2 days to go...

There's only a couple more days left until the fast. I did some major prep work yesterday. I cleaned out my pantry of most junk food and food that's not good for the fast. The stuff I can't eat, but will still be good after the fast, I put on a different shelf. I grouped together the nuts and dried fruit I had on hand and straightened out the canned food shelf so I could see what canned veggies and beans I had on hand. I used recipes from both, http://www.daniel-fast.com/myrecipes/, and http://www.ultimatedanielfast.com/ and I used the template that www.daniel-fast.com emails you to set up my Weekly Meal Plan. Here's my meal plan so you have an example of what to look forward to:

Sunday
Breakfast: Baked Oatmeal
Lunch: Salad
Dinner: Tofu Tacos, Brown Rice, and Beans with tomatillo salsa and homemade whole grain tortillas.
Snacks: fruit and nuts

Monday
B: Potato Frittata
L: Black Bean Burger patty with a salad
D: Salad
S: Hummus, Sesame seed rice crackers, nuts, fruit

Tuesday
B: Muesli
L: frozen veggie patty and a salad
D: Baked Felafel with unleavened bread, hummus, and veggies
S: Fruit, Rice Cake with natural peanut butter

Wednesday
B: Baked Oatmeal
L: Salad and leftovers
D: Black Bean Minestrone Soup with corn bread muffins
S: Fruit and Nuts

Thursday
B: Muesli
L: Salad and leftovers
D: Stir Fry Tofu & Veggies with brown rice
S: veggies with hummus, nuts

Friday
B: Muesli
L: Salad and leftovers
D: Basil Zucchini Soup with corn bread muffins
S: veggies with hummus, nuts

Saturday
B: Potato Frittata
L: Salad and leftovers
D: Spaghetti Squash with Basil-Walnut Cream and corn bread muffins
S: Homemade Crackers with Black Bean Hummus, fruit

When coming up with the meal plan I tried to take into consideration what was on sale and what veggies I could get at my local farmers market. After I had my meal plan figured out, I made my shopping list. I grouped together like items to make the trip easier because I had a long list of groceries that I had to pick up. I'm going to get as much of the dried fruits, nuts, seasonings, and flours as I can from the bulk section at my local WinCo. This will save you some money! I usually go to my local Walmart Grocery after that because they will match any advertised prices of items they carry on hand which can save you some time and gas!! Do as much prep work ahead of time as possible. I'll be doing some shopping tonight and tomorrow and then tomorrow night preparing some of the recipes ahead of time. I'll be making the Baked Oatmeal, Hummus, and Date Honey tomorrow night as well as cutting up some of the veggies for snacks. I feel like the more I can do ahead of time, the easier it will be to stay on track.

The Daniel Fast isn't only about the food though. I have been praying for God's guidance in this as well. I know as my body detoxifies, I will have cravings for those food and drinks that I can't have. And anyone who knows me will tell you I have a crazy sweet tooth so going 3 weeks without ice cream seems like a lifetime!! I know I'll have to look to God for strength in overcoming these urges. I'll be praying daily for my church and the effect we have on our community, the new preschool they recently started, my family, my marriage, and for guidance in the career path I'll be taking, to name a few. I believe as my wife and I go through this fast together and pray together, our marriage will be stronger and we will draw closer to God. Thanks for following me. I'll post more soon. Any questions, comments, encouragement, don't hesitate to comment below!! I'll do my best to keep up with this daily as the fast begins. God bless!