Let's prepare for Ramadan!

　
The Ramadan planning Guide

So as we all know Ramadan is the Holiest month of the Muslim calendar. Muslims are basically expected to be on their best behavior, fast from dusk til dawn, give to charity and spend time in religious thought and reciting the Quran. These duties of course come with the Muslim territory.

As I write this article there is a predicted 112 days left until Ramadan 2013; InshAllah.

In today’s modern world we also have the following to contend with: work, charity commitments, sister circles, children’s school work, their after school schedule etc. Life is busy, it’s getting busier as our families get older. But to be honest, all of the above is a blessing. Go ask anyone who is unable to have a child and they will tell you they will give everything to have a piece of your hectic and sometimes scary life.

Okay so let’s get cracking.

HOLD A FAMILY meeting. Explain to members that during the Holy Month you need to all pull together and take on tasks that are usually done by just Mama. This can include older siblings reading stories to younger siblings at bedtime or checking up on Grandma on the way home from School. It’s about family communication-make sure your family are aware of what is expected of them.

Look at your family calendar and ensure your children do not have sleepovers booked during Ramadan-save the tears by rearranging them now.

Get all your family to check their diaries and see what everyone has scheduled during the month and organise transport/childcare as needed.

I’m a firm believer in organizing. The key to a stress free life is somewhat in the organisation of what you have to do and the time you have to do said tasks in.

Make a list of Duas you wish to make-NOWIt’s easy to forget a Dua and kick yourself afterwards. If it’s not too much work look up supplements and Duas, print them and laminate them ready for the Holy Month.

Let’s get straight to it. You need to make a list of what you wish to achieve during Ramadan.

An example of this could be:

• Recite the Quran completely twice during the Holy Month

 

• Spend an afternoon every week at a soup kitchen helping the needy

 

• Volunteering 2 hours a week at an elderly peoples home

 

• Donating as much money as you can to your chosen charity

• Organise a charity Iftari

 

• Learn three new Duas by heart

 

• Read the biography of the Prophet

 

• Spend time with family you don’t get to see regularly

Now you need to calculate how much time you need to complete your tasks and see if this is possible.

For example to read the Quran twice during the month you may need to spend two hours reading a day-can you fit that in? What tasks can you cut down on to fit in more reading? Look at your schedule now and get organising. Taking a look at your daily tasks and errands may mean you have to rewrite your tasks; but fret not! This is good that you know in advance your tasks may not be furfiled during the time you have so you can look at achievable goals which will leave you happy and content with what you have managed to achieve.

Take a look at your daily to do list/schedule/errands.
Do you really need to wash your car every week and clean the inside too? If your car gets really dirty maybe you can have it washed at the carwash to save two hours that could be spent doing something more productive during Ramadan.

What about things like food shopping. Apart from the perishables such as bread, milk, fruit etc all other items such as tinned goods can be bought in bulk. For this to work you will need to look at your meal planning and list what you need and the quantities. Do this shopping in advance. The same goes for Butchers orders. I place an order once in a while and freeze in managable portions.

Limit the activities and errands you can get away with not doing during Ramadan. Seriously you will be thankful for the planning come Ramadan.

Get your health in order-NOW

• Are you overdue a Medicine review? Are you a diabetic? Do you need to consult a Doctor about Fasting? Do this now.

• Advice for those who have no medical complaints:

• Vitamin C is a great supplement for protecting against cost viruses (google will provide you with more information)

• B vitamins are crucial for keeping up energy levels so start taking them now if you suffer from fatigue.

• If you live in Britain Holland and Barrett’s staff are generally friendly and open to giving suggestions if you give them a list of your problems.

• If you suffer from sleep issues speak to a Medical professional now.

• If you smoke or drink too much caffeine now is the time to CUT DOWN or STOP!

• If you have got into the habit of sleeping late and rising late now is the time to fix the habit.

If you ‘owe’ fasts from last year now is the time to consider repaying them now. Fasting on a Monday and Thursday is a great way of preparing your body for the upcoming 30 fasts.

Declutter and Spring clean-NOW!
  It goes without saying that a clean and decluttered home provides a good foundation for the Holy month as you only have to ‘spot cleans’ during the Ramadan.

Now is the time to:

Declutter the living room, wash the window dressings, clean the carpet/rugs, wash the skirting boards, clean the suites and clear away magazines and other clutter.

Declutter the kitchen cabinets-remove all the items that are coming up to their best before using dates and use them up asap. Make a list of items you are running short of and buy them. Clean all the surfaces, and clean all the appliances. Clean your fridge and freezer. Create space in your freezer if you plan to bulk cook and utilize this space.

Clean and keep up the repairs to the front of your homeVarnish the front door or repair the trellises now rather than allowing the ugly sight to greet Ramadan!

