans and tasteless shoepeg corn for dinner.

    All my non-Catholic co-workers were eating pizza at me yesterday.

  93. msproule says:

    Glass of water in the morning, small glass of juice in the afternoon, macaroni and cheese, iced tea, and a scone (or two) for dinner.

  94. Antioch_2013 says:

    Breakfast: Nothing
    Lunch: an eggplant panini & curly fries.
    Collation: Small bowl of potato soup, piece of bread.

  95. Sandra_in_Severn says:

    I confess, I drank more coffee than I intended yesterday.

    Breakfast was half a packet of breakfast cereal (one packet = 1 serving) with milk.

    A peanut butter sandwich at 3pm. (I’m hypoglycemic and have to watch when fasting that I don’t skip too much and “crash”)

    Dinner was 6oz. of baked fish, steamed broccoli and a biscuit.

  96. Eric says:

    Coffee
    glass of milk and 5 saltine crackers
    glass of milk, grilled cheese sandwich, 4 saltine crakers and three baby carrots.

  97. gmarie says:

    A protein bar (mid a.m.), a handful of Cheez-its (mid afternoon), tuna casserole (dinner).

  98. AJP says:

    breakfast – small piece of leftover baguette dipped in olive oil, glass of Gatorade
    lunch – peanut butter energy bar
    snack – green tea
    dinner – falafel and curly fries

    And it starts again today. This year I’m going to try and observe the pre-Vatican II practice of fasting every day of Lent except Sundays (I’ll also make an exception for Annunciation and St Joseph’s Day). I don’t know if I’ll be successful this time. I tried to do this once several years ago but only made it halfway through Lent. Hopefully this time around with better food choices and an overall better state of mind, I’ll have more success. I’m especially curious to see if eventually I’ll stop finding the constant hunger so annoying and start to derive some spiritual benefit from it. Anyone know of any spiritual reading on this topic that might help? Sadly because of work obligations and a sick family member, I wasn’t able to attend Mass yesterday :(

  99. Dr. Eric says:

    Breakfast: 2 pieces of toast and one cup of Constant Comment Tea
    Lunch: 1 grilled cheese sandwich and one cup of Constant Comment Tea
    Supper: 1 Bowl of homemade cheese tortellini and vegetable soup and a glass of water.

    This morning I weighed one pound less than on Sunday. (Only 30 pounds to go!)

    I constructed a diet for my wife and I which keeps us meatless on every Wednesday and Friday so we keep closer to the ancient abstinence rules. But for Lent I am going to Fast on every Wednesday and Friday as well. All three meals were less than half of what I usually eat.

  100. Catholicman says:

    Breakfast: Skipped

    Lunch: A yougurt with some almonds and water

    Dinner: Mac & Cheese with toast and a can of Sprite

  101. archambt says:

    Morning – One cup of coffee, two fruit juice smoothie drinks, whatever they are called.

    Lunch-The Eucharist…the only meal one needs, really.

    Dinner – A cup of tea, a bagel with hummus, and half of an apple.

  102. Marcin says:

    Breakfast: espresso, cereals w/ milk
    Lunch: fried rice w/ shrimp
    dinner: fish w/ rice and mushrooms

    I very often get migraines when I skip meals, so I fast cautiously. I couldn’t gamble on Ash Wednesday due to my teaching engagements that day.

  103. marthawrites says:

    Breakfast (at restaurant w/friends–a monthly get-together): tomato and cheese omelet, hash browns & biscuit. At home I rarely eat breakfast, so I skipped lunch instead and ate a handful of almonds at 4: followed later by dinner of shrimp, macaroni and cheese, and brussels sprouts. All day I drank apple juice instead of the usual Pepsi One, a glass of which I always have on hand.

  104. Melody says:

    Breakfast: Water
    Lunch: A large bottle of Gatorade
    Dinner: Rice

    After Midnight snack: Two pieces of leftover pizza. ^_^

    Incidentally, Gatorade or some kind of sport drink is a good thing to have during fasting. It doesn’t fill you up but prevent dehydration and loss of electrolytes.

  105. introibo says:

    We usually do meatless meals twice a week anyway (I assure you, not really out of piety but to take a break from the meat bills), so during Lent, we go meatless Monday to Friday. It’s really not so hard…I have a list of 20 meatless dishes, which, if repeated, fills up all Lent. This year it’s a bit harder as I just started my daughter on a gluten/dairy/egg free diet…although I can modify some recipes for her, there are certain things that just don’t work with egg replacer and soy cheese!

