~Strawberry Smoothie (Lassi)~

I wanted something that could be prepared really fast, required no heat, and was refreshing.

Enter strawberry lassi.  Lassi is an Indian yogurt-based fruit beverage, usually prepared with mango. I absolutely love lassi; I always find myself ordering it whenever I have Indian food (which is fairly often).  I had no mangos in my kitchen Friday afternoon, and there was NO way I was braving the heat again to go buy some at the supermarket, so I settled for fresh strawberries, which I conveniently happened to have in my refrigerator.  I’m glad I settled.  Strawberry lassi may be a bit unconventional, but it’s delicious!

Strawberry Lassi

Adapted from Joylicious

Ingredients

·      1 pound fresh strawberries, trimmed and halved

·      ½ cup honey (to your taste)

·      pinch of salt

·      2 cups plain yogurt

·      1 cup crushed ice

Directions

Combine the strawberries, honey, and salt in a blender.  Purée until the strawberries are smooth. 

Add the yogurt, and blend until smooth.  Repeat with the ice. 

Serve immediately.

~Chocolate Milk-Shake~

The BEST Homemade

This is quite possible the easiest and cheapest and best option for Chocolate Milk

Not only is it only four ingredients, but you can customize the ingredients to fit your diet!  I love full on sugar, but you can tend to try and make things healthier for yourselves or kids.  So I used my new favorite cocoa Cadbury Powder.  The flavor is great!

Want all organic?   Simply choose organic ingredients!  Need dairy free?  Try almond milk.  Want gluten free?  Try raw sugar, natural dark cocoa powder (not cocoa mixes), and pure vanilla extract.  If you want sugar free try replacing the sugar with liquid Stevia.  Here is a great post from Deliciously Organic that can help you determine what works best for you!

So basically this awesomely delicious treat is perfect for everyone!

Print

Homemade Chocolate Milk

Ingredients

• 3 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons powder sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• To make it rich - add a scoop of Vanilla/chocolate Icecream

Instructions

1. Pour milk into blender. Add in cocoa, powder sugar, and vanilla. Blend all ingredients until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds.
2. Serve and enjoy! or add a scoop of icecream on top and enjoy!
3. This will last about one week covered in the fridge. (Or the life of the milk)

~Flavoured Water~

Well lets all drink water rather than juices, sodas etc to quench our thirst with this easy and flavoursome water.  You will enjoy drinking this and leave your fizzy drinks to nourish your body:)

Cucumber, Lemon & Mint-infused water. I did this last weekend; I put lemons, limes, & cucumbers in the pitcher; I could not keep it filled up! It was a hit and delicious.

Variations can be made to suits fresh herbs as well or any fruit slices etc.

*Story ~ Moses & Al-Khidr*

And (remember) when Musa (Moses) said to his boy-servant: “I will not give up (travelling) until I reach the junction of the two seas or (until) I spend years and years in travelling.” (V:18:60)

“Musa (Moses) got up to deliver a speech before the Children of Israel and he was asked, ‘Who is the most learned person among the people?’ Musa (Moses) replied, ‘I (am the most learned).’ God admonished him for he did not ascribe knowledge to God Alone. So God revealed to him: ‘At the junction of the two seas there is a slave of Ours who is more learned than you.’ Musa (Moses) asked, ‘O my Lord, how can I meet him?’ God said, ‘Take a fish and put it in a basket and then proceed (set out and where you lose the fish, you will find him).’

So Musa (Moses) (took a fish and put it in a basket and) set out, along with his boy-servant Yusha’ bin Nun, till they reached a rock (on which) they both lay their heads and slept. The fish moved vigorously in the basket and got out of it and fell into the sea and there it took its way through the sea (straight) as in a tunnel. (V. 18:61) God stopped the current of water on both sides of the way created by the fish, and so that way was like a tunnel. When Musa (Moses) got up, his companion forgot to tell him about the fish, and so they carried on their journey during the rest of the day and the whole night. The next morning Musa (Moses) asked his boy-servant ‘Bring us our morning meal; truly, we have suffered much fatigue in this, our journey.’ (V. 18:62) 

Musa (Moses) did not get tired till he had passed the place which God had ordered him to seek after. His boy-servant then said to him, ‘Do you remember when we betook ourselves to the rock? I indeed forgot the fish; none but Satan made me forget to remember it. It took its course into the sea in a strange way.’ (V. 18:63)

There was a tunnel for the fish and for Musa (Moses) and his boy-servant there was astonishment. Musa (Moses) said, ‘That is what we have been seeking’. So they went back retracing their footsteps. (V. 18:64) They both returned, retracing their steps till they reached the rock. Behold! There they found a man covered with a garment. Musa (Moses) greeted him. Al-Khidr said astonishingly. ‘Is there such a greeting in your land?’ Musa (Moses) said, ‘I am Musa (Moses).’ He said, ‘Are you the Musa (Moses) of the Children of Israel?’ Musa (Moses) said, ‘Yes’; and added, ‘I have come to you so that you may teach me something of that knowledge which you have been taught.’

Al-Khidr said, ‘You will not be able to have patience with me.’ (V. 18:67)

‘O Musa (Moses)! I have some of God knowledge which He has bestowed upon me but you do not know it; and you too, have some of God knowledge which He has bestowed upon you, but I do not know it.’ Musa (Moses) said, ‘If God wills, you will find me patient, and I will not disobey you in aught.’ (V. 18:69)

Al-Khidr said to him. ‘Then, if you follow me, ask me not about anything till I myself mention it to you.’ (V. 18:70) After that both of them proceeded along the sea coast, till a ship passed by and they requested the crew to let them go on board. The crew recognized Al-Khidr and allowed them to get on board free of charge. When they got on board, suddenly Musa (Moses) saw that Al-Khidr had pulled out one of the planks of the ship with an adze. Musa (Moses) said to him, ‘These people gave us a free lift, yet you have scuttled their ship so as to drown its people! Verily, you have committed a thing ‘Imra’ (a Munkar - evil, bad, dreadful thing).’ (V. 18:71)

Al-Khidr said, ‘Did I not tell you, that you would not be able to have patience with me ?’ (V. 18:72) Musa (Moses) said, ‘Call me not to account for what I forgot and be not hard upon me for my affair (with you.)’ (V. 18:73) *

“The first excuse given by Musa (Moses), was that he had forgotten. Then a sparrow came and sat over the edge of the ship and dipped its beak once in the sea. Al-Khidr said to Musa (Moses), ‘My knowledge and your knowledge, compared to God’s knowledge is like what this sparrow has taken out of the sea.’ Then they both got out of the ship, and while they were walking on the sea shore, Al-Khidr saw a boy playing with other boys. Al-Khidr got hold of the head of that boy and pulled it out with his hands and killed him. Musa (Moses) said, ‘Have you killed an innocent person who had killed none! Verily, you have committed a thing ‘Nukra’ (a great Munkar - prohibited, evil, dreadful thing)!’ (V. 18:74) He said, ‘Did I not tell you that you would not be able to have patience with me?’ (V. 18:75) (The subnarrator said, ‘The second blame was stronger than the first one.’) Musa (Moses) said, ‘If I ask you anything after this, keep me not in your company; you have received an excuse from me.’ (V. 18:76)

Then they both proceeded until they came to the people of a town. They asked them for food but they refused to entertain them. (Then) they found there a wall on the point of falling down. (V. 18:77) Al-Khidr set it up straight with his own hands. Musa (Moses) said, ‘We came to these people, but they neither fed us nor received us as guests. If you had wished, you could surely have exacted some recompense for it.’ (Al-Khidr) said, ‘This is the parting between me and you, that is the interpretation of those (things) over which you could not hold patience.’ (V. 18:78-82).”

“As for the ship, it belonged to Masâkîn (poor people) working in the sea. So I wished to make a defective damage in it, as there was a king after them who seized every ship by force.”

“And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief. So we intended that their Lord should change him for them for one better in righteousness and near to mercy.”

“And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town; and there was under it a treasure belonging to them; and their father was a righteous man, and your Lord intended that they should attain their age of full strength and take out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of those (things) over which you could not hold patience.” (V. 18:79 - 82)

“As for the ship, it belonged to Masâkîn (poor people) working in the sea. So I wished to make a defective damage in it, as there was a king after them who seized every ship by force.”

“And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief. So we intended that their Lord should change him for them for one better in righteousness and near to mercy.”

“And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town; and there was under it a treasure belonging to them; and their father was a righteous man, and your Lord intended that they should attain their age of full strength and take out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of those (things) over which you could not hold patience.” (V. 18:79 - 82)

MORAL:▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

There are many great lessons one can derive from this beautiful and inspiring story. One of them is the concept of “little Evil, for greater Good”

Clearly, the things Al – Khidr did can be seen as evil. He broke part of the boat, killed a boy, and helped an evil people.

But why? He later explains to Musa why.

The damaging of the boat was so that an oppressive king won’t take it.

The killing of the boy was because he would grow up to be oppressive to the parents

And the helping of the villagers was in fact for the two orphans.

Another thing to reflect upon is the blessings of God. When He takes something from you, He always returns it either in the same form or better!

The boat was only damaged to an extent that it would be left alone by the king, however it could easily be fixed and hence they were able to keep the boat, which was in fact their livelihood

The boy would have been bad, and God didn’t only save the parents from a horrible fitnah, but will bless them with a good child after. [This makes you think. All those parent that loose children who are young; they start hating God and don’t understand why their child was taken from them. But it is only on the day of judgement when they will be told that their child would have been infact oppressive to them and this was a test to see if they would have patience and Imaan!!]

As for the villagers, they without doubt would have stolen the treasure of the orphans if they had known about its. So God was taking care of the children [of righteous parents]. This tells you a lot about those who worry about the future of their children.

Evil is from God. But God does don’t create anything purely Evil. Everything thing Evil in this Life has some good in it. This is evident in the above story.

Falafel

I have always loved Arabic (in any form - food/theme/design etc.  I came across this recipe which I am going to make as love Falafel.  I ate this on my recent trip to Iraq and yummy....

4 cups dry garbanzo (whole chana) beans

3 large onions

6 to 8 cloves garlic

2 bunches parsley, with stems removed

3 to 5 jalapeno peppers (optional)

2-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

5 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 t baking soda (when ready to fry)

expeller-pressed canola or grapeseed oil (for frying)

Garnishes: whole wheat pocket bread, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, shredded greens, sliced avocados, sprouts

Soak the garbanzo beans in water overnight. Wash and drain. In an electric or manual meat grinder*, grind together the garbanzo beans, onions, garlic, peppers and parsley. Grind a second time. Add salt and pepper, cumin and baking powder and mix thoroughly.

When ready to deep fry, add the baking soda to the mixture and mix again. Shape the falafel mixture into patties which are 1 1/2 inch in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. You may also use a Pampered Chef small scoop to shape the balls easily. Deep fry the patties in hot oil until golden brown.

While the falafel is still warm, serve the patties in half rounds of pocket bread. Garnish with thinly sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded greens and top with 2 tablespoonsful of tahini sauce.

*You may also use a food processor to grind the ingredients. Grind the ingredients separately. Do not puree the onions or the parsley, but keep them fairly chunky. Otherwise, the parsley is likely to turn the whole mixture green or the onions may make the mixture too watery. Add a small bit of flour or commercial falafel mix if too watery.

*Stories ~ Tiger & Goat*

TIGER, GOAT AND A BUNDLE OF GRASS 

I have loved to solve puzzles and hear stories. 

This is one of my favorite puzzle which I have not been able to solve till I got the answer from somewhere...

A man is walking down the village road with a tiger, a goat and a bundle of grass. Soon he arrives at the river bank where there is one tiny boat that can carry him and another animal or grass at a time. Here is the problem: Left alone, the tiger will eat the goat. And similarly, the goat will eat the grass bundle. How is he going to take all three across the river safely? (Answer appears at the end.)

Looking back, I understand the reason why Dad loved this puzzle so much. There is more to it than just a puzzle. Here is the man facing a crisis, i.e., too many demands on too few resources. The world we live in, we face this everyday. Time management, prioritizing or focusing—call what you may—are but a way to solve it. Our life is a constant battle against time, money and/or some other precious little resource. The choices or the decisions we make determine not only the quality of life we live but also the course of our lives. And only wisdom can discern which one is the tiger or the crisis and which one is the mess, e.g., goat eating the bundle of grass. Life can be shattered when the tiger is not recognized and left alone with the hapless goat. And too often people fall apart when faced with a mess or relatively minor problem like goat eating the bundle of grass—recouperable loss. That poor man with tiger, goat and a bundle of grass is a metaphor for the problems we, humans, face throughout the world every day.

By asking us time and again this puzzle over Sunday lunch, Dad was teaching us an invaluable lesion—a simple but profound philosophy of life—which also happens to be very practical and timely. Recalling this puzzle fills me with pride and thankfulness.

 ●▬▬●▬▬●▬▬●▬▬●▬▬END▬▬●▬▬●▬▬●▬▬●▬▬●

Answer: Man takes goat with him to the other side first and comes back to get the tiger. He leaves tiger on the other side and brings goat back. Then he takes the bundle of grass to the other side. He returns again to pick up goat and after crossing the river, resumes his journey with tiger, goat and a bundle of grass

~Smoothie~

Got Overripe Bananas?  Dont throw away!!

Martha Stewart Living, September 2004

Don't let overripe bananas go to waste. Freeze them to use later for refreshing smoothies. First, peel and slice bananas; then freeze each one in an airtight container or plastic bag. When ready to use, there's no need to defrost. Blend together 1 frozen banana with 1 cup plain yogurt and a splash of orange, mango, or pineapple juice for about one minute, until consistency is thin enough to sip through a straw.  Enjoy sipping:)

~Dressing - Avacado~

A cool and creamy avocado dressing with tangy buttermilk, fresh cilantro and lime juice along with some spicy jalapeno pepper ~ what else do you need to make your dressing yumm:)

For a new salad that I have been thinking about I wanted a nice and cool and creamy dressing and I was thinking about trying something a little bit different, an avocado dressing. I was originally planning on including diced avocado in the salad but I liked the idea of a creamy avocado dressing even more. I did make one quick change to the recipe by including some mayonnaise which goes fabulously well with avocados. I have to say that this avocado dressing is amazingly good; nice and creamy so so fresh and vibrant! Now I just need to resist eating it all by the spoonful so that it can make it into the salad!

Ingredients

• 1 medium avocado
• 1 small jalapeno*
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1 lime, juice
• 1 green onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 3/4 cup buttermilk**
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (completely optional)
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Puree everything in a blender until smooth. Store in fridge and finish within a few days.

* Leave the seeds in for more heat or remove them for less.
** Use more buttermilk to make it thinner or less to make it thicker.

~Grilled Cheese Rolls~

 

I’m always looking for ways to make food a little more exciting, especially EASY for me. It’s amazing how you can take the same ingredients and simply change the way it’s cooked, shaped, or presented.
I love these grilled cheese rolls by Carolyn – easy but fun! They’re perfect for dipping in soup! 

All you'll have to do is... cut the crusts off your bread.

Flatten your crustless bread squares with a rolling pin and then top with one piece of American Cheese (do not be tempted to use more cheese, in this case one is enough) - YUM!
Roll your cheese squares up and then cook them in a pan with melted butter over medium heat (SEAM SIDE DOWN FIRST TO SECURE THEM)  (rolling occasionally in the buttered pan to crisp all sides)  until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
***You can bake or grill them as well.

Remove from the pan or oven and your Grilled Cheese Rolls are ready to enjoy!

Option:  For variation you can add toppings of your choice on the cheese and then roll them.

*Cancer Killer*

10000 times stronger killer of CANCER than Chemo".. do share it.. can save many lives, fill up hopes and build confidence in the patients... The Sour Sop or the fruit from the graviola tree is a miraculous natural cancer cell killer 10,000 times stronger than Chemo. Why are we not aware of this?

~Rolls~

Best Rolls Ever

Not only is the recipe easy, but they come out so soft and buttery and they just melt in your mouth.

Ingredients:

• 2 c warm water
• 2/3 c nonfat dry milk powder
• 2 Tbsp dry yeast
• 1/4 c sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 c butter
• 1 egg
• 4 1/2- 5 c all purpose flour

Directions:

1. In a Kitchenaid mixing bowl (or your normal bowl), stir in warm water and nonfat dry milk powder until it dissolves.
2. Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups of flour.
3. Mix on low speed (or you can knead with your hands), until ingredients are wet, then 2 minutes at medium speed.
4. Add 2 more cups of flour, mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then 2 minutes at medium speed.  (You can switch your attachment to the dough hook at this point for easier mixing.)
5. Add 1/2 cup flour again, mixing on low speed until wet, then 2 minutes at medium speed.  You can add an additional 1/2 c if your dough is still too wet but I usually stop at 4 1/2 cups of flour total.
6. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff.
7. Scrape the dough off the sides of the bowl and pour about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil around the sides of the bowl so that the bowl is coated.  
8. Spray some plastic wrap with non-stick coating and place the plastic over the bowl. Allow it to rise in a warm place until the dough doubles in size and rises to the top of the bowl.

     9.  Once the dough has risen, place your dough on a flat floured surface, then divide the dough in half.

     10.  Roll out 1/2 the dough into a circle.

     11.  Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 16 even slices.

