A free downloadable resource to guide you from Clean Monday to Orthodox Easter including a complete meal plan and extra Lenten recipes
Download your free Great Lent Meal Plan 2021 and the additional Great Lent Recipes here:
This season is one of our favorites. Great Lent, leading to Orthodox Pascha, and the preceding weeks of Meatfare (Kreatini) and Cheesefare (Tyrini) are moments for renewal, spiritual reflection and deepening our faith.
How each person observes Great Lent is a personal decision. Our tradition outlines practices and guidance, but individual situations, health, and spiritual counsel vary. If you have specific questions about how to observe the fast, please speak with your parish priest or spiritual father.
Generally, the Lenten journey centers on three pillars: prayer, almsgiving and fasting. To help with fasting, we offer a free, downloadable meal plan that spans from Kathara Deftera (Clean Monday) through Pascha (Orthodox Easter). Use it as inspiration, a practical guide for daily meals during the 40 days and through Holy Week, or follow it more strictly if you prefer.
How to use the Great Lent Meal Plan 2021:
- While you can print the meal plan, it works best on a computer so you can open recipe links directly.
- Items underlined and in blue in the calendar are clickable and will open the recipe in a new tab.
- Recipes marked with an asterisk (*) are included in the downloadable Great Lent Recipes document.
- The Great Lent Recipes file contains recipes not yet published on the site; some appear in the meal plan and others serve as additional options.
- Review each week before shopping so you can plan ingredients and make substitutions as needed.
- Read the first page of the meal plan for extra tips and guidance.
Whatever approach you take to the fast, here are a few wise reminders passed down to us by our mother that we want to share with you:
- Keep your focus on your own practice. Do not judge or compare your fasting to others; fasting is a personal spiritual discipline.
- What you say and how you treat others matters more than what you avoid eating. True fasting leads to greater kindness, compassion and love toward others.
Prayer and almsgiving are equally important during this period. There are many prayer resources available online and through your local archdiocese. For almsgiving, consider donating money, food, goods or your time to those in need. During the Nativity Fast we supported the ALS Society of Quebec; you may choose to give to that charity or to one meaningful to you. We invite you to share in the comments how you are offering alms during Great Lent—we love hearing about acts of service and compassion.
Wishing you a blessed Lenten season,
xoxo Helen & Billie
Download your free Great Lent Meal Plan 2021 and the additional Great Lent Recipes here:
Interested in our previous Lenten meal plans? Explore past editions:
Great Lent Meal Plan 2020
Nativity Fast Meal Plan 2020