Clear out your Bathroom cabinet and medicine Cabinet/draw. Bathrooms are renowned hotspots for clutter building. Check all your medicines use by dates and throw out the ones that are out of date. Technically you should be in the habit of doing this on a regular basis.

Children’s rooms are in my opinion a minefield especially if your child is around the stage that they don’t wish to part with anything. Children outgrow clothes quicker than adults and toys and books can accumulate quicker than you can shout Iftars ready.

My advice for tackling this room in particular is:

• Keep a basket/bin/box in your child’s room into which you can place outgrown clothes as you discover them. Then once you have enough go through them and decide which will be given to charity/stored for other siblings/thrown out

• If you are purchasing wardrobes/closets or fitting them consider sliding doors-these need less space in regards to opening them whereas standard doors need to be given plenty of space to open them.

• Ikea offer a range of furniture that can be adapted to suit a child’s room. Their light collection is fantastic as is there photo frame collection. We use a ‘safe’ as a art supply cabinet.

• Have designated boxes/baskets/bins for your child’s hobbies/activities/toys. This can be a problem is small rooms. If your child has a small room utilize the height of the room and fit shelving that can host clear boxes with toys and clothes too.

• Get your older children into the habit of going through their own toys and donating the ones they no longer play with or cherish to charity. This is a great way of encouraging charity in a child from a young age. Ask at your local Masjid to find out if they are hosting a table top sale where you can donate such items to.

• If you have wall space the following are great in a child’s room: chalk board, cork notice board (to display artwork) and book shelves to home books and other items on.

• A soft toy hammock can home a fairly large toy collection without taking up bed space.

• Utilize under bed space efficiently-do not allow it to become an obilivion where you don’t even know what is living anymore.

• The back of a door can host many items-from notice boards to back of door organisers to home art supplies.

• If you have attic/loft space store out of season or larger sized clothes there rather than in your child’s room.

• Check pinterest for inspiration.

• Treat your child’s room as a space that is constantly changing and access the needs of your child on a regular basis to maximise the usage of it.

If your home is anything like ours you will have plenty of incomplete D.I.Y projects. List them all NOW and complete them before the Holy month. Don’t start projects that you won’t be able to complete during the Holy month and the reminants will simply clutter up your home.

ORGANISE family wardrobes

Is getting ready in the morning a chore for you and all the family? If that’s the case I suggest you organise the wardrobes of your loved ones in such a fashion you don’t spend half an hour in the morning looking for matching items.

• An idea that works for young children is to put a complete outfit on a hanger. A weeks worth of outfits is a time saver for rushed parents.

• For men if maybe worth putting shirts with ties/sweaters/tops and hanging them together. Then all they need to do is grab a pair of trousers.

• If you have a busy wardrobe you could consider cutting back on the clothes and donating suits to the needy especially during Ramadan or just before.

• Store out of season clothes away to make space in the wardrobe so you can see what you have in your wardrobe.

• If you have a large family consider using an ironing service during Ramadan to cut down on the chore.

An extra note:
Ask the men and woman of the family to got through their wardrobes and donate the clothes they no longer wish to wear. One persons cast offs are a poor persons treasure.

Sort out Zikaat-NOW

How much do you owe? Which Charity will you donate to? Calculate it now, make notes and donate when you need to.

Brothers:

Does the local Masjid need a makeover? Does the front entrance need a good wash and polish? Perhaps the interior needs a lick of paint? All these tasks should be done beforehand and if you feel repairs of paintwork are overdue discuss it with other Masjid attendees and get a group together and split the costs and get the work done. Ramadan can often bring new faces to Allah’s house; make it presentable and a true representative of your beloved community.

Do you attend Ramadan talks/speeches/Iftars? Find out about them now and work out which ones you can attend. Discuss childcare arrangements with grandparents/your partner if necessary.

　

Food:

• If you plan to bulk cook and freeze now is the time to plan things. Items I’ve successfully frozen include:
• Chicken tikkas
• Aloo tikkis
• Tandoori chicken
• Egg rolls
• Samosas
• If you are limited on freezer space I suggest you freeze those items are are time consuming to make e.g. samosas.

• Ready made items are great substitutes too.

• If you have elderly relatives don’t forget about them. Bulk cook for them and fill up their freezers.

• Consider using disposable plates etc during Ramadan if you will be stuck with doing the washing. This is very important especially if you are considering holding Iftars and wish to cut your workload.

Plan your Iftar ‘party’ diary in advanceIf you plan to have guests over. Enquire a month before Ramadan commences (or two weeks beforehand) and ‘book’ the Iftar with your guests in advance. Avoid Iftar’s in the last 10 days. Ideally the first 10 days would be the perfect time to host an Iftar.