     12.  Begin to roll the slice of dough in, starting from the wide end and tuck the small point underneath.  

     13.  Place rolls on parchment-lined baking sheet.  

   
14.  Repeat steps 10-13 for the 2nd half of the dough and let them rise for 1- 1 1/2 hours, until double in size.

15.  Bake at 375 F for 15-20 minutes or until golden-brown. 

16.  Brush with melted butter while hot.

~Smoothie~

~Viennese Shortbread Biscuits~

Ingredients:

250g (8oz) butter

1/4 cup castor sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 3/4 cups plain flour

1/4cup rice flour

pinch salt

Method:

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, beat until combined. Fold in sifted flours and salt. Fill into piping bag fitted with fluted tube. Pipe into straight lengths or different shapes on lightly greased oven trays. Bake in moderate oven at 180 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden. Cool on trays.

Leave plain or dip end in about 125g (4oz) of melted dark chocolate for yummy & pretty effect.

*Cracked Heels*

Hello ladies & Gents.  This is a very common problem with our feet and thought of sharing an amazing looking feet heels ...

Soften and Get Rid of Tough Calluses:

Blend two tablespoons of baking soda in a basin of warm water and add a few drops of lavender oil or olive oil. After a nice long soak, scrub them away using three parts baking soda, one part water, and one part brown sugar with the scrubber.

Follow with an application of a rich moisturizer and a warm towel foot wrap.

Let sit for 5-10 minutes

*Facials & Mask*

A great natural skin care treatment to add to your routine. The aspirin mask is becoming quite popular now, but is not new to the skin care world.

Aspirin  ( acetylsalicylic acid) is a derivative of salicylic acid  It is anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, ( a beta hydroxayl acid ) it acts as a powerful exfoliant that sloughs off dead, dry skin cells that clog pores, cleaning them and stimulating collagen and new skin cell growth as well as healing blemishes.    
                

Honey   is naturally anti-septic, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and hydrating (a humectant), killing bacteria, reducing swelling and moisturizing the skin.  No kidding.

Lemon   is optional in this recipe. It is also a salicylic acid, if you are having problems with breakouts, blackheads etc, lemon juice will help unclog the pores which is the main reason for breakouts. It's vitalmin C helps minimize sun damage also.

Water or Jojoba oil ( or other vegetable oil like grapeseed or olive ) Joboba is preferred as it is closest to the skins natural sebum, but it is pricey.

RECIPE:   Can be used as an all over mask or as a spot treatment for blemishes.  I personally have never used this as a full facial mask only as a spot treatment.

FOR SPOT TREATMENT:First warm up honey, just a small amount.  

Use uncoated aspirins, but if you have the coated variety just hold them under warm water and rub between your fingers until the coating wears off,  you can tell when this happens as the aspirin feels gritty and will dissolve quickly in your hand.  

Add aspirin to your honey. Add a drop or two of lemon juice optional.  Stir well.

Apply to troubled spots on your face. Acne, pimples, white spots from ingrown hairs,  blackheads. Leave on for 10 minutes, rinse.

FOR AN ALL OVER FACIAL MASK:  

Dissolve a few aspirins in water, literally a few drops of water per aspirin.   Add warmed honey. Stir.  Add a few drops of desired oil, optional.

If your mask is too thick add a drop of water at a time to it. Apply over face, stay away from eye area.   Leave on 10 mins.
Rinse well.  This is better to do in the shower so you do not get any aspirin in your eyes.

Do not use the aspirin mask if you are allergic to aspirin, or if you can not take aspirin for any other reasons.  

Aspirin is not suitable for children under 12.

~Rice Krispy Rollups~

Here’s a recipe for rice krispy treat chocolate roll ups! This looks like a great idea and will definitely give it a shot next time I don’t feel like baking and just want something quick and easy.

I am sure you can get really creative with rice krispy treats if you tried. This blog has tons of great ideas and recipes. Check it out!

Here's what you'll need:

¼ cup butter, melted

10½ ounces mini marshmallows

5½ cups Rice Krispies

1½ cups milk chocolate chips or Nuttella

½ cup peanut butter - or Nuttella

Melt butter in a 6 quart kettle, add marshmallows.

  

Melt completely over low heat. Add the Rice Krispies.

  

Mix well. Spread evenly into a greased 10½ x 15½ baking sheet.

In a microwave safe bowl combine chocolate chips and peanut butter or Nuttella only.

 Melt at 1 minute intervals until completely melted, stirring after each minute. Spread on top of Rice Krispy mixture.

Let set in a cool place till chocolate mixture sets up. Be careful not to let the chocolate get too hard, it will not make a neat roll if you do.

Loosen all around with a metal spatula.

Roll, starting on the long side.

Slice and enjoy