It’s almost Ash Wednesday. That means Lent is about to start in a couple of days.

Are you Lent-ready? Do you already have a menu plan for Lent?

On Ash Wednesday, all Fridays of Lent and on Good Friday, Catholics who are 14 years old and older abstain from eating meat dishes. This includes meat from pigs, cows, chicken, sheep and even fowls. Thus, Catholics replace these dishes with fish, seafood, vegetables or beans instead.

There are those who are exempted from abstinence. People who are frail and sick, pregnant and nursing women are just some of those who are not obliged to abstain from meat.

Catholics do this practice every Lent as a form of penance, to train our spirits and to practice temperance and discipline. Through this small sacrifice, we unite our spirits to the Passion of Jesus Christ and affirm that we can do away with these things but we cannot live without God. This practice reminds us that our bodies should be under the sovereignty of God. You can read more about fasting and abstinence here and here.

I once made a 4-week menu cycle for Lent many years ago. You can use it this year so you don’t need to think of what to cook or prepare this whole season. Just click here.

In this blog post, I have listed 20 dishes that you can choose from for the different Fridays of Lent, for Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Meatless Dishes for Lunch or Dinner

1. Ginisang Mongo with Fish Flakes
2. Daing na Bangus with fresh tomatoes and fried eggplant or enseladang pipino (cucumber) or enseladang talong
3. Sweet and Sour Tilapia
4. Paksiw na Bangus or Dilis (Click here for the recipe.)
5. Sinigang na Bangus, Salmon or Hipon
6. Inihaw na Bangus/Tilapia
7. Crusted Tilapia Fillet with Mango Salsa (Click here for the recipe.)
8. Adobong Pusit
9. Grilled Stuffed Pusit
10. Sardines with Misua and Patola
11. Fish Steak
12. Any fried fish

Vegetable Dishes

1. Tortang Talong
2. Laswa
3. Adobong Kangkong
4. Ginataang Sitaw at Kalabasa with Malunggay
5. Ginataang Langka with crablets or crabs
6. Ginisang Ampalaya (minus the pork)
7. Chopsuey (minus the chicken meat or with seafood instead)
8. Lumpiang Sariwa/Lumpiang Hubad
9. Seafood Kare-kare
10. Ginataang Puso ng Saging
11. Lumpiang Toge
12. Buttered mixed vegetables or stir-fried mixed vegetables

As a bonus, let me share with you meatless breakfast ideas also.

Non-Meat Breakfast Options

1. Oatmeal
2. Champorado (with or without tuyo flakes)
3. Cereals and fruits
4. Cheese and Spinach Quesadilla
5. Crispy Danggit with Garlic Rice
6. Spanish Sardines with bread or rice
7. Scrambled Eggs with bread
8. Pancakes
9. Spanish or Cheese Omelette
10. Fresh Fruits in Season

I hope these lists help you have more time for prayer instead of spending a lot of time on meal planning this Lent. =) Have a meaningful Lenten Season! Watch out for my posts on simple and doable Lent activities for the whole family.

If you want a copy of Mommy Teresa’s 4-week cycle menu for regular days, simply sign up for the Hands-On Parent while Earning (H.O.P.E.) Toolkit. Click here to sign up for it. This is absolutely FREE with all the other tools you can get from the H.O.P.E. Toolkit!