Tips for Resting on the Sabbath

Here are a variety of simple tricks and tips to help you to rest on the Sabbath! It can be hard to carve out time for rest, especially if you are a parent, caregiver, or have animals to care for. These ideas will help you to make the most of the Sabbath day so that you can fully embrace God's rest and honor him with your obedience to this command.

-Let those in your care rest by putting on a movie or music, and then use that time to rest yourself.

-Set yourself up for success by keeping some frozen meals on hand so that you don't have to spend the Sabbath cooking, even if you didn't prepare a meal for it during the week.

-Embrace simple meals and a few fridge and pantry staples for Sabbath nourishment. You absolutely do not need a six course meal to welcome in God's day of rest!

-No short orders for meals or snacks. Create a basket of Sabbath snack options that kids can grab and eat. If someone bugs you for a snack, you can send them to the basket to make their selection themselves.

-Learn to embrace a sink full of dishes. The Sabbath is not a day we need to have immaculate kitchens. When I see dishes piled up in the sink on the Sabbath, I smile because it means we are keeping God's command to rest! 

-Skip giving kids baths unless it's absolutely necessary. Or in the summer, let them play in a sprinkler and call it good enough! 

-Wear pajamas or comfy clothes as a way to signal to your body that it's time to rest. If you go to congregation, having kids put on pajamas when you get home can signal to them that this day is different from the rest of the week (and make for an easier bedtime later). 

-Give farm animals enough food and water the day before to get them through the day. 

-Hang up a cabbage for chickens in the coop. It keeps them occupied and fed the next day! 

-Sign off of social media and silence notifications. Put your phone on landline mode. Give yourself a mental break. No sense in having constant interruptions on the Sabbath! You can also set your phone so that it only rings for callers in your favorites list.

-If you keep thinking of things to do, jot them down. Making a list takes the load off your brain to remember it all and will help you to focus on other things. 

-Remind yourself that it's okay to do the minimum. If you have loved ones or animals in your care, as long as everyone is safe and has their basic needs covered, it's enough. Sabbath does not have to be the day for someone's favorite meal, the longest walk of the dog's life, or a curated activity list.

-Recognize that not being able to rest unless things are perfect is a lie! Our culture has convinced us that rest is something we can only have once we have gotten every other conceivable thing done. This not Biblical truth. God does not expect you to have it all done every week. You can rest even if you could use groceries or the house needs swept or the trash needs taken out. Sabbath rest isn't about finishing everything, it's about pausing even though there' still work to do. 

-Remember that you're not supposed to be accomplishing things today! Just connect with YHWH, rest, and enjoy time with your family or fellowship. 

Related posts:
Sabbath Prep and the Idol of Cleanliness
How to Stop Working on the Sabbath
20 Tips to Simplify Shabbat Prep

The No Stress Guide to Sabbath Day Meal Prep

Food prep for Shabbat. This seems to be one of the biggest struggles with honoring the Sabbath day. While it's an adjustment to learn to prepare or plan ahead to have meals that don't require work on Shabbat, it is totally doable! Even if you have a busy schedule. You don't need to have every Friday afternoon set aside for cooking three extra meals for your family. I'm going to walk you through how to set yourself up for success with some extremely low prep/low stress ideas for Sabbath day meals and snacks, that will actually fit into your life. You can do this!

First thing, I want you to consider what your limitations are. Do you restrict yourself to cold foods only or are you okay using a slow cooker? How about reheating meals in the oven? I personally use my oven to reheat food on Shabbat, but if you think that's going to far, no worries. Just stick with the ideas below that work for you.

And then take the pressure off yourself to have formal/fancy/extra special meals for the Sabbath. If you want to do this then sure, go for it. But if that is making for a streeeessssssed Friday or a cranky you, then why? Especially remember that having challah bread is not a commandment, it's tradition. It's tasty, but consider if scratch baking each week is a reasonable expectation for yourself in this season. As long as you're serving things not forbidden by Scripture then you're good.

Start off on the right foot by making an easy Friday night dinner. There is absolutely no reason to overwhelm yourself and head into the Sabbath exhausted or in a bad mood. It's also so much more enjoyable to look forward to the Sabbath when I don't place lots of hurdles before myself to get there.

Easy Friday night meal ideas include:
Grilling chicken, hamburgers, veggie kabobs, etc. (So much less clean up!)
Soup (comforting, low maintenance, forgiving...I'm there)
Baked Pasta that doesn't require boiling the noodles
Sheet pan meal or one dish dinner
Slow cooker meals
Pizza or takeout

Then make a grocery list (or take inventory of the pantry) to stock up on things that are ready to eat and slow to perish. You can see a complete post I did on this here. The idea here is that even if you put zero thought into Sabbath lunch or snacks, you have things on hand that you can just open up and eat. Things like this are also good to have in case of emergency or a power outage.

Pantry items to have on hand:
Tortilla chips
Salsa
Cheese
Refried beans
Carrots
Apples
Nut butters
Crackers
Dried fruits
Canned grape leafs
Olives
Pickles
Nuts

How about having some breakfasts in your back pocket that require zero prep work? No prep time, no problem.

No prep Shabbat breakfasts:
Bagels with cream cheese, maybe even smoked salmon (you can freeze bagels and smoked salmon, and cream cheese can last for months unopened in the fridge)
Sabbath-Friendly Oatmeal or instant oatmeal (just add hot water)
Yogurt with fruit
Toast with peanut butter
Cereal or granola with milk
Frozen breakfast burritos

How about stopping for a picnic on the way home from congregation? Or what if you find yourself out of town for the Sabbath? Here is a Sabbath day lunch for away from home. You can pack up just about everything in a basket before Shabbat if you'd like.

