MWA's Aishah Schwartz: This time I didn't crash it; iftar August 5th

Just me and Hayaire! Masha'Allah, it was so nice.

Our Ramadan So Far by MWA's Jennifer Kabir

A few days before Ramadan officially begins our family engages in arts and crafts together.  My husband and I began doing this five years ago and now that our children are a little older they sit with us and add their creativity.  This year it was my youngest son who played nasheeds from the pc while we all listened and enjoyed our activities.  Around mid-month the boys enjoyed decorating cupcakes and handing them out to friends.  I find it’s best to just cook and prepare everything ahead of time and just let them enjoy the fun part!

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MWA's Saba N Taylor shares her day 15 iftar: Tuna Egg Rolls

Masha Allah! My sister made the best tuna egg rolls EVER for iftar tonight! Tuna is a favorite in our house-hold! This is one of her specialty items that is always a big hit when she serves it to guest. They are a great side dish or if you eat them the way I do, are a meal in their little selves!

MWA's Saba N. Taylor asks: to Suhoor or Not?

On a regular day, I don't often take breakfast. I know, I know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but for some reason, I always feel iky if I have something on my stomach early in the morning. I usually don't take breakfast until around 8:30 or a little later when my stomach is actually awake! So Ramadan is especially hard on me when I have to get up before dawn to have suhoor. What makes it even harder is that now, suhoor comes in really early in the Northwest, like 4+ hours before I have to get up to go to work. After prayer, I usually have 3 hours and often go back to sleep. Not good on even on a remotely full stomach.

This Ramadan, I considered skipping suhoor so that I would not have to feel the iky effects of an early morning meal through out the day. But I was reminded of the importance of the suhoor meal by a few hadiths I read regarding fasting.

MWA's Aishah Schwartz shares her August 4 suhoor

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Poached eggs over multi-grain toast, banana, lemon-date cookies, milk and a cup of cinnamon-ginger tea. I read that ginger tea is supposed to be good for helping you digest food; which is great for late night/early morning meals like suhoor!

MWA's Khulood Arendse shares a favorite Ramadan recipe

Hot Chili Tuna and Cabbage

1 onion chopped
30ml cooking oil
1 quarter finely cut/shredded cabbage
2 tins (170g each) tuna in water
Spices of your choice, I used paprika, breyani masala and chili powder (the stronger, the better :D)

Saute onion in cooking oil, add cabbage, and cover pot till soft.
Add your spices and let them sing to the cabbage and onion on medium heat.
Now for the tuna, do not drain, add as is, stir through, and simmer on low heat.

For a sweet chili taste, add a tablespoon or 2 of smooth apricot jam, depending on you of coz.

A nice salad, like coleslaw and sliced cucumber, will go lovely with that, it takes some of the bite out of the chili.

MWA's Jennifer Infante shares a favorite Iftar recipe: Mediterranean rosemary herbed lemon chicken

Mediterrean rosemary herbed lemon chicken.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 whole chicken cut in quarters or 8 pieces
• 5 garlic cloves sliced
• 2 tsp of kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbs seven spices
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 small branches of fresh rosemary (remove leaves from branches and finely chop)
• 3 small branches of fresh oregano (remove leaves from branches and finely chop)
• 1 whole onion sliced
• 2 carrots cut in big chunks
• 3 potatoes thickly cut (quartered or halved)
• 3 lemons (juice 1 lemon) and quarter the other 2 lemons.

MWA's Aishah Schwartz shares her August 2 suhoor

PB&J, shortbread cookies, milk, mocha coffee topped with vanilla ice cream.

MWA'S Janette Grant offers insight on children's book 'Ramadan' by Farah Kinani

Farah Kinani.

When a friend of Farah Kinani's daughter, Leila, told her classmates that she would not be joining them during lunch one day, no one understood that Leila would not be eating with them because it was the beginning of Ramadan; the Muslim Holy month of fasting between sunrise and sunset, also known as one of the pillars of Islam. Leila's classmates, instead, implored her to hide and eat, or to at least drink. Some even thought she was being punished or given a time out.

Leila's mother, concerned about the confusing and stressful situation her daughter had fallen into – due to the lack of understanding among her peers – decided to prepare and deliver a small talk at the school on the subject of Ramadan.

During her presentation to the 4th graders at the middle school her daughter attended, Ms. Kinani answered basic questions about Islam, shared anecdotes about Ramadan's first-time fasters, and made a brief comparison between fasting traditions within various other religions.

The feedback Ms. Kinani received was both encouraging and inspiring.

Ever crash an iftar? Aishah did on August 2nd :-)

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I actually crashed this iftar! I swear! lol and let me tell you, that garlic butter sauce the veggies were marinated and steamed in made this medley an awesome combination! Loved, loved, loved it! *kisses* to Hayaire!