Saturday 27 June 2015

Smooth-y Suhoor

Ramadaan Mubarak from Le Mis Mimz

It's been a while since I posted recipes for you to try out and indulge in (if you get it right). Well, since I promised you healthy Ramadaan recipes to help you stay focused and in shape, I decided to share some with you today as part of our 'Healthy Ramadaan' series.

So we know how important having Suhoor/Sehri is and I hope we are not skipping it. Suhoor/sehri is our 'start of the day meal', if you don't have it, you'll probably pass out or break your fast at 12 pm (which is sooo avoidable if you just have suhoor/sehri). This week's recipes are all about smoothies which you can make in no time and enjoy at suhoor/sehri (or iftaar because it's just too awesome to not have more). By the way, if you didn't know, A smoothie is a blended and sometimes sweetened beverage made from fresh fruit, vegetables and, in special cases, chocolate or peanut butter. They can be enjoyed any time of the day, month or year.

First on the menu is a power date smoothie. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup plain yoghurt
  • 5 dates
  • 1 banana
  • 2 Tblsp peanut butter
  • 2 Tblsp oats
  • 2 Tblsp honey
  • Pinch of cinnamon
What to do:

Soak oats and dates in milk and refrigerate overnight. In the morning (suhoor time), add the milk/oats/date mixture with all other ingredients to a blender. Let it blend lekker and serve when smooth. This recipe makes 2 servings. 
You can replace the peanut butter with about 4-5 strawberries and replace the oats with your favourite flavour of Future Life.




Rapsberry smoothie

Ingredients:

  • Your favourite nut butter (aka crunchy peanut butter)
  • Low fat milk
  • Frozen raspberries
What to do:

Blend all the ingredients together and serve :) You can garnish with some raspberries. Yep, that's about it.

Blueberry Green tea smoothie
I do not like green tea at all, but the blueberries I just love. They are my favourite berry and not just because of their distinct violet/purple colour, but also because they help burn stubborn fat. Combined with green tea, we have an antioxidant nutritional powerhouse.

Ingredients
  • 3 Tblsp water
  • 1 green teabag
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 1/2 cup frozen blueberrie
  • 1/2 banana
  • 3/4 cup vanilla milk (or just normal milk)
What to do:

Make the tea the way you make normal tea, but make sure that the teabag releases all that green goodness. Stir in the honey until it dissolves.
Combine berries, banana and milk in a blender. 
Add tea to the blender and blend together. When it's smooth, it's ready to serve. 


I don't know about you, but these smoothies are making me hungry. I'm off to make myself a smoothie or two for iftaar, yes, cold n all. That's all I have for you for today. More recipes to follow soon so make sure you keep your eyes glued to your LCD's. Oh yeah, don't forget to enter the Ramadaan competition on my Facebook page. It's a collaboration with Baitul Salaamz as well as Dhaakira Health and Children's Organisation.

Enjoy the rest of the fasts. Until my next blog post.

Peace, Love, Unity, MwaHugs

Saturday 6 June 2015

Healthy Ramadaan: Part 2

Alhamdulillah, we only have a few more days left until Ramadaan is on our doorsteps. Are you prepared? You should be prepared by now, if not, there is still time to do so in'sha Allah. 

In Healthy Ramadaan: Part 1, I gave you a brief on how your metabolism works during fasting as well as the types of foods you should opt for when preparing your Ramadaan meal plan. So you're meal plan is now sorted, but you still want to know if you can exercise during Ramadaan. The good news is, yes you can exercise during Ramadaan and Health24's Fitness Expert, Habib Noorbhai says that if you follow certain guidelines, it is perfectly safe. Read his tips here.

So Noorbhai says you should continue exercising because if you miss one month of exercise, its equivalent to losing four months of hard work. Yes you read correctly, four months gone. He also mentioned that you should maintain your current workout programme, but not intensify your routine. If you suffer from a chronic illness, injury or complication, then exercise with caution. 

Now that you have your exercise plan in order, here are some tips to follow to ensure you have a healthy Ramadaan.


  • Plan your schedule and meals ahead of time in order to make sure that you get the nutrients, hydration and rest that you  need. It's important that your body gets enough rest because fasting can take its toll on your body.
  • Eating suhoor/sehri is important and also Sunnah. There are many rewards and benefits of having suhoor so therefore make sure that you don't miss it and have an unhealthy 'dry fast'.
  • Drink plenty of water if you can during suhoor and focus on foods that are rich in carbohydrates and proteins because that's where you'll get your energy from.
  • Don't stuff your face during iftaar, instead break your fast the Sunnah way with dates and either milk, water or fruit juice. After maghrib salaah, continue with a light starter like soup or haleem and a cracker cos' nothing goes down well like hot soup on a cold winter evening. While still enjoying the feeling of eating after a long day of fasting, don't overeat. Have a light dinner and drink as much liquids as you can. Now don't mean caffeinated beverages and sodas.
  • Avoid fried and spicy foods as they may cause heartburn and indigestion.
  • Use this opportunity to eliminate bad habits like smoking.
  • Have an assortment of dried or fresh fruit and nuts instead of the caramel treat desserts. Reserve that for Eid, I'm sure aunty Fatima will understand. 
  • And after having all those yummy foods, don't forget to brush and floss your teeth for healthy teeth and gums. 
  • Maintain a healthy BMI (Body Mass Index): Ramadaan is the perfect time to absorb the spirit of fasting and become more aware of your consumption and eating habits. A common way to identify a healthy body weight is through the BMI. The formula for calculating your BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared: BMI= Weight/Height x Height. For example: 56kg/1.7x1.7=20.76


Underweight = 18.5
Normal weight = 18.6-24.9
Overweight =  25-29.9
Obesity =  BMI of 30 or greater
Remember to plan your schedule properly so that you can make the most of this blessed month by reading and reflecting on the Glorious Qur'aan and the purpose of Ramadaan because you never know if it may be your last. May Allah make it easy for you and me and allow us to reach full potential during this auspicious month. 
I will post recipes soon in'sha Allah, so stick around, but until my next blog post:
Peace, Love, Unity MwaHugs ;)