PLAN your menus in advance. Go to trusted recipes and keep menus as simple as possible. An example of a menu is:

Starters (before Salaat)

Fruit salad with vanilla cream or chaat masala-can be prepared on advance

Baked tandoori chicken -can be prepared in advance

Potato skins with sour cream dressing-can be baked in advance or if you are pushed for time you can replace with pre-made potato wedges.

Mains:

Mutton meat curry (meat curry can be cooked in advance and reheats extremely well. It also keeps well in the fridge. Cooking it the day before allows the spices to develop further)

Plain pilau rice-you can make the onion masala in advance and keep sachets in the freezer. Or you can make the masala 48 hours beforehand as it’s an oil based recipe so will keep well in the fridge too. OR replace with store bought Naans-but this will mean you need to allocate the task to someone to purchase these at the last minute.

Raita-I go for a ‘pink’ jewelled one. The recipe is: red cabbage, red onion, pomegranate, squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper. Ideal for children too.

Dessert:

Pineapple upside down cake-made with premixed cake mix and canned pineapple rings. Served with ice-cream

Or serve ice-cream with jelly or fruits.

Drinks:

Lemonade

Ice-coffee (for adults)

Hot Tea/Coffee if requested

As you can see the above menu allows for advance prep and there’s no frying in the cooking which is a bonus. Utilising baked recipes is a great way of cutting down cooking time. Just don’t forget that you’ve placed something in the oven to cook (set alarms/reminders). You can even buy appliances for your phone these days so really there shouldn’t be a burnt meal in sight.

Plan as many menus you need plus a few extra ‘just in case’. Ramadan in my humblest opinion is not the time to show your Delia Smith skills. For this reason I say check out pre-made items in your local store and consider menus that are less time consuming. Here’s another one as an example of a Med-medley:

　

Starters:

Hummous with pitta bread chips or tortilla chips

Marinated olives

Feta cheese and watermelon salad (this is awesome-trust me!)

Garlic bread-at your own discretion

Mains:

Lasagne rolls baked in tomato sauce sprinkled with cheese (you make the meat sauce as usual, pre-cook the lasagne sheets. Place the sauce in the sheets, roll up and place in a greased oven proof dish. Cover the lasagne with a jar of pasta sauce

or remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle on cheese and bake for half and hour-done!

Bread rolls

French bread pizzas (use pre-made if you are pushed for time)

Green leafy salad

Desserts:

Store brought Baklava

Fruit juice based granita

Lemon flavoured ice-cream with store bought meringues (a love texture).

As you can see this is another menu you can prepare in advance is more suited to those who do not wish to submit their taste buds to spicy food due to complications such as heartburn which isn’t pleasant at anytime of the year.

Plan as much as you can-NOW.

The sad departure of Ramadan is followed by Eid-ul-Fitr which usually means (for many not all) new clothes, decorating the house with lights, a large Eid meal and presents. All of the above take time to put up/put together/buy. So let’s break down the list now:

Plan your families outfits-NOWLeaving it to the last 10 days is a disaster as those days should be used towards more productive activities. Plan outfits, order what you need to, look around the stores and get the best value for money too by not leaving it last minute. It’s a myth that the best clothes come into store during Ramadan.

Decorating the houseThis year we shall be thinking big but keeping it simple. We usually use fairy lights dotted around the house which add a touch of magic to the Holy month for our little girl. We shall do the same this year but we shall Inshallah be adding things such as confetti filled balloon garlands as well as tissue paper garlands, and balloons with Eid money in them for little one to ‘pop’ (which will release the confetti and glitter). I’ll also be purchasing wooden letters to spell Ramadan to put on the mantel place.

Eid MealPlan it beforehand. Order the meat beforehand. Prep as much as possible before Ramadan. This could include making the curry and rice base and freezing it. Or planning a meal that includes using a slow cooker to cook the meat in halving the time you need to spend at the stove (It do this). Or you may wish to try a completely different menu to previous years. Now is the time to plan and practice!

Perhaps you want to eat out on Eid-look into restaurants that offer Eid meals now and see if you need to pre-book. Places like Nawaab in Manchester are extremely busy on Eid so find out beforehand if you need to have a back up restaurant in mind.

　

Presents/gifts. This really is a minefield with little ones but it can be done with careful planning months in advance. Ask older children to make a list of items that would like to receive and explain the situation that they won’t get everything on the list (you may find you can purchase the whole list but in case it goes over your budget make children aware that you may not be buying everything on the list). Then once you have set your budget and know which presents need to be purchased buy them and wrap them up in advance. Label them and store them in a place you won’t forget. Or write down in a diary where you have stored the presents-I’ve placed presents in a ‘safe place’ before and forgot all about them.

Another idea that is worth looking into is homemade presents. I love the look of hot chocolate jars, homemade cookies and even things like home made quilts (if there is anyone who has the skills to do sewing work). You can find plenty of inspiration on Pinterest.

