Note to self:
Some traditions are just not worth maintaining.
I have this slightly odd Ramadan tradition of eating a whole box of macaroni and cheese for the first iftar. Weird, I know, but I really do loooove mac n cheese.
Except this year. Apparently, when you eat really really healthy for an extended period of time, your body is not happy with you when you try to stuff it full of crap.
Dear stomach and intestines, I am so so sorry for doing this to you. Please forgive me and go easy on me today. I promise to feed you only a moderate amount of healthy sustenance for iftar, if only you will stop rebelling.
Also, organic does not necessarily equal good for you.
*standard disclaimer – I am not a doctor, nor a professional nutritionist. I claim no expertise. These rules are simply what I’ve gleaned from reading way too much about healthy and sustainable eating habits. Thus far, they’ve helped me lose 30 lbs and counting. I’m now back to the weight I was when AbuS first arrived in the good ol US of A 5 years ago, alhamdulilah.*
online rihla 
I made a yummy multigrain pasta salad for myself, chock full of sundried tomatoes (not the kind in oil), kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, fresh tomatoes, and some other veggies. I love salads for iftar.
I cooked some lamb for my husband.
That sounds delicious! Is it a recipe or something you just threw together?
I vow to eat much better tonight inshaAllah. Probably a bean stew with a bowl of vegetables and some grapes.
Tomorrow will be the real challenge – we’re going to the dreaded ME buffet full of greasy meat. And I have no self control :/
Just threw it together. I prefer cold meals for iftar, not sure why, but maybe it is the coolness is refreshing after fasting all day. Although I do like whole grain penne with arugula and tomatoes, but that isn’t hot, hot.
I was invited by a friends for iftar, we had salad, veal cutlets, bread, some other type of patty, and veggie lasagna with deserrt. yummy
Yum yum yum! Except for the veal. Many veal producers can be quite cruel :( I’ll send you some stuff on that.
BTW i love the pic of Squeaky!
It’s only a matter of time before our Arab friends invite to iftar, and they always make more food than we can eat! :)
Yes! We usually get a huge fill of arab food in ramadan, especially mahshy and bashamel. Shouldn’t think about food so early in the morning though! Still have 13 hours to fast today :/
1st iftar was homemade smoked salmon sushi. Oh yum oh yum oh yum. Am having it again tonight (3rd iftar)insha Allah.
I actually drew up a Ramadan menu, with enough recipes for about 2 weeks. Sushi was not on the list originally, but a good friend of my hubby is visiting and loves sushi so we are having it. The fun part is rolling weird looking sushi and stuffing it with as much smoked salmon that you can. Mine is always slathered with a lot of wasabi.
Umm Squeakster, you may surprise yourself yet. I went to a buffet iftar last night too and ate quite moderately. My tummy hates being stuffed to the brim at the moment.
Wow, I’ve never thought of smoked salmon sushi. I like smoked salmon and I like sushi, so that combination sounds good to me :)
inshaAllah my stomach has shrunk enough that it just won’t let me stuff too much down. After my big bowl of vegetables last night, it was all I could do to choke down a can of tuna. I’m a bit worried that I’ll end up malnourished from not eating enough, so I’ll have to see about waking up in the middle of the night to eat another meal.
Smoked salmon because Papa Pongkey can’t stomach raw fish, besides, the smoked version intensifies the flavour. Tonight we didn’t really bother with shaping them prettily, we just combined bite-sized lumps of rice with salmon and seawood, dip it lightly in the soy sauce and in it goes.. LOL.
Breaking the meals up might be a good thing, I really dislike the bloated feeling when trying to do ruku or sujud. About the being worried about malnutrition, perhaps a supplement might help?
We just did sahoor, and continuing with the Japanese theme, we had stir-fried udon noodles with fish cakes, chicken sausage and soy sauce. My cats, in the meantime, found my secret stash of catnip and proceeded to Lose All Dignity, rolling over and wiping their faces in the stuff. Hahaha. Great dining entertainment!
Thank you for the advice.
You are very welcome.