Running a Muslim Home

Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

2012-01-28T04:18:00.000-08:00

"One difficulty in describing the health benefits of sweet potatoes is knowing where to begin. There are a surprising number of nutrient categories responsible for the health benefits of this underappreciated tuber." (WHfoods.org)

Wow!

What's New and Beneficial about Sweet Potatoes (WHFoods.org)
9 Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes (Care2.com)
Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes (How Stuff Works.com)
7 Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes
Facts on the Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes (also lists a few warnings for people with kidney or gallbladder problems).
Benefits of Sweet Potatoes (Diabetes.About.com)

How to Cook Sweet Potatoes

2012-01-28T04:05:00.000-08:00

All Recipes: How to Cook Sweet Potatoes
Tips for cooking, storing sweet potatoes and links to recipes at another of my fav recipe sites.

"You can use sweet potatoes in just about any place you would use white potatoes:

Mashed
Soups
Baked
Potato salads
French fries
Latkes

For a quick side dish, peel, shred, and sauté with butter or olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar, or sprinkle of herbs or shredded cheese. (Also try tossing with pasta!)
Sweet potatoes also taste great raw: cut them into sticks for a new addition to the veggie platter, or shred them for salads."

Sweet Potato Fries

2012-01-28T04:00:00.000-08:00

I've been hearing a lot lately about the virtues of sweet potatoes, nutritionally, so I am wanting to try to incorporate them more into our diet. When we lived in Egypt, we ate sweet potatoes weekly, they were always so plump, but here (at least where we shop) and in Yemen, they were always kind of on the pitiful side, so I just kind of let them go.

I've heard about Sweet Potato fries and am interested in trying them. Here's a recipe from one of my favorite recipe sites, Simply Recipes. I haven't tried this recipe, but after several searches (including one with this homemade seasoning salt that made the recipe sport basically all of the recommended daily allowance for sodium), I came across this one.
Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I've kind of gotta get of the nerves, because I just have this vision of candied sweet potatoes or sweet potato pie in my mind so, I've been a little slow to try.......

Plating Up (Presentation of Food on the Plate)

2012-01-28T03:54:00.000-08:00

I remember the first time we had dinner together with my co-wife. She was cooking the meal and I went in to see if I could help. She asked me to add the carrots to the main dish (a Moroccan dish). I proceeded to take the strips of carrots and just add them to the SIDE of the plate. Uh-oh. Wrong thing to do. She "schooled" me on how to place them upon the couscous. At the time I was thinking to myself, does it really matter?? But once she put them on the plate, it did look much more appealing. But, well, I was still stuck in my ways and didn't give it much thought.

After a season of watching Masterchef Australia , things have never been the same when it comes to meal prep .(ok despite their controversy on this, it still inspired us). The kids, who help out tremendously with the cooking, alhamdulillah, are always "plating up." Last week we had a simple macaroni and cheese and sweet carrots meal and the previous week I had served it, mac and cheese here, carrots on the side, but when the girls made it, it was quite a different eating experience (seriously). So I really see how taking the time to think about and arrange the food can make a big difference, not just for fine dining, but for turning those tired, cheap meals (smile) into something.....special.

Anyway, the kids seem to be doing fine, but I thought I'd research to get some tips for "plating up."

Plating Up: The Secrets of Food Presentation
Seven Ways to Present Food Like a Chef
Plating Techniques the Pros Use
Plating Techniques - shows different plating arrangements in diagrams.

Sweet Carrots

2012-01-28T03:09:00.000-08:00

Pulled this out of my repetoire, hadn't made it for a while, its on the A list right now with the kids......

Ingredients:

5 medium carrots, thinly sliced on diagonal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Preparation:

Cook carrots in a small amount of boiling water with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar until tender, about 20 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Carrots with butter serves 4 to 6.

http://southernfood.about.com/od/carrots/r/bl30221f.htm

Rice Croquettes

2012-01-28T03:07:00.000-08:00

(I swiped this from my TJ Homeschool Companion blog)
This is a super nice idea for those times when it has to be rice.....

RICE CROQUETTES

1/2 c. chopped onion
1 1/2 tbsp. sweet butter
1 c. rice
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
2 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 egg
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp. pepper
3/4 c. dry bread crumbs
1/4 – 1/3 c. olive oil
Parsley for garnish

Soften butter; add rice, sauté until glazed, stir in parsley and broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, simmer 20 minutes. Stir in egg, cheese, basil and pepper. Mixture should be very moist. Shape into 12 to 16 croquettes. Roll in bread crumbs. Fry in the olive oil until golden brown. Drain and serve.

Now, I did a fair amount of tweaking to this recipe so I’ll explain (as it might be kind of humorous, ok well maybe interesting at the very least)………

I did as instructed to the simmering for 20 minutes part. But, as I have a big family (and a lot of left over rice), I used 5 cups of rice). I used about as much of the broth as they recommended, but with 5 cups of rice, it was really runny (so I was like, how could you use that amount of broth for 1 cup of rice?) Well, I couldn’t envision this being thick enough so I strained the rice!

