Snack Ideas:

• Raisins
• Apple Slices
• Cuties (Oranges)
• Banana
• Grapes
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Veggie Chips
• Potato Chips
• Goldfish Crackers
• Cheese-its
• Pretzels
• Crackers
• Apple Sauce
• Yogurt Pouch
• Mixed Fruit Cup
• Cheese Stick
• Granola Bar
• Carrot Sticks with Dip
• Pita Chips with Hummus
• Celery Sticks with Peanut Butter
• Sweet Peppers
• Muffin
• Cookie

Lunch Ideas:

• Grilled Cheese Sandwich
• Cucumber Sandwich
• Shredded Chicken Sandwich
• Pita Pocket with Deli Meat
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
• Chicken Tenders/Nuggets
• Fish Fingers
• Mac and Cheese
• Pesto Pasta
• Quesadilla
• Pizza Bites
• Pasta Salad
• Hot Dog
• Pinwheels with Deli Meat
• Mini Burgers with Fries

Desi Lunch Ideas:

• Paratha with Yogurt
• Kabab Roll
• Pasta Keema
• Kitchari
• Shami Kabab Sandwich
• Patties
• Samosas with Chutney

Sincerely,

After our time last year, my husband suggested that we make an apple pie to use up the apples before they went bad. It was a great idea, but the apples were so delicious on their own, that we ended up eating them before I got around to making one. My husband had the same suggestion this year, so before we finish them again, I decided to use them to make my favorite apple crumble recipe.

This recipe is so easy, and it tastes so good that I thought I’d share it with you too. I hope you guys like it, and if you do, don’t forget to let me know in the comments below.

Apple Crumble Recipe:

Ready In: 55 mins
Serves: 10-12

Ingredients-
8 cups granny smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1⁄2 cup firmly packed brown sugar, divided
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1⁄3 cup old fashioned oats or 1/3 cup quick-cooking oats
1⁄4 cup cold margarine
25 reduced-fat vanilla wafers, crushed (about 1 cup)

Directions-

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Toss apples with 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon. Spoon into an 8- or 9- inch baking dish.
3. Combine oats, the remaining brown sugar, and 1 tsp cinnamon in a medium bowl. Cut in margarine with pastry blender or two knives, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add wafer crumbs, mix well. Spread crumb mixture evenly over apples.
4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm or cooled. Top with whipped topping.

Recipe courtesy of Kraft Food & Family Magazine

Sincerely,

When Shahzaib was younger, I would also add some frozen veggie cubes that I would make by pureeing potatoes, carrots, and broccoli into an ice cube tray and freeze that way I could easily add some vegetables into his pasta or anything else to make it a bit healthier and the best thing was that the flavors from the broth, butter, and bouillon cube overpower the veggies so he wouldn’t even taste them.

As a mom, I like that I can throw everything into one pot and let it all cook until all of the flavors combines into this amazingly delicious comfort food. Although patli kitchari is typically eaten when someone isn’t feeling well, my version is so flavorful I can eat it all the time. This simple recipe has become a staple in our family and I hope you try it and your kids and family love it as much as we do.

To make this recipe you will need —

INGREDIENTS:
1 TBS Butter
1/4 Cup Masoor Daal (Red Lentils)
3/4 Cups Rice
2 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth
3 TBS Brown Onions
1/4 – 1/2 TSP Salt (Adjust as needed as broth and bouillon cube will be salty)
A pinch of Red Pepper
1/2 TSP Cumin Seeds
1/4 TSP Tumeric
1 Chicken Bouillon Cube

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place pot on stove and turn on to medium heat.
2. Add butter and let it melt.
3. Next add in the brown onions, spices, lentils, rice and chicken or vegetable broth and mix together.
4. Let it come to a boil and cover pot with lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Check occasionally to make sure the rice it doesn’t dry up. If it’s looking dry, add in some water.
5. Once it has simmered, give it a good mix so all the flavors are well combined and the texture of the rice is mushy.
6. Top with butter and enjoy!

