Biblically Clean Summer Recipes

Summer brings warm weather, lovely days spent outside, and great seasonal produce. I wanted to share Biblically clean recipes that put those garden vegetables and fresh fruits to use. A lot of these recipes utilize the grill or leave ingredients raw so that helps to minimize the time you need to spend in a hot kitchen. Lots of these would work well to take to a cookout or for Sabbath meals too.

BBQ Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad from Half Baked Harvest

Vibrant Bell Pepper and Zucchini Tacos from Minimalist Baker

Quick Hummus Bowl from A Couple Cooks

Strawberry Shortcake from Love and Lemons

Blueberry Cucumber Summer Salad from How Sweet Eats

Farmers Market Goat Cheese Pasta Primavera from Half Baked Harvest

Cheesy Bruschetta Chicken Burgers from How Sweet Eats

Zippy Orzo Chicken Salad from Pinch of Yum

Tomato, Peach, and Burrata Salad from Half Baked Harvest

Cheeseburger Chopped Salad with Dill Pickle Vinaigrette from How Sweet Eats

Watermelon Slushie from A Couple Cooks

Salmon Souvlaki Bowls from Half Baked Harvest

Boiled Corn on the Cob from Love and Lemons

Buffalo Zucchini Chicken Burgers from Ambitious Kitchen

Rainbow Veggie Bowls with Jalapeno Ranch from Pinch of Yum

Browned Butter Grilled Peaches from Half Baked Harvest

Greek Salad from A Couple Cooks

Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce from Salt and Lavender

Market Veggie Board with Roasted Corn Jalapeno Hummus from Half Baked Harvest

Sweet Corn, Peach, and Tomato Salad from How Sweet Eats

Skillet Strawberry Cobbler with Layered Cream Cheese Biscuits from Half Baked Harvest

Rainbow Chicken Salad with Almond Honey Mustard Dressing from Pinch of Yum

Ratatouille from Love and Lemons

One Pot Greek Oregano Chicken with Orzo and Tomatoes from Half Baked Harvest

Chocolate Zucchini Bread from Love and Lemons

Watermelon Sorbet from A Couple Cooks

Related posts:
Eating Biblically Clean at Summer Cookouts
What the Bible Says About Meat and Dairy
Brands of Biblically Clean Marshmallows

What Not To Do on the Sabbath

What sorts of things are we supposed to avoid doing on the Sabbath? The Bible gives us instructions to rest and not to work, but what does that look like, practically, for us today? I want to point out some specific things we aren't to do, because when I first started keeping the Sabbath there were many things that I overlooked. As with the post on what to do on the Sabbath, this is not meant to be a comprehensive list, but rather a general guideline of Scripture's instructions surrounding the set apart day.

The Bible tells us that on the Sabbath day we shouldn't:

Work:

-Work professionally. Full time, part time, or as needed. This includes side hustles or any sort of gig. Whether you work for yourself or someone else, working should be avoided. See this post for information about how to stop working on the Sabbath.

-Do unnecessary household tasks. I'm talking about things like yardwork or doing the laundry or general cleaning, as well as tasks like balancing the checkbook or paying bills. These things could easily wait another day so that you can enjoy Sabbath rest.

-Work on special projects. This could be anything from party planning to blogging to helping someone move to finally hanging up that framed family photo.

-Promote your work or business. The Sabbath is not for professional networking or trying to solicit new business. Trust in YHWH to provide for your needs. 

Have someone work for us:

-Shop. If you go to a store or business then the employees are working on your behalf. Save your shopping list for another day.

-Hire help. If you need an electrician, plumber, etc. or if you pay someone to do yard work or to fix your vehicle, schedule that for a day that is not the Sabbath. I would also think twice before enrolling a child in dance class or art class that meets on the Sabbath, because the instructor would be working (not to mention that this wouldn't be very restful for you or your child).

-Run errands like going to the bank.

-Make appointments. Sabbath is not the day to call about getting an oil change or to set up a dentist appointment, etc. 

-Eat out. Going to a restaurant for a meal or coffee shop for a drink means that cooks, servers, baristas, etc. are working on your behalf.

-Give other people things to do. While there is nothing wrong with talking to friends and family, please be considerate of other people's day of rest and refrain from asking them to do things for you, whether that's look something up, email you information, or schedule an appointment. I know from experience that there is nothing relaxing about being asked to do some sort of errand or chore, even if the person doesn't expect you to do it until later in the week. Saving your requests for another day helps to promote a restful atmosphere for all.

I'd like to point out that these restrictions are for normal circumstances. The Messiah used the analogy of the ox in the ditch (Luke 14:5) to say that emergencies happen, and sometimes it is necessary to do something on the Sabbath that is not restful or ideal. If you are in need of the police, immediate medical care, etc. please do not hesitate to get the services you need!

The following are things not expressly ruled out by Scripture, but that generally don't lend themselves well to a day of rest. You can certainly choose to do these things if you wish, but consider if taking part in these is helping or hindering rest in your life.

A few more suggestions of things to avoid for a better Sabbath day:

-Spending the day on the internet. Is all of that time on social media doing you any favors? Does website hopping leave you feel refreshed or drained? Consider how your internet activity makes you feel, and see if YHWH is calling you to something better on the Sabbath.

