GRWM FOR RAMADAN 2023
Ramadan is just in a few days and I am super excited! In Sha Allah.. I have always wanted to share a few tips and tricks with my readers, that will help in fully utilizing the month of Ramadan in doing acts of worship in Sha Allah. Utilize your freezer space during this time of the year. It is not easy for me, as I am a spontaneous cook, and I just can't seem to make ahead, but this time around, I have decided to plan my meals and make use of the time in Ramadan, in Sha Allah.
- Plan your meals for the 30 days in advance
- Prepare Snacks and Do meal prep in advance
- Deep clean your house and Kitchen space
- Make a small corner for all your Ramadan essentials
- Tips and Tricks to stay active and hydrated
Let's welcome Angels to our clean houses and make this Ramadan the most productive of all in Sha Allah.
Plan your meals in advance:
Planning your meals ahead of time can help you save time, and energy during the Holy month. Make a list of snacks, meals, drinks, soups, and suhoor in advance. The food can be repeated, just try to keep the meals nutritious. If you have kids, make sure to plan their meals too, this will help you to completely focus on your Ibaadah, in Sha Allah.
Planning and creating a list of Food that you will be preparing in Ramadan can help you decide and stock up on your groceries in advance, i.e, the non perishable groceries. Planning your meals can also help in over splurging on unnecessary and unhealthy food options, this in turn will help minimize wastage. I am sure, we will all feel relieved and spend more time doing our Ibaadah if we spend the time to make a meal plan before Ramadan.
Meal prep in advance and make Freezer Friendly snacks:
Doing meal preparation in advance definitely helps save lot of our time. You can do this by:
Making an Onion-Green Chilli-Coriander mix (sliced and chopped batches) :
Make two batches of Sauteed onion (one sliced and one chopped) , green chillies and coriander leaves in some oil and ghee and set aside to cool. Once cool, pack the cooled onion mix into freezer friendly zip lock bags and make portions using your hand so that you can easily use that portion for cooking instead of thawing the whole pack or using many zip lock bags! Thanks to @tableforfivedubai for this amazing tip! <3
You can use the sliced Onion mix for preparing biryani, curries, egg puffs etc (which is why I haven't added spice powders, so that you can kee them versatile and use for any recipes as a matter of fact!). While the chopped onions mix can be used for almost every snack recipe.
Also make sure to add a good number of green Chillies, as you don’t want the sauteed onions to taste sweet.
Ps: I preferably like to do a ratio of 1:1 (1 Green Chilli for 1 large onion) and if it’s a big quantity, increase or decrease the quantity of green Chillies depending on how spicy you like your food.
Prepare ginger garlic paste:
The most laborous part of Indian cooking is making the ginger garlic paste. Making them ahead of time and storing them in jars, definitely helps making cooking easier.
Ingredients :
Garlic paste:
250 gms/ 1 small bag Garlic bulbs (peeled)
1 tbsp Vegetable oil (any odorless oil like sunflower/ corn oil etc)
2 tsp Salt
Ginger paste:
Replace the Garlic in garlic paste and the same ingredients
Instructions:
In a blender, add your garlic, oil and salt and blend to your desired consistency. I like mine not pastey nor coarse.
Similarly do the same for ginger and store them in clean and dry jars and these ginger garlic lasts upto 2-3 weeks, if used carefully. Keep the jars back in the refrigerator immediately after use and use a dry spoon when scooping from the jars.
*Slight color change is normal, unless you see mold or the smell hasn't changed, you may use the ginger garlic paste.
Make a batch of Fried Onions:
Fried onions are a must for us Asians in our cooking, from biryani, haleem, aleesa what not!
Slice onions thinly and fry them to golden brown and drain them well using paper towels. Now make sure to mix the fried onions every now and then so that they completely cool down and crispen. If you have an aluminum zip lock you may use them to store the fried onions. If you are like me, who only uses the zip lock bags, add the crispy Fried onions to the bag and remove any trapped air inside and store them in the freezer. The crispy onion stays crisp for more than a month.