Well, as I said I didn’t have the cheese and actually didn’t have the basil or olive oil as well. So I just stirred in the egg and the mixture seemed thick enough to proceed. Now, I didn’t have bread crumbs but had some days’ old bread. Well, this was the time to use that broiler on the oven (I had never tried the broiler out yet). So of course I put it on high, being impatient. Then went back to my rice mixture. Ok, so a few minutes later, the oven starts smoking…..I turn it off and wait for the smoke to clear.

Well, the rice mixture is still hot from the stove, so I set him in the refrigerator for a few minutes to cool off. Now….what would I do about the bread crumbs (or lack thereof)? I was looking at some other recipe for rice balls (a sweetened version) and they had mentioned dusting the rice balls into powdered sugar. Of course! When I make tuna patties, I just use some seasoned flour and roll the patties in that. So that’s what I ended up using for these. I put a little salt, pepper, and what the heck, some cumin powder in the flour, mixed it up and used that as my coating.

No olive oil, so I just pan fry in sunflower oil, maybe 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup. I am so not good at following amounts….sometimes that’s bad, but sometimes, things still work out. So I pan fried them and masha Allah, they were super tasty. They almost gave the illusion of meat (as my tuna patties come out with the same type of fried appearance and texture).

So if you’ve got some left over rice, and feel a little adventurous, why not try my non-recipe?

Family Clothing Inventory

2012-01-18T05:03:00.000-08:00

With nine kids, it's difficult for me to keep up with the condition of everyone's clothes and what's needed. So I made up a little clothing inventory sheet for my household organizer.

Clothing Inventory Sheet-Islamic
Clothing Inventory - Non-Islamic

It has space for six family members of each gender and you can note the sizes (cuz I can never fully remember these when its time to go shopping) and four tables per page to remind me to check seasonally the status of everyone's clothes.

Learning About High Blood Pressure

2012-01-18T04:52:00.000-08:00

When I finally went to the doctor with this bout of the flu, I noticed that my blood pressure was in the prehypertension range so I've been reading up on it as I really didn't know that much about it, despite the fact that I know some of my family members have had it. Now that I am over 40, I am really finally starting to think more seriously about health, and alhamdulillah, we are already making changes in our diet and physical activity to that end.

Here are few helpful resources I came across:
Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Nice little site that concisely and quickly gives you information about blood pressure detection, prevention, and treatment.

WEB MD Hypertension/High Blood Pressure Health Center

What Is High Blood Pressure?

(Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

High blood pressure (HBP) is a serious condition that can lead to coronary heart disease (also called coronary artery disease), heart failure, stroke,
kidney failure, and other health problems.

"Blood pressure" is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage the body in many ways.

Overview

About 1 in 3 adults in the United States has HBP. The condition itself usually has no symptoms. You can have it for years without knowing it. During this time, though, HBP can damage the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and other parts of your body.
Knowing your blood pressure numbers is important, even when you're feeling fine. If your blood pressure is normal, you can work with your health care team to keep it that way. If your blood pressure is too high, treatment may help prevent damage to your body's organs.

Blood Pressure Numbers

Blood pressure is measured as systolic (sis-TOL-ik) and diastolic (di-a-STOL-ik) pressures. "Systolic" refers to blood pressure when the heart beats while pumping blood. "Diastolic" refers to blood pressure when the heart is at rest between beats.
You most often will see blood pressure numbers written with the systolic number above or before the diastolic number, such as 120/80 mmHg. (The mmHg is millimeters of mercury—the units used to measure blood pressure.)
The table below shows normal blood pressure numbers for adults. It also shows which numbers put you at greater risk for health problems.

Categories for Blood Pressure Levels in Adults (measured in millimeters of mercury, or mmHg)

Category	Systolic (top number)		Diastolic (bottom number)
Normal	Less than 120	And	Less than 80
Prehypertension	120–139	Or	80–89
High blood pressure
Stage 1	140–159	Or	90–99
Stage 2	160 or higher	Or	100 or higher

The ranges in the table apply to most adults (aged 18 and older) who don't have short-term serious illnesses.
Blood pressure doesn't stay the same all the time. It lowers as you sleep and rises when you wake up. Blood pressure also rises when you're excited, nervous, or active. If your numbers stay above normal most of the time, you're at risk for health problems.

All levels above 120/80 mmHg raise your risk, and the risk grows as blood pressure numbers rise. "Prehypertension" means you're likely to end up with HBP, unless you take steps to prevent it.

If you're being treated for HBP and have repeat readings in the normal range, your blood pressure is under control. However, you still have the condition. You should see your doctor and follow your treatment plan to keep your blood pressure under control.