No prep Shabbat lunch to go:
Loaf of bread
Sandwich fixings (anything from PB&J to gourmet cheeses and jarred tapenade)
Pickles
Carrots and/or other low maintenance veggies
Hummus or other dip
Apples, pears, peaches or any fresh or dried fruit

Let's say it's the Sabbath and there's nothing made for lunch. No need to fast or cook up a storm. Here are a few simple meals that are tasty and super easy to throw together.

Favorite no work Shabbat meals:

Green salad - if you have greens on hand (kale lasts an especially long time for me), raid the the fridge and pantry for some salad toppings. Open a can of beans, add some salsa, extra veggies, and a sprinkle of cheese. Or add tomatoes, canned olives, and leftover lentils or quinoa. Cooked or raw veggies, nuts, leftover chicken or taco meat, hard-boiled eggs, canned chickpeas or beans, canned tuna, leftover cooked grains, are all great in a hassle free salad.

Veggie or grain bowls - these are made with similar ingredients to salads but grains or legumes are emphasized over lettuce. Start with a base of cooked rice, lentils, or quinoa, add fresh and/or roasted veggies (leftovers from fajita night? a jar of roasted peppers? corn or green beans thawed from the freezer with a rinse of warm water?), and plenty of toppings...chickpeas, chicken, a scoop of hummus, kimchi, boiled eggs, sunflower seeds, anything leftover or handy. Add extra flavor with a splash of vinaigrette, salsa, tzatziki, chutney, pesto, or salad dressing.

Sandwiches - keep sandwich supplies on hand (most freeze well). It's almost no work to put together a peanut butter and jelly (or turkey or veggie sandwich), and it certainly beats violating the Sabbath or stressing yourself out. 

Nachos - spread some tortilla chips on a pan, dollop with canned beans (refried or whole), some cheese and salsa and pop it in the oven for the cheese to melt and you've got nachos! You could swap out the chips for tortillas and make a tostada or quesadilla with the same ingredients. Roasted sweet potatoes or squash, chopped tomatoes or peppers, pickled onions, leftover rice or quinoa could all be added.

Canned soup - things couldn't be much easier or faster than opening a can or jar of soup and heating it up. If you need to stretch it, add some frozen vegetables to the soup or serve it with bread, cheese, crackers, pickles, or fresh veggies.

Stock your freezer with with meals to bake. That way if you're busy, no worries, you've got dinner. I'm talking about things that you just stick in the oven and bake, no thawing or extra ingredients or steps required. You can of course purchase these already made or make your own version.

Freezer meals to have on hand:
Stuffed peppers
Lasagna
Pizza
Twice baked potatoes
Burritos
Falafel
French fries
Veggie burgers
Casserole

It's the end of a busy week and you're low on food at home. What do you grab at the store? Anything that we've talked about works well here, sandwich or salad supplies, frozen burritos, bagels or oatmeal for breakfast.

Favorite last minute Sabbath snacks to grab at the store:
Baby carrots, snap peas, lunchbox peppers, cherry tomatoes, or any veggie that is ready-to-eat or just needs washed
Hummus, guacamole, or other veggie dip
Apples, clementines, berries, or other low maintenance fruit
Bread, bagels, croissants or other bakery items
Cheese
Yogurt
Popcorn
Pickles or pickled vegetables
Olives
Nut butters
Crackers

You've got some time but not a lot to get some food made for Shabbat. What can you do?

Quick and easy snacks to make ahead:
Chop veggies and fruit so they're ready to eat
Thaw frozen fruit (put some frozen peaches or berries into the fridge to thaw and you've got an instant dessert or snack the next day)
Bake something sweet (may I suggest Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, Raspberry Crumble Bars, Healthy Pumpkin Ginger Bread, or brownies?)
Make whole fruit popsicles or frozen yogurt bars (blend yogurt and fruit, pour into a popsicle mold, and freeze)
Roast a sheet pan of veggies (try adding a squeeze of lemon along with salt and pepper) for snacking or to add to salads or a sandwich the next day
Cook lentils or quinoa for salads or grain bowls
Whip up a batch of hummus
Hard-boil eggs
Make granola
Pop a batch of popcorn (freeze the extra and it is ready to eat straight from the freezer, it tastes fresh and isn't at all cold)

No prep Shabbat meal plan examples:

Friday dinner: Tomato soup with grilled cheese
Saturday breakfast: Sabbath-Friendly Oatmeal
Saturday lunch: Grape leafs, hummus, pita bread, raw veggies, feta cheese, and olives
Snacks: Popcorn
Saturday dinner: Baked stuffed peppers from the freezer with green salad

Friday dinner: Grilled hamburgers or veggie burgers with corn on the cob
Saturday breakfast: Yogurt with strawberries
Saturday lunch: Make-your-own salads
Snacks: Frozen yogurt bars and fresh peaches
Saturday dinner: Tostadas with refried beans and lots of toppings

Friday dinner: Sheet pan chicken dinner
Saturday breakfast: Granola or cereal with milk
Saturday lunch: Bagel sandwiches with cream cheese, smoked salmon, and cucumber slices. Red pepper slices and broccoli florets with dip or vinaigrette.
Snacks: Apples with nut butter
Saturday dinner: Bake frozen pizza and french fries

As you can see, you can have a Sabbath's days worth of food without spending a whole extra day preparing it! Keep it simple and remember that the point of the day is not the food. The Israelites ate manna every single day, so have some go-to recipes that you turn to often if that helps. Don't compare your peanut butter bagel or frozen pizza to someone else's social media glamour shot. Embrace simplicity that allows you to rest on the Sabbath.

Want more recipes? 
Here are slow cooker meal ideas you can make for the Sabbath.
There are so many great salads or healthy make ahead meals to try.
And here are casseroles to make ahead for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert.