Day Seven Iftar: Enchiladas!

Masha Allah, I love all things cheesy :D Yesterday I was in the mood for enchiladas but did not have all the makings for it so I decided to stop by the store today after work to pick up some things. I have two different recipes that I go between, the more commonly version, meat/beans with cheese rolled in corn tortillas then topped with red enchilada sauce, cheese, olives and green onions. Then there is the newest version that I picked up from a friend that does not require enchiladas sauce. So Good! Masha Allah!

Before I add the recipe, I must admit, I lost the recipe my friend gave me so I kind of winged it from the last two times I made it. I also did not have enough corn tortillas so I stretched it a bit. Here is the recipe I used to make this tasty iftar dish tonight. :) Insha Allah I hope you enjoy it! (should you try it out :D)

Recipe:

2 lb               Ground Beef
1 can (15oz) Black Beans (low sodium)
1 can (8 3/4 oz) Kernel Corn
1 can (16oz) Fresh Salsa
2 lg               Bell pepper
2 pks            Taco Seasoning (low sodium)
3 Tbs            Garlic Powder (to taste) note: I add lots of garlic powder
2 Tbs            Black Pepper (to taste)     "    "      "    "     "     "      "
1/4 cup         Italian Dressing (Light)
1 cup            Sour Cream
                     Corn Tortillas
2 cups          Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation:

Brown the meat on medium to high heat. Add bell peppers and cook for a few minutes. Add garlic, black pepper and taco seasoning. Mix well. Drain the beans and corn, then add along with the fresh salsa and mix well. Cook for a bit longer on medium heat. Reduce heat. Add Italian dressing and mix well. Turn off heat and set meat mixture aside. At this point, you can add the sour cream to the mixture but I usually wait until I am ready to layer my enchiladas. Heat the corn tortillas on both sides in a frying pan with little to no cooking oil.  Layering method: Spoon some meat mixture on the bottom of the pan then sprinkle some cheese on top. Cover the first layer of meat and cheese with corn tortillas. Spoon another layer of meat and cheese. Continue the layering until you get to the top ending with a thin layer of meat and cheese.
Cover the pan with foil and bake on 375 for 40 minutes. Then uncover, the cheese should be melted and bubbly. Bake uncovered for another 10 - 15 minutes or until cheese is golden and slightly crisp.
Garnish with shredded lettuce, chopped cilantro and sour cream! Enjoy Insha Allah!

Ramadan Kareem!

Green Our Ramadan in our Homes and Masajid

A wonderful friend passed this along to me and I just had to share it. Insha Allah, I plan on trying to be more green this Ramadan. Allah (swt) has blessed us with only one home, it is time for us to show our appreciation to Him for all of His bounty He has bestowed on us by caring for the very home He created for us.

Alhamdulilah Ramadan is approaching! Lets all work to be stewards of our home! 

"Now, behold! Your Lord said to the angels: I am placing upon the earth a human successor to steward it" (2:30 1. 


Recycle and promote recycling in our homes, schools and Masjids Recycling conserves our natural resources, saves energy, protects our health and the environment, reduces the use of landfills and incinerators and saves money. 


1. Commit to providing recycling options at your Masjid during Iftars in Ramadan.

2. Commit to form an Environmental Committee in the Masjid. The committee's role will be to gauge and discuss how to implement other Green Ramadan tasks in the Masjid now and continuously. 

3. Commit to disseminate Green Ramadan topics through your Sheikh or Imam of your Masjid through newsletters, religious lectures after Salat, or including the topic in a Jumah Khutbah during Ramadan. Commit to sharing Greening Ramadan ideas
If your Masjid comes up with some great ideas about recycling, renewing, reusing and rethinking how to Green please post and or write! 

I am hoping that WE as a progressive caretakers of our dunya/earth,
will take the extra measures this Ramadan to reduce waste, recycle food and bring out own plates/utensils, and renew materials to be utulized again. ( cloth table cloths, napkins etc) 

The Quran states
"...eat and drink: but waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters." (Al-A'raf 7: 31) 

Alhamdulilah 



PS Chicago area Mosques have had a Green Ramadan Initiative for some years now!
http://www.ciogc.org/Go.aspx?link=7654955

SubhanAllah we have only one earth and hands are here to help heal it.