Your systolic and diastolic numbers may not be in the same blood pressure category. In this case, the more severe category is the one you're in. For example, if your systolic number is 160 and your diastolic number is 80, you have stage 2 HBP. If your systolic number is 120 and your diastolic number is 95, you have stage 1 HBP.

If you have diabetes or chronic kidney disease, HBP is defined as 130/80 mmHg or higher. HBP numbers also differ for children and teens. (For more information, go to "How Is High Blood Pressure Diagnosed?")

Outlook

Blood pressure tends to rise with age. Following a healthy lifestyle helps some people delay or prevent this rise in blood pressure.

People who have HBP can take steps to control it and reduce their risk of related health problems. Key steps include following a healthy lifestyle, having ongoing medical care, and following your treatment plan.

DASH Eating Plan for Lowering High Blood Pressure

2012-01-18T04:27:00.000-08:00

Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure with DASH
Sample meal plan, recipes, and tips for using diet and exercise to lower blood pressure. (US Dept of Health and Human Service)

I Need a Fitted Not a Flat Sheet! How Do I Make a Fitted Sheet?

2012-01-17T05:58:00.000-08:00

That was my question. I recently bought some sheets on sale and forgot to check whether they were fitted or not. Sometimes fitted sheets are hard to find where I am so I was wondering how to make a fitted sheet from a flat sheet.

I thought I would share some sites I came across. I haven't tried it yet..................

Tutorial - How to Make a Fitted Sheet - short and sweet (hopefully) directions
Sew Your Own Fitted Sheets (About.com)
Turn a Flat Sheet into a Fitted Sheet in Ten Minutes Flat
How to Make Fitted Sheets - shows how to make a fitted crib sheet

This is what I'm starting with, I'm not the greatest seamstress, so we'll see......

Have you ever made a fitted sheet from a flat sheet?

On a related note,

folding that fitted sheet..............

Stocking & Organizing the Linen Closet

2012-01-07T04:01:00.000-08:00

When I was little I was "dazzled" by my grandparents' linen closet. It was always stocked up with toiletries and linens and in the bottom portion of it was my toy box that I could pull out whenever I came to visit.

I have never really had an organized dedicated closet like they did, but this is one of the things I would like to work on. I love when I stock up on toiletries so that when times are tight, there is something on hand. In addition, I'd like to have enough linen on hand and have it organized, so that is one of my priority projects.

Here are some resources I came across during my search.

Organizing 101: Linen closets
How to Stock a Linen Closet
Organize a Linen Closet - Step by Step
Tricks to Whip Your Linen Closet into Shape
Stocking a Linen Closet - itemized list of sample linen closet items
How to Keep a Linen Closet organized

51 Practical Tips for Establishing (or Re-establishing) an Islamic Atmosphere in the Home

2011-12-14T05:38:00.000-08:00

The first several years after we became Muslim, no matter what we had, it felt like an Islamic household. Over the years (especially since moving to Muslim countries, go figure), that Islamic feel had begun to creep away. So, I brainstormed ways to get that atmosphere back (and did a little googling) and came up with these tips, some of which I have started using (or re-using) already. The checklist list is categorized so you can quickly find tips to put into action according to your biggest/most pressing needs, in shaa Allah.

Creating an Islamic atmosphere is much more than gussying up the decor of your home, in fact it's just a small part. While the checklist includes suggestions for visual enhancements it also includes behavior/actions you can take to get (or put back) that Islamic feeling in your home, in shaa Allah.

Creating an Islamic Atmosphere in the Home

I hope you find it helpful!

Can you add anymore to the list?

Setting Up Your First Kitchen

2011-12-12T05:54:00.000-08:00

Checklist for a first kitchen from Simply Checklists.com

Preparing for House Guests

2011-12-11T05:50:00.000-08:00

How to Prepare for Houseguests from EHow.com

Kitchen Organizer

2011-12-11T04:44:00.001-08:00

My kitchen is on one floor and we spend most of the time on the other one, so having my kitchen organizer materials in the main household organizer was not very efficient. So I separated them into two.

Below are materials that I have currently made for the Kitchen organizer, which includes a homemade cookbook (recipes in page protectors).

Kitchen Organizer & Cookbook Cover

Here are some of the things that I currently have in it:

Recipes in page protectors. Most of the recipes so far come from a digital book I have plus ones from the Starter Cookbook.
Meal Planning and Grocery Forms (Master Meal Lists, Grocery List Templates, Stocking Your Pantry
Kitchen Conversions and Substitutions (Kitchen Substitutions-General, Kitchen Substitutions-Herbs and Spices, Oven Temperature, Pan Sizes
Stocking Your Kitchen

I also intend on putting nutrition informationa reminders from things that I read.

Here are some tabs that I made up to divide the sections: Kitchen Organizer & Cookbook Tabs