Kids/Playdates/the usual stuff with pre-Schoolers
Little ones don’t really understand the idea of Ramadan or how it means Mama has less energy. For this reason you need to carefully consider how you plan to keep toddlers and pre-schoolers busy during Ramadan. If you host Playdates in the morning maybe you can adjust the time so it’s later so you don’t have to rush and get things ready.

Children like to be outdoors and InshAllah Ramadan falls during the warmer time of year which means you can make use of the great outdoors. Repair outdoor toys now and prepare the garden as required. You may wish to invest in an outdoor toy e.g. a sandpit to keep little ones entertained whilst you recite the Quran outdoors.

You can organise activity bags’ in advance. The concept is you place all the items needed for a certain activity together in a bag and bring them out as and when needed.

Look into outdoor ‘recipes’ for older children. Pinterest is great for these (I shall try and remember to link my Pinterest profile links to this entry so you can find these with greater ease). These include giant bubbles, pavement (sidewalk) chalk and other items that make too much mess inside. These activities will keep children amused for hours (or at least they should).

How about making:
Eid cards

Ramadan decorations

Edible gifts

As crafts during Ramadan? It maybe worth making cards during the first week if you need to post them to foreign countries.

IF your children will be hosting an Eid party plan the venue, menu and guest list now. Considering when Eid will InshAllah be why now plan a ladies/children outdoor picnic to mark Eid?

Buy or loan ‘Ramadan Moon’-it’s a beautifully written Ramadan story.

Look through your Islamic literature books and CD’s and update as required. Lots of books are out of stock come Ramadan.

That’s about it for my Ramadan list for you all. The most important thing is to utilize your time and get the most of the precious month.

If there is something I have missed please let me know.

Until next time Mamas (and non-Mamas)

Take care.

PS: If you need further advice and suggestions look at my 2012 Ramadan preparation guide which is in the older blog enteries.

　

　

　
　

　

The allure of Christmas from a Muslim Mama Perspective

Warning to those easily offended-if you are a Muslim who orders Turkey for your Christmas Dinner this article will offend the hair off your body-do I apologise in advance for that? HECK NO.

I am proud of who I am-including the bit of me that is British. Yes, I hail from the United Kingdom which is a predominately Christian country thus Christmas is the big festivities that mark the end of the Christian calendar and in theory the birth of baby Jesus.

Growing up in England during the 1980’s-1990’s I noticed many revolutions. The mobile phone-the era of text messaging and text ‘speak’, Girl Power, the rise of Grunge, Kurt Cobains' sad demise, Brit Pop, The Internet and the commercialisation of festivities. 

When I was younger, Christmas arrived at the end of November. We had the fireworks celebrations to get out of the way to make space for the Christmas decorations. But how that has changed. Now it’s a case of as soon as we’ve done the mad ‘back to school’ rush in September stores are getting ready for Christmas.

As a child I loved Christmas (a note to my Fatwa-loving sisters and brothers, please note I said I loved Christmas, I never said I celebrated it and so go on save your Fatwa’s for someone who actually needs them-thank you). The allure for me was the lights, the idea of spending time with your family, watching films curled up in front of the fire, hot chocolate with marshmallows, the songs on the radio (Wham! Anyone?) the Home Alone films, the presents, watching The Snowman...the festive warm feeling. That special feeling. My family never really made much effort during Ramadan and Eid even though my grandfather was the chairman of the local Masjid for roughly 20 years. My aunts and uncle would pose for their photos in their new clothes. My aunt would make pilau rice that looked more like cat food and we ate is like it was a feast of kings because that’s all we knew. Whilst my friend’s families had outings to the park and had presents on Eid, and their families made an effort to make their homes look festive, we were stuck indoors with the generation above wondering if Christmas was as boring as Eid.

 And as I got older the allure remained but realisation sat in. The realisation that the allure of Christmas was all marketing-in fact the real x-factor behind Christmas for many Christians has been lost in translation. Does anyone ever see baby Jesus on cards anymore? Hardly but you can get cards with Hello Kitty on. Does baby Jesus appear on Christmas decorations? God forbid, after all the commercialised Christmas needs to have broad appeal, why jeopardise that with an image of a Prophet?

Those ‘moments’ that made me tingle were all simply marketing. All of it. Boy did I feel ripped off. But then how do the Church going Christians feel about everything?

I recently spoke to a young mother of 4 who asked me if I was going to be celebrating Christmas. I explained to her that I believed in Jesus however he held a different position within Islam so we didn’t celebrate Christmas she replied with “Christmas isn’t like religious of anything it’s like an excuse to party”. Really?

