Deny the Flesh and celebrate new life

We are in day 9 of our 40 day Daniel Fast and thus far, it has been going well.

This is not, I repeat, this is NOT a diet. Yes, we are denying ourselves of grease, sugar, simple carbs, coffee, cheese, meats, butter, soda, cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, ice cream etc. But this is more than what we are not allowed to have. We are denying our flesh the satisfaction of eating what feels good in that moment, what satisfies our cravings so God can satisfy our Spirit.

We eat pretty well anyway so adjusting to the Daniel Fast has never been hard for us, with the exception of CHEESE. Rich, creamy, salty, melty cheese...I digress, this is where I honor my Lord by denying myself from cheese (even a Vegan substitute).

However, my birthday was on the 22nd; we are most always fasting around March and April which means I fast for my birthday.

Corey surprised me with dinner at an all vegetarian place: Mother's Garden Cafe.

http://www.motherscafeaustin.com/

The place on the outside looks reminiscent of a 50's diner with the blue and black decor. When you walk in, the front cashier is seated right inside the door, almost like a chinese restaurant. Then you walk to the back room. There are plants and colorful lights adorning most surfaces of the walls, tastefully though- not like they are creating the tropics in Austin. In the middle of the room is a pond with Koi. You can hear the waterfall and there is a quiet serenity that would be lost in the world of surf and turf. I could not bear eating meat with a knife and a fork there in the peace of the garden.

Corey had their "Bueno Burger" Which has been voted the best veggie burger in Austin for 10 years running. This was huge and tasty, with flavor and freshness. The pickles were the thick, crunchy homemade type, the bun was whole grain and toasted with sesame seeds, the patty was a thick veggie mix and it was topped with lettuce, guac and tofu dijon.

I choose the "Mole Enchiladas" Vegan cheese (I substituted this time!) vegan mole, guac, served with rice and beans. I will say the brown rice was a bit chewy for my taste, but everything else was wonderful and I ate more than I have in a long bit.

Lily had quesadillas and a fruit platter. Chloe ate most of the quesadilla and my beans while Lily devoured the fruit and her cup of rich soymilk.

This is a new favorite, fasting or not. We spent $40 with tip, but for the amount of food we got, that was a fair price and we left full, but not heavy and sleepy like if we would have dropped $40 on Jack Daniels Steak and Shrimp or Sizzling Chicken.