Hey Everyone, I've been redecorating my blog; hope you like it!
I've had a tremendously busy and fun week. My mom's been in town which means more help with cooking, more things to eat, and also more out-of-the-house things to do. So it's been nonstop. I'll back post our meals since Sunday since I can't remember as far back in time as Saturday :P
Sunday: Chicken Tikka; Rice
Monday: Fried Chicken, Brussels Sprouts, French Fries
Tuesday: Meatballs baked with turnips, carrots, roasted eggplant, tomatoes, and potatoes; Rice
Wednesday: leftovers for some plus dinner at my dad's house
Thursday: Green Salad, Spaghetti and Sauce
Friday: Tenderloin, salad, veggies
Saturday: Picnic lunch
Lunches:
frozen pizza
broccoli/potato/cheese soup
leftovers
tuna sandwiches
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
What Brownies Taste Like at My House
My sweet dreamer, my oldest daughter, has really been finding her way around the kitchen these past couple of weeks. Bless her heart, she's not very attuned to details, so I was rightfully worried when she asked to make her first batch of brownies. She did great, and it was a little more work than when my son started to bake cookies, but she is over the moon with her accomplishments, masha'Allah, and I'm so proud of her. Here is the recipe we've been making brownies with for some time. It's a toss up between this one and some other one I can't find, but we do like these a lot. They just don't taste so good after the second or third day, but they're not given that many hours to sit around in this house.
1 1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
2 eggs
2 Tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup nuts, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 8*8 baking pan although 9*13 will work. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bown and set aside. In a saucepan, melt butter and chocolate squares over low heat, stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove from heat and add sugar, eggs, water, and vanilla. Stir vigorously until well mixed. Stir in dry ingredients. Fold in nuts if desired. Bake 18-22 minutes. Cool and serve!
1 1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
2 eggs
2 Tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup nuts, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 8*8 baking pan although 9*13 will work. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bown and set aside. In a saucepan, melt butter and chocolate squares over low heat, stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove from heat and add sugar, eggs, water, and vanilla. Stir vigorously until well mixed. Stir in dry ingredients. Fold in nuts if desired. Bake 18-22 minutes. Cool and serve!
White Chili Recipe
Assalamu alaikom
I tried something new this week in food. I'm the type who will eat just about anything and don't turn my nose at anything, but when I heard the words "white" and "chili" in the same sentence it made me turn "green". That was about two years ago.
Last week I read a recipe online for white chili, and I guess I had a change of heart or something because I felt like giving it a shot. I just had to make sure not to mentally categorize it with "real" chili which is red, not white, and is made with BEEF, and not with chicken.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and will make it again! One tip: it calls for a quart of cream. Since I knew I'd be eating from it over 3 days or so, I didn't add the cream on the day I made the soup. It wouldn't taste good getting heated, chilled, and reheated, so I just added a little bit of cream daily each time I took a portion out to reheat for lunch. Also, I used much less than a quart of cream... and that's a good thing, no matter how good cream is!
White Chili
1 large jar white northern beans (or 2 regular sized cans)
1 quart chicken stock
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celergy
1 4oz jar diced green chilies ( I didn't use these)
1 1/3 Tbsp. minced garlic ( I used about 5 cloves... who needs to count in TBSPs!)
1 1/2 Tbsp. cumin
1/2 - 1 tsp. cayenne pepper depending on how hot you like it
1 quart cream
salt and pepper to taste
Saute onion, celery, and garlic in 2 Tbsp oil. Add beans, stock, and spices. Simmer 1/2 hour- 1 hour. Add chicken. Add cream and heat through just before serving. Serve with shredded cheese on top if desired.
Sorry, no picture... maybe another time!
I tried something new this week in food. I'm the type who will eat just about anything and don't turn my nose at anything, but when I heard the words "white" and "chili" in the same sentence it made me turn "green". That was about two years ago.
Last week I read a recipe online for white chili, and I guess I had a change of heart or something because I felt like giving it a shot. I just had to make sure not to mentally categorize it with "real" chili which is red, not white, and is made with BEEF, and not with chicken.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and will make it again! One tip: it calls for a quart of cream. Since I knew I'd be eating from it over 3 days or so, I didn't add the cream on the day I made the soup. It wouldn't taste good getting heated, chilled, and reheated, so I just added a little bit of cream daily each time I took a portion out to reheat for lunch. Also, I used much less than a quart of cream... and that's a good thing, no matter how good cream is!