  106. Irish says:

    Two cups of coffee and a windmill cookie for breakfast (forgot to get my cereal at the store Tuesday), an incredibly delicious fried filet of sole sandwich on French bread with homemade tartar sauce and coleslaw from Garavelli’s restaurant after Mass around 2:30 pm, and an English Muffin for dinner around 7:00 pm. One glass of Frascati around 5:30. No snacks before meals, no sweets after–that’s my Lenten sacrifice.

  107. Erik P says:

    One meal at about 1 p.m. – Bowl of Broccoli cheese soup, with a chunk of fresh italian bread

    so very difficult and only one day off in between fastings, too.

    Treated myself to an Italian hoagie today at lunch, though.

  108. patrick_f says:

    mostly one meal…. a bowl of soup

    we have a couple square slices of left over pizza (tomatos and cheese) which I ate after mass. anyone that knows st louis style pizza…knows that 4 slices is far from a feast

  109. jlmorrell says:

    Breakfast: Nothing
    Lunch: One can of vegetable soup and one nectarine
    Dinner: 1/2 bowl of crawfish etouffee

  110. jdskyles says:

    Breakfast- one poppyseed mini muffin and a small cup of orange juice
    Lunch- one six piece sushi roll (non-meat item they had at my cafeteria at work) and a bottle of vita-water

    Dinner- Trout almondine, mashed potatoes (no gravy), mixed veggies, a salad and a small dish of chocolate ice cream at a local Greek owned diner Chicago is famous for.

  111. Andrew T says:

    A bowl of corn chowder soup with a bit of rice and a small piece of cornbread (all at dinner time).

  112. dianeav says:

    Legumes…blah…red beans and rice around noon…some cornbread too…then I broke down and had tostadas and beans and cheese (with sour cream!!!) (aye, mea culpa!!!) later around 4…

  113. cl00bie says:

    Nothing but coffee until 6:30pm when I had a bowl of spaghetti with tuna sauce and 4 pizzelle cookies. Mama cooks good!

  114. Lee says:

    Ain’t sayin’ For one thing, it was more than almost everyone else, and besides, what was the point if I am going to receive my reward in this life?

  115. DominiSumus says:

    I had a slice of pumpkin bread in the morning with apple juice. No lunch. Dinner was seafood salad on a baguette with a starfruit.

  116. Ginkgo100 says:

    About the usual, though with no meat, ’cause I’m pregnant.

    But isn’t boasting about one’s fast defeating the purpose? In fact, directly contrary to Scripture?

  117. melikalani says:

    Breakfast: Slice of homemade whole wheat bread and butter, water
    Lunch: Slice of homemade white bread, a Clementine, water
    Dinner: Bowtie pasta salad with tuna, capers, artichoke hearts and olives, water

  118. paterpetri says:

    Coffee, a slice of wheat bread, and a bowl of lentil soup.

  119. Bressani56 says:

    We know that certain seasoned Catholics and others were not obliged to fast or abstain… but it is laudable to do so without the obligation.

    ???

  120. AJP says:

    I don’t see this as anyone bragging or boasting. It’s informative. As someone who plans to fast throughout Lent, reading what other folks eat, especially as their “half meals” is informative and gives me some helpful tips and ideas.

  121. Tiber89 says:

    Breakfast: Piece of white bread
    Lunch: Piece of white bread and a granola bar
    Dinner: Cornmeal muffin with broccoli soup

  122. An American Mother says:

    Breakfast: one Weight Watcher frozen english muffin w/ cheese & egg white, tea.
    Lunch: the Weight Watcher frozen ravioli florentine (veggies & cheese), limeade.
    Dinner: the parish Ash Wednesday Meatless Meal — cheese pizza, cheese lasagna, salad and a roll, iced tea.
    Plus lots of water to hopefully fool my appetite (didn’t work). That dinner tasted like a feast!

    I don’t do fasting well, but the WW stuff sticks to your ribs even though the portions are extremely small.

  123. Carolina Geo says:

    Breakfast: glass of OJ
    Lunch: peanut-butter and honey sandwich and a banana
    Dinner: a bowl of shrimp and corn soup. And a beer (very monastic!)

    I’ve done the total fast (no food, just water) a few times before, but not this year.