Come back and let me know if you liked it.

Sincerely,

The soup turned out to be so delicious and it was pretty quick to make. It is definitely one that I’ll be making again during the cold weather.

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think. I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients-
2 tablespoons of butter
1 Leek (cut into thin slices)
4 potatoes (cut into small pieces)
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 (32oz) box of Chicken or Vegetable broth
Salt (to taste – please note that broth might include salt so adjust accordingly)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bouillon cube (optional – I added this in for extra flavor because I used vegetable broth instead of chicken)
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme (I didn’t use any because I was out)
1/2 cup heavy cream (I substituted it with 2 tablespoons of sour cream)

Instructions-
1. Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium pot.
2. Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the potatoes, broth, bouillon cube, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper to the pot and bring to a boil.
4. Turn heat down to low. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
5. Remove the thyme sprig and bay leaves from the soup
6. Purée the soup with a hand-held immersion blender until smooth.
7. Add the heavy cream (or sour cream) and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

*If the soup is too thin, simmer until thickened. If it’s too thick, add water or stock to thin it out.

Garnish with fresh herbs and serve.

Sincerely,

They are all so easy to make and perfect to eat for Sahoor with all the nutrients they contain. They will keep you going the whole day. Enjoy!

Date Oatmeal Recipe:

1 cup steel cut oats
2-3 dates cut up into bite sized pieces
1 tsp honey
3/4 tsp chia seeds
Optional – 1/2 cup milk

1. Cook oatmeal as directed by the package
2. Once oatmeal is cooked place in a bowl and top it with the chopped dates, chia seeds and drizzle it with some honey
3. Optional: Add some milk
4. Your oatmeal is now ready

Mixed Berry Oatmeal Recipe:

1 cup steel cut oats
1-2 strawberries
1/2 banana
10-12 blueberries
6-7 raspberries
1 tsp honey
3/4 tsp chia seeds
Optional – 1/2 cup milk

1. Cook oatmeal as directed by the package
2. Once oatmeal is cooked place in a bowl and top it with the fresh berries, chia seeds, and honey
3. Optional: Add some milk
4. Enjoy

Walnut Raisin Oatmeal Recipe:

1 cup steel cut oats
Handful of chopped walnuts
Handful of raisins
1 tsp honey
3/4 tsp chia seeds
Optional – 1/2 cup milk

1. Cook oatmeal as directed by the package
2. Once oatmeal is cooked place in a bowl and top it with the chopped walnuts, raisins, chia seeds and drizzle it with some honey
3. Optional: Add some milk
4. Your oatmeal is now ready to eat

Sincerely,
Sana

Me: What should I cook for dinner tonight?
Husband: Nothing

…..What we end up eating for dinner: Cereal!

This is a typical conversation my husband and I have a couple of times a week after which I resort to making any one of these three easy dishes; Aloo Gosht (meat and potato curry), Daal (lentils), or Aloo Sabzi (potato curry), [as you may be able to tell, we love potatoes!] otherwise, I’ll take my husband’s advice and make nothing which is the easiest option for me. The problem with that is when we actually start feeling hungry, there is nothing to eat which is why we resort to eating cereal.

For a while now, I’ve been wanting to create a list of meal ideas to help me eliminate the daily guessing game of what to make for dinner. Especially now, with Shahzaib I want to make sure we eat a balanced diet so he also learns the importance of eating healthy. That being said, I’m so excited to share this meal plan with you. Although I refer to this document as a sample Pakistani meal plan, not all foods mentioned in the plan are Pakistani, I’ve tried to include a variety of foods so it doesn’t get monotonous and different options for myself using similar ingredients so I can swap them out from week to week. I spent a lot of time creating this document and hope it’s helpful to you and your family.

Please fill out the form below to access the sample Pakistani meal plan:

I hope you enjoy cooking these delicious meals and let me know if you have any comments, suggestions, or other meal ideas you would like to recommend please let me know below.

Sincerely,
Sana