White Chili
1 large jar white northern beans (or 2 regular sized cans)
1 quart chicken stock
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celergy
1 4oz jar diced green chilies ( I didn't use these)
1 1/3 Tbsp. minced garlic ( I used about 5 cloves... who needs to count in TBSPs!)
1 1/2 Tbsp. cumin
1/2 - 1 tsp. cayenne pepper depending on how hot you like it
1 quart cream
salt and pepper to taste
Saute onion, celery, and garlic in 2 Tbsp oil. Add beans, stock, and spices. Simmer 1/2 hour- 1 hour. Add chicken. Add cream and heat through just before serving. Serve with shredded cheese on top if desired.
Sorry, no picture... maybe another time!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Menu's up
I have a tentative idea of what we'll be eating this week:
Lunches:
~I'm making a couple of extra loaves of bread, slicing them, and putting them in the freezer so that we can get back into having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch! I know, that's not very exciting, but we haven't eaten those in months and months, so I hope they'll be a happy change.
~ Baked macaroni and cheese (new recipe I'm waiting to try)
~ leftovers or something from the freezer
~ tacos if necessary
Dinner:
Sunday: Tenderloin steak, roasted veggies
Monday: Making a pot of White Chili for the first time, some leftover steak for the skeptics
Tuesday: Probably more white chili for me, feel like frying some chicken thighs, more roasted veggies
Wednesday: Taco soup, steamed broccoli
Thursday: Soup, not sure.. I have a lot of broccoli and potatoes, so probably that.
Friday: Meatballs in a tray with veggies and tomato sauce, side of rice
Insha'Allah, that's the plan.
Lunches:
~I'm making a couple of extra loaves of bread, slicing them, and putting them in the freezer so that we can get back into having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch! I know, that's not very exciting, but we haven't eaten those in months and months, so I hope they'll be a happy change.
~ Baked macaroni and cheese (new recipe I'm waiting to try)
~ leftovers or something from the freezer
~ tacos if necessary
Dinner:
Sunday: Tenderloin steak, roasted veggies
Monday: Making a pot of White Chili for the first time, some leftover steak for the skeptics
Tuesday: Probably more white chili for me, feel like frying some chicken thighs, more roasted veggies
Wednesday: Taco soup, steamed broccoli
Thursday: Soup, not sure.. I have a lot of broccoli and potatoes, so probably that.
Friday: Meatballs in a tray with veggies and tomato sauce, side of rice
Insha'Allah, that's the plan.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Home activites for your kids
Does the thought of having your kids home for two weeks without school give you a little stress? Do you wonder what you'll do with them, or more specifically, what they'll do with you?? Just kidding, hopefully they'll do nothing with you but fill your heart with love :D
My philosophy is that you as a parent don't need to resort to song and dance to entertain your children, rather you just want to provide a few things to jump start their imaginations and love for play that is already there. They're kids after all! (and by song and dance I'm talking about going to places where you have to pay and pay and pay out the nose for a few hours of 'entertainment')
Here are a few ideas that have worked for me that I hope might be useful for you or might give you an idea for something else you have handy.
1. Have some art supplies handy and structure the time they can use it if the mess stresses you out. There are washable finger paints that are easy to wipe off of any table surface. I've bought some inexpensive newsprint tablets of paper that the little ones can use as much as they want. No fancy thick art paper, just a thinner type called newsprint. There is a little plastic tub (with lid) hidden in one of my kitchen cabinets full of paint brushes, washable finger paints, a couple of trays of watercolors, and reused cans that I've saved from cooking to act as water cans. Older kids know that they have to leave NO TRACE of their activity if I'm going to let them do it again, so they make sure to clean up really well.
2. Homemade Playdo (or the store bought type) We set up at the kitchen table and use rolling pins, wooden utensils (like salad mixers, wooden fork), plastic characters from other toys (we some old Dora and Diego figures), and plastic toys like trees, animals, and other things you might have already. You could make a jungle theme or any theme you want and set out the accessories that will give them a spark to work with.
Recipe for Homemade Playdo
5 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 T Alum (white spice you can find in grocery store)
1/4 cup oil
4 cups boiling water
Stir all together in a large mixing bowl. You can separate the dough into smaller bowl and add food coloring. Store in sealed plastic bags to keep fresh and moist.