Sister Janice
HASSANAH Consulting
Catalyst for Positive Changes 

Are You Ready for Ramadan?

I am really excited for Ramadan this year. It is coming right on time. I'm in need of a spiritual spa month. Insha Allah (God willing) I will detox from all the stresses of life and focus on my spiritual needs. But at the same time, I want to make sure I stay healthy while fasting and taking time out for prayers. I have been having a lot of fun reading articles on the web and those shared by friends on preparing for Ramadan and tips for a healthy Ramadan. Check out the links below.

Ramadan Health Tips
Ramadah Health: Safety and Health of Ramadan Fasting for Muslim
Preparing for the Month of Mercy
Ten Tips for Preparing Your Family for Ramadan
Tips for Women in Ramadan: Tips and Advice
Learning Activities for Ramadan (Activities for Children)

What I love About Ramadan

I am really looking forward to Ramadan this year. It is a spiritual break. TV goes off. Music nill. Fiction novels go on the shelf. Facebook goes dark.

While I should not wait for Ramadan as the only time to reflect on my life as a Muslim, it certainly does help put me in the spiritual mood and give me lots of encouragement. For one, I read a LOT more Qur'an during Ramadan. I love that. I love reading the Qur'an in both Arabic and English. I love thinking about the guiding words, the glad tidings, the reminders and even the warnings. Ramadan gives me that opportunity to read more, one-thirtieth everyday.

Fasting. Ramadan is the only time where I fast and not feel the affects of abstaining from food and drink. Any other time I get the tired, achy, headache and hunger pains. At work I'm exhausted. But during Ramadan, Alhamdulillah, I don't feel those things. Ramadan is also a great dawah tool. My co-workers know when it is Ramadan and often have questions when they know I'm fasting.

There is also the social part of Ramadan, visiting and having iftar with friends that I don't see very often. I love the family dinners as everyone has to break fast at the same time.

Insha Allah, I pray this Ramadan will see me come out for the better. That I remain observant and steadfast. That I hold fast to the word of Allah and implement it in my life. Ahlan was Sahlan ya Ramadan

beautiful Dua for Lailatul Qadr pt 2

Beautiful Dua for Lailatul Qadr

Five Things....

.... I got out of the taraweeh prayer last night.

1. Peace - It was such a peaceful prayer, no children running around playing making noise. I could concentrate on the prayer and listen to the Imaam as he recited the word of Allah (swt)
2. Security - Just hearing the words of Allah (swt) and being in the masjid with my family gave a sense of security and that Allah (swt) was with us and watching and protecting us with His angels.
3. Unity - I love praying with large groups of Muslims. You get to see old face and new, from a variety of cultures and countries but we all have one thing in common... Allahu Akbar, standing in rows praying to one creator, one Lord, one God, Allah (swt).
4. Nostalgia - Praying at the masjid brought back fond memories of going to do the taraweeh prayers with my mom and family when I was younger and also during my college years and study abroad.
5. Iman Boost - I felt so close to Allah (swt) as I stood in prayer. As it ended and we left, I could not help but feel excited about going again for the next taraweeh prayer insha Allah.

Objectives of Fasting and Ramadan: SuhaibWebb (dot) com

Masha Allah, I have been finding lots of wonderful lectures and articles online. I feel like I just got an iman booster shot! :D So here is an article I read called, "The Objectives of Fasting and Ramadan." They start off with a hadith of the Prophet (saw) which states:

“Maybe a fasting person gains nothing from his fast except hunger and thirst. And maybe a person who prays in the night gains nothing from their prayer except staying up late.”

