Breakfast

Bismillah (in the name of God)

  

  I try my best to offer healthy delicious breakfast to my family. I make oatmeal porridge, smoothies and boiled eggs, homemade granola with yogourt, and chocolate/banana/ soaked oats pancakes for breakfast lately. The pancakes are what i specifically want to share about today. The night before i leave 2 cups of oats and 2 tablespoons of spelt soaking in water and apple cider vinegar, and i take this extra step to reduce phytic acid (an anti nutrient found in many grains, nuts, seeds, etc.) It really only takes a minute or two to get this ready the night before breakfast is to be made. 

   In the morning, I wash the oats in a colander and then add them to a blender along with two over ripe bananas, two eggs, 2/3 cups of milk, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a generous squirt of vanilla. Blend it all till smooth, let it rest for five minutes and then cook on a hot cast iron pan with butter. They're delicious with fruit and a little maple syrup. 

   I hope you give them a try and feel free to double this recipe or half it according to your family size. The measurements I used made enough for my four children and myself to eat for two breakfasts. What else can a mama ask for?

   What are some of your favourite recipes for breakfast? 

Juicing:: Another Adventure in the Kitchen Corner

Bismillah (in the name of Allah)

  As a family we often find ourselves looking for ways to incorporate healthy eating into our days. A quick google search or even better a visit to the health and wellness section of your library will let you know the myriad of benefits juicing has. Apparently, drinking raw juice not only enhances the immune system, gives your digestive system a break but it also can be used as a non-toxic treatment for cancer and other chronic degenerative diseases.

We made an investment last year in buying this Omega juicer and I am very satisfied with it. The Gerson institute recommends this juicer when used for health enhancement. For therapeutic use they recommend The Narwalk but the Omega was right for our purpose and fit within our budget.

Mostly, we juice leafy greens such a kale and chard (rainbow and swiss), parsley, and add a carrot and an apple or orange to sweeten it a bit and make it easier to drink. We found that the more we drank this juice the less we wanted sweet fruits and instead our bodies craved the leafy greens.

We, for no good reason, took a long break from juicing. Acquiring the organic vegetables needed became a bit difficult. We didn't have the fridge space to buy a week's worth of greens and I found myself making several trips a week to buy them. Our budget doesn't allow for our largish family to eat 100% organic and our nearest supermarket carries a pretty small organic selection, which means buying organic green and fruits for juicing is an errand on its own for us. Eventually the juicer was taken off the counter and forgotten for a couple of months. Really a shame.

I said enough and brought the juicer back to its rightful place: the counter. On a weekend outing we found ourselves at a local health food store and I seized the opportunity to pick some organic vegetables and fruits they had available and had our first juicing party in a long time. They didn't have leafy greens so we settled for a sweet treat: carrots, beets and apples. 

The kids did not complaint one bit.

  It's priceless to see them enjoying something so wholesome and good. I am looking forward to making juicing a part of our everyday life.

Ahhh... Choo!

Bismillah,

Most things that can be suspended at the moment have been untouched: Blogging, sewing, knitting. And, not voluntarily, as I itch to do some everyday but sadly allergies are getting on my way. I can't think much other than, "where is my tissue box?" Or "Maybe it will all be gone before I know it" But weeks have gone by and I still have allergies. See, this is the first time ever I'm affected by this nuisance.

  

I am being proactive; don't get me wrong. Schedules are being made with the allergist, I'm taking propolis, got a nasal spray, and I'm looking into unconventional methods of dealing with this issue. I just want to find out what's causing it and in the meantime I'm trusting my instincts and avoiding those things that make me reach for my tissue box more often. Ahhh choo!

There are, of course, things that can't be put on hold. Life continues, with allergies or not. My vegetables are doing fabulously; home-schooling, thankfully, at the age of my kids doesn't require a lot from my part; home-keeping is sort of becoming second nature; and, well I'm back here updating this blog.

The one thing I am missing a lot right now is working at my sewing machine. I have countless of projects waiting for me to tackle: My very first quilt needs to be finished, I have an Amy Butler Camisole I can't wait to start working on, a jersey drape top from Sew Hip Magazine, skirts for the girls, pants for Teddy and his dad.... I'm really looking forward to it all, I am!

I hope you're having a wonderful productive summer and for those with allergies this has helped me significantly Now Foods Propolis 500mg, Capsules, 100-Count There are plenty of brands out there and you can choose the one that best suits your needs. The reason why I'm taking this one is because it was given to me by a dear friend of mine. The only thing I do is empty the contents in a spoon and take them with OJ as the capsule has gelatin from bovine and porcine sources, which I don't consume. Just beware that if you're allergic to honey this would not be for you otherwise it's worth giving it a try.

Sometimes we have to be affected by some ailment to make changes in our lifestyle; I'm going to try and take this as a sign from my body to change a lot of habits that are not beneficial for my health. I'm thinking more exercising, less caffeine and sugar, more health promoting foods. I'm not necessarily on a junk food diet but there are a lot of things that I consume everyday and that I don't that impact my health and thankfully I have an idea where to start.

Want to take this journey with me?

Disclaimer: The advice given here is my sole opinion and not to be taken over the advice of a health practitioner.

  

Chemo or Alternative Medicine

Bismillah (In the Name of Allah)

I have so neglected this blog. One good thing that came out of this is that now people who read here know how much I slack at posting and won't expect much activity here. This lets me relax and just do it at a comfortable pace. sigh...

I've been pondering about something insightful to blog about and started a post about simplicity and living a slow-paced life. After working on a draft for a couple of evenings I realized that I still have to find my place in this area; there are things which I dream of doing but don't know yet if I'm ready to undergo what it takes to live more simply than what I do now. As I grow in this area and find my balance I will share. Perhaps, you can grow along with me into a more simple person.

For now my post on simplicity will have to wait...

Something happened today: I learned that a Muslim woman I know has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. It made me think of what would I do if I find myself in her situation. Had I nobody in my life I would probably not undergo chemotherapy and try alternative medicine and see if it works. If it did, then I would let people know and encourage them to not resort to chemotherapy and conventional medicine as their first means in fighting this disease. If it didn't I would not be leaving loved ones behind thinking: "Had she only done what doctors told her to."

Having a family, however, I feel this would be selfish of me to do. I feel I'd be following my desires and my ideologies against the procedure that's endorsed by the medical community and putting my life in jeopardy without need.

Of course, I understand that only Allah knows when we're going to meet our death and how that's going to happen and I'm at complete ease with this in my mind, alhamdulillah. What I'd like to have more certainty about is the way I'd deal with a disease of this kind if I happened to be affected by it.

Perhaps, it should be a decision taken by the entire family and not just by the affected person. This is a very sensitive matter that here and there we should contemplate.

What are your thoughts on cancer and the methods out there to treat it?