3. Have a sensory box. The idea is to fill a container with dry materials that the little ones can sink their hands into and play in. At preschools I've seen them at the kids' waist level so that they can walk up to the long table that is filled with sand or pebbles, rice, or soapy water at times. Kids love to touch and move these things between their fingers. At home, I found a tub that I could reuse and filled it with dry rice and green lentils. Just yesterday I switched it out and filled it with different types of dry beans. I used large white beans, black beans, red beans, pinto beans, and black-eyed peas. Again, the big kids know to clean up completely, but for the toddler, well, I just brace myself and have the vacuum cleaner handy for when she's done. I have used a beach blanket before for them so play on so that I could more easily shake out or throw away what got scattered out of the box.
4. Make fruit popsicles. Ok, I know it's cold enough outside, but this is a quick and easy kitchen activity if you have anyone who is itching to make his/her own treat. We poured our blend into these little containers that Nana gave us, but you can use ice cube trays if you want, too.
Recipe for fruit popsicles
1 cup frozen sliced bananas (it's ok if they're not frozen)
1 cup frozen strawberries, raspberries, sliced peaches or other fruit (we used the frozen tropical mix from Costco)
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract (i'd use a little less)
¼ to ½ cup milk (dairy, soy, rice, almond, or coconut)
In a food processor, pulse fruit until coarsely chopped. I used my blender, not food processor.
Add milk a little at a time through top of processor, and puree until creamy.
Serve immediately, or freeze in individual-size containers for later.
Yield: 4 servings
Recipe is courtesy of: http://www.mothering.com/recipes/better-ice-cream
5. Free up the garage. Ours has tools and toys around the perimeter b/c my husband parks his car inside. When it's too cold or wet to play outside we just move his car out and play in there. Sure, it's not huge, but for most kids it is plenty of room to play ball, ride scooters/trikes, jump on a small trampoline, or just to run and play. I've even taken one of the space heaters to warm it up a little more in there on the really cold days.
6. Have some quiet activities on hand.
a) The most obvious one is books from the library. Why don't all of you sit on the couch with a few piles of books and just sit down and relax for an hour? Make some hot tea or hot chocolate and enjoy reading together.
b) Remember playing Mad Libs as a kid? I just ordered two books and they're a HIT!!
http://www.amazon.com/Super-Silly-Mad-Libs-Junior/dp/0843107588/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1324133457&sr=8-4
c) Latch hook kits. Definitely for ages 8 and up. Maybe even 9 or 10 and up. Don't tell anyone, but my son is really into the one I got him. It's a picture of a pirate ship. He's loving it. What a great quiet, focusing, and productive activity!
http://www.amazon.com/Caron-Wonderart-Latch-Hook-Kit/dp/B0017WEDA8/ref=sr_1_10?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1324133546&sr=1-10
I left out some big things like arts and crafts (glue, construction paper, etc..), scrapbooking, and bead activites b/c I figured those were obvious enough if you already have them at home.
Alrighty, that's about all I have for now!
My philosophy is that you as a parent don't need to resort to song and dance to entertain your children, rather you just want to provide a few things to jump start their imaginations and love for play that is already there. They're kids after all! (and by song and dance I'm talking about going to places where you have to pay and pay and pay out the nose for a few hours of 'entertainment')
Here are a few ideas that have worked for me that I hope might be useful for you or might give you an idea for something else you have handy.
1. Have some art supplies handy and structure the time they can use it if the mess stresses you out. There are washable finger paints that are easy to wipe off of any table surface. I've bought some inexpensive newsprint tablets of paper that the little ones can use as much as they want. No fancy thick art paper, just a thinner type called newsprint. There is a little plastic tub (with lid) hidden in one of my kitchen cabinets full of paint brushes, washable finger paints, a couple of trays of watercolors, and reused cans that I've saved from cooking to act as water cans. Older kids know that they have to leave NO TRACE of their activity if I'm going to let them do it again, so they make sure to clean up really well.
2. Homemade Playdo (or the store bought type) We set up at the kitchen table and use rolling pins, wooden utensils (like salad mixers, wooden fork), plastic characters from other toys (we some old Dora and Diego figures), and plastic toys like trees, animals, and other things you might have already. You could make a jungle theme or any theme you want and set out the accessories that will give them a spark to work with.
