Mardi Gras and Lent

For as long as I can remember, my mom and I have enjoyed Mardi Gras. I took French for many years, so the culture was engrained in me outside of my home too! We buy cake, junk food, and go all out! I have memories of watching the Biggest Loser while gorging myself. This year we had a different plan for Fat Tuesday. We decided we would try to be healthier both physically and spiritually this Lenten Season, so it was our last hoorah! We could only buy junk that would be gone by Ash Wednesday.

For Mardi Gras, we took a trip to the store to pick up some of our favorites! We were making Skillet Nachos and wanted dessert. My mom and I got nacho chips, cheddar cheese, ground beef and taco seasoning for the base of our dinner. We started by browning ground beef with some taco seasoning mix. In our cast iron skillet we laid down the chips, cheese, and beef in that order. On my half of the skillet, I put sliced jalapeños. It went into the over at 350° for 10 minutes. As soon as it came out, we topped it with diced tomatoes, red onion, sour cream, and avocado on my half. With a few pot holders down, we set it in the middle of our table and dug in! Dinner was great, but no match for our dessert. We had some chocolate cake and ice cream while we sat and watched an episode of The Office.

My mom and I do enjoy food, but we thought it would be a great change to eat healthier for the lent season. Rather than just taking things out of our lives, we both committed to exercising and spending more time in prayer. As far as “clean eating” goes, we both plan on cutting out processed foods. Our fridge is stocked with fresh fruit and veggies. In the realm of carbs, we’re focusing on whole grains. I know the first week will be hard, but after that I’m hoping it gets easier. Working at a pasta house won’t be fun, so I decided in advance that I will allow myself some of our staff meal (just in moderation). The whole goal of our process is to focus more on our health, not appearances. The same is true for our faith. While I work every Sunday morning, I hope to take a few off to get back to church. Outside of church, I’d like to strengthen my faith in prayer. I’m excited to see where the Lenten season takes my mom and I!

Fat Tuesday was a fun little kick off to our focus on health. Because my mom and I are in it together, I hope we’ll be more successful. I’ll keep you posted as the weeks go by! Enjoy the season of Lent, and remember what it’s really about.

Stay Classy,

Maya