Over the 21 days in your Daniel Fast, you’ll change the foods that you eat. For some folks, this will be a significant shift. For others only slight. But for all, it’s important to plan ahead and be prepared so that you can devote your attention and your time in God’s Word and spending time with your Father.

You’ll want to collect recipes and plan your menus. Here are a few steps that you can follow to create your own Personalized Daniel Fast Cookbook. This will be a custom-made version just for you and for your family. The benefit of creating your own personalized Daniel Fast cookbook is that you’ll have everything you need on hand for a successful Daniel Fast experience. Plus, as you create your cookbook, you’ll also be planning your meals ahead. This will serve you as you continue your fast so your attention won’t be on the food, but instead, it will be on the Lord.

Learn the guidelines so you know what foods are allowed and which foods are restricted

You want to learn about the Daniel Fast food guidelines. What are the foods that are allowed and what are those that are restricted? You can go to this link to learn more about the food lists. Spend some time reviewing the lists so that you are familiar with the guidelines. The basics of the Daniel Fast food plan is that it is completely plant-based. Also, the only beverage on the Daniel Fast is water. Spend a few minutes reviewing the guidelines as your first step in preparation.

Decide to make simple meals so you can focus on God

Decide right now that for your 21-day fast that you’ll eat simple meals. Remember, biblical fasting is restricting food for a spiritual purpose. So many people turn the Daniel Fast into the latest Christian diet. That is totally wrong! Imagine Daniel’s thinking when he was fasting. He focused on spiritual matters and not his own desires. So plan to have simple meals during your Daniel Fast. Lots of soups, salads, and easy to prepare meals. Make your decision to center on the Lord rather than on the food. This decision will serve you in many ways.

Think about meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks

You want to think about the types of meals that you would like to prepare during your Daniel Fast. Think about your schedule. What can you have for breakfast, lunch, dinners, and snacks? Take a few minutes and just imagine what you’ll be eating during your fast. And don’t think about all of the restrictions. Instead think about the amazing, very positive time that you’ll have as you meet with the Lord and learn from Him.

Look for recipes that you can easily print

Now it’s time for you to find recipes. There are so many that are available to you. If you have chosen to participate in the Come to Me Daniel Fast program, you’ll have hundreds of recipes to choose from in the many cookbooks included in the course.

I encourage you to select 3 breakfast menus, 3 to 4 lunch menus, 6 to 7 dinner menus, and 3 to 4 snacks. Find recipes that will work for you and your menus.

Plan your menus for each week

Your next step is to specifically plan your meals. You can click on this link to download a copy of the Daniel Fast menu planning worksheet. The planner will help you as you organize all of your meals for one week. This preparation will save you money. It will save you time. And save you anxiety. You’ll know every day the foods that you’ll be eating for your Daniel Fast. You can also use this sheet to imagine your meal preparation and take advantage of your time in the kitchen. I suggest that you plan your meals for one week.

Print your recipes and keep them in a 3-ring binder or a file folder

After you’ve planned your mails and you know the recipes that you’ll use, print each one of those recipes. This is how you create your own personalized Daniel Fast Cookbook. Keep the recipes in a 3-ring binder or in a file folder. Then when you’re ready to prepare your meals, all your recipes will be easily available to you.

Make your shopping list

Now you can prepare your shopping list. Use your Daniel Fast meal planner along with the recipes that you’ve collected. Check for foods that you may already have in your cupboards that you can use, and then make your shopping list for the things that you need to purchase. Just think of it . . . instead of making multiple trips to the grocery store, you can do all of your shopping at one time.

Prepare meals in advance; use your cooking time wisely

Plan how you’ll prepare the meals. Can you prepare 2 or 3 meals at one time? Can you create a double batch of soup? Utilize your freezer. Take advantage of the time that you have in the kitchen. Make large batches of brown rice that you can use for several meals. Think about ways that you can wisely invest your time to prepare your Daniel Fast meals.

Be blessed on your fast

Be blessed during your time of preparing your meals. One of the things that I like to do is have all the ingredients ready. And then I’ll turn on joyful music, a podcast, or a video teaching and enjoy my time in the kitchen. Let this time be uplifting and pleasant for you.

Now you can just repeat this process for the remaining weeks of your Daniel Fast. Creating your own Personalized Daniel Fast Cookbook will help you more than you may even be able to imagine right now. Not only will this help you during the fast, but you may see how you can repeat this process for your regular days. Take advantage of planning ahead. Take advantage of using your time wisely used in the kitchen. And take advantage of the joyful experience you can have in nourishing your body with the foods God created just for you.

Please encourage and inspire others by leaving your comments below.

Be blessed as you continue to grow in the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ.