We’ve already in the second week of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. Last week, I shared with you a menu designed for 1 week for healthy iftar that consists of drink, soup, main, salad/appetizer, and dessert for everyday. And so to help you and keep your fridge organized, and to save you the burden of thinking last minute and rushing to the store. Here, I’m sharing another Ramadan healthy iftar menu, so you can prepare your fridge, pantry, and have everything ready for the whole week.
How are you doing so far with Ramadan & quarantine?
We are still under quarantine, and it’s a bit hard for us to accept Ramadan coming and going without the gatherings that we used to host, and go to. So, we in the family, share photos of our iftar tables everyday, talk a lot about about the preparations for our iftar tables, trying new recipes, and so on.
Let’s get to it
Ramadan Healthy Iftar Menu(Week 2)
Day 1:
Drink : Tamarind Juice
Soup: Chickpea Zucchini Soup
Salad/ Appetizer: Strawberry salad with bulgur
Main: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Malfouf bel Lahmeh)
Desserts: No-Bake Honey Blueberry Fusion Healthy Cheesecake
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Day 2:
Drink : Refreshing Hibiscus, Lemon, and Cloves Drink
Soup: Cucumber Pear Gazpacho {Cold Soup}
Salad/ Appetizer: Plum & Quinoa Spinach Salad
Main: Okra stew with lamb meat (Bamya bel lahmeh)
Desserts: Cinnamon Shortbread
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Day 3:
Drink : Green Apples with Ginger Hibiscus Iced Tea
Soup: Yogurt soup with lentils and turmeric
Salad/ Appetizer: Arabic Eggplant Dip (Mutabal)
Main: Meat pie with Bulgur (Kibbeh bel Sannieyh)
Desserts: Arabic Carob Pudding (Khabeesa)
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Day 4:
Drink : Cold Carob
Soup: Sweet Potato Soup
Salad/ Appetizer: Baba Ganoush {Eggplant Dip}
Main: Baked Meatballs with Tahini Sauce
Desserts: Lemon Jam Bars
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Day 5:
Soup: Freekeh Soup
Salad/ Appetizer: Spinach salad with Sauteed Halloumi cheese
Main: Stuffed White Zucchini in Yogurt Sauce (Kousa bel laban)
Desserts: Easy Sweet Potato Oatmeal Cookies
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Day 6:
Drink : Homemade Lemonade
Soup: Fennel Soup
Salad/ Appetizer: Sauteed Sweet Potato with Avocado
Main: Meatballs Stew with Carrot and Peas
Desserts: Healthy Banana Mousse
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Day 7:
Drink : Iced Cherry Hibiscus Tea with Mint
Soup: Roasted Vegetables Soup with Thai Yellow Curry Paste
Salad/ Appetizer: Grilled Eggplant Salad with White Cheese and Pesto
Main: Freekeh Pilaf with Toasted Nuts
Desserts: Rice pudding (Roz bel Haleeb)
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Why a weekly menu is important?
Before Ramadan, and almost all the years that I’ve been cooking for my family. I used to decided what to cook, in the middle of the day. Just before lunch, I will go to the supermarket, and grab what looks good to me, and what I feel like to eat. Even in the years, that we bought our groceries in advance, I didn’t have a clear meal plan for the week.
And, while impulsive and spontaneous meals seems interesting and fun. Things have changed after quarantine, with the prohibited daily visit to the supermarket, I had to had a weekly plan, and to buy all the groceries I need in advance. It helped me a lot to make variation of what I have, and to make different dishes that I usually forgot to cook. Because when you rush making lunch (we have lunch for main meal), you don’t always think clearly. I usually tend to take easy decisions, and think of simple meals, like pasta with grilled chicken, or any easy dish.
Notes:
**This is a suggestive menu, Not a diet plan. It may not be suitable for your diet plan . What you should eat depends on your calorie needs, how much do you burn during workout, and your activity level, and your age. You may skip some of the courses, like salad or soup, if you think that you are full, also I didn’t list any portion. You may have to decide that based on your knowledge of your needs. These ideas of dishes are just to help you design your iftar meal.
** You don’t have to stick to every course every day, you can alternate between days, choosing what you like. However, the menu is based on meals that fit together, and maximizing your intake of meat/chicken , fruits and vegetables. Every course has a goal, different fruits, vegetable, protein source, and carbs source to help you stay on track of eating healthy and maximizing your intake.eat small portions of everything.
If you need further assistance, please don’t hesitant to reach me on Instagram, or thru email farida@nutrizonia.com , nutrizonia@gmail.com .. , and if you make any recipe, I would love to see your creation, so tag me on Instagram #Nutrzonia
