Globe Girl blogs from the desert sands of Africa

Who Doesn’t Like a Good Date? Nutrition and fun all in the same package? That’s what you get when you make these yummy date bars with the kids!

Originating in the desert oasis of northern Africa and southwest Asia, the date is thought to be one of the world’s oldest cultivated fruits.

The Prophet of Allah (SAW) is reported to have said: “If any one of you is fasting, let him break his fast with dates. In case he does not have them, then with water. Verily water is a purifier.”

Dates are rich in natural fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Fresh dates are easily digestible and are therefore good for supplying the body with quick energy. Dates contain oil, calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium which are all advantageous for health. And so the consumption of even one date daily can lend itself to a balanced and healthy diet. Pair the dates with a cookie, and you’ve got a winning combination everyone is sure to love!

Oatmeal Date Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup pitted and chopped dates
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 ½ cups quick–cooking oats
• 1 cup all–purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 egg white

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, combine the dates, water, and sugar. Cook and stir until the mixture comes to a boil.
2. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until mixture is thickened, stirring constantly.
3. In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the butter and egg white until blended. Pat half of the mixture into an 8 inch square baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Carefully spread with date mixture. Gently pat remaining oat mixture over date mixture.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 – 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
6. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Source:  allrecipes.com

Busy Baby Mama blogs

I’m getting the jitters…Ramadan is right around the corner and am I prepared for it? For most sisters who have kids, and I mean even one can seem like you have a full house…the challenge during this Holy month is how to make delicious Suhoor/ Iftar and at the same time read the entire Quran. I would love to lounge on my living room carpet and indulge in my personal ibadaah, but then as usual that dreaded time comes when I HAVE TO COOK. Yes, instead of pulling out the Quran I have to take out the pots and pans, and begin my daily ibadaah of making Suhoor. I know I’m still getting blessings by making those parathas, french toasts, and hot cereal in little or no sleep…but I ask myself every year, will I have ‘time’ for my own worship?

Then I came across this website. Myhalalkitchen.com. These 2 posts from her site were a life saver! This inspired me to make  my own Ramadan Menu template and get organized in the kitchen so I can spend less time preparing food and more time preparing for my Akhirah. Inshallah! 

 Download here:  Ramadan Menu Calendar  Template. 

Busy Baby Mama blogs

Here comes the sun…and the 101 playdates I have to plan for my children. In search of some fun summer recipes (not too time consuming and easy on the ingredients),  I found this one. My kids really enjoy it and it’s so easy to make….and did I forget to mention it’s healthy?

Chocolate Banana Pops

I lay out a plastic table cloth and invite all the kids over to the table to make their own Chocolate Banana Pops to decorate and have later.  It gives them a constructive activity to do before they run off to play in the sun and sprinklers. When they return, I serve them with  some milk…

But did you know that bananas are also mentioned in the Qur’an as one of the fruits of Paradise? When you are making this recipe with the kids, don’t forget to mention these facts:

Although the bananas in paradise are far more superior to the ones on earth, I have to say you still get a lot of healthy bites out of this yellow fruit.

Bananas are especially recommended for fever, digestive system disorders, cramps, and muscle slackness.It also is known to decrease blood pressure and are used to treat allergies.

Sometimes it is hard to convince the junk food generation the importance of having banana rich in potassium and Vitamin B, however I was on a hunt to find a recipe quite so tasty that even the sweet tooth toddler will come for seconds…

Sr Alif  blogs

Here is a great way to have students do a Bake Sale or a Jumma Lunch Sale to raise charity money for the Japanese earthquake victims and learn about Japanese culture too…

Some of the ideas were originally done by Sister Bushra Zaman and Sister Jameelah at Hamza Academy, NY

1. Make cupcakes and top them off with some cute origami decorations. Read the instructions from this amazing blog.

2. Make obento boxes in aluminum lunch containers with clear tops. Make little Anime rice balls and hot dog octopuses! Read more about it here!

3. Make vegetable sushi rolls. Easy to do and a fun cultural recipe to learn. Learn how here.

4. Make cherry blossom cake or cup cakes.  Don’t have time? Why not purchase these sugar cherry blossoms and decorate your cupcakes with one stem and a flower? Here and here.

5. Serve green tea -hot or cold! Recipe here.

6. It’s a hot day? Why not get some students to make Green Tea Ice cream? Recipe here.

7. Make these popular Japanese snacks that my daughter just adores…Pocky Sticks! Recipe here.

8. Stir up some hot Miso Soup to hit the right spot! Recipe here

9. Buy small Japanese inspired items at bulk price from discount stores. Sell them for a dollar or two along with your eating goodies. Ideas here.

Sr Alif blogs

Sr Sarah’s  6th and 7th Grade class was smelling very sweet during their “Around-the-World Masjid Project’.  Students were asked to choose a masjid that was well known historically, and do research on it’s historical significance as well as its architecture.

After the students had about a week to complete their report on the masjid, they had exactly one hour in the afternoon to create their masjid completely out of sweets. They were told that they could not share their ingredients so they better come prepared!

This one hour turned into quite a productive assembly line of students frantically smearing frosting on their graham crackers, and trying to keep the walls from falling. The biggest challenge was to make the dome. Some used bread buns cut in half while one opted to use a giant Hershey kiss covered with yellow frosting. He was making “The Dome of the Rock”, so he wanted to make sure it looked grand. He even had a chocolate covered Marshmallow cookie to use as the ‘rock’.  Another student used gummy bears as little Muslim worshipers.

In the end, the students some how proved to be talented confection architect artists as they created very similar replicas of the famous masajid.

Busy Baby Mama blogs

Move over Dunkin! Here come DeeN’ Donuts. Chef Musa is busy in the kitchen again teaching his toddler sister ‘Princess Jannah’ the arabic alphabet in this fun activity. After discovering that the hot chocolate and Bavarian cream donuts at Dunkin Donuts will cost him one third of his weekly salary, he opted to create his own and in the process- he ended up making them into arabic letters. The recipe only calls for 2 ingredients! Watch recipe video below. He made the ‘haa’ perfectly…but when fried, it turned into ‘meem’. His sister enjoy making the nukhtas (small dots)-which he told her were like baby ‘munchkins’. He also enjoyed dusting them with confectioner’s sugar as well just like the real thing. However, his sister was not convinced that they could taste as good as “Dunkin”, poked them suspiciously until he melted some chocolate frosting in the microwave and glazed the top and added the sprinkles. The ‘princess’ gave the nod of approval as she crunched on the letter ‘taw’, and washed it down with a glass of organic milk. She took the rest of the alphabet donuts to share her sweet knowledge with her class friends!

Personalize your own free printable recipe card

Busy Baby Mama talks with Chef Musa, an 11 year old Hafiz student who loves to cook. If he’s not busy memorizing the Quran, he’s in the kitchen memorizing a new recipe to place in his Halal and Healthy Cook Book Journal.

This busy Hajj season was filled with interesting Qurbani meals from around the world as Musa’s family visited friends and family from various countries and shared exotic Eid meals. This sparked an idea in Musa. After looking at his family’s own Qurbani meat, he contemplated on a possible meal plan. How could he cook an all-in-one meal while he fed a maximum number of people? There was the classic Mogul Biryani from India to choose from, or a quick crock pot meal such as the traditional Beef Chap Stew with Joloff Rice from Africa. He finally decided to opt for the Turkish Kebab with green and red peppers.

His mother helped him pull out the correct ingredients for the recipe from the refridgerator, and he got straight to work. He had to put everything together in 30 minutes before he rushed off to study for his test.

Here is Chef Musa’s recommended recipe. He saves all his recipes in his Recipe Journal which he creates online from a website called www.smilebox.com. The website offers free options that can be used to email friends and family or it allows you to become a member and download & print to make a family cooking album.

Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox recipe

Sr Alif inspired us to think of what fall activities we could do to avoid the temptation of Halloween night. So we asked all the busy ladies what they were up to this week.  Here is what Busy Baby Mama had to share….

Busy Baby Mama blogs

After we return from the apple orchard and have spent a day picking only the best looking apples, the kids can’t wait to get home and make their favorite apple recipe. This year, we have kept apple picking for Halloween day as it falls on the weekend.

Because I wanted to share my family’s favorite apple recipe with you, I bought apples from the store to get started….we’ll end up making more of this recipe when we actually go apple picking this weekend Inshallah. I got this recipe from Iqra, a wonderful friend who is an amazing baker. Mashallah. She has baked for charity and has amazing goodies up for sale on masjid events. She loves turning any recipe into a healthy one…and I love her so much for that!

When I first made this, my daughter (who hates apples -SIGH!) ate so much of it that I leaped right back into the kitchen to make two extra batches right away (hehehe I added extra apples in my second batch- I just chopped them up into extremely tiny pieces so the extra bits went undetected. GRIN*).  Click on the link below to download the recipe. Happy baking!!!

Apple Walnut Bread Recipe Download Here. Hope you enjoy it!