Going "veggie" for 40 days

Growing up Catholic, Lent was a time I looked forward to challenging myself to give something up -- or sometimes add something -- in my daily living for 40 days. No meat on fridays and giving up TV, swearing (it's not like I swear much anyway), eating candy, etc...this is what my past Lents looked like. It was a fun little project, and then on Easter I could go back to my TV and candy.

One year I decided to take my dog Max on at least one long walk EVERY DAY, something that is difficult to do with the March rains. Another year my friend Jeannie gave me the idea to not say anything negative about myself or another person for Lent, which turned out to be quite tedious. Imagine, that was Jeannie's New Year's resolution for the entire year! She's aetheist but spent that year acting more "Christian" than me by a long-shot!

Not until I married Daniel did I realize that I was completely missing the point of Lent. In his church they are not just giving up meat on Fridays. It's no meat for the entire Lenten season. And not just no meat....they go vegan. I'm sorry, but I'm just not a vegan kind of gal. I need my ice cream, dagnabbit!!! The idea is that if you are not spending as much time cooking intricate meat dishes but instead having soups, beans, salads and breads, you will have more time to be mindful of prayer and silence. The rub is that if you are accustomed to cooking up a quick chicken breast with some rice for dinner, cooking vegan takes way more planning, creativity and organization, leaving me less time for prayer and quietude. We've made a compromise that this year I will cook vegetarian, not vegan meals, and I've come up with a list of 9 meals for the next 40 days that I will just make over and over again in a rotation, that way I can have more time to enjoy the Lenten spirit. So here is the veggie lineup:

1. Curried Butternut and sweet potato soup
2. Greens & beans with homemade pizza
3. Vegetarian Chili
4. Lentil soup
5. Barley and roasted vegetable salad
6. Frittata with roasted vegetables
7. Three-bean salad with spinach and baked bread
8. Mushroom and kale ragu over polenta with a fried egg
9. Split pea soup with grilled vegetable sandwiches (or grilled cheese)

I will make three of these recipes per week, and we will have leftovers in between. I see this working! Any ideas out there for more easy vegetarian recipes? I also need to get back into the habit of praying/meditating. These past two years have slipped away from me in terms of prayer because of my miscarriages, finding out I couldn't have children, etc. I stopped praying because I was so upset with God, and at times wondered if there even was a God at all. I am feeling better day by day, but I haven't been able to find a prayerful ritual like I used to have. This Lent will be a good opportunity for me to start again.