Now Munchy is really getting into the spirit of Christmas television. The fact Disney Junior UK have been playing Christmas themed episodes of children’s favourites such as Curious George, Jungle Junction and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Santa seems to be making appearances everyday-surely parents of children that do celebrate Christmas find it frustrating to explain to their toddler Christmas is still x days away? Then there’s the movie channels pumping out Christmas inspired films. Whatever happened to Christmas films being shown during the two week Christmas break?

You have woman (and yes some men) up and down the country fretting over their Christmas dinner. I have never understood why Christmas Dinner is such a stressful experience which all it is in my opinion a Sunday Roast Dinner? The only differences I can see is Turkey replacing Chicken and Christmas pudding instead of Trifle (although I would take Chicken and Trifle over the latter).

Although I admit Christmas time seems magical because of the marketing pumped into it I do have a bone to pick with Muslim parents ordering Turkeys for your Christmas meal. You know who you are. Why on earth are you hijacking the celebration of our Christian friends? Do you see them ordering leg of mutton to make Raan and Eid to celebrate with us? Please have some dignity and remember the following:

You have two Eids a year-yes TWO make an effort on them rather than jumping on the super-commercial Christmas celebrations

Every Friday for a Muslim is equal to an Eid-true say. So that’s like 52 Eids a year plus the other two making 54. That maths alone should tell you we have more to celebrate than: New Year, Valentine’s Day, Easter and Christmas.

You have the whole of Ramadan to cook, pray and clean to your heart’s content-that’s like 30 Christmases in one (just think of the tiredness and leftover food).

And to the Halal butchers supplying Halal Turkeys-why in God’s name do you think Muslims want Turkeys? Please do not say there are revert sisters who miss Christmas and cook a Christmas dinner-if that’s the case have they no knowledge on their new deen to know we have plenty of celebration they can cook a Roast Dinner on? Why not cook a full Roast on Eid? Or invite your new family over for a Roast Dinner Iftari?

If you say your Muslim and having a Christmas Dinner is super important to you go Tesco and get a Turkey from there. I’m not having a pop at you, I’m stating the obvious. Then these same Muslim parents wonder why other Muslim parents shy away from inviting the Christmas celebrating Muslim kids to their homes for Eid parties. Why would they? In fact why would Muslim parents keep you in the loop of Muslim celebrations and parties if clearly you wish to be more 'universal' in what you celebrate?

Truthfully we are all leaving our legacy in what we teach our children. I want Munchy to remember her Eid celebrations fondly. I also want her to respect the fact Christmas for the Christians marks the birth of a Prophet as Muslims we completely respect and love-Jesus. I want her to know that Jesus holds a different position in Islam to what he does in Christianity. I’m sure there will be Christians out there who feel the same vice-versa. I seriously do not want Munchy teaching her children in the future that it’s fine to hijack celebrations of other faiths and neglect her own when her own is giving her more than 60 days of Christmases. I know I’m not the only Muslim mother who thinks this way.

If I have offended any Muslim readers rather than sending me hate mail maybe you want to ask yourself what offended you?

Now there will be Muslim sisters who are saying they willingly take their child out of School at the time of Christmas to avoid celebrating Kaffira celebrations. They also stop their child from attending Nativities, making Christmas cards and decorations and so on. These decisions I believe are individual. I personally wouldn't take Munchy out unless I was unable to explain the purpose of the activity and why it's different for us. If she went to a School that had a mixture of religious and cultural backgrounds I would however expect the School to put a bit of effort into Eid and other celebrations. But that is something I will look at when the time comes. I also feel it's important for parents who are often the loudest about their religious beliefs to give time to their Children's Schools PTA and fundraising events.  Time is the biggest gift you can give anyone especially the establishment that gives your child an education.

As Ramadan approaches us each year I would love to see sisters getting together discussing activities for their children, family celebrations, what presents they are getting their children, how they will make their homes festive, what they plan to cook and most importantly how they plan to do all that around the Holy month of Ramadan. I would hate the true message of Ramadan to be lost (and sadly for some it has been-those of you who believe Ramadan is one long Iftari party please read up on the true essence of Ramadan it will shock you to learn what it really means).

So as Christmas is in full swing in England, I cannot help but wonder how many mums out there are over stretching themselves by working, extra cleaning, preparing their homes for the influx of guests known as family they only see once a year for presents and food, wrapping presents and decorating their homes trying to keep up with the commercialised ‘Jones’. Of course the allure of Christmas has started to fade for me (Munchy wants snow-and seems to think Santa brings it) I still wish to live in a house like the one in Home Alone (American Suburbia is still alluring for me).  And as Frankie goes to Hollywood’s ‘The power of Love’ is played on a Music channel  I cannot help but wonder maybe it’s time we went back (as a Nation) to the true essence of Christmas-that little baby Jesus in a manger, with a life in front of him of pure sacrifice.

A well stocked freezer-Ramadan preparation 2012

As most of you will be aware, I am on Ramadan countdown 2012.

I am a firm believer in preparing as much as one can especially for the Holy month of Ramadan. So I thought I would write a few entries that would hopefully help others out there find more time during Ramadan for the important Ibaadaah (worship).

I love my freezer-and my keen readers will know my husband recently defrosted my chest freezer (much to my horror!). I lost a lot of home cooked meals but then I spent three days/night sessions cooking and restocking the empty cube that was once my favourite meal provider. So during the blessed month of Ramadan I trust my freezer to be my wing man (any Top Gear fans in the house?) and help me as much as possible to cut down on time spent in the heart of the home-the Kitchen.

Now there will be sisters reading this fuming that I am making Ramadan into a food feast-the truth is though for thousands of Muslim households all over the world food plays a large part of their festivities of the Holy month. Plus human nature makes anything forbidden more lustful-so when we are not eating our minds can start wondering towards food. Plus markets in Muslim countries come to live at Magrib prayer time (sunset-when the fast opens) and you can often see families and groups of friends enjoying a mixture of dishes to mark the end of a fast. Prayers are also important during this month so if we can prepare in advance then why not?

So let me discuss my freezer and what I know freezes well. My tips might be in a post about Ramadan preparation but just remember these tips can be used at anytime of the year.

What freezes well:

pretty much anything within reason. Anything that turns to mush e.g. lettuce is a no go. Spuds (potatoes) turn to slime so they don't freeze well.

• I find apple and pears don't freeze well. Apple mixture for apple pies (sweated down apples) freeze well. Pear puree to mix into things like porridge freezes well.

• Mix berries freeze well on an open tray. Once they are frozen you simply place them in a freezer bag. These berries work well in cakes, porridges, yogurts etc. Great way to preserve them if you grow your own.

• I cannot live without corriander and mint. So I freeze both. You can do this by either buying bunches of both, washing and shaking off water and freezing whole. Or wash prepare the herbs and whizz them in a food processor with a bit of water and create your own herb cubes to freeze in a cube tray. Or lastly, wash and prepare your herbs, cut them up finely and once they are dry put them into freezer bags but don't remove the air from the bag. Give the bag a good shake every few hours (about three shakes will be enough during 8 hours). This will prevent the leaves from sticking together and you will have frozen fresh herbs to use.

• Other herbs such as woody ones like thyme freeze very well. Simply wash, dry and freeze. You don't even need to remove the leaves from the stalk unless you really wish to. A lot of recipes often call for herbs on the stalk (e.g. slow cooked meals). Once the herbs are cooked you simply remove the whole stalk from your meal anyway.

• Vegetables are pretty much the same as fruit. If the vegetable is likely to turn to slime e.g. courgettes or aubergines they are not worth freezing. However, both are fine cooked and then frozen. I have frozen Aubergine curry and it defrosted fine and tasted fresh too! Potatoes do well frozen as things such as potato cakes (alu tikkis). Raw potatoes don't freeze at all. Plus economically it doesn't make sense to freeze them in the UK-potatoes are quite affordable all year round.

• Meat freeze well-mince, whole pieces, pieces of chicken the lot. However you should only really freeze these items and use them up within a realistic time scale. Bacteria still lives even in a freezer.

• Eggs don't freeze well unless they are frozen in something like a Breakfast Burrito which protects the egg from becoming rubber like.

• Left over pieces of hard cheese, butter and even wrapped up pieces of bread freeze well. So do breadcrumbs.

• Milk freezes too! Don't bother freezing yogurt-unless it's in a recipe for frozen yogurt lollies etc. Low fat yogurt can sometimes split.

• Stock freezes well-however always leave room for expanding.

• Now this what I freeze and how. Please bare in mind it's advised by various health bodies to use frozen goods within 3/6 months as bacteria still exists even during the freezing process. However I have heard of people using frozen meat that was 4 years old and it didn't kill them.

• I freeze the following for time saving (especially when I know I'll be busy for the next few weeks):
• I freeze the fried Chicken Pilau masala before adding rice and water. Always make sure the chicken is cooked so that it doesn't need to be cooked further after defrosting. I then take it out of the freezer, defrost it and then add water/stock and rice. This saves on the time needed to prepare Pilau when I don't have the time. The masala freezes well.

• I also freeze Mutton Pilau masala too and that works too. Again, I make sure the mutton meat is cooked before freezing.

• Koftas (meatballs). I freeze these raw and cooked. Cooked ones cut down time even more and can be used in wraps too. Koftas rock-simply defrost and fry (if raw) or add to handi masala. Koftas also work well added to Biryani and Pilau mixes. Simply make up your basic Biryani or Pilau base and add the cooked koftas.

• Chicken tikkas-aka chicken kebab strips. I marinade these in spices and lemon juice, cook them in the oven and freeze ready to serve.