Chop veggies ahead of time:
I know you get these frozen veggies, but I am not s big fan of them, as for making bulk food, it's not the best choice, also you do not know the sources of these veggies and how well they are washed before being chopped and frozen. So I like to chop the veggies myself, especially for soups, stews, filling for snacks,. Doing them gives you so much satisfaction and of course free time. Once frozen on a tray separately, transfer the veggies into ziplock bags and store in the freezer. Use as and when required.
Ps: You may use them directly for cooking, no need to thaw.
I have some more tips, I may do a part 2 depending on the response for this article, or maybe update this space, so stay tuned and keep checking this space :) in Sha Allah!
Deep clean your house and Kitchen space:
This is that time of the year when the angels come to our houses, let's give them a warm welcome by tidying up every nook and corner of our houses like washing curtains, cleaning carpets, organizing cupboards (donating good ones and throwing away unnecessary ones) etc.You can bring home the spirit of Ramadan by involving kids in the cleaning process and doing small Ramadan decors, that will get them, excited too and look forward to the Holy Month.
Kitchen is the place that we all spend a lot of time yet we don't get that extra time to tidy up. if you haven't started your Ramadan preps , this is your cue to clean your kitchen and house now!
- For starters, you can start with the fridge, this will help you decide what to add into your grocery shopping list. And you may throw away expired and give away unused food items that are in good condition.
- Wipe down the Kitchen cabinets and cupboards (check expiry dates and discard if not in use).
- Clean the cooking range, oven, dishwasher (if any) and fridge. I like to use Smac for tough grease and stains and for cleaning the oven and fridge (I wiped down using lemon - vinegar water solution). Don't forget the stove hob and the kitchen hood, where all grease are accumulated.
- Lastly, make sure to replace old brushes/ sponges/ cloths with new ones and if they aren’t that soiled, soak them in a solution of bubbling hot water with vinegar for around 30 minutes and you will feel so satisfied to see all that dirt that came from the kitchen cloth. Squeeze and rinse well with warm water. Allow to dry in sunlight.
Do not make yourself overwhelmed with all these tasks, do them one day at a time.
Make a small corner for all your Ramadan essentials:
You can make a small corner in your house where you keep your Quran, Translation, Islamic books, Duaa books, Morning and evening adhkaar Duaa cards, Ramadan Planner if any, folding desk,Musalla (prayer mat), Prayer dress, maybe some candles, a bottle of water and maybe a couple of plants for that extra feel of serinity. (This is just my way of creating a calm and quiet atmosphere for better concentration and tranquility).
You can make a similar space for your kids, with their Musalla , prayer dress, Ramadan activity books, craft supplies like sketch pens, Quran (if they know how to recite), Quran reading pen, Prophet stories etc.
Strive to make this a practice/ habit/ lifestyle even after Ramadan in Sha Allah (involve kids in decorating the space too)
Tips and Tricks to stay active and hydrated:
- Drink water in half an hour intervals, make sure you do this maybe by downloading such apps or be personal reminders for each other haha :)
- Break your fast with soups, fruits, salad, juice etc instead of gobbling down all the snacks and feeling tired and bloated for prayers. once you are done with your Magrib prayers, have your snacks and a limited amount of tea/ coffee.
- Reduce intake of caffeine however possible, as caffeine drains out water from our bodies and keep us tired and dehydrated. I know it's difficult for some of us to completely quit tea/ coffee etc, but you can always have them limited.
- Try to avoid processed food. They always make sure to keep you constipated, that's the last thing you want during Ramadan, so keep yourself hydrated and have fiber rich food such as lentils, oats, fruits, veggies etc.
- Try to make use of healthier options such as airfryer, oven, steamed food etc. And have oil fried snacks with intervals of at least 1-2 days.
Suhoor ideas:
Try to include nutrient rich, fibrous, and filling easy meals like:
Oats Porridge
Boiled eggs
At least have a banana or a couple of dates and a glass of milk if possible with loads of water, to help you keep hydrated throughout the day.
May we be able to make the most out of this Ramadan with these little tips and tricks, bi ithnillah.
May Allah SWT forgive us and accept our Ibadaah. Aameen ya rabb🤲🏼
Do try this recipe and don't forget to share your experience/feedback with me here in the comments or feel free to send me a mail. Also, do tag me at #taystedit if you try out my recipes on Facebook, Instagram etc so that I can see when you make it. ♡♡♡♡
