Enjoy a Nutritious Salad for St. José Luis Sánchez del Río's Feast Day!

It's no secret that I like to focus on faith, family, outdoor time, and Saint Day celebration here. In case you do, too, I'd like to share a simple, nutritious idea for a  St. José Luis Sánchez del Río feast day picnic and walk with you!

Whether it is bright and sunny, as it was on an All Saints Day when my son dressed as Saint José Luis Sánchez del Río...

... or a bit brisk, as it was on St. José Luis Sánchez del Río's feast day here a couple of years ago...

...you can enjoy a simple salad paired with a nature walk as part of your St. José Luis Sánchez del Río feast day celebrations on January 10.

The Mexican-inspired salad is easy to make and has symbolism, too, since the colors of the salad reflect the colors or the Mexican flag and since the red stripe made from tomatoes (which could be subbed with chopped red peppers) can remind us of  St. José Luis Sánchez del Río's martyrdom.

To make the salad, simply start with a bed of greens.

Top those with rows of black beans, corn, chopped onion, and chopped tomatoes or red peppers. (Or put the salad greens in one serving dish and the stripes in another if you have picky kids like I do.)

Then, blend an avocado with the juice of a lime, a tablespoon or so of nutritional yeast, some cilantro, a garlic clove or two, and some water to make a dressing.

Serve all this with a side of tortilla chips (if your kids, like mine, love them) as well as some Mexican Hot Chocolate (or Mexican-esque Hot Chocolate made from nut milk or coconut milk if you are casein-free, sweetened with date syrup if you are sugar free), and you've got a relatively nutritious and easy picnic as Simple Eats with the Saints.

Before eating, pray one of these prayers found at Synod.Va, where you can also find a brief biography about St. José Luis Sánchez del Río.

Dear Lord, 

Help me to be courageous and steadfast in my devotion to you. Help me to identify causes and injustices in my day that are worth defending and standing up for. Give me perseverance and a desire to help others at any cost. Help me to revere Christ as the king of my life. Saint José Sánchez del Rio, pray for us. Amen.

Dear Lord, 

Help me to be brave and strong. Help me to pray for those who hurt me and those who hurt others. You are the king of my life. Help me to listen to you and to tell others about you. 

Saint José Sánchez del Rio, pray for us. Amen. 

Credit: Holy Heroes

You may also want to listen to The Story of Saint José Luis Sánchez del Río: Glory Stories CD, Volume 9 before or after your picnic to learn more about Saint José Sánchez del Rio in a child-friendly way.

Walk, Talk and Enjoy

I also suggest going for a nature walk before or after you eat to ensure plenty of time to pause to pray... to amble along chatting about St. José Luis Sánchez del Río... to give thanks for the faithful saints that inspire and intercede for us... and to enjoy time together as laugh, discover, and connect.

Some of my children and I surely did some of this when we went on our St. José Luis Sánchez del Río picnic and nature walk a couple years ago, and I look forward to doing it again in the future.

Here are some snapshots of our walk to inspire you - and us - to get outside for a picnic and walk this St. José Luis Sánchez del Río day!

We pray that your feast day is a fruitful, faith-filled one.

¡Viva Cristo Rey! ¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!

St. José Luis Sánchez del Río, pray for us.