Easy On Hand Shabbat Meal

Observing the Sabbath day means preparing ahead of time for meals. Easier said than done, I know. Try as we might sometimes plans fall through and the week gets away from us. Sabbath can be fast approaching with no leftovers in the fridge and nothing in the oven. What do you do then? I present a simple meal.

You may already know this as a crudité platter or cheese tray or perhaps simply an appetizer board. It's also perfect picnic food. You may come to know this as the meal that saves the day. The only prep time is opening jars and slicing a few things, which is strictly optional. Essentially going through the cupboards and serving up what is on hand. Or if you're pressed for time after work on Friday, swinging into the grocery store and grabbing a few things that don't need to be sliced and sauted.

What you will need:

Pickles
Olives - I used kalamata and garlic stuffed
Veggies - fresh or pickled
Grape leafs
Almonds and other nuts
Crackers
Cheese
Dried fruit

Have you noticed a pattern here? All of these things have a very long shelf life, so you can keep them on hand thus always having a backup plan for a Shabbat meal. Since none of these things requires cooking you could use this as a Saturday lunch if leftovers weren't plentiful from the night before. This meal is also the best go-to for power outages and emergency type situations. 

Keeping the core of this meal on hand in the cupboard at all times is such a time saver and stress reliever. And you can supplement it with any fresh vegetables or leftovers you have. Apples and carrots can both stay good for months in the fridge so I usually have those too. Cheese also has a surprisingly long shelf-life when it is sealed in the package. Kosher certified goat cheese is easy to find and typically good for at least a couple of months. The same for cheddar which can also be kept frozen.

This tray includes:

Hummus (they sell canned hummus, but I haven't tried it.)

Goat cheese

Roasted red peppers

Crackers

Stuffed grape leaves (try a squeeze of lemon to liven up canned ones)

Carrot sticks

Cherry tomatoes

Pickles

Olives

Almonds

Apple slices

Dried cranberries

Dried figs

Fresh plumbs

Dried pineapple

Brazil nuts

This can obviously be adjusted to suit your tastes or whatever you have at the time. Since there's so many options everyone will like at least a few things.

Other ideas would be:

Sliced cheddar cheese

Canned artichokes

Tapenade

Pesto

Rustic bread or a baguette

Escabeche or pickled vegetables

Pita or pita chips

Brie cheese

Sliced pears

Broccoli or cauliflower florets

Baby carrots

Lunchbox peppers

Chutney

Salsa

Cashews

Nut butters

Snap peas

Grapes

Stock up on a few of these non perishables the next time you're grocery shopping so that you and your family can have a delicious Shabbat meal no matter how crazy the week gets.

More on this topic:
The No Stress Guide to Sabbath Meal Prep
Sabbath Friendly Oatmeal Recipe
Biblically Clean Make Ahead Salads

My Favorite Sukkahs of the Year

I saw so many amazing sukkahs this year! It was just incredible to be able open my inbox or browse Instagram to see photos of YHWH's feasts being celebrated around the world. I wanted to share with you a few of my favorites from this year, one for each night of Sukkot. I wouldn't mind celebrating the Feast of Booths in any of these!

From @elysamary I love the pretty lights and the menorah here! This is also shows that you don't need a huge yard or campsite to make a sukkah, it's totally doable on a patio or deck.

From @shalohamama This tropical sukkah is getting turned into a climbing structure for vertical gardening.

From @queenlioness333 I just love how she incorparted foliage and flowers into the vertical walls, don't you?

From @greenmomma4 Isn't this so elegant?

From @greenmomma4 Another shot from the inside. This looks so cozy and like the perfect place to stay warm on a chilly Sukkot evening.

From @theclimbingtree Doesn't this look like a place where you could hang out for hours? 

From @profuselyprofound The prayer shawl look I thought was a really unique take on a sukkah. Lauren said this was set up in a sanctuary where 24 hour prayer was happening!

From @madisonthompson It's not hard to imagine a lovely evening out here. Flowers and candles are a combination that's hard to top.

Which one was your favorite? Share your photos by tagging me on Instagram or using #sukkahgoals!

Sukkot Stuffed Recipes to Try

In most of the world Sukkot falls on the time of the final ingathering of the crops for the year. Gardens are emptied of the last of the tomatoes and peppers before the first frost, and huge fields are being harvested. Most of us are very far removed from the sigh of relief much of humanity surely felt at the end of an abundant harvest. While it is a blessing to live where an abundance of food available year round, we do miss out on noticing much of YHWH's provision. 

One way to remind ourselves that YHWH meets our needs is through the Sukkot tradition of stuffing vegetables and other foods. This shows that he not only gives us good things but generously 'stuffs' us full. Serving a meal of something stuffed is a good talking point of what (besides food) that YHWH has faithfully provided. Give one of these recipes a try this week!

Chili Stuffed Spaghetti Squash from Making Thyme for Health

Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potatoes from Will Frolic for Food

Pad Thai Spring Rolls from A Beautiful Mess

Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas from Cookie and Kate

Vegan Stuffed Poblanos from Minimalist Baker

Butternut Feta Hand Pies from A Beautiful Plate

Veggie Fajita Stuffed Sweet Potatoes from How Sweet It Is

Chipotle Pumpkin Enchiladas from A Beautiful Mess

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers from Minimalist Baker

Broccoli Rabe and Black Bean Quesadillas from Cookie and Kate

Pineapple Boat with Sorbet from The House That Lars Built

Almond Butter Baked Apples from Making Thyme for Health

Which of these doesn't look fantastic? I'm thinking it would be a great night for Mexican food in the sukkah. :) And that pineapple boat with fresh sorbet or ice cream? What dreams are made of! If you need inspiration, take a trip to a local farmers market. You could also stuff your favorite fillings into manicotti or apples into a pie. A very happy Sukkot week to all of you!

Prayer and Fasting on Yom Kippur

What do you do on Yom Kippur? The most common answer is to fast. Scripture's instruction for Yom Kippur is that we should anah ourselves. Traditionally this is applied as a 25 hour fast. There is some debate over whether or not fasting is required as the Hebrew word anah is usually  translated as afflict or humble, and never fast. But of course fasting could be a way of humbling yourself.

But if you're fasting on Yom Kippur, that should just be part of your Yom Kippur. Going without food is not the whole point. Our lack of understanding is sadly shown when we treat this Biblical holiday as just a day to not eat. There's nothing wrong with fasting and it can be used to add meaning to this special time. But if that is the only connection with a Bible holiday given to us by the Creator of the universe I think we have missed something.

Because fasting is always to be paired with prayer. Here are a some examples of that throughout the Bible.

-King David fasted while pleading for the life of his sick child. (2 Samuel 12:23)

-Anna never left the Temple, but worshipped day and night, fasting and praying. (Luke 2:37)

-Daniel was fasting and then prayed for Judah's release from exile. (Daniel 9:3)

-The disciples had trouble curing a boy from demonic, epileptic fits and the Messiah told them healing could only happen through prayer and fasting in that instance. (Mark 9:29)

-Hannah was fasting when she went to the Tabernacle to ask YHWH to give her a son. (1 Sameul 1:18)

-Jesus fasted and prayed in the wilderness. (Matthew 4:2)

-Paul and Barnabas appointed elders to the congregations with prayer and fasting. (Acts 14:23)

-Joel recorded YHWH as saying to return to him with fasting and prayer. (Joel 2:12)

Can you see there's more to fasting than just missing a meal? I want Yom Kippur to be honored and celebrated for all it stands for, including that the perfect sacrifice now intercedes for us continually. What if we made this a day of prayer? Not that fasting isn't valuable and beneficial. But we should be known for our prayers.

There are a few places in Scripture where fasting is not accompanied by prayer and it is clear that God is not pleased. One instance is how the Pharisees made it a point to show others they were fasting. Another examples is in Isaiah 58 when YHWH asks if the objective of a fast is to spread ashes and sackcloth on yourself. In other words, is the point of fasting simply to sit there without food all day or to try and impress others with your actions? Is this day to draw attention to yourself or should it be to direct your intention to the Living God?

What if on Yom Kippuur instead of emphasizing to our friends and family that we are fasting, we showed that this is a day we intercede for them? What if we spend this Bible holiday praying for repentance and mercy? What if we prayed for the restoration and for YHWH's best to be done in our family, community, and world?

What if the point to fasting isn't to go without food yourself, but to be able to give that food to someone hungry?

My point is not that fasting is bad or that it shouldn't be done. The Messiah gave us instructions on the procedures for this, assuming we would fast. My point is to remind you there is more to this day than just going without food. Our ministries and congregations could be known as a house of prayer in this time.

I hope you have a very beautiful and meaningful Yom Kippur!

Related posts:
The Meaning of Yom Kippur (Day of Covering)
How to Pray for Our World
Yom Kippur Scripture Reading List