Tips to have an amazing stress free Ramadan

Its 19th June 2012 and 29th Rajab 1433 on the Islamic calendar.Another day for the Islamic month of shaban to begin and inshallah we'll have exactly one month to Ramadan.
I'm getting in mode for Ramadan and also planning for Ramadan inshallah.

I'll divide my Ramadan preparation list into 2 categories, Meal planning and Spiritual Development.

Meal Planning

1.Try to have a meal plan for iftar/dinner and suhoor for every single day of Ramadan and prepare accordingly.

2.Prepare the grocery list,go shopping now and stock your freezer/pantry so you don't have to waste precious time during Ramadan.

3.Prepare some foods that can be cooked earlier and freeze them such as  minced meat patties,kebabs.

People from the subcontinent cook a lot of daal/lentil curry which can be cooked ahead of time in huge quantities and froze.Also, dishes like dahi bade/dumplings soaked in yogurt can be cooked and frozen earlier.The dahi can be prepared and the bade can be added just before iftar.

4.Try to include a soup and fresh fruit for iftar.Keep iftar light so you can go to taraweeh fully energized after a day of fasting and not in a lethargic state.

5.Plan to have an early dinner i.e. before taraweeh so you can hit the bed straight after taraweeh.

6.Try to include some protein during the suhoor meal as protein provides you energy and keeps you full longer.

Spiritual Development

1.Read up informative material on Ramadan such as the fiqh of Ramadan, conditions when fasting is exempted, conditions which nullify the fast, conditions when missed fasts have to be made up such as for menstruating and post partum women and ways to make up the missed fasts.

2.Make a dua list.Write down all the duas that you'd like to be answered in the long run and also in the short term such as in the next few months.

3.Make goals for Ramadan such as the amount of Quran to recite during Ramadan.
I usually recite a juz or two daily so I can end up reciting the whole Quran once during Ramadan
.
4.Also, try to include an extra nafl ibadah during Ramadan such as giving away one dollar/dinar as sadaqah daily, or calling up on someone who is sick as this is also an act of sadaqah.Or, you could make extra food for iftar and send some to the masjid so you are rewarded for helping a fasting person break his fast.

5.Join an online class or Islamic gatherings/halaqa so you can get more ajr/reward inshallah.

I've recently joined the diploma program at the onlne islamic university and alhamdulillah greatly benefitting from it.The link to the online university is given below.The best part is that you can do the courses at your own pace.There are no set times for the classes.
Also, its all free.There are no charges for enrollment.So now we've no excuses from this one.inshAllah if we spend an hour daily, we can gain so much information
and also hasanat inshallah.
http://islamiconlineuniversity.com/

Lastly, do your eid shopping before Ramadan starts.Planning for eid, shopping for the dresses/materials/accessories can take up  precious time during Ramadan.So get eid shopping done now and out of the way so the precious last 10 nights of Ramadan are spent only on ibadah and in getting your duas answered inshallah.

I sincerely pray and hope we have an amazing Ramadan this year inshallah and may Allah SWT make it better than the previous ones.

Ramadan 2012 is almost here

Its June 05 2012 and Ramadan is about a month away.I was reading about Ramadan and how to be productive during ramadan, tips on eating healthy balanced meals during ramadan, fasting with children and so much more.mashAllah there's an amazing amount of free literature to be read on preparing for ramadan.I never actually prepared for ramadan until the year before last which was 2010.And alhamdulillah I had the most amazing ramadan ever thanks to Sh. Muhammad Al Shareef's The Heart Wheel Journal.

Here's the link to the Heart Wheel Journal videos on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5F75DEDF82A0A893

Since then, I have decided that preparing yourself mentally and physically for ramadan actually helps you have a blessed ramadan and reap all the benefits of fasting, taraweeh prayers, qiyam ul layl and so much more.You can have time to cook meals for your family, take care of your children, recite the holy Quran, attend taraweeh prayers with the family, attend qiyam ul layl with the family and all of this with a positive spirit and a healthy mind inshallah. Basically, you need to start getting ready now when Ramadan is a month away.Believe me, inshallah you will taste the sweetness of faith like never before and will find yourself on a spiritual high and feel so much at peace with everything around you and within you.

The next couple of posts on my blog will be about preparing for ramadan spiritually, mentally and physically.Additionally, I will blog about better organizational skills and time management skills.

More than anyone else, I need to get everything sorted out before ramadan as this will be my first ramadan with my baby inshallah and I want to make the most of it.Its one month of the year where inshallah we can cleanse ourselves of our sins, get rid of our worries, anxieties and focus only on our spiritual health inshallah.


May Allah SWT allow us all to reap maximum benefits during this ramadan inshallah and may He accept our ibadah.

Meal Planning

I introduced chicken to daani today for the first time.I cooked chicken with potatoes and then pureed them.He enjoyed the meal a lot.I haven't seen any signs of an allergic reaction.So I'm assuming I can go ahead and feed him meat next.

Meal planning takes so much time if you're planning to feed your family healthy meals.The same applies for babies.I usually feed rice cereal or oatmeal in the morning followed by a lunch of beans and rice or lentils and rice or spinach and potatoes or pureed broccoli or mashed potatoes.I also give him some organic yoghurt in the evening followed by a fruit for dinner.

I usually plan it out over the weekend and do my grocery shopping accordingly.These days I only plan meals for my baby.Its been crazy with prepping for job interviews, puming every 3-4 hours and taking care of the baby.I hope I get back to planning and making healthier meals for my family.

Meal planning saves you a lot of time, helps you make better choices such as healthier vs. unhealthy or organic vs. inorganic.It also helps you keep track of the amount of veggies/ fruits you consume during the week.It also reduces those last minute trips to the grocery store if you've all your meals planned for the week.