-Watching the news. Tuning into the news is a great way to invite fear and anxiety into your life and home. Most of what the news covers has very little impact on our daily lives, and much of what is news today will be forgotten by tomorrow. Keeping the television shut off can make for a more peaceful atmosphere for your home.

-Stressing yourself out. Sabbath rest is a reminder that we depend on YHWH. Therefore, a great gift to give yourself and your family is to not ruminate on things that worry you, be that finances, needing to buy a new car, relationship trouble, or concern for a loved one. Instead of focusing on the 'what-ifs', redirect your thinking to remind yourself of YHWH's promise to work all things together for good. This post about how Scripture says to handle anxiety can help you to manage this.

-Trying to quickly knock something off your to do list. It's easy to let yourself think that if you just get whatever thing done, then you'll be able to rest. But you are called to set aside work, even when there are things to do or the house needs cleaned. Don't fall for the lie that rest can only be had when everything is done, or that whatever thing "needs" to be done. Unless it's an emergency, let it go and set apart the Sabbath.

Related posts:

What To Do on the Sabbath
Five Things the Messiah Taught About the Sabbath
How to Have a More Peaceful Sabbath

What To Do on the Sabbath

If the Sabbath is a day of rest what are we supposed to do on it? What should this set apart day look like when we are pausing from so many of our regular activities? If we aren't working or "being productive" what can or should our day look like? I want to give some suggestions for Sabbath appropriate activities, because when I first started keeping this day set apart, I was forever wondering things like, should I be doing this? is this okay?

Note that these activities are suggestions. This is not a checklist of things to get done, but rather ideas for how you can enjoy the Sabbath day. Hopefully you are able to do a couple of things from the 'spiritual' category each week, but please don't feel pressured to try and do every single thing mentioned here each Sabbath. The beauty of the Sabbath is that it's not a day for being 'productive' or getting things done. It's the day when we are commanded to stop those other things and to rest and worship YHWH. If you "don't do anything" or get "nothing" done, it's more than okay.

Here are some ideas for how we can spend the Sabbath.

Spiritual things to do:

Listen to or sing worship songs

Read Scripture

Do a Bible study

Attend congregation

Listen to a teaching or sermon

Study with friends and family

Listen to an audio Bible

Speak a blessing over yourself and others

Spend time in prayer

Self care related activities:

Personal hygiene

Nap

Take a bath

Go for a walk

Sit outside

Stretch

Have a cup of tea

Relationships:

Have lunch or dinner with family

Call or visit an older relative

Sit and talk with your spouse, friends, or family

Caring for others:

Basic care of children, the sick, and the elderly

Basic care of animals

Necessary house cleaning (i.e. cleaning up a broken glass or pet's accident)

Fun things to do:

Enjoy the beach or the lake

Play a board game

Watch a movie

Read

These are ideas for how you can spend your time in Biblically permissible ways, not a conclusive list of all permissible activities on the Sabbath. Are you wondering about something not on the list? Familiarize yourself with Scripture's directions for the Sabbath. Then ask yourself some questions about that activity. Does this fit with keeping God's word? Would it be restful to do it? Would that cause someone else to work? Is it necessary to do this today?

The Sabbath is the day we are commanded to rest and worship. Those are the only things we need to accomplish. Give yourself permission to step back from the other things and enjoy the gift of rest and time with the Creator. We truly do well if that's what we accomplish on the Sabbath!

Related posts:
What Not To Do on the Sabbath
Fifteen Things Scripture Says About the Sabbath
How to Stop Working on Shabbat

Biblically Clean Marshmallows

Biblically clean marshmallows! First off, did you know that most brands of marshmallows are Biblically unclean? It's because they contain gelatin, which is made from pig, unless clearly specified as beef/bovine, fish, or certified kosher gelatin. Gelatin is one of those things that can sneak into foods you don't expect, not just jello and marshmallows, but fruit snacks and candy, and even some yogurts and sour cream.

The good news is that there are Biblically clean marshmallows! Here are some common brands.

Dandies are vegan and made without gelatin. I have not tried them but they are available pretty widely at many grocery stores.

Smashmallows come in a variety of flavors and are made with certified kosher bovine gelatin. They are available at Target and other major grocery stores.

Paskesz is probably the easiest brand to find, at least in my area. Kroger and Meijer often carry these. I find their texture to be reasonably similar to regular marshmallows.

Making homemade. This is obviously not a brand, but if you get beef gelatin you can make marshmallows using any recipe. Just substitute the beef gelatin for the regular pork kind equally. To make marshmallows you basically heat a large amount of sugar to a specific temperature, add gelatin, and mix for about 10 minutes. Lots of people have told me that if they can make them anyone can.

Here's a link to for kosher beef gelatin from Great Lakes Wellness.

Here's a recipe for Brown Sugar Marshmallows with Chocolate Swirl from Buttermilk by Sam!

If you're not familiar with Biblically clean eating, this blog has a lot of resources! Start with learning what Biblically clean eating is here.

Trader Joe's marshmallows are the most similar to regular marshmallows of all the brands I have tried. I am told they are only available seasonally so look for them in the summer months.

Related posts:
Biblically Clean Cookout Recipes
What is Biblically Clean Eating?
How To Eat Biblically Clean at Summer Cookouts