Recipe for Homemade Playdo
5 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 T Alum (white spice you can find in grocery store)
1/4 cup oil
4 cups boiling water
Stir all together in a large mixing bowl. You can separate the dough into smaller bowl and add food coloring. Store in sealed plastic bags to keep fresh and moist.
3. Have a sensory box. The idea is to fill a container with dry materials that the little ones can sink their hands into and play in. At preschools I've seen them at the kids' waist level so that they can walk up to the long table that is filled with sand or pebbles, rice, or soapy water at times. Kids love to touch and move these things between their fingers. At home, I found a tub that I could reuse and filled it with dry rice and green lentils. Just yesterday I switched it out and filled it with different types of dry beans. I used large white beans, black beans, red beans, pinto beans, and black-eyed peas. Again, the big kids know to clean up completely, but for the toddler, well, I just brace myself and have the vacuum cleaner handy for when she's done. I have used a beach blanket before for them so play on so that I could more easily shake out or throw away what got scattered out of the box.
Here is the updated box I just set up today and like more:
1 cup frozen sliced bananas (it's ok if they're not frozen)
1 cup frozen strawberries, raspberries, sliced peaches or other fruit (we used the frozen tropical mix from Costco)
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract (i'd use a little less)
¼ to ½ cup milk (dairy, soy, rice, almond, or coconut)
In a food processor, pulse fruit until coarsely chopped. I used my blender, not food processor.
Add milk a little at a time through top of processor, and puree until creamy.
Serve immediately, or freeze in individual-size containers for later.
Yield: 4 servings
Recipe is courtesy of: http://www.mothering.com/recipes/better-ice-cream
5. Free up the garage. Ours has tools and toys around the perimeter b/c my husband parks his car inside. When it's too cold or wet to play outside we just move his car out and play in there. Sure, it's not huge, but for most kids it is plenty of room to play ball, ride scooters/trikes, jump on a small trampoline, or just to run and play. I've even taken one of the space heaters to warm it up a little more in there on the really cold days.
6. Have some quiet activities on hand.
a) The most obvious one is books from the library. Why don't all of you sit on the couch with a few piles of books and just sit down and relax for an hour? Make some hot tea or hot chocolate and enjoy reading together.
b) Remember playing Mad Libs as a kid? I just ordered two books and they're a HIT!!
http://www.amazon.com/Super-Silly-Mad-Libs-Junior/dp/0843107588/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1324133457&sr=8-4
c) Latch hook kits. Definitely for ages 8 and up. Maybe even 9 or 10 and up. Don't tell anyone, but my son is really into the one I got him. It's a picture of a pirate ship. He's loving it. What a great quiet, focusing, and productive activity!
http://www.amazon.com/Caron-Wonderart-Latch-Hook-Kit/dp/B0017WEDA8/ref=sr_1_10?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1324133546&sr=1-10
I left out some big things like arts and crafts (glue, construction paper, etc..), scrapbooking, and bead activites b/c I figured those were obvious enough if you already have them at home.
Alrighty, that's about all I have for now!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
something *I* have learned from homeschooling
I've had the opportunity twice this past week to talk about why I chose to homeschool the children. (it just so happens that two people asked me why/how I do it) Now that I've been doing it a little over a year I've almost forgotton about those initial feelings that lead me to explore it in the first place! When I think back to those few weeks in the spring of 2010 when I started this journey, the initial reasons are still there and valid, but I've gained dozens more reasons to keept it going.
I couldn't believe how things were changing for the better during those first few weeks. I mean, all the little extra perks were piling up, and I was just all giddy with our new lifestyle. I'm talking about the bonus of the kids seeing their dad an extra few minutes a day b/c they're not being rushed out the door. The bonus of them occasionally eating a hot meal for lunch rather than their packed lunches. The opportunity for them to do some simple chores in the morning their not being totally exhausted by the time they get done with school for the day. We slowly shifted from our old routine to a new one that was much more laid back and kind of with a natural flow.
I get the opportunity to be there to shape their views on key character issues. I am providing them with quality literature that is well written and with good characters/stories. When tough situations arise, we are all there to talk about how we would respond.