• Alu tikkis-these are cooked and then frozen ready to eat.

• Other Kebabs e.g. Behari, Seekh-I cook these and freeze them so they are ready to serve.

• Tandoori chicken-I marinade these, cook them in a hot oven and once cooled they are frozen just like the kebabs.

• NOTE: avoid over cooking any item you wish to freeze to retain moisture.

• Samosas and Rolls freeze well prepared but not cooked. To cook remove from the feezer, defrost and then either brush with oil and oven bake or deep fry.

• Parathas (yes that's right!) freeze well. You half cook them, and freeze them in between grease proof paper. You then defrost, and finish the cooking on a tava.

• Halva (semolina pudding) freezes great!
• Plain sponge cakes freeze well.
• Pastry (from filo to sweetcrust) freezes well.

• Curry wise the following freeze well:

• keema (mince meat) freezes excellently. You can either freeze keema masala and add vegetables such as peas once you defrost the mixture of freeze prepared curries with the peas in it ready to eat once defrosted and heated.

• Chana Dal freezes well-as do all daals.

• Meat curries freeze well-I freeze the masala and after defrosting and heating it I add the stock and vegetable (e.g. potatoes). Masala takes up less space compared to the final curry dish.

• Browned onions which provide the base of curries and rice dishes also freeze great and are a great timesaver.

• Finely chopped garlic and ginger freeze well and can be defrosted and added to curry bases/other dishes as and when needed.

• Other dishes I freeze are:

• pasta bakes
• chicken kievs (raw, to cook defrost, fry and then bake in the oven)
• meatballs for pasta sauces and bakes
• fishcakes
• Cottage pie

So as you can see, there's plenty of options in regards to what you can freeze and save time for Ibaadaah during Ramadan.

Most food can safely be kept in the freezer for at least 3 months so why not start planning your meals/menus and freeze what you can now?

PLEASE NOTE: once you defrost an item it should not be refrozen! It's a safety issue!

I shall continue with my Ramadan themed posts and hopefully we can all find time for Ibaadaah and our little Munchys too.

This mummy is preparing for Ramadan 2012...bit early? Read on.

I have never kept the fact I am Muslim from anyone nor will I keep it from my readers-I am a Muslimah, and happy about it. And although I cannot say I am the perfect Muslim (not many could) I do attempt to at least practises as much of my religion as possible.

What I have noticed via Facebook is the countdown to Ramadan 2012 has commenced-less than 100 sleeps in fact. And whilst that number seems so near yet so far the truth is unless we prepare for it we will never really get the best out of the blessed month.

So today's post is about preparation for the blessed month-the preparation that we could all do with considering.

Before I start my list-please note not all my advice and tips are religious based some are to do with the culture of Ramadan.

FIRST things first-we all know Ramadans coming. So why do so many sisters looked shell-shocked when Ramadan is announced? Hhhmm the mind boggles. So lets get the first bit out of the way-go to your calendar and make sure the week we know Ramadan is arriving in is clearly marked-no excuses.

If you work it is even more IMPORTANT you get organised now rather than later.

Now let's get cracking shall we.

I am no scholar, however the following bits of advice are taken from experience and from asking Alimahs about the best way of preparing for Ramadan:

• get your health in order-if you have a medical condition get it checked out and sorted asap
• if you are a smoker now is the time to cut back and In Sha Allah you will be able to completely quit come Ramadan
• If you are a coffee or tea drinker cut down to make Ramadan easier for you
• If you have fallen into bad sleeping habits e.g. late nights sort it out now
• If you are well health wise commence fasting every Monday and Thursday to get into the routine of it
• Cut back on bad habits-you know the type of things we know are wrong e.g. backbiting. Cut back now and vow to give it up for Ramadan and beyond In Sha Allah.
• Start reciting the Quran on a regular basis if you do not already do so.

The above is just a brief list and not in much detail however I know that we are all capable of looking into things in more detail in our own time. So please feel free to use the above as starting points.

Moving onto other preparation:

• SPRING CLEAN your home now if you have not already done so. This is the time to sort out the wardrobes, under the beds and so on. Do a deep clean including (if you can) washing the carpets. A decluttered and clean home will help you no end during the month of Ramadan and the time you usually spend on doing big tasks e.g. washing carpets in preparation for Eid can be done beforehand freeing up time for Ibaadah.

• Go through food cabinets and place all items that will go out of date during the blessed month to one side and try to finish them beforehand or get them into your menu somehow. Wasting food is never good.

• If you have a freezer try to defrost it and prepare it for Ramadan-freezing some meals in advance will free up time for more important things trust me.

• Clean the outside of your home too-and cars.

• If there are any D.I.Y projects outstanding FINISH them now. No one likes looking at half completed jobs especially when you want to spend as much time in Ibaadah as possible.