That made shivers go down my spine. I would hate that my fasting was nothing but hunger and I got no spiritual benefit from it. :( As I continued to read on, the article goes into just what the objectives of fast and Ramadan is. Yes we are fasting, abstaining from food, drinks, relations with spouces, etc, but there is so much more. The article focused on six objectives:

1. Attaining Taqwa
2. Fasting is a Shield
3. Fasting and Patience
4. Ramadan is the Month of Qur'an and Ibadah
5. Ramadan is the Month of Generosity
6. The Importance of Time

I highly recommend you read this article and increase your knowledge of what the objectives of fasting and Ramadan are and so that your fasting is not wasted on hunger and thirst.

The Three Levels of Fasting-Shaykh Muhammad Al-Ninowy

Masha Allah, I found this link through a friend. It is a wonderful lecture I think is worthy of sharing.

We all understand the fast as abstaining from food, drink, and sex during the day…but what are the deeper, spiritual levels of Fasting? Shaykh Muhammad al-Ninowy provides an beautiful, in-depth description of Fasting as we approach the last Ten Days of Ramadhan. Please listen carefully to this wonderful discourse!

Insha Allah, click on this link to find the audio of the lecture.

May Allah (swt) accept your fast. Ameen.

Ramadan Children's Book Giveaway

As today ends our first week of Ramadan, I am hosting a Ramadan children's book giveaway. Simply fill out the form below to enter for a chance to win one of the following children's book below. Many children are often too young to partake in the fasting, but they are still curious and want to enjoy the Ramadan experience just like the rest of us. Teach them the beauty of fasting, praying, charity and doing good deeds by letting them join you in those activities but also through the joy of reading. As this is the month of blessings and mercy, the winner of this giveaway will also get to choose another book from this list to send to their local Masjid or Islamic school library. :)

Dua for the beginning, middle and end of Ramadan

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said:
It (Ramadan) is the month, whose beginning is mercy, its middle, forgiveness and its end, emancipation from the fire (of hell)

I found some sites that had the duas that are recommended to say during each third (ten days) of the month of Ramadan. I will post them below Insha Allah.

1st -10 days of Ramadhan recite dua above for mercy

11th -20th days of Ramadhan recite dua above for remission for Sins (forgiveness)

21st to last ten days of Ramadhan recite dua above for free from Hell recite this dua in plenty for safety from hell

Daily Duas for the Fasting

Daily Duas for the Fasting...

Daily Duas for the Fasting...

Daily Duas for the Fasting...

Ramadan 2011 is Here!!! The Moon has been sighted on the West Coast!! :D

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/ \ ˚. ★ *˛ ˚♥♥* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ ♥♥ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ ˚ 。✰ •* ˚ ♥♥" ✰

How Time Flies.....

The last ten days of Ramadan are quickly going by. I have been doing my best to wake up to pray the tahajjud prayer before having suhor and Fajr prayer. It is so quiet and peaceful at that time of the night, even living by the freeway. Insha Allah, I look forward to finding the night of power in prayer and recitation and remembrance.




1. By the Time.

2. Most surely mankind is in loss.

3. Except those who believe, and do righteous deeds, and they connect on the Truth
and they connect with Sabr.

Ramadan 1431: Day Two

Here is a gently reminder I received in the mail.

keep Allah subhanna wa taala in your hearts always and read - Iqra! each and everyday the
Holy Quran, no matter if it is one page, but continue and never let go, for it
is Allah talking to you and it is our reminder.

Remember, life is not guaranteed to us, but death is.

subhan Allah!!!

Ramadan 1431

Masha Allah! Another Ramadan has been bestowed upon me. I pray I am able to fast these thirty days and reap the spiritual benefits that come with this special month. Like last year, I will try to keep up a Ramadan Journal and post different insights and revelations I get throughout this wonderful month. May Allah (swt) bless me to complete this religious obligation with humility and devotion. Ameen.

Ahlan wa Sahlan Ya Ramadan!

Eid Mubarik!!!

Yeah, so I'm late reporting the last few days! but the moon has been sited in four places so far from different regions in the US so eid is tomorrow!!! We will be praying the eid prayer at the Quest Field insha Allah. :D really excited now. Insha Allah, I will have to post pictures of tomorrow's festivities!

Dua: Oh Allah, please accept our fasting and duas. Please grant us another year of belief and success. Please give us another chance to witness another Ramadan. Ameen.