To get to do all of this, though, it does take effort of course. Nothing can be successful without putting your all into it. You can't do something like this halfway. And that brings me to one of the more significant replies I've come to give those who question me, because they inevitabley tell me they couldn't possibly do it and that they don't have the patience that I must have. I often stop them and tell them that I, too, used to think that of others who homeschooled. I tell them that not only has it built character in the children, but that it built character in me. This change in lifestlyle has positively affected me. I wasn't expecting it, really, and it took me answering questions of curious friends to realize that I did change. I had to. I had to change in my heart how I saw my children. I prayed about it, asked for help, and put my best foot forward. Now, months later, I can say that I have changed, and I think I am a better mom for it. Alhamdulilaah, Allah is capable of all things, and He can provide for us from places we cannot imagine. And that's the other thing I like to share with moms who consider homeschooling. Make your intentions for seeking the pleasure of Allah, and He will provide for you and make you a way. (and I'm not saying that homeschooling is the only way for Allah to make a way for you to be a good mom!!! just saying how with my intentions for homeschooling along with prayer, I've come a long way)
The struggles haven't been too hard. I've managed my schedule so that I do some outings on my own once my husband is home. It's when he's travelling out of town that I feel the full force of not having any time to run errands alone. I don't even mind being home with the kids, it's when I need something from out of the house that I run into trouble. I'm used to taking my kids with me everywhere, but the older ones don't have as much patience as they used to, and that's where I'm running into the most trouble! In a year or two, though I'll be able to leave more of them home alone, insha'Allah. I'm so thankful that I'm with them while they grow up. I hope and pray that this will benefit them as they grow.
I couldn't believe how things were changing for the better during those first few weeks. I mean, all the little extra perks were piling up, and I was just all giddy with our new lifestyle. I'm talking about the bonus of the kids seeing their dad an extra few minutes a day b/c they're not being rushed out the door. The bonus of them occasionally eating a hot meal for lunch rather than their packed lunches. The opportunity for them to do some simple chores in the morning their not being totally exhausted by the time they get done with school for the day. We slowly shifted from our old routine to a new one that was much more laid back and kind of with a natural flow.
I get the opportunity to be there to shape their views on key character issues. I am providing them with quality literature that is well written and with good characters/stories. When tough situations arise, we are all there to talk about how we would respond.
To get to do all of this, though, it does take effort of course. Nothing can be successful without putting your all into it. You can't do something like this halfway. And that brings me to one of the more significant replies I've come to give those who question me, because they inevitabley tell me they couldn't possibly do it and that they don't have the patience that I must have. I often stop them and tell them that I, too, used to think that of others who homeschooled. I tell them that not only has it built character in the children, but that it built character in me. This change in lifestlyle has positively affected me. I wasn't expecting it, really, and it took me answering questions of curious friends to realize that I did change. I had to. I had to change in my heart how I saw my children. I prayed about it, asked for help, and put my best foot forward. Now, months later, I can say that I have changed, and I think I am a better mom for it. Alhamdulilaah, Allah is capable of all things, and He can provide for us from places we cannot imagine. And that's the other thing I like to share with moms who consider homeschooling. Make your intentions for seeking the pleasure of Allah, and He will provide for you and make you a way. (and I'm not saying that homeschooling is the only way for Allah to make a way for you to be a good mom!!! just saying how with my intentions for homeschooling along with prayer, I've come a long way)
The struggles haven't been too hard. I've managed my schedule so that I do some outings on my own once my husband is home. It's when he's travelling out of town that I feel the full force of not having any time to run errands alone. I don't even mind being home with the kids, it's when I need something from out of the house that I run into trouble. I'm used to taking my kids with me everywhere, but the older ones don't have as much patience as they used to, and that's where I'm running into the most trouble! In a year or two, though I'll be able to leave more of them home alone, insha'Allah. I'm so thankful that I'm with them while they grow up. I hope and pray that this will benefit them as they grow.
Friday, December 9, 2011
I've changed my settings
Hey everyone,
I am going to try this out again where your comments will get published immediately rather than await moderation. For a while I was getting a lot of random spam comments, so I'm just going to try it out again.
So if that was ever holding you back, go ahead and leave comments!
Thanks,
Zein
I am going to try this out again where your comments will get published immediately rather than await moderation. For a while I was getting a lot of random spam comments, so I'm just going to try it out again.
So if that was ever holding you back, go ahead and leave comments!
Thanks,
Zein
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