• Get the family involved in cleaning-if you have teenagers get them cleaning and sorting through things like console games, books and clothes. If there is anything worth giving to charity actively encourage them to donate them-or ask them to put the things to one side and donate them as soon as Ramadan commences. I think this is a great family tradition that is worth installing in children and teenagers.

• If you have younger children ask them to go through their toys and pick say 2 that they no longer play with. Ask them kindly to donate to charity to make Allah happy. Most children will be happy to do so. If they are not don't be disheartened. All children are different. Continue to encourage them and In Sha Allah one day you will get somewhere with them.

• Get your husband/brothers/dads to go through their wardrobe and select the items they no longer wish to wear/can't fit into and donate them to charity.

• Same for sisters/mothers get them decluttering their wardrobes.

• Find out if there will be any community events you will wish to attend and factor those into your calendar.

• This year Ramadan is during the big summer break-ensure your children's friends parents are aware of this and cancel any sleepovers and so on planned during this time. Forward planning will save tears in the long run.

• Consider organising a charity event during the blessed month e.g. a Iftari where guests donate to a selected charity in exchange for their seat at the table. 

• Sort out your Zikaat-how much do you owe? Who will you donate to? Make a list and total now and organise when and who you will give it to.

• Does the Masjid need painting? If so now is the time to ask other Masjid goers to sort out the project so it gets down before the blessed months arrival-In Sha Allah.

• Make a list of things you wish to achieve during Ramadan. This might be donating the money you usually spend on coffees at work to charity, or reading the Quran twice or memorising surahs by heart. Make a list now. If Allah wills, you will complete the list. If you are unable to complete the full list vow to complete it asap.

• Hold a family meeting and organise who will do what during Ramadan. Delegate as much as possible to spread the workload evenly. Maybe your partner can collect the children from Masjid and you can spend that time in Ibaadah?

• DON'T leave your clothes shopping for Eid until the last 10 days-those days are for chasing Duas not shopping lists! Now is the time to plan and purchase Eid clothes.

• The same applies to what you plan to do on Eid-plan it now In Sha Allah not in the last 10 days.

• Iftar parties play a big part of the festivities of Ramadan however the cooking and preparation work eats into family and Ibaadah time. So here are my tips to make the process easier.

Even though Ramadan is not about food it plays a big part. If you have access to a freezer bulk freeze items such as:

• samosas 
• egg rolls 
• chicken tikkias 
• alu tikkias 

• or other starters your family enjoys. This will save you time and effort during the blessed month. 

• Or if you purchase samosas from a home cook get your order in asap.

• Or if you purchase ready made starters buy them asap as during Ramadan everyone seems to want to buy samosas.
• Freeze garlic and ginger (crushed, in cubes) to save time

• If you have the freezer space brown off slice onions and freeze in small packets ready to use to make curries, rice dishes etc that call for browned onions.

• Try and do your dry food shopping before Ramadan commences. We're talking flour, rice, tinned produce etc. Fresh items will need to be purchased nearer the time but being organised will cut down on shopping trips

• Consider using disposable plates etc to save time on washing up=more time for Ibaadah.

• PLAN your iftari menus now. If you plan to host say 4 Iftaris attempt to do so in the first 20 days rather than the last 10. Keep your menus as simple as possible, and let the family know what is on the menu for their family iftaris. Too much fried food is never good, so try to vary the food choices for all the family.

• Ask family and friends about their Ramadan availability-NOW. Plan according to their and your needs. There's simply no point in filling a freezer with alu samosas because your nephews love them if their parents are planning to take them on Umrah during Ramadan and won't be around to eat them.

• If you have elderly relatives that live alone fill their freezers too. They will thank you for it in their Duas.

• Buy presents for the children and family/friends now-get a list done buy the items wrap them (if you do that) and put them away.

• Plan your Eid menu and who you are going to invite (if you have guests) now.

• If you host a children's Eid party plan the menu and get the guest list sorted now too.

• Make a list of all the family and friends you will need to post festive cards to and post as soon as Ramadan begins.

• Try and make your home festive during Ramadan. By no means do I think we are in competition with Christmas in the West however we need to make Ramadan and Eid as special as possible for our children so they know it's a special time.

• Buy Ramadan Moon (a lovely Ramadan story) for the little ones to enjoy.

• Plan any Ramadan activities for the children now-e.g. making fanoos, Eid cards or Ramadan Calendars.
• Update your CD collection with recitations of Surahs to play whilst doing things such as work in the kitchen.

Plan as much as you can to take away the pressures of doing it during Ramadan. The time is so precious you lose control and then it's time to say goodbye. So if we can prepare as much as possible In Sha Allah we will all have more time to spend in Ibaadah!

That's all for now folks, I may do another list but that's all for today.