  124. Catherine says:

    If I told, it would be an infraction against my commitment to practice the virtue of humility for Lent. “But take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people might see them, otherwise you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.” Matthew 6:1

  125. MikieC says:

    I too am over the age of requirement for fasting. I am a Byzantine Catholic. We do not observe Ash Weds. Our Lent (or, “Great Fast”, as we call it), began on Monday. We call it “Clean Monday”. No meat no dairy. So,
    for breakfast I had thin oatmeal (gruel) and black coffee
    a bowl of tomato soup with 2 slices of bread for lunch.
    For Dinner, I had salmon, shoestring pototes and mixted vegtables. We traditionaly obstain from meat throughout Lent also. God bless.

  126. Breakfast- coffee and a banana
    Lunch – pear
    Dinner at the drive-thru’s (plural) : McD’s fish and a coke, and Wendy’s fries (I hear McD’s fries are rolled in beef extract prior to freezing… eeek!)

    Father, I read that only fresh water fish are appropriate for days of abstinence. Is this so? (Craving sushi…. must have sushi… must repent…..)

  127. donmar35 says:

    black coffee
    water
    half a peanut butter sandwich
    one banana
    half a peanut butter sandwich
    2 bowls veggie soup with 2 slices bread
    oh…and about 6 cigarettes…sigh.

  128. Rob Cartusciello says:

    Breakfast: Toast & lemon barley water
    Lunch: Falafel
    Dinner: Bean soup & multigrain bread.

    Barley water is your friend when fasting.

  129. Hans says:

    A cup (or mug) of tea around noon. Something else to drink (Diet Cherry Pepsi?) around 3.

    Mass at 6 pm.

    Tuna sandwiches and vegetable soup around 8.

  130. Ed the Roman says:

    B: 2 servings steel-cut oats. Cup tea.
    Through day: black unsweetened coffee, water.
    L: Banana. A yogurt.
    I2D*: Chocolate truffle offered by Baptist coworker.
    D: Skipped.

    * Inattention To Detail

  131. MaryAgnesLamb says:

    Breakfast–1 slice flaxmeal bread and hard boiled egg
    Lunch–ditto
    Dinner–Tilapia filet, baked potato and steamed asparagus

  132. VivaLaMezzo says:

    10 macadamia nuts & 1 oz of cheese mid-day
    Dinner of sea scallops & steamed broccoli
    Water all day

  133. An American Mother says:

    Rob C,

    OK, I’ve read about barley water in Kipling (“The Village that Voted the Earth was Flat”), and now that our local grocery has established a “British Food Section” it’s available.

    But what IS it?

    Thanks from the Solid (and somewhat insular) American South.

    -AAM

  134. Marcin says:

    MikieC:
    Lent (or, “Great Fast”, as we call it)

    Interestingly, most Slavs call it Great Fast (e.g. ‘Wielki Post’ in Polish). And we use it indiscriminately, Latins or Greeks.
    ‘Lent’ is an English peculiarity, meaning ‘spring’, Germans use ‘Fasten’.

  135. Daddio says:

    Well, I forgot and ate meat. I was traveling on business, came down from my hotel room for breakfast with colleagues. I remembered it was Ash Wed., and my personal commitment to abstain from gluten for all of Lent (I want to offer this small sacrifice for my celiac son). So I passed by a very tempting assortment of bear claws and muffins, and settled for eggs and sausage. My coworker’s mother called him a while later to remind him, and that’s when I realized that I did my personal sacrifice but failed to observe the church’s rule. The sausage wasn’t even very good. I’ll confess it tomorrow.

  136. QMJ says:

    Nothing for breakfast.
    Lunch: crackers with almond butter.
    Dinner: fish sticks; tortilla chips with refried beans.
    No Mass or ashes.

    I’m Byzantine. Many of us take a middle ground between what is required and the strict abstinence. What I ate on Wednesday was the result of me scrounging for no meat, no dairy, no egg foods. The Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts will be celebrated today.

  137. Mark Pavlak says:

    Nothing until supper. One helping of mom’s tuna casserole with a biscuit and some milk.

  138. KarenLH says:

    Breakfast: half pot of coffee and a glass of juice
    Lunch: WW tuna casserole, Green Giant just for one peas and corn, glass of milk, orange
    Dinner: cup of peach yogurt

    Fasting while on a diet is a little